"I'll call her tomorrow. And Bella?"

"Hm?"

"I love you."

Bella smiles and leans over to kiss me, then snuggles up close against the length of my body. I gently stroke her back, then can't hold back and squeeze her ass one last time, making her grumble into my shoulder.

It takes me a lot longer than her to fall asleep, my mind alive with possibilities and forming scenarios. My lovely Bella may think she knows what she just signed herself up to, but I'm determined to pretty much overcome all her expectations.

Chapter 17

"Stop it right now, or I'm going to whack you a good one, Edward!"

Trying hard, but probably failing abysmally, to rein in my fingers drumming on the table top, I turn to grin at Beth.

"You can try, but I can't promise that you'll succeed."

"You're not that hard to hit, my dear boy," she jibes back.

"Not that," I laugh. "But I don't think you spanking me soundly will make me any less excited."

Her theatrical sigh only causes my grin to broaden, but I can see by the look on her face that she's not exasperated in a bad way. It's even possible that she's happy for me, although I must be getting on her nerves with my inability to calm down enough to actually seem composed.

But just the fact that I'm minutes away from going full out evil on my probably equally twitchy wonderful sub with my kinky mentor as a sidekick has me all kinds of hyped up.

I still make an effort to appear more composed as I wait for Beth to finish tugging her outfit in place. Today she is wearing a black latex bustier and matching miniskirt, both with red decorative lacing, and supportive boning for the top. No garters or stockings but black high heeled pumps, with her hair open and her fingernails and lips painted red, Beth is simply stunning, as she usually is. I feel a little underdressed in just my leather pants, but contrary to her I don't get off on feeling hot, sticky outfits confining me.

"Ready?" she finally asks, but instead of turning towards the playroom she snatches my left hand, checking my short clipped nails in turn.

"You know, it's not the first time I'm doing this," I grumble when she nods and lets go of me again, and of course I get a dirty look for that remark.

"I'm aware of that. But it's my dungeon, my rules, so suck it up already."

There's nothing in can add to that so I remain silent, and Beth finally approaches the closed door of her playroom. With her fingers wrapped around the handle she stops again, her sharp gaze scanning my face for a moment.

"You know what you're doing?"

"Yes."

"And you are absolutely sure she wants this and can handle everything we've planned?"

Irritation washes over the calm I've so valiantly forced myself to feel, and my answer is a little sharper than I want it to be.

"Yes and yes. Do you have to keep undermining my ego with your repeat questions?"

I'm a little afraid she might be offended now, but Beth graces me with one of her rare small smiles.

"I never doubt you when you're confident like this. I was just making sure that I can go in there and fully enjoy myself with leaving you with all the responsibility. Call me a selfish bitch if you like."

The lilt of her voice makes me grin, and I shrug off the already receding annoyance.

"I told you weeks ago at the party already, I'm over my doubts. And Bella explicitly asked me to push her limits. So that's exactly what I'm going to do today. You know her list, feel free to improvise as much as you like within her defined boundaries."

With a quick nod Beth turns to the door, then opens it to let us both into the play room proper, where Bella is already waiting for us. Naked, kneeling on the floor, her palms turned up on her spread thighs with the ends of her long hair tickling the underside of her breast on the side she has swept it to.

I catch her eyes following our entry before she casts them down demurely, and decide that this is the last even slight transgression she's allowed today.

Bella thinks she's a big girl and wants to play with the grown-ups. I'm more than eager to let her find out if that's the truth, or if she's just gotten a little too cocky of late.

Beth's heels ring loud on the floor as she walks a circle around Bella, until she joins me where I've remained standing in front of her kneeling form, looking down at her as I admire her beautiful body barely moving with every breath she takes. Bella doesn't look up, her gaze remains trained on the floor somewhere between her knees and my feet, and she doesn't move even when none of us speaks for over a minute.

Sharing a quick glance with me Beth offers me a grin that speaks of similar excitement as I feel gripping my body, and I decide that we've kept Bella waiting long enough.

"Bella," I acknowledge her, then smile as I see the rise of her chest halt for a second as she catches her breath.

"Master," she replies quickly, her tone breathy but her voice strong.

"Are you ready?"

"For you, always."

Beth chuckles next to me, and I clench my hand for a moment to keep a similar if more evil sound from escaping me. Yes, I feel childish enough today to let out a comically evil laugh. We'll soon see just how ready my dear Bella really is, for me or otherwise.

"You know the rules for today?"

Bella nods, and when she doesn't hear me answer she replies in more detail.

"Yes, Master. I have my safewords and will use them should I need them. I have asked you to do with me whatever you wish, without reservation except for what I declared as my hard limits. I'm yours to use as you see fit."

Her words cause my pulse to pick up, and again I fight to keep any sounds of amusement down. I'm pretty sure she knows that we will push her, a lot.

