Samhain Publishing

 Oh, what a tangled web… of ropes and chains!

Bound by Design by Natasha Moore
Jenn crafts custom slave jewelry, but she’s vowed never to wear a collar again. When she meets Scott, an architect with a dominant side, she’s forced to confront her submissive needs. They’ll have to design a new relationship around past mistakes with the help of ropes and chains—and a whole lot of trust.

Maison Domine by Skylar Kade
In desperate need of a break from her high-pressure job, Lara takes a short vacation to a mountain BDSM retreat. Instead of a quiet weekend to herself, she becomes the weekend submissive of Jaxon, an expert Dominant—and her colleague at the university. Despite the sparks their scenes ignite, they deny their attraction…until it’s clear their bond goes far beyond anything made of rope or leather.

The Initiation of Isabella by Jenna Ives
Isabella can’t believe her sorority’s secret initiation involves being bound, gagged, and blindfolded. Can it? Logan can’t believe the wide-eyed girl he’s sent to pick up is the sexually jaded woman who hired him to indulge her wildest fantasies. But if she insists on playing the innocent schoolgirl, well, it’s her party.

---

Copyright © 2010 Natasha Moore, Skylar Kade, Jenna Ives
All rights reserved — a Samhain Publishing, Ltd. publication


Bound by Design by Natasha Moore

He led her through the crowd. Amazingly, people just seemed to move out of his way. Before she knew it, she had a tall rum and coke and she and Scott were seated on a small loveseat tucked into an alcove in the back of the room.

Jenn wrapped her hands around her glass and stared down into the drink. The ice cubes must have been tinkling against each other, but she couldn’t hear it over the noise in the room. Or was it because of the rush in her ears from the blood tearing wildly through her veins? She was so aware of the man sitting next to her. His scent surrounded her. His khaki-covered thigh pressed into hers. She’d never been good at small talk, so she didn’t say anything. Somehow she didn’t think any talk with Scott would be small.

“So how far back do you and Tori go?” he asked her, lounging back into the cushions of the loveseat. He seemed relaxed while Jenn’s entire body was on edge.

“Since kindergarten.” She took sip from her drink and savored the smooth burn. “We used to get yelled at by the teacher because we whispered together when we were supposed to be taking a nap.”

“Ah, troublemakers from an early age.” She noticed the little crinkles at the corner of his eyes when he smiled. They shouldn’t make her like him more.

She tried to lean back, to show him he didn’t affect her. But she was too restless. “If I told you it was all Tori’s fault, would you believe me?”

“I’d believe anything you tell me, Jenn.”

His tone was light-hearted, but she had a feeling the words were serious. She was so not ready for serious. ”So, Tori said you just moved to town?”

He nodded and didn’t comment on her change of topic. “I was ready for a change. Doug seems to like it here, so I concentrated my job search in this area.”

“No family around here?”

“No.”

Okay, that sounded like a touchy subject. That was all right, she didn’t like to talk about her family either. “So you’re an architect?”

“Yes. I just joined a new firm that’s doing some interesting work in the area.”

“Well, you did a great job on this house.” She’d always dreamed of having her own house someday, built especially for her, not someplace owned previously by someone else. Left by someone.

“Thanks. I’d like to say Doug and Tori were easy to work with, but they were pretty stubborn about what they wanted, even when it made the design a little tougher.”

Jenn laughed. She was already feeling her drink. “I know what you mean. I helped Tori with the decorating and she didn’t compromise one inch.” Someday she’d be able to decorate her own place, but it would be a long time before she could afford to buy even an old, rundown house, much less an awesome new construction designed just for her. She took another swig of her drink. “What are you working on now?”

“My first project with my new firm is for an office building on the edge of town. It’s going to be a challenge, but I really love taking the customer’s ideas and making it real for them.”

“That’s just how I feel.”

He leaned forward and placed his empty glass on the trunk that served as a coffee table. “I didn’t realize you did custom design.”

“Actually, most of my work is custom design.” Her mind again flashed to the piece on her workbench. The intricate collar connected to the nipple rings. Her nipples prickled.

He reached out and traced his finger along the chain of the necklace she wore. Her skin tingled where he touched her. “Did you design this?”

She nodded. He didn’t drop his hand. His finger was warm against her skin as he played with the silver teardrop pendant hanging from the chain. “Yes.” She swallowed the last of her drink. “I design and make all my own jewelry.”

