Catching Fire Pt. 10

Author's Foreword: This series has themes of romance, sex, friendship, humor, safe and consensual BDSM, and above all, intimacy and the concept of memory. Any resemblance to real people or events is coincidental. I want you, reader, to come away with more empathy, appreciation, and joy for yourself and others than you began. As I did when writing this.

Note on Part 10:

I accidentally wrote the end of this series, but for a lot of reasons I wasn't ready for that. There's more to tell on the way there. Not a lot, but enough. So I plucked what I needed, shelved the rest, and wrote this part instead.

If you want a refresher on where Luke and Erin are and what happened the first day at the cabin, have a look at Part 07. Also, while both Part 07 and Part 10 have a little more BDSM and power role play than usual, I've tried to make it clear that it's between two happy and consenting people who care about each other. It takes a little time to build. And we see Luke as he is today, briefly.

I hope you enjoy it! As always, your comments, ratings, and follows encourage me to keep writing in the little free time I have, and to do as good of a job with it as I can.

***

***Mid-Summer***

For distance, the hike up to the alpine meadow above the rental cabin wasn't a long one, but the incline had made it a real leg-burner. The small, relatively flat place was a patchwork of grasses, lichen, and heather, covered in a riot of small wildflowers and drifting butterflies. Erin immediately declared it perfect and I gratefully dropped my pack. Naturally, I was the one carrying everything. She spread out the large picnic blanket and a few other things while I took off my sweat-soaked shirt and laid it over a low shrub to dry, then went walking around to look at it all.

The sun was warm on my back and shoulders, and the small cotton-ball clouds that scooted in front of it for a few seconds at a time cooled me down just enough that I was glad when they moved on. I looked back at where Erin had flopped down and could only make out her breeze-dancing hair peeking over the side of my backpack. A thought occurred to me, and I started hunting around to make a small bouquet.

One or two flowers here, one or two there. Not too many to hurt anything or steal too much from the little rodents that made hay in the short summer for a long winter. A piece of grass to tie it together. The flowers looked kind of limp and spindly already, but what did I know about making stuff like that?

You sap, I thought as I walked back to Erin, what are you, some 'young lover' in a story?

Maybe, I reflected, but so what? I was young, after all, and I'd never gathered wildflowers for a 'lover' before. Besides, it felt... right, somehow. At the very least, if I was already laughing at myself it would definitely get a laugh out of her. When I got back to Erin, I paused to admire the view.

She was sunbathing face-up in the nude, the bikini lines on her peach-toned skin stark yet endearing, her full-body covering of freckles looking like another carpet of wildflowers to me. Without opening her eyes, she smiled at hearing my wolf-whistle.

"What?" she murmured drowsily at me, "Never seen a girl get some vitamin D before?"

"I thought you got plenty of that last night," I teased, "Not that I'm complaining about you getting some more right now. You are absolutely... lovely."

"Mmm," she agreed, still dozing, "I certainly feel lovely right now. Where've you been?"

"Making a bouquet for you," I said, placing the flowers into her open hand. She cracked one eye open and shaded her face with her other hand, then beamed and sat up to look at it.

"Very pretty," she said, beckoning me over for a kiss, "Thank you, Luke."

"You're welcome." She paused to take a good look at the rest of me.

"That's one hell of a farmer's tan," she laughed, "Pretty sure you're blinding people on the space station. Strip and lay down here with me for a while."

"A short while. I don't tan so much as burn."

"Fine." She echoed my whistle from earlier once I had everything off. Laying on the blanket next to her, I could smell her sunscreen and clean sweat, the summertime scent of healthy skin in fresh air. Her hand drifted to mine to slowly dance and trace on my fingertips, like butterflies moving from flower to flower, clouds moving from peak to peak. The feeling of contentment stretched in front of us like a sapphire sky.

I go back to that place in my mind sometimes, but only when I desperately need to remember the beautiful parts of my life, or when I am so full of happiness that I can give some back to it. Flowers grow sparingly that high up, and it's best not to pick too many of them at once. Wild places, especially the ones in the soul, need to stay wild.

Erin leaned over and nuzzled at my jawline.

"What are we doing when we get back to the cabin, hm?" Her hand slid slowly up my leg as she rolled over to her stomach to look at me, showing off the rest of her body.

"I had some ideas," I hinted, "Maybe a 'quiet' afternoon and evening. If you know what I mean."

"Perfect," she said with a smirk and a sudden bite to my shoulder. Briefly, she contorted herself to take me into her mouth, then returned to level with me in moments. I tried to sit up but she pushed me gently back down.

"I think I want you a little fired up and frustrated," she said, stroking me languidly with one hand, "You're always more creative and devious at Silence stuff when you are. God, I love how hard you get. So quickly. Over and over."

"Careful," I said, "I wouldn't want to have to remind you of how to behave."

"Oh hush," she said after another quick, yet decidedly longer and hungrier bout of fellatio, "You're not the one who had to change their panties a couple times a day the week before we got here. You and your goddamn instructions."

"I'm still very impressed you managed it," I admitted, "You're a good little Kitten, aren't you?"

"Meow." She sat up and swung one leg across my chest, hands splayed over my shoulders, scratching patterns with her fingernails. She reached behind to give one more massage to my rocklike hard-on.