What she probably doesn't know is that today is a test, in a way for both of us. For me, to see if I've judged her likes right and know how much is too much for her. And for Bella, because I need to know that her explicit trust and consent are something I can rely on.

I don't think either of us can fail today, but it will be interesting to see just how well we succeed.

"You know that you are here not for your own pleasure but for ours alone?"

"Yes, Master."

"You know that any transgression on your part will be punished swiftly and as harshly as your mishap calls for?"

She swallows hard but doesn't miss a beat in her answer.

"Yes, Master."

"Good. Don't disappoint me."

A quick nod is all she answers me with, which is just as well. At that Beth resumes circling Bella, and stops at her back to bend down to stage-whisper into her ear.

"For today, you will call me only by my name, for I'm not your Mistress, I'm just helping your Master. But don't expect any leniency from me because of that."

"Yes, Beth," comes the steady and quick reply, not even a note of hesitation in Bella's voice. Beth smiles in turn and squeezes Bella's upper arms for a moment, then steps away and nods at me.

We leave Bella kneeling on the floor where she is to fetch what we need to get things started. As much as I love my own playroom, I'm in awe of the collection of equipment Beth has amassed over the years, and intend to use some of it today. But for the warm-up I like things simple, so a few feet of rope will do.

Crouching down behind Bella I run my fingers up and down her spine for a moment, watching as a shiver runs through her body. She's nearly vibrating with tension, but today I don't even want to tease her. Much.

"Get up, and hands behind your head."

She follows my instructions promptly with lithe motions, and I set to work quickly. I start off with creating the chest harness we'll be centering all other restraints around. It's very basic bondage, just rope above and below her breasts wound around her torso several times, the tie completed with more rope to secure the two 'bands' between her breasts and at her sides to add some restriction to her tits but mostly to give us a well fitting and secure anchoring point at her back, once the ties are completed with the rope tied over her shoulders and behind her back. More rope follows around her wrists which I draw back to the central anchoring point of the harness between her shoulder blades, leaving her already halfway helpless and completely at our mercy.

Stepping closer to her until her bound hands are pressed against my chest I snake my arms around her hips, letting my mouth and tongue explore her neck hungrily. Beth meanwhile approaches Bella from the front, and when my hand snakes between Bella's legs, Beth grabs her nipples and twists them hard, causing her to elicit the sweetest of gasps. She's already wet and squirms against my fingers immediately but I just skim her pussy lips, then slap her sex hard a few times until she lets out a first strangled cry.

Beth eases up on her first and lets go, but only so I can step back and drag Bella across the room, nearly making her lose her balance in turn. She only gets a moment to catch herself when I tie another length of rope to the center of her harness in back, then she is forced onto her tip toes when I hoist her body nearly off the floor with the pulley system the rope is connected to. Bella quickly steadies herself with her legs spread hip wide and her back as straight as she can manage, her eyes still downcast.

She's beautiful in her vulnerability, but I like her even more when she's unable to remain so still and composed, so I pick up one of the light floggers and set to work warming her up a little. Beth watches me from the side for a while as I paint red patches across Bella's ass, thighs, stomach and tits, before she grabs a flogger herself and helps me. We keep walking around our bound quarry, one working over her back as the other goes for her front, and soon we have Bella panting and covered in sweat all over.

Except for a few stray strokes I'm sure we haven't actually hit her hard enough to hurt her. Still, she's not used to only being flogged without any form of masturbation, and I can tell by her ragged breathing that she's already lost her calm.

We finally stop and I step aside to let Beth do the next part, letting her play with my sub alone for a while to help Bella ease further into the scene.

Stepping up to Bella's front Beth admires the irregular pattern of lightly reddened skin for a moment before she reaches up, lifting Bella's face with a single finger under her chin. Bella blinks twice before she locks gazes with Beth, painting a smile on the other woman's face.

Sure that she has her attention, Beth lets her hands skim over Bella's body until they stop at her chest, where her hands squeeze Bella's breasts deftly for a while. Almost immediately Bella's pants pick up, and she whines when Beth's fingers become a little too harsh.

"Don't you like me touching your tits?"

Bella shakes her head, then nods, clearly undecided how to answer the question. Beth cocks one eyebrow, then swats Bella's right tit hard enough to result in a loud smacking sound, and her reward is a harsh intake of breath.

"Let's try this again, shall we?" she surmises, then adds two more slaps, both at the exactly same spot. Bella cries out but tries to stifle the sound immediately, and the moment she has enough air in her lungs to answer, she does.

"I love you touching my tits!"

Beth smiles brightly and resumes massaging Bella's breasts roughly, drawing a few more gasps but also a moan or two from her.

"You like the pain, don't you?" she then goes on.

"Yes, Beth."

With her smile now reaching even her eyes, she switches her attention a little, and starts rolling Bella's nipples between her thumbs and forefingers.