“It’s lovely.” He swept the back of his hand along her throat and sent her dangling earring swinging. “You’re very talented.”

She felt her face grow warm. She’d never had such a hard time accepting compliments before. “Thank you.” She jiggled the ice cubes in her empty glass. When had she finished the thing?

He played with her earring for a moment while he studied her. She caught his gaze and then lowered her eyes to her glass.

“Do you have a shop?” he asked, leaning even closer. The drink and the heat from his body made her warm and a little off-center. “A store front?”

“I wish.” She wished he wasn’t so close, but she couldn’t seem to move away. “No, I work out of my apartment. I turned the dining area into my workshop. Most of my commissions come from word of mouth and my website. I’m actually very busy. Any more business and I’d have to hire someone to help with making the pieces. But I don’t want to give up that part of the process.” Still, if she expanded the business, she might finally make enough money to buy a house.

“I’m impressed.” He tangled his fingers in the tips of her hair. She could almost feel his touch, as if the strands of hair were as sensitive as her heated skin. “With all the jewelry stores out there, I wouldn’t think there would be such a great business for custom-designed pieces.”

She shifted on the cushions. The tingles from his touch tickled her between her legs. “The majority of my work is for a specialized market.” Shit. Why had she said that? Now she’d have to explain.

“Really?” His fingers dropped from the edges of her hair and he traced the neckline of her dress. “What market is that?”

She swallowed before she spoke. She was never sure how people would react when she told them. “I craft erotic jewelry.”

She could have lied. She could have been vague. She’d like to blame the rum and coke, but she couldn’t. There was something about Scott, something that put her at ease and on edge at the same time.

“Erotic jewelry?” Scott’s brows lifted and he leaned in even closer to her. His breath was warm on her cheek. “As in…?”

He hadn’t twisted his face into a smirk, so that was good. He seemed interested. Intrigued, even. “Collars. Cuffs. Chains.” Her mouth was dry, but her drink was gone. “I specialize in chains actually.”

“Really?” His deep voice seemed to vibrate through her body. “I’m fascinated. There are a lot of people who want custom-made chains for erotic purposes?”

“You wouldn’t believe some of the crude, ugly chains out there. My clients are people who have been disappointed in the quality of the standard bondage jewelry available. They care for their slaves, their subs, and want them to be able to wear beautiful jewelry. Luckily, I have enough clients who are willing to pay the price for custom pieces.”

“So, how did you get into creating erotic jewelry?”

She shrugged. It had started so innocently and then things just went wild. “A friend of Tori’s wanted me to make her a pair of nipple rings. Then she asked if I could craft a pretty chain to connect them. She recommended me to some people she knew. And before I knew it, I was getting calls from all over the world.”

“Interesting.” Scott trailed his hand down her arm, until he reached her wrist. He circled it with his long fingers, just as she had imagined him doing when she first saw him. The thrill that shot through her system was troubling, but it was there all the same. “Do you ever wear cuffs and collars, Jenn?”

The room shifted and her breath shortened. She didn’t want to answer him.

He tightened his hold on her wrist, caught her chin in his other hand, and lifted her face to his. “I asked you a question.”

Her heart was scrambling in her chest. She licked her dry lips. “I have never worn any of the cuffs and collars that I make.”

“But you’ve worn them before, haven’t you?” His voice was deep, compelling.

Just because she made the jewelry didn’t mean she ever wanted to wear it. She didn’t want to examine that part of her past. Didn’t want to think that she could possibly become active in the lifestyle again. She was afraid of what would happen if she ever did.

He leaned over and brushed his face against her hair. His lips moved against her ear, his voice soft, yet clear. “Jenn, do you like to be tied up?”

She shuddered. She dropped her gaze to her wrist, shackled by his fingers. Her pussy gushed. Her stomach tightened.

He nipped her neck, just below her ear. “During sex, Jenn. Do you like to be tied up while a man plays with your body? While he gives you pleasure? While he takes his pleasure?”

She couldn’t answer. Couldn’t admit she loved it. Couldn’t admit the idea of getting back into the lifestyle scared the hell out of her and excited her at the same time. Or that the idea of him tying her up tempted her more than she could say. So she did the only thing she could think of.

She bolted.