Her body smelled faintly like pollen and glacier-dust blowing in from the high passes. She smiled eagerly down at me as she scooted her knees forward to my ears. It was part invitation, part demand. Erin's face betrayed a little of the shyness she still held on to when I went down on her, but I adored her for coming to trust me to perform as I did. And she was more than worth it, from taste to touch to all other sensations and feelings. I ran my hands along her sweat-slick thighs, ass, and back. Her small, lithe, feline body was everything I wanted in that moment. She looked away down the mountains and sighed when the breeze toyed with her hair, then groaned as my tongue dragged firmly through her lust-soaked valley.

***

"Oh my fucking GOD, it's hot," Erin complained as we stumbled back to the cabin by mid-afternoon. To be fair, I'd done my share of bitching all the way back down as well. We were both covered in dust and scratches, and a tad grumpy from what amounted to a controlled fall to get off the mountainside and back to the rental. I chose to say nothing about how she hadn't had to carry anything the whole damn time, up or down. I also chose to say nothing about how much she'd teased me, stopping on the trail several times to edge me with her rapturous mouth without any release. I was more than resolved to teach her a thing or two about revenge.

After a long trudge in the sun, we made it to the shaded area under the porch that wrapped around the downslope view of the cabin. I still think of it as a cabin, but really it was more of a well-appointed chalet that could have comfortably fit six or even ten people, with views and amenities that would satisfy anyone. The porch was about eight feet above us and supported by heavy log columns, and there were benches set against the house. It was only marginally cooler under there but blessedly shady, with thin strips of light coming down through the deck boards. A garden hose sat near the door to the finished basement level, with an admonishing note to one side to not come in with boots on, or without rinsing off dirt.

"Can't move," she said, "don't even wanna take the damn stairs up. If you're up first, can I have some ice water?"

"You could just ask me to get you some ice water, because that's what's going to happen anyway."

"Smartass. But yeah. Please."

"As you wish."

"Nerd," she laughed. I dropped my pack and leaned down for a dry-lipped kiss, then got the water for her.

Once I'd handed it over, I moved away to lean against a log pillar to look at our borrowed view: endless evergreens and a pale sky, sounds of wind and grasshoppers and the occasional bird. And nobody else. My eyes flicked around the undercroft we were resting in, checking my earlier preparations. Everything was as I'd left it, hidden and ready to deploy with little effort. Showtime.

"Stay here for a minute," I said over my shoulder. She raised an eyebrow and said nothing, but from the corner of my eye I saw her smile into her frigid drink. I went upstairs, collected a few things, and took my place next to her on the bench.

We rested in silence for a bit, watching a hawk ride the thermals at eye-level with us, far above the treetops. Erin put her head on my shoulder and her legs in my lap so I could stroke her well-muscled thigh. Another fleeting moment to tuck away forever.

"So," she said, suddenly all business, leaning over to look up at me, "You said you had an idea?"

"I might've."

"Woohoo! I'll go shower."

"No need." She pulled a face at that.

"But I'm all gross," she objected, "I'm even in those grubby throwaway clothes you 'abducted' me in."

"Don't worry," I assured her, "We'll get clean."

"We'd better."

"Here," I said, reaching down next to me and handing her a pair of cheap sandals, "Put these on."

"Okay," she said skeptically, taking her hiking shoes and socks off and laying them out on the bench in a precise fashion. She stood up and stepped into the sandals, then turned to me with her hands on her hips.

"And now these," I said, giving her a pair of handcuffs from my pocket. I smiled at the rapid change in her demeanor, her stance, her look. From persnickety and expectant to excited and curious in a heartbeat. It was her eyes that became the most intense: suddenly focused, slightly defiant, and playfully eager. She put the handcuffs on in front of her body, and I tightened them a fraction without pinching her.

"Ready?"

"Let me use the restroom, then yes."

"Good idea." Once she was back, I stepped close for a kiss before guiding her by the hand to a space beneath one of the deck joists. Reaching behind a pillar, I unlooped a hidden length of rope with a blunt hook on one end which I attached to the chain between her wrists. The other end went over a joist. She looked at it agape, then slowly began to grin in wide-eyed interest at it.

"You *awful* man!" she vamped, leaning into my chest, "What ever shall you do with me?" I laughed at her joke and hauled at the other end of the rope. It rasped as I pulled in the slack until her hands were stretched over her head without being too hard on her shoulders - they were a little sensitive from years of gymnastics and dance. She was still able to stand flat on her feet and crouch or lean slightly, but for all intents and purposes she wasn't going anywhere. I tied the rope off to the pillar again and looked her up and down.

"Nothing you don't want me to do, Kitten. But let's get you out of those clothes," I said offhandedly, "They're filthy."

"And you didn't do this before I was strung up because?" she asked, pivoting on the axis of her wrists to keep track of me as I walked around her to duck inside the basement door again. When I turned back to her, I held a pair of sharp scissors in my hands.

"Ooh," she said with a full-body wriggle, "Exciting. I was going to throw these things out anyway."

"No talking," I instructed, "and hold still."

"Are you going to be a sexy EMT, or are you just gonna rip my bodice? Oh no, someone save me! Tomorrow!" she laughed.

"Pretty sure I said not to talk, Little Miss Erin." I said while selecting a place to start.

"You did," she agreed impishly, "So what?" She tried to feel me up with one ballet-trained foot until I comically swatted her leg away.

"Just keeping track," I replied, "That's two so far." I made a series of small cuts in her baggy tee shirt and then stood back appraisingly before making another few small cuts.