Bella's eyes drift close for a few seconds as she relaxes into the pleasurable sensation, but then snap open when Beth adds a few more hard slaps, this time to her other tit. A light laugh dances over Beth's lips then before she goes back to teasing with softer caresses.

"We're not out to cause you that much pain today, though," she resumes.

"If you behave yourself, you will be feeling pleasure for the most part. Mess up, and it's going to hurt."

At a light squeeze of her nipples Bella nods quickly. Beth smiles again, then lets one of her hands trail down until her fingers reach Bella's vagina.

A shaky exhale makes it obvious just when Beth's fingers push into Bella's cunt, adding to Beth's mirth.

Leaning a little closer she quickens the pace with which she squeezes her victim's breast, now matching the motions of both of her hands.

"Kiss me."

Bella looks a little confused and hesitates, and a second later Beth steps away from her, catching my gaze.

"More rope?"

I nod and fetch another coil, and at Beth's suggestion tie it around one of Bella's ankles. Drawing her foot up until her heel is flush with her ass I add the rest of the rope to the central harness point, now leaving Bella balancing precariously on the ball of one foot only, her thighs forced to stay open in turn.

As I step aside again Beth returns with a small paddle, and grabbing Bella's restrained ankle she brings the flexible leather down onto her exposed sole several times. Grunts quickly turn to cries, and when Beth finally relents I can see Bella bite her lip hard in what I know by now is her way of trying to compose herself again.

Interestingly enough, Bella hasn't set her feet as a hard limit even after the play party. She must have realized that we know it's one obvious weakness of hers, and I wonder briefly if she already regrets the decision.

Beth takes her time returning the paddle to one of the side tables, and walks back empty handed. She quickly resumes her previous position, one of her hands squeezing Bella's breast, the other cupping her pussy, and when she tells Bella to kiss her again, the other woman quickly complies.

It's not a chaste brush of lips, either, but a real and quite passionate kiss, messy with tongue and all. My dick grows hard as I watch them, and in another setting I might even have stroked myself, but I know Beth wouldn't approve. I feel a little sad when Bella breaks the kiss to come up for air, but Beth's nasty chuckle is very promising.

"Did I tell you to stop?"

Bella immediately looks alarmed and tries to remedy her mistake but Beth pulls away, her fingers now pinching Bella's nipple hard. Bella answers with a somewhat resigned sounding exhale, then grunts when she receives a hard slap on her breast again.

"I'm starting to wonder if you are so disobedient because you want to fail,"

she muses.

"No! Please, I promise, I didn't -"

Beth shuts her up with a finger across her lips, then moves both of her hands up to keep fondling Bella's tits almost viciously.

"Then you better make up for it now."

The moment she can reach Beth's lips again Bella is kissing her with new passion, which doesn't change even when Beth eases up and groping turns to gentler stroking. They keep this up for quite a while, and my cock jumps every time I hear either of them elicit a soft moan. Part of me still finds this a little disconcerting as I've never reacted that way to Beth, but the rest of my brain is all caught up in seeing two hot women clearly enjoy making out. As neither of them can read my mind I decide that I'm on the safe side.

When Beth finally lets go and steps away she leaves Bella quite breathless with a glazed look on her face. I immediately take her place but instead of concentrating my attention on Bella's breasts, lovely as they are, I resume thrusting first two, then three fingers into her pussy. She starts to squirm almost immediately, then pushes her hips forward against my hand, nearly losing her precarious balance that way. Grinning diabolically at her I reach around her body as if to steady her, but instead start working a finger of my other hand into her ass. I feel her clench around me for a few seconds before she relaxes enough to allow the intrusion to proceed, furthered even more when Beth helpfully squirts a generous amount of lube where it is needed.

Working together definitely has its benefits, at least for my devious plans, and no two minutes later I have Bella on the verge of coming. Her moans and breathy pleas are music in my ears as I keep finger fucking her, my lips and teeth hungry against the side of her neck. I finally relent and order her to come, and she does, shivers contorting her body as she lets herself go.

As I step away from her body I catch Bella's gaze before she can drop it, and barely hold in a chuckle at the shrewd suspicion I see plainly written on her face. She's obviously wondering why I've given in so early in the game and let her climax, when usually she has to endure a lot more until I finally allow her to come. Not that she's complaining, but she knows we're up to something.

The moment passes and then she's all meek if still panting heavily, her chest heaving a welcome sight. I step back up to her so she can lean against my body while Beth undoes some of the restraints, leaving Bella's limbs free but her torso still encased in rope.

Winding the hand that's still sticky with her juices into her hair I lead Bella across the room, maybe a bit roughly, but she follows suit. Over at the far wall of the room stands our destination, a padded bench-like piece of furniture that just begs to be used. The lower part is just like any padded bench but the back rest is reclineable at any chosen angle, and we have set it up against a part of the wall that is covