Then Master Cullen could take me. The shudder of excitement hit her like a small earthquake. Master Z had a faint smile as he waited. He probably knew just by looking at her what she'd decided. “I'm ready for the green,” she said firmly.

He tilted her head up, his hand warm. He studied her for a long moment, and then nodded. “Yes, you are.” He pulled a green ribbon from his pocket and added it to the ones threaded on her gold cuffs. “Very nice. All ready for St. Patrick's Day in a couple of weeks.”

She stared down at the new ribbon, and suddenly the air disappeared from her lungs. The music receded until the sound of her heart thudding inside her rib cage filled her world. What had she given permission for? What if they grabbed her and …

“Andrea.” Master Z lifted her chin again and forced her to look at him. “This isn't a brothel. Most of the Masters have their own subs, and even the ones who don't never lack for partners. Although we enjoy having trainees here, we could easily do without.” His thumb stroked over her cheek in a slow, comforting touch. “What you will do in the Shadowlands, sex or bondage or discipline or whatever, is for you, little one. And we will do our best to give you what you need.” After holding her gaze for a moment longer, he rose to his feet, pulling her up with him.

Well, that went well. Yes, give me a green ribbon, she'd said, then panicked like a baby. She looked up at him. “Thank you, Master Z.”

His cheek creased. “You are welcome. Go ahead and get on with your duties.”

She nodded and headed for the other side of the room, acutely conscious of her cuffs. Although she knew the green ribbon hadn't turned fluorescent, shining out for everyone to notice, it sure seemed that way.

But the evening went well. Several Doms eyed her cuffs and tried to engage her in conversation. She talked with them but couldn't muster up any enthusiasm. Dammit, she didn't want any of them. But she mustn't get fixated on the Shadowlands trainer. Both Antonio and the subs had made it clear that Master Cullen didn't get involved with any sub, especially a trainee.

All right. She firmed her mouth. Time to get acquainted with the other Doms.

Elbow on the bar, Cullen watched Andrea chat with one of the younger Doms. Good. She was meeting people and making herself at home. Exactly what he wanted for her. He barely suppressed a growl when the Dom ran his hand down her arm.

“Hey, Cullen.” With his arm around his sub, Dan turned to follow his gaze. “Pretty trainee, even if she does have an attitude problem.”

More than one problem. Knowing she'd been attacked and almost raped when younger infuriated Cullen. Why the hell hadn't he been there? “She'll learn,” he answered.

After lifting his short sub onto the bar stool, Dan took a seat beside her.

Kari pushed her long brown hair back and smiled at Cullen, showing the sweetness that had captivated his friend. “She looks like a good size for you.”

“She is that.” After handing Dan a glass of ice water, Cullen mixed a rum and Diet Coke for Kari. “You little subs make me nervous. Being around you is too much like walking into a room filled with tiny kittens and trying not to step on one.”

Dan snorted. “So true. They're constantly underfoot.”

Kari poked him in the side. “That's rude.”

She squeaked when Dan fisted her hair. “Did you jab your Dom with a finger?” he growled.

Kari's eyes went wide. “No. Yes. I'm sor—”

Catching on, Cullen grabbed their drinks just before Dan hefted Kari facedown across the bartop.

“Hey!” Her bare legs kicked frantically as Dan shoved her tight skirt up and delivered three sharp swats to her round ass. “Ow!”

“Want more?” Dan stroked a hand over the pinkening cheeks.

“No, Sir. Master. No.”

“Open for me.”

With a high whine of embarrassment, Kari moved her legs apart. Dan's fingers slid across her pussy and came back nicely wet. “Well.” He grinned at Cullen. “I think this little sub and I will go play on the spanking bench.”

The tremor that ran through Kari obviously had nothing to do with fear, and then Dan plucked her off the bar and onto his shoulder. He carried the small, curvy woman away as if she didn't weigh more than a lady's purse.

Cullen shook his head. He enjoyed that size—hell, he enjoyed every size—but he'd take bigger any day. Holding Andrea had been incredibly satisfying. Rather than her head barely reaching his chest, her cheek fit against his shoulder. And unlike Deborah, another big sub he'd played with, Andrea snuggled like a kitten, taking obvious pleasure in the comfort he offered.