"What are you actually doing?" she asked. I went to her, gripped her shirt in my hands, and ripped it away from her in shreds. Her chin tilted back and she watched my face as I did it.

"Oooh," she cooed, "Fun."

"Four," I commented, then slowly turned her around to face the valley.

"Four what?"

"Five." I decided to be more efficient with the scissors and I quickly cut away her running shorts, leaving her in a pink sports bra and panties, both sodden with sweat and other things.

"You," I continued, "Aren't allowed to wear clothes from now until it's time for us to leave, unless you earn them or I give special permission. You may answer that you understand."

"But I brought insanely cute dresses to flounce around in, you caveman! Ugh, fine. Whatever. It'll be worth it to see you stare at me the whole time we're here."

"Six. Answer me properly. No back-talk, Pet."

"Yes, Sir! No clothes!" she announced clearly, as though on a stage. I suppose she was, in some ways.

"Nice elocution," I commented, slicing through the shoulder straps of her bra, then up the back so I could pull it from her chest and toss it away. I stepped closer until I could hold her body against mine, groping one hand aggressively down into her panties. Her next words caught in her throat and she ground against my hand.

"You're dripping," I said low and breathily in her ear.

"And you're hard," she replied in the same tone, pressing her ass back against my cock.

"Seven. And yes. You did say you wanted me fired up and frustrated. Well, here I am."

"God, I love your voice. But I'm still dirty in a not-sexy way. Are you going to let me down so I can go shower?"

"I was going to say eight, but now I'm thinking twelve because I'm getting annoyed with your manners." She clamped her lips shut; she'd of course guessed what the idea of the game was, and apparently her personal calculus finally told her not to get too far into debt.

Slowly, I slid the scissors between her skin and the last bit of fabric she wore, straight down her front. She shied away and made a small noise of concern, so I reassured her by sliding my hand between the scissors and her body, feeling her labored breathing against me and the sound of slicing cloth. I took a few liberties for my trouble. Once I'd gone far enough, I repeated it down her backside, the two long cuts meeting in the middle and exposing her centerline fully while leaving the waistband intact. I stepped back around to her front and gently put my teeth at her throat; not leaving a mark, but definitely making my point. She squeaked and I felt a low chuckle come up from my chest. I leaned back to watch her face start to flush as I dragged my hand back and forth underneath her.

"That's better," I said. A few quick snips at the waistline, and her underwear fell to the dirt at her feet, leaving her finally naked. I patted her firmly and walked away to set the scissors down on the bench. I could tell she was starting to work at controlling her breathing in a way she hoped I wouldn't notice. She always breathed through her nose when she did that. And I could still see her ribs twitch over her heart. She shifted, body swaying as she tried to get comfortable.

"Time to pay your bill," I said lightheartedly, "But first, how are your shoulders? You may answer politely and honestly."

"Doing alright, Sir," she said, coughing slightly from the dust, "For now."

"I'm glad," I said, "Don't worry. After this next part, I'll change it for you. If it starts to hurt, make sure to let me know right away."

"Thank you, Sir," she said meekly, eyes down.

"Such lovely manners, Kitten! I'm so proud of you for being a good girl." I stroked her sides and back to emphasize my approval and watched the flush creep further up her neck.

"Why does it have to work *so* fucking well," I heard her mutter under breath.

"For such nice behavior, it's only going to be ten, so that's two down already," I continued, pretending I hadn't heard her. She nodded briefly, focusing once again on controlling her breathing.

"Pause," I said, "I don't want to scare you with the next part."

"Uh, okay?"

"I'm going to walk away over there to the treeline, not far. You're going to see a hatchet in my hand, which I'm going to use on a tree and then put away. I didn't want to freak you out about it." Erin burst out laughing, and I frowned indignantly back at her.

"Hey, come on," I objected, "You're all tied up in the mountains with a guy you've only known for half a summer. Last thing I want is anything like yesterday. Or worse."

"Okay, Mr. Axe Murderer," she snorted, "I'm sorry I laughed. You're sweet. And stuff like this makes me glad I snatched you up before someone else did this summer. Not that I wouldn't have stolen you off whatever bitch thought she had you anyway."

"Oh, you think I wouldn't have been able to resist your charms and ways?"

"Seriously? Luke," she scoffed, "Come on. They'd never stand a chance. You only like smart girls. And anyway just look at me." It was a brazenly confident declaration for a grimy, naked girl under five feet tall and strung up by her wrists. But she was right. One more reason to feel drawn to her.

"I guess we'll never know. Unpause?"

"Unpause," she agreed, "But only if you kiss me and tell me I'm pretty."

"I was going to anyway." Afterwards, I walked back out into the scorching sun.

"Wait, why do you need to hack at some poor tree?" she called out as I walked away.

"Making a bouquet for you," I said with a quick grin over my shoulder.

***

Sweat immediately began to pour off me again the moment I was under the afternoon sun. At the edge of the property, I quickly searched around for the youngest trees with the newest growth, using the hatchet to gather a sheaf of branches that I could still fit in my hand. I set the bundle of arm-length switches on my shoulder and walked back to Erin, stowing the tool as I did. Grateful for the shade, I sat down on the bench and began squeezing each branch slightly, making sure they were supple and soft rather than hard and nasty. The inspection crushed some of the needles, making the undercroft fragrant with new pine growth.

"They smell nice, don't they?" I said casually, watching as her face betrayed both concern and eagerness. I gathered each of them back up into one solid handful that I held by the branch end, making a cat-o-nine-thousand-tails.