Maison Domine by Skylar Kade

Jax was glad Maison Domine had an opening for the weekend. He desperately needed to get away from life for a bit. He loved teaching, seeing his students grow to love a work of literature, or a movie, or seeing the flash of insight cross their faces. But, at the same time, he was overwhelmed by his obligations. His agent was making noises about him writing another book or working on another script. Greedy bastard.

When Kat mentioned there was a shy new submissive coming this weekend, and asked if he would show her the ropes, pun intended, Jax jumped at the chance. He loved introducing newbies to the BDSM world. It suited his purposes, as he had no interest in a full-time submissive. He still got to play, but there were no messy emotional entanglements to deal with. After the Jenny fiasco, that was the last thing he wanted.

Evidently this new woman had been referred by one of the regulars, and from what the regular had told Kat, she was total submissive material, but had trouble giving up control. Jax had been so eager to meet this new sub, he had barely thrown his weekend bag into his room before coming down to the meet and greet.

He stepped into the cozy game room, eyes searching for Kat. Finding her in a stunning red dress, as usual, he took two steps towards her before being distracted by coughing. Whoever it was sounded like she was ill or choking. Jaxon spun to see who was making the racket, and his eyes settled upon a lush figure with her back to him. She wore a bright red top, but it was the creamy expanse of skin exposed between her short black skirt and knee-high boots that tempted him most. Hoping to dash to her rescue, Jax reached the woman right after Katrina. She had stopped coughing, and he could hear a melodic voice arguing with Kat.

“I think I should go to my room, Kat. I’m obviously too tired to chew, much less meet a room full of people.” Jax could tell the woman was embarrassed by the attention.

“No, no, don’t be silly. Inhaled a piece of flaky dough, did you? I do it all the time.” Katrina looked over the woman’s shoulder at him. “Jax, would you grab a glass of water from the end of the table? Bring it over for Lara, and let me properly introduce you two.”

Jax saw the woman, Lara, tense when Kat called out to him. He guessed she didn’t want another person witnessing her supposedly embarrassing moment.

“Excuse me,” he started. “Would you like a glass of…” He couldn’t remember how to finish the sentence.

The woman was Lara Brunner, the uptight chemist he had to share a classroom with. But she wasn’t in a stuffy suit, and her hair wasn’t scraped back from her face. Instead, it fell in soft waves around her face, and her clothes. Wow.

“Dr. Brunner. How nice to see you again.” Jax knew his tone was less than enthusiastic, but he couldn’t bear to reveal how torn he was upon seeing her here, not to mention how very surprised he was to find she was into the scene.

“Jaxon, I mean, Professor Greene. I didn’t expect to see you here. Not that it’s not pleasant to see you, but it is surprising. Shit. First I choke, and then I stick my foot in my mouth. I’ll shut up now.” She flushed again prettily. How he wanted to put color there, to make her breath catch like it had when she was stumbling out her greeting. Except he wanted to do it while making her submit to him, and only him. It was something Jaxon hadn’t felt in years.

“Oh, great, you two have already met! Jax, this is our new submissive, the one I was hoping you could work with this weekend.” Kat grinned, obviously pleased with herself. Jaxon groaned silently. He had planned to say a brief hello and make small talk before hiding in his room for the weekend to avoid the torture of this temptingly unbound version of Lara Brunner.

Lara shook her head. “Kat, I’m sure Prof…I mean, Jaxon…has better things to do than baby-sit me this weekend. I’ll just sit back quietly. You know, watch and learn. No tutor, or trainer, required. Or maybe I’ll relax in my room and read one of the novels I brought. I don’t want to inconvenience anyone.”

Jaxon snorted. “Watching won’t give you a near-enough idea of what it is to submit, to completely give over control to someone you trust. It’s a high, as much of one as it is for a Dominant to be trusted to that extent. Besides, most of the scenes at Maison Domine are private. And it won’t be an inconvenience.” He’d be damned if anyone else would introduce her to this world. Although sex was not a mandatory part of any scene, play was always an incredibly intimate thing. The idea of another man touching her, playing with her, clawed at his insides.

He took a step towards her, the rest of the room fading into the background. Like a dance, she followed, moving backwards a pace. Step, step, shuffle, and he had her against the wall. Jax wanted to give her a quick demonstration of watching versus doing.

