Bonds of Love. Sarah K

take her anywhere. It’s none of your business, nosey,’ Cathie chided.

      The wedding party had taken over most of the hotel and we had been invited to join what turned out to be a table of twelve, made up of the family of the bride, who was presently sitting between Cathie, her mum and her aunty. Carol was all beautifully spray-tanned, eyebrows plucked, looking sparkly, fresh and gorgeous, all ready for the big day.

      In the bar, when Alex had tried to buy them a drink, the girls had all agreed that no one should drink too much, and then as soon as we sat down had ordered champagne, which was currently flowing like water.

      ‘Oh, come on,’ said Lisa. ‘You know you’re dying to find out, Mum. You’re just too polite to ask. Be honest, you’re glad you’ve got me to do your dirty work for you. So how did you and Alex meet?’

      ‘Ignore my daughter,’ said Cathie, handing me a glass of champagne. ‘We already threatened to leave her at home if she didn’t behave herself.’

      ‘But I’m chief bridesmaid,’ said Lisa indignantly. ‘Who is going to keep the rug-rags in line if I’m not here? We only want to know because we love him and we’ve been trying to get him fixed up for ages. He’s way too cute to be on his own.’

      Alex laughed, and I’m sure he blushed just a little bit.

      ‘You’ve got to be something special. He’s so bloody picky,’ said one of the other girls.

      Now it was my turn to redden.

      Since waking up Alex and I had shared a shower together, and it would be fair to say that both of us were ravenous, so we had mooted plans to grab a bite to eat and then maybe repeat the afternoon’s performance. I had more or less completely forgotten that we were meant to be there for a wedding and so was surprised when, around seven o’clock, someone knocked on our door.

      ‘Helloooo,’ called a female voice. ‘Alex? Are you in there, darling?’

      Alex and I were both still in hotel bathrobes and, having discussed whether it was too early to crack open the mini-bar, were both drinking tea while eating our way through the complimentary biscuits and peanuts and picking over the events of our first afternoon together as Dom and sub.

      We had also had a good look at the marks left by the riding crop – in my case in the bathroom mirror. At first Alex had been concerned about them, and asked whether he had hit me too hard. When I said he hadn’t and I was fine with them, he was amused and proud by turns about how evenly spaced they were. It had to be a boy thing. He turned me over on the bed onto my stomach and very carefully traced each one with his fingers.

      Curled up on the bed together, it was interesting how comfortable I felt with him. Part of me was pleased about that; part of me was wary. I was supposed to be taking this slowly, I reminded myself – although it was probably too late for that.

      ‘Hang on,’ Alex called, heading for the door as the woman called again and glancing back over his shoulder towards me, presumably to make sure I was decent. ‘You okay?’ he mouthed. I nodded. I was more than okay. I plumped up the pillows, poured another cup of tea and helped myself to the last shortbread.

      Alex stepped out into a little hallway area that divided the suite from the door to the corridor and pulled the door to behind him, cutting off any view his visitor might have into our room.

      ‘Oh, you are in there,’ said a disembodied voice. Whoever it was sounded warm and friendly and genuinely pleased to see him. ‘We’re all going down to dinner in a little while and wondered if you’d like to come and eat with us.’

      ‘That would be great, thank you, Cathie. We’re starving.’

      ‘Good. I’m so glad you could make it.’ There was a pause. ‘Terry told me that you’d brought a plus one. We’re starving?’ She laughed.

      ‘News travels fast round these parts,’ Alex said, though I could hear the amusement in his voice.

      ‘So, do I get to meet her?’

      ‘Last time I saw her she wasn’t dressed,’ said Alex.

      I was glad he had the gumption to keep whoever it was out; I’d rather have my clothes on when I was introduced to his vanilla friends. I glanced round the room; it was strewn with our clothes, not to mention a crop and an open bag with ropes, gags and various other toys in it.

      ‘Oh well, I suppose we’ll see her downstairs. I’m glad you’ve found someone nice, Alex. It’s been far too long.’

      He laughed. ‘What makes you think she’s nice?’

      The woman laughed too, and from the sound I guessed that she slapped him playfully.

      ‘I’m sure she’s lovely. See you in the bar. We said we’d be down at half seven. Is that okay?’

      ‘It’s fine. See you down there,’ Alex said. ‘And it’s great to see you, Cathie. You look amazing in that dress.’

      ‘Flatterer,’ giggled the woman, evidently delighted with the compliment, and with that Alex closed the door.

      Which was how I came to be sitting next to Lisa on a huge table in among a sea of people I didn’t know. Lisa wasn’t going to be put off the scent. She might as well have had me under a lamp with thumbscrews.

      ‘We met on a dating website,’ I said casually, helping myself to more vegetables. The food was fabulous and I could have eaten a horse – maybe two horses. I’d forgotten that BDSM made me hungry.

      ‘Really?’ Lisa pulled a face. ‘Online dating? I’ve never tried it. It can be a bit iffy, can’t it?’

      ‘You just have to be sensible and not do anything silly,’ I said. Like going away for a weekend with a complete stranger, my brain offered helpfully.

      ‘That’s right, and I know lots of people who do it,’ said Cathie, not quite meeting anyone’s eye. The way she said it made me think that she might be one of them. Apparently the bride’s father was a bit of a lad and was driving up the following day with his new wife, number three or four, who was twenty-two. Cathie hadn’t brought a plus one, but kept checking her phone, which made me think there was someone in the wings somewhere.

      ‘You read so many things in the papers about all that online stuff – you can meet some seriously weird people,’ said the bride’s uncle, Harry, who was sitting further around the table.

      ‘Only if you’re lucky,’ said Alex, lifting a glass towards me in a silent toast.

      I smiled. You most certainly could, I thought, as I shuffled my chair in a little closer to the table, trying to ignore the pain from the weals across my bum.

Chapter Five

      Naked except for a black silk ribbon tied into a bow around my neck, and tied down to the huge four-poster bed, all I could see above me were the heavy silk drapes of the bed’s ornate canopy and – by turning my head to the left and right – the ornate carving on the bedside cabinets. Not much of a view, and impossible to work out what was going on.

      I tested the ropes that secured me to the bed. It was an instinctive response more than any real attempt to escape. Let’s face it, I was there with Alex because I wanted to be – I was certainly not being held against my will – but being alone and tied down offers a certain challenge, and if I could untie myself then I most certainly would.

      It was our second evening at the hotel for his friend’s wedding. The actual wedding had been fabulous, but that wasn’t what was on my mind at this particular moment.

      I tugged a little harder at the ropes, but not so hard as to tighten the knots. There was no give, which was both gratifying (who wants a Dom who can’t tie a decent knot?) and annoying, as I quite liked the idea that when Alex came back I’d be sitting up in bed, naked except for my sweet little black