"They're the youngest I could find without hurting saplings," I continued, "Which means they have the softest needles and most flexible branches." The bundle made a sighing sound as I lazily swung it through the air one way, then a harsh whoosh as I swung it hard the other way. She shivered and licked her lips. I looked her in the eyes and tucked her hair back over her ears.  

"How on Earth are you so damned pretty? I just... You make me want to do so many things to you. For you. With you. You set me on fire."

Erin flushed with pleasure, then started to tremble as I slowly dragged the needles in looping whorls around her body, my footsteps crunching gravel and raising dust as I circled her.

"Oh fuck," she whispered, "Oh fuck." I could see new beads of sweat start to form on her chest and between her shoulder blades, little rivulets in the dust that clung to her. I could also see her nipples stiffen, her knees and hips shift invitingly. To make sure, I cupped a hand under her and felt only welcoming, slippery readiness. She grunted, trying not to betray herself so easily. I knelt in front of her and continued my close-up inspection, fingering her harshly in the way she liked sometimes. She moaned and leaned her weight on my shoulder.

"That's it," I soothed, my reassuring tone at odds with the roughness of my ministrations, "That's right, Kitten. You're going to feel amazing. Trust me. I want you to know it's you every time you read my stories." She shuddered as I reached around to drag the evergreen bouquet along her back, ass, and legs, catching myself in the process and shivering at the feeling.

"GodDAMN I can pick 'em," she laughed before gasping and losing track of her words as I shoved in a third finger, "FUCK! Luke, you'd better... better...  you'd better bend me over something soon, you monster."

"You still need to work off your ten," I reminded her, standing up and stuffing my pussy-soaked fingers into her mouth, "then you need to get clean. Then we'll see. But you're right; let's not keep you waiting too long." She made as much of an agreement as my hand would allow before I stepped back to tighten the rope, getting her further up on her tiptoes. The sly girl had used her tongue quite well on my fingers, and I needed a moment to clear my head.

"Damn, just look at those," I sighed, leaning down to reverently squeeze her calves as I moved behind her. Without preamble, I slapped the branches straight down along her spine, letting them fall without power. She yelped and wriggled.

"How is it?" I asked, "Too much?"

"N-no, not bad at all," she stuttered, "Just surprising."

"Then let's go up a bit." I gave her a back-handed stroke across her ass, putting a good flick into it. She jolted forward as best she could, pulling in a great lungful of air and cursing fluidly.

"Not much more than that," she managed, "Fffffuck!" I began to tap her with the bundle as I walked slowly to her front, getting little gasps as it poked her armpits, sides, stomach, tits, and thighs. She tried to clench her knees together.

"Spread," I commanded.

"Okay," she said tremulously, "Just... be nice?"

"Of course I will," I assured her, "Trust me. You know you can. There you go. Good job. Everything'll be alright. I promise. Now let's see how this feels on your front." I gave her a lighter swat across her torso than I had on her back or her ass, and as predicted it had more of an effect anyway.

"Shit!" she yelped, her chest and stomach quickly starting to glow with little red scratches.

"Good," I said, "By the way, did you forget that you're supposed to count these?" Her jaw dropped and she looked ready to explode.

"Are you kidding me?" she demanded, "I didn't... oh, come on!" I stepped close and slowly took hold of her hair, pulling to one side until she squeaked and was forced to lean awkwardly.

"Now that didn't sound like good manners," I said in a mild, soft tone as I stroked her with the bouquet.

"I'm sorry, Sir," she whispered, "I'll behave. I'll count. Thank you for reminding me." I kissed her fiercely before continuing. She gave as good as she got.

"Better. But hold on to this for me. As a reminder that I only need one hand right now, and that I could use two if I wanted." I released her hair and undid my belt with one hand, then draped it gently around her neck. After a kiss on her cheek, I walked back around behind her. The undercroft was much hotter than when we'd started, and I paused to take my shirt off, tossing it to the bench. I caught sight of our reflections in the basement window and smiled - she had contorted to watch me, and I could see how ferociously turned on she was. When I turned back around, she had already shifted to pretend as though she hadn't been looking.

There was a swift, violent slicing of air from the branches, and Erin cried out in panic. But I'd purposely aimed to one side.

"Flinching already?" I asked. She was about to answer when the first true hit slapped across her lower back.

"One!" she announced. She said it so clearly, with such obvious strength and determination. Oh that's exactly it, I thought, that's what I want. My dick agreed, surging with life.

"Two," she grated when the needles made new marks across her calves. I paused, then performed a fake-swing again. She twitched but kept silent.

"That's the way, Kitten," I said in admiration, "Much, much better." I swatted first one inner thigh from behind, then the other, enjoying her proclamations of hits three and four. I stepped around to her front and gave her four more in quick succession: outer thighs, then shoulders to hips.

"Eight! Pause," she gasped, "Arms need to come down."

I quickly undid the rope that kept her suspended overhead, then moved around to lightly rub her shoulders and upper back. Despite the heat, she was shivering slightly

"Go hold on to the bench," I said, gently but firmly guiding her into a bent-over position, "Stick that ass out. Legs apart again. Just like that. Ready?" My belt clinked around her neck as she braced herself.

"Please, Sir," she moaned, "Please, give me two more so that I can get clean and you can fuck me." I gave them to her in quick succession, both across her ass with force, and she sniffled a little after the last one.

"Done," I said, tossing the still-fragrant bundle aside, "Go stand over there and wait with your hands on the pillar."

"Can't I get clean now?" she asked plaintively, and I paused to look at the scattering of small red speckles and lines alongside the light brown ones that covered her skin.

"Yes, Gorgeous. Don't move," I said as I turned the garden hose on her at full blast.

She screamed worse than she had with the branches.

"Turn around," I said firmly, repeating the procedure as she gasped for air from the cold shock. Her half-sobs were a lovely accompaniment to her drowned-rat appearance, and when I bent her over for an extra rinse on her ass and pussy, her squeals made me rock hard.

"Good girl," I crooned at her, "Sexy, pretty girl. Stand up, hands at your sides. Time to clean you up before we rinse you off again." She shook while she waited for me to fill a small bucket with body wash and water. Small squeaks escaped from her clenched teeth when I used a large, soft sponge to wash the dirt from her skin, scrubbing her pink and leaving her trembling. However, she was able to take the second rinse without flailing quite so much, and I told her I was proud of her.

"Inside," I ordered, "Go wash your hair and face how you like in the shower, but quickly. After that, dry off, then wait for me on the living room couch. You better have nothing on and something in you when I get there. If you're creative enough, I might reward you."

"Creative?"

"You heard me just fine, Princess," I said, smacking her ass hard enough to make her swear and jump, "Get going before I have to come after you." My hand stung after that one, and I could clearly see each finger-print welt on her bouncing cheek as she scrambled inside and upstairs. Once she was gone, I used the bucket and hose on myself after getting out of my clothes. It wasn't much bother to me - I'd certainly had worse. And I found it invigorating, watching birds observe just one more strange animal going about his business.

Out of curiosity, I gave myself a matching set of flagellations across my body with the same bouquet. Not unpleasant, and vaguely... purifying, in a non-sexual way. So I kept going. Once I was stinging, I rinsed off again and waited what felt like a long time, letting the warm breeze dry me before heading inside. I wanted to give Erin a head start, after all.

The stairs creaked as I slowly ascended to the main level, and I looked over to where she glared heatedly at me from the couch, kneeling on the seat and leaning over the back of it. Her hair was still wet, and dripped onto her shoulders, chest, and back. I took special note, however, that she had decided to find and wear her collar. And that she couldn't seem to stay totally still. Her bright eyes flicked over my naked body.

"I'm ready," she said huskily, "I'm so ready."

"For what?" I asked lightly, making my way over to the kitchen and pouring two glasses of the rest of yesterday's champagne. As I went, I knew she could see the matching patterns on my back. She looked more than excited when I turned around.

"The hell do you think? Come tell me if I've been 'creative' enough."

"I'm sure you've done something nicely naughty. Here. Cheers." She slugged her champagne back and returned the glass to me, not taking her eyes away.

"Well," I said, "You're where you're supposed to be. What would you like to show me?"

"It's a surprise," she said, voice seething with intensity, "Come and sit." She cast a glance at a spot on the couch, then got up to stand back. Once I sat down, she crawled languidly onto the large, sturdy coffee table, then slowly pivoted to face the windows and swing her hips towards me. As always, she was sultry, graceful, and fluid, warping the space between us with raw sex appeal. With her knees spread wide and her back arched, I saw a thick green string with a ring on the end going into her ass, and I had a good notion of what it was.

"Beads?" I asked, trying not to reveal my excitement. However, my thickening desire was giving me away. I didn't know she owned any - she must have bought them recently.

"You're not the only one who brought a bag of tricks," she said heatedly, "And also... I'm not done." She slithered over to my feet, facing me and offered herself.

"Please, Sir," she begged, breathing becoming shallow, "Spank me. Eat me. Fuck me. *Use* me. Just let me cum in your lap as much as I want. It's what I most want after you discipline me." I let her see me drag my eyes over her body, my hand over my throbbing cock. I knew it pleased her.

"And," she said, following her sliding hands up my thighs to straddle me, "There's a note for you in the bedroom upstairs. For later. An old fantasy of mine that I want from you. What do you think, Sir?" Erin took full advantage of my obvious approval, stretching herself face-down across my lap and hitching her hips up high enough to show off her body, tempt me with her beads, and get both hands underneath to grope at pussy. It took me a moment, because thoughts weren't coming easily.

"You did well, Pet," I said evenly, "So I'll let you cum in my lap while I spank you. In fact, don't stop fingering yourself until I say so. We won't stop until I'm satisfied. I hope you like sleeping on your stomach. " Her reply was a stifled groan as she bit into a piece of clothing discarded on the couch from the day before. She had already started to rub her clit vigorously. I took a grip on the bead string with my left hand. When I saw her ass start to relax and the first ball appeared, I raised my right hand and got to work.

Despite my words, I followed her lead on how harsh to be; when she fingered herself slowly, I smacked her ass in an almost desultory fashion to watch it wobble and become cutely pink. When she sped up, I gave it to her harder and faster, letting her rising cries and moans combine as I made her cherry-red. Slow to fast, fast to slow, building into a towering flame. My left hand luxuriated in the moment by gently tugging on the string just enough to see the first ball.

Before long, she was rubbing frantically, keening into the couch cushions, her entire body jolting with each smack, clenching around the thickest ball as I kept it only just inside her. She shuddered and made guttural, unrefined sounds as she climaxed and I tugged the beads out in quick succession, dragging the highest orgasmic screams out of her before I worked the toys back into her over low, inarticulate groaning.

For me, the sweetest, ripest sound in the world was the way she begged for more.

***

"Please Sir, can I get in yet?" she said, shivering, "I've learned my lesson." I glanced over at her with feigned dismissiveness and said nothing, instead leaning back to enjoy the steaming soak of the hot tub and the nighttime brilliance overhead. I beckoned her over and she padded naked across the deck. She was dripping from when I'd made her get out without toweling off, and the mountain air was simple but effective.

"And what lesson is that?" I asked. The steam had stopped rising from her skin a few minutes before, and the cold was improvised punishment - a way to scold her without resorting to more pain on her skin. She was angrily red across her whole ass, even patchy blue in parts, to say nothing of the little scratches all over her body from the evergreen needles. It was time to give the impact play a bit of a rest.

"I don't get to touch your dick without permission," she pouted. We both knew it was bullshit, but that was part of the fun.

"Good. Now, didn't you say at dinner that you wanted to have a drink in the hot tub with me tonight?"

"Yes," she said eagerly.

"Go and make one for each of us and bring it back." She tiptoed off, bells tinkling and string swaying, and I went back to looking up at stars through a curtain of steam rising from the underlit water of the hot tub, situated perfectly on the deck. I heard the porch door clatter and the clink of ice as she hurried over to me.

"You may get in," I said, taking both drinks from her.

"Eep!" she squeaked, standing calf-deep in the water, "Hot!" The jingling as she moved sent a thrill through me. After our afternoon session and dinner, I'd made sure she put her new beads back in and attached the nipple clamps I'd surprised her with the day before. They each had a tiny bell on the end. I felt a bit like one of Pavlov's dogs, because I could feel myself salivate every time I heard her move.

She pulled water up along her legs to get used to the temperature, and I took an appreciative sip of my drink as I watched her. It burned dangerously in my throat. I looked at my glass incredulously.

"Woah, girl," I said, "bit heavy-handed there. I hope yours isn't too hard?"

"Maybe yes, maybe no," she said, sinking gingerly down and taking the glass I offered to her, "Maybe I like it hard once in a while."

"Okay," I laughed, "Can't argue with that phrasing. I just don't want you to feel rough tomorrow, and you know I like you lucid. Otherwise I'll just put you to bed, Missy."

"I know. And I'm a big girl, Luke," she smirked, sitting across from me and taking a sip from her glass.

"Mm. How are you feeling after today?" I asked, staring at her and lost in half-imagination for a moment.

"Fantastic. But... not quite done," she said as she threw a wink at me. She turned around to look out over the deck at stars and silvery forest, arms resting on the edge of the tub, letting her creamy legs and lipstick-red ass float up behind her. The green string with its ring on the end drifted alongside her, teasing a neon line back to her taut body. What a view. I gently took one of her small feet in my hand, just to hold. She was feeling much warmer already.

I carefully hooked a finger through the floating ring on the end of her little makeshift leash and gave it a light tug. She squawked and looked back at me.

"You wouldn't," she admonished.

"Come here if you don't want to find out," I replied, feeling cheeky and giving another little tug to see her eyes widen. Maybe the drink was starting to burn its syrupy way through me.

"Fine, I'm coming, I'm coming," she said, swatting my hand away and floating back to me. She scooted between my legs and leaned on me like a chair, dragging her pussy over my erection and toying with me. Sweeping her hair back over her head, she then downed almost half her drink in one go.

"Woah, Kitten," I laughed, "no passing out in the hot tub. Party foul."

"Pssh," she scoffed, moving away and turning to face me, "You have no idea what I'm capable of."

"I'd like to find out." Glass clinked as we toasted each other and took a sip. I set our drinks to one side and stood up.

"Ooh," she cooed, tracing various muscles with her hand, "I like how the steam rolls off you. Especially this guy." Placing her lips on me, she smoothed a film of spit along my shaft, teasing me yet again before standing up and putting her arms around my neck. I felt myself turn to rock as the bells on her nipples brushed against me. Reaching playfully across with her leg, she used that impressive control of hers to flick the hot tub lights off with a toe, leaving us in the pale, blue-white glow of a starry night. Sliding my arms under her legs, I picked her up and held her slightly above me.

"I'm so tall now," she giggled, kissing me briefly before looking me in the eye.

"Maybe I should be shorter though," she breathed, a grin starting as I lowered her until my tip was just at her entrance.

"A little more," she urged, and I saw the whites of her eyes grow a little in the dark as I let her slip slowly down onto my thick length, further and further. We both groaned at the ridged, bumpy sensation of the beads pressing against us. They weren't large beads, but certainly not nothing.

"Bit further," she husked, squeezing my arms with her hands, "Fuck, look at you." With her parted lips and shimmering wet skin, she truly looked the like a wet dream.

"I want you, Erin," I said with feeling.

"You can have all of me. And I never get tired of hearing you say that." As I entered her to the hilt, she moaned softly, wrapping her legs around my hips and beginning to slowly grid in and out. My skin burned as she raked her fingernails along me. One of her arms locked around the back of my neck at her elbow while the other slipped down between us.

"Stay there," she whispered urgently, fingering herself hard, "I want it like this. Normally I'd want you to do it, but you holding me up is way too hot. Stay deep and hard, Handsome. Keep going - oh God, ohhhh God." I kept a steady, strong, slapping rhythm in her, feeling her move with me even as her breathing nearly stopped, only coming in sobbing gasps.