“What…what are you doing?” Lara’s tongue flicked out to moisten her bottom lip. Her lips had never looked more kissable. Not to mention, her fiery personality turned him on. She certainly wasn’t a weak-willed yes woman like other submissives he’d trained. All of his good intentions fled and he gave up on the teachable moment.

He pressed her up against the wall, and tilted her face to meet his gaze head on. “This is how it starts. I can see the signs…the flutter of your pulse right here.” His finger trailed from her chin down to her neck, and Lara released a barely suppressed shiver. “Your eyes dilating in anticipation, excitement, and a slight hint of fear. You are, after all, putting your body and mind completely in my hands. Giving up your tightly-held control.” He wrapped his hand ever so gently around her neck, putting enough pressure for her to walk the edge between certain safety and the gray space of what if most submissives thrived on.

“Who…do you think…you are?” she managed to whisper in between shorts gasps for breath. Jax knew she would be beautifully submissive. She walked the edge of pain, of fear, of arousal perfectly. A flash of panic from the loss of control made her blue eyes light up until they almost glowed with intensity.

“I’m your new Trainer. And you, Lara, are mine…for the weekend.”

The Initiation of Isabella by Jenna Ives

Isabella Tallin was handcuffed and blindfolded.

What the hell was going on?

Okay, so she’d pledged the Sigma Iomega Nu sorority—and everyone knew that sorority initiations were secret, mysterious affairs. But this went completely beyond anything she could have imagined.

Or did it?

She took a deep breath.

Start the story at the beginning, Bella…

Earlier, she’d gotten a call from Diane, one of her would-be sorority sisters. Diane had instructed her to wait at the corner of Main and Elm streets at eight o’clock, where Isabella would be picked up. Nothing more than that. Isabella couldn’t even get a clue out of her as to how to dress. But Sigma Iomega Nu was a well-respected sorority—no deadly drinking binges or wooden-paddle spanking rituals for them.

At least that’s what she’d thought this afternoon…

After Diane’s cryptic phone call, Isabella had stared into her closet, debating what to wear. Her roommate Jenny had recommended a ready-for-anything outfit of T-shirt, jeans and sneakers, but Bella knew Sigma Iomega Nu girls were sticklers about their preppy attire, so she finally decided on a simple white blouse, plaid skirt and sensible shoes. She’d hoped her future sorority sisters weren’t planning to drop her and her fellow pledges somewhere in the wilderness and make them find their way back home, but just in case, she’d also thrown her trusty Swiss army knife into her purse.

After Jenny had dropped her off at eight o’clock, Isabella had been surprised to find herself the only person waiting on the designated street corner. Where were the other girls? Diane had been explicit about her instructions.

She’d glanced at the street sign. Yep, Main and Elm.

Isabella had just started re-running Diane’s phone conversation in her head when a sleek, cherry-red convertible cruised around the corner and pulled to a stop right in front of her.

With the sexiest guy she’d ever seen sitting behind the wheel.

His hair was black as night and slightly mussed, as if the wind had tangled it while he drove. His face was all classic lines—straight nose, square chin, and full, sensual lips. His eyes were a deep, dramatic blue, and she actually felt short of breath as those eyes blatantly looked her up and down.

My God, he was drop-dead gorgeous. Who on earth was he, and what was he doing here?

“Get in,” he said with a jerk of his head.

Her eyes nearly bugged out of their sockets in surprise. He wanted her to get in his car? There must be some mistake.

“Um…you can’t possibly be here to pick me up?” The disbelief was clear in her voice, even though she’d tried her best to sound casual. But when he actually nodded his head, she couldn’t stop herself from sputtering, “But—but where are the others?”

He gave her an enigmatic smile and dropped his voice to the deepest, sexiest murmur she’d ever heard. “Don’t worry. They’re waiting for you.”

Dear God. That voice! That mouth! His sinful smile turned her knees to jelly and she swallowed hard. “But—”

He leaned across the seat, stretched out a long, muscular arm, and opened the door for her. “Get in.”

He said that her fellow pledges were waiting, so obviously he’d been sent to take her somewhere. This was all legit, even if what was happening wasn’t exactly clear to her yet. But then, initiation rites were never clear, were they? That was the whole point. They were shrouded in mystery. She swallowed, still hesitant. Call her overly cautious, but no girl in her right mind would get into a car with a man she didn’t know, even if she did have a Swiss army knife in her purse.

“Um. Just to be clear…” she said. “You’re supposed to meet me here, at the corner of Elm and Main, at eight o’clock, as set up by Diane, right?”

He gave her a surprised look. “Yes. I’m here at the agreed time and place. This is all part of tonight’s arrangement. It’s what you want, isn’t it?”

Well, yes. She wanted to be part of Sigma Iomega Nu, and he seemed to know her future sorority sister. So this must be okay. Everything was legit. Taking a deep breath, she made her decision and slid into the passenger seat. He nodded his approval and pulled slowly away from the curb.

“Can you at least tell me where we’re going?” she pressed.

He shook his head. “You know the rules. No questions.”

Yes, those damn initiation rules. No questions. Isabella bit her lip and kept quiet.

With nothing else to do while they drove, she covertly studied Mr. Sexy’s perfect profile. In addition to his black hair, blue eyes and that luscious mouth, it looked like he had the perfect body to match. His navy blue polo shirt stretched across a broad chest, the short sleeves giving her a good view of his muscular arms. His tight black jeans outlined his slim hips and long legs. His fingers rested with casual control on the steering wheel, and made her wonder what they’d feel like on her body.

She shivered slightly, remembering the way he’d boldly looked her over on the street corner.

He reminded her of some dashing secret agent. Silent. Enigmatic. Maybe even a little dangerous. Dangerous in a good way, of course, like the proverbial bad boys she loved to read about in books. Hmm. She wondered what it would be like to have a little taste of dangerous in her life right now. Would a guy like Mr. Sexy ever be interested in a girl like her? And why would her sorority sisters have recruited him? What role was he playing in tonight’s initiation?

Whatever it was, Isabella was enjoying her little fantasy of gorgeous-guy-and-me-in-a-hot-sports-car. From there it was only a small step to the ultimate daydream of gorgeous-guy-and-me-in-bed. She wondered what he looked like naked, what wild things Mr. Sexy liked to do with a woman between the sheets. Whatever else happened during tonight’s initiation, this ride in a hot sports car with an equally hot guy would make a yummy story to tell Jenny tomorrow.

They drove for maybe twenty minutes. Isabella was relatively new to the city and only had a vague idea of where they were headed, but she could definitely see it was toward the industrial part of town. Warehouses and well-worn storefronts lined the streets, railroad tracks crossed the road.

Eventually, they stopped in front of a huge, nondescript wooden building.

Her escort was a perfect gentleman—helping her out of the car, holding the warehouse door open, and guiding her down a long corridor—but it was all done in silence. Finally, he’d stopped outside a particular door and turned to her, slipping a finger under her purse strap and sliding it off her shoulder.

“Wait a minute!” she protested, thinking of the Swiss army knife.

“I promise you won’t be needing it,” he assured her, dropping the purse onto the concrete floor. “Now hold out your hands.”

“What?”

“Your hands. Hold them out in front of you.”

She frowned, but did as he asked. And before her brain had time to register what he was doing, he reached into his back pocket, whipped out a pair of handcuffs and snapped them around her wrists. In shock, she stared at them. These were not police-issue cuffs; they were padded with a thick material, lamb’s wool maybe, like the kind she imagined people used during kinky sex. Her stunned gaze flew to his face and she opened her mouth to protest, only to be rendered speechless when she saw what was in his hand.

A blindfold.

“Where’s Diane?” she managed to choke out. “Where’s everyone else?”

“Diane’s not here tonight,” he answered calmly, then inclined his head toward the door. “The others are inside. Waiting for you.”

“But—”

“Remember the rules… no questions.”

She swallowed hard. This went way beyond what she was expecting. “Um, listen. This is my first time going through anything like this, so I’m kind of—nervous.”

He gave her what looked like a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry. A lot of women feel exactly the same. Just relax, and I’ll take good care of you.”

Isabella let out a breath. He’s done this lots of times. With lots of women. She suddenly felt embarrassed, and was glad none of the other pledges were around to see how silly she was acting.

She took one last look at the blindfold in his hands, and then nodded her consent. He quickly tied the cloth over her eyes.

And now there she stood, handcuffed and blindfolded, hardly believing Sigma Iomega Nu could produce an initiation rite this, well, kinky. She tried to hold on to the thought that her fellow pledges were inside that room waiting for her.

What was going to happen here tonight?

“Are you ready?” Mr. Sexy asked quietly.

She swallowed again, and then nodded.