He sighed, dumped the two untasted drinks, and wiped down the bartop. Across the room, Dan finished fastening Kari to a sawhorse-type spanking bench. Despite her arousal, she'd apparently objected pretty noisily, for Dan now gagged her, something he rarely did to the little schoolteacher.

Cullen grinned, envying his friend. Kari's lush ass was made for spanking.

How long since he'd spanked anyone? Cullen rubbed his chin. Last week with Andrea? But a discipline spanking differed from an erotic one. He checked the diminishing crowd. In another hour, he'd kick free of the bar and find her.

He really should teach her the difference between the two types.

Chapter Seven

Andrea winced at the crack of a whip—a single-tail someone had called it. Looked nasty to her, and it sure left long red marks. The Domme handled the whip well, placed each mark carefully, and never hit her sub's dangling balls. As a kid, Andrea had envied the guys their equipment. They could pee in long arcs and didn't have to squat. But those guy-bits seemed awfully vulnerable. The whip edged up the man's thighs, and the sub's muscles tightened. No, the trade-off wouldn't be worth it.

As Andrea turned from the scene, a huge guy grabbed her arm. With a grunt of shock, she knocked the hand away and threw a punch, unable to stop when she realized—

He caught her fist in a rock-hard hand as easily as if she'd tossed him a tennis ball. She tried to pull back, but he didn't let go.

“Master Cullen's doing a lousy job of training these days.” His voice sounded like a garbage disposal with a spoon caught in it, only this guy could probably chew up the spoon himself. He wore black leathers, a black T-shirt over a muscular chest, and Madre de Dios, he had the gold armband of a Master.

Oh, mierda, she'd done it again. “I'm sorry,” she rushed out. “Sir, I'm very, very sor—”

“Silence.” Mean black eyes narrowed.

She choked back the rest of her apologies.

He released her hand. “I believe the penalty was clothing. Strip.”

Dios, was she going to end up naked every night? With a sense of resignation, she yanked off her newly bought shorts and top and stood before him. One unclothed body, and now, she'd added a shaved—naked—pussy. She kept her legs tightly together

“Has Cullen taught you any positions?”

Positions? “No, Sir,” she said, with extreme politeness.

He grunted and turned his head. “Beth. Show her present.”

A slender redhead in a gorgeous rippling latex skirt and a golden bustier walked closer. She gave Andrea a sympathetic smile, then stood at military-like attention and put her hands behind her neck with her elbows pointing outward.

“Do it,” the Master said to Andrea.

She eyed Beth and duplicated the pose.

“Almost acceptable.” He stood in front of her, much like Master Cullen during inspection, only right now she hadn't a stitch on. She didn't even know his name. She barely managed to keep from jumping when he put a big foot between hers and shoved her legs further apart. He moved behind her. “Lace your fingers together.”

She adjusted her hands, then tensed as he pulled her elbows farther back, making her breasts raise and tighten. Dios, how humiliating.

He circled her again. “Better.” Glancing at the other sub, he nodded. “That's perfect, sugar. Thank you.”

When he held his arm out, the redhead snuggled into his side without any hesitation. Andrea blinked at her bravery. The guy looked like he ate rocks for snackies.

The black eyes examined Andrea again. “Come with me.”

Oh, no. She had green ribbons on her cuffs. Surely he didn't want to… He had a sub already.

He picked up his toy bag and walked into an unused scene area. From his bag, he pulled out rope, still in its package.

Rope? Andrea took a step back, then froze, hoping he hadn't noticed.

He had. A glint of humor appeared in his eyes before he pointed to a spot in the center of the scene area. “Stand there, take the position you just learned, and don't move.”

As he ripped open the plastic, Andrea heard whispers from the gathering audience. “Nolan…Shibari…trainee…”

The redhead smiled at Andrea and knelt gracefully off to one side. The Dom glanced at Beth then grabbed a bottle of water from the bag and joined her. “Drink this, sugar.” He stroked her hair, and the tenderness in his face changed it completely. “You panted so much in the dungeon that you're probably dehydrated.”

Beth gave him a disgruntled look. “And whose fault was that, you evil-minded bastard?”

Rather than striking her dead, he chuckled. When he returned Andrea, he said, “I'm Master Nolan. What's your safe word?”