"Fuck, Erin," I growled. "Good girl. You... damn, you tighten up so much when you're close."

"Can't. Help it," she gasped, fingering harder, "Oh, fuck. Yes. Yes! I'm - ahh! Now! Cum with me! Pull them!" Releasing in her always made me feel like a god. As we came, I grasped the string, and the beads came out easily, milking my shaft through the wall inside her, dragging more exclamations and cum from us. Our soft cries of pleasure gave way to heaving lungfuls of air, and I let the beads clatter over the side of the tub to the deck. Oxygen was in short supply.

"That was fun," I said low and warm in her ear, brushing my cheek with mine.

"Wow," she gasped, "Let me down. Can't let you stay so damn smug. Just don't sit in the water." She climbed shakily off me and made me sit on the edge of the hot tub as she picked up her drink and finished the other half. I raised my eyebrows.

"Why not?" I asked.

"Because cleaning you up is my fucking job," she said heatedly, kneeling waist-deep in the steaming water and taking my cum-dripping cock into her mouth. I groaned. It didn't seem possible, but it certainly felt like she was better every single time. She knew what she wanted, and she was going to get it.

One of her hands drifted over to flick the water jets on, and I felt them boil to life - one right between her legs. Her excited cries sent wild vibrations straight down through me, and her grip on my balls intensified. I could just barely hear the light jingling of the bells on her nipples as she played with me.

"Holy fuck, Erin," I moaned, the effects of the heat, alcohol, and long day making my head feel light, "You're amazing..."

"Can I have one of my pretty dresses back?" she asked with a coy slurp, then leaned teasingly away when I hesitated.

"I knew you were up to something," I laughed, "Yes, you sexy bitch. Just a dress, though. Now get back here and earn it."

She sucked harder, faster, slower, sloppier, fluttering and dancing. With the jets beneath her, she moaned frantically again and again, hips wriggling and humping without interrupting the incredible blowjob. I came a second time, exulting in her fawning delight as she loudly gulped it all.

She sucked and stroked gently afterwards, lapping up every stray drop, slowing down slightly. And then she became slower. Much slower. She suddenly pulled off me, then rested her head weakly on my thigh.

"Um... Ice? No... Freeze? I'm," she said in a shaky voice, "I don't... Luke, I don't feel so good."

"What?" I said, snapping out of my fog quickly, "Are you okay? Erin?"

"Uh," she sighed, looking around confusedly, "I think I need to get... to get out."

"Oh my God," I said "Yeah, come on. I'll help you. Let's go." I quickly got out and tried to support her on her feet. She wobbled and crashed onto my shoulder with hardly a sound. I'd never seen someone faint before, and I bodily hauled her from the tub into my arms again. We were both burning up, and she sagged limply against me.

"Erin? Erin?!," I said in a panic, as her eyes opened strangely, "You're really overheated. Come on. Cold shower. Don't worry, I'll take care of you."

"Stupid booze," she mumbled, "Hot tub. Thick fuckin' cock in my throat. Should'a known. Dammit. Not drunk, just... too hot."

"It'll be okay, Kitten," I said urgently, shouldering the door open, "Just need to get you cooled down." I carried her upstairs to the main bedroom and bath, leaving a long and dripping trail behind us. I turned the shower on to a cool setting rather than ice-cold so it wouldn't shock her and got her into the large shower stall, sat with her without holding her so she could cool off. I was terrified she'd pass out and drown, however unlikely that may have been.

"Help," she murmured, gesturing to one of the small bells attached to her. I gently removed the nipple clamps, tossing them outside of the stall. She sat with her head down between her knees and groaned.

"It's going to be okay," I said again, trying to reassure both of us.

I reached up and made the shower a little colder, "It's alright. You're safe." Her eyes were a little unfocused when she looked up at me, but a small smile reached them just the same. Her hand, starting to cool down again, rested on mine. She gestured for me to lean down until our foreheads touched.

"I know am," she said, "Because you're here."

***

***December, 2024***

"Sorry, what did you say?" she asked, taking one earbud out for a moment and looking at me with that painful mix of defensive politeness and askance concern that women often hold up as a shield to men. I can't blame them. I'd take the bear, too. Even in a clean, crowded neighborhood gym like the one we were in.

"Is it okay if I share this lane with you?" I repeated to the college-aged young woman, gesturing to the strip of astroturf several feet away, "I won't be long."

"Oh! Yeah, sure," she agreed, quickly replacing her auditory armor and pointedly ignoring me. To her, I was just one more middle-aged prospective lecher to dodge. I nodded and averted my eyes as she went back to her routine. I settled into my own thing, focusing mainly on how badly I needed to replace my ratty old gym shoes. That and trying not to aggravate my left knee.

Later, as I finished my workout and walked out to my car, thoughts about the young woman I'd spoken to drifted through me without my permission, and I chastised myself. She had been wearing highly 'informative' gym clothes that left nothing to imagination. She was certainly attractive, but I wasn't drawn to her. Definitely *shouldn't* be. The girl had to be at least fifteen if not twenty years younger than me. Probably born while I was still in college, for Christ's sake. Empty visual calories, I grumpily joked to myself.

And yet there was something about her that made me unable to stop replaying the interaction, even as I drove home. The heater in my car was slow to kick on, and I wondered how much it would cost to get it looked at. It was a chilly drive.

Was it her flat stomach, her obvious athleticism? The headband she wore as she exercised? Her delicate hands? The sweat patterns on her clothes? Did she remind me of someone? She'd been pretty, with a nice body, but nothing that would make her stand out in a crowd of similarly beautiful young women. Though I did have to admit she had nice blue eyes and curly, dyed-blonde hair.

Hazel eyes staring up at me.

Long ringlets, clenched between my fingers.

Gasping.

Surging.

Ecstasy.

Purring warmth that always nestled so tenderly against me afterwards.

Erin.

Someone behind me honked their horn, and I blinked in confusion before accelerating through the green light.

Details and sensations have always jumped out at me, forcing me to pay attention to them, think about them, and ultimately remember and relive them. It takes ages to put them away, make them quiet. Apparently it's a disorder. I didn't know, growing up. But when I can't help viscerally remembering every blow I take, it certainly feels like something's wrong with me.

And recently, I'd been so badly hurt by someone I loved.

'Hurt.'

Ha.

More like stabbed, wounded, beaten, heartbroken, scrabbling for anything to keep my soul from bleeding to death on the floor. And I couldn't stop dwelling on all of that particular injury, lately. Every last agonizing, confusing, wrenching detail.

But what if, I wondered, I used my double-edged gift to celebrate my life instead? To look back with wiser eyes and immerse myself again? To walk through a beautiful garden I planted a long time ago? Anything to remind myself that I was and *am* so much more than the man others think they know. I'd neglected my soul for too long, I realized. I desperately needed to reclaim myself, dance to my own rhythms again.

"It was the fact that your feet obviously hurt. That's what said 'ballet' to me."

I drove home robotically while listening to songs I'd listened to for twenty years. I'd heard them first in that summer or near it. Faster and faster, memories were coming back to life, like dormant seeds erupting through desert earth that had felt rain for the first time in years. And it was raining hard, the drops drumming down on the roof of the car. Like that first evening's date, the squeak and stutter of bad wiper blades over music helped to fill the awkward silence.

"Better than formal, I suppose."

Scenes and sensations, both complete and fragmented, were almost flying off the shelves of my mind and into the basket, then tumbling and scattering across the glass tabletop as I turned to keep vultures at bay. I wasn't going to sell her out. Never. But I didn't have to; she rescued me. My heroine that I'd only known for scant weeks.

Is that how it happened? Or was it the other way around, her being the brave one at the counter versus old acquaintances, me coming in from the side to claim her and drive them off? Could I trust my memory, when small details that couldn't possibly be anywhere were everywhere, like freckles strewn across smooth skin and tucked away in soft places? The hardest part was not really knowing for certain what things happened when. The best I could do beyond the definite bookends was estimate the parts of summer; early, middle, end.

"I *love* your cock."

I smiled fondly at that one. No confusion there, at least. And yet the 'why' of it all remained unseen, like a lover on the other side of a blindfold.

"No peeking." Darkness. A soft laugh and warm lips. Delicate, cool, tongue-wetted hands. And suddenly a second pair of lips, a worshipful mouth, different giggles, warmer hands. Our separate scents of lilac, chai, and pine; sperm, pussy, and spit; swirling together in the never-ending twilight breezes of home.

"Yes, Sir."

That summer wasn't so long ago in the big picture, but I still have photos of me from then. What on Earth made me think I was a man at the time? What had made her think I was, for that matter?

"Hell yeah I'm ready! Make me the *best* girl."

And pictures of her from then, too. The 'mature' fox, just one year and some months older than me, that I'd wanted to impress so badly. A girl who wanted to be a woman, a woman who wasn't done being a girl. Someone who knew and did not know what they wanted - same as me.

"Can I have your autograph?"

Each of us were so vulnerable and trying desperately not to show it.

"Just watch those feelings on something like this. And if you don't keep an eye on it for your own sake, at least do it for hers."

The bastard had been prescient as usual, I'll give him that.

"Oh, Luke, it's really nice." My hands and hers trembled slightly as she helped me secure the clasp on her neck for the first time.

"One little request?" The first of so many.

Parking the car in the driveway. Feeling the almost unbearable heat, the welcoming wet.

"I want you, Erin."

"Come and get me, Luke."

In my shower, I gasped from the powerful release, guided by long-thought-lost sweetnesses. Steam rolled away to nothing as I turned the water off, but the memories stayed. Toweling dry, I looked in the mirror and saw what she had seen for a moment before recognizing what I see now. Same beard, better haircut, body broader and stronger and still lean enough to often pass for much younger, though probably not for much longer. Glasses became part of my face a decade ago. In just the last year, gray hairs began to speckle my jawline like pale alpine wildflowers, and I've become used to a worn look in my eyes that could be anything from reserved kindness to simmering pride to bone-deep fatigue.

I went to my closet and pulled the old love notes out from a dusty shoebox in the back. Of course the perfume on them was decades gone. And they were only half of the conversation, only part of the reality.

I returned them and closed the box without reading any, because the words weren't the important thing. The exact words we used and things we did may have been hazy in some places, but the basic facts and emotional truths were undiminished, shaping their powerful liquid course through the mind to make deep, beautiful, hidden canyons.

I hadn't written anything in years. I'd almost forgotten how. And suddenly memory was pounding through my body like my own blood. All it had taken was seeing a stranger for a brief moment. One inconsequential spark, and the overgrown forest in my head was on the brink of inferno. We're all so much more powerful than we realize.

I needed to do something with it.

I had to tell the story.

***

***End Part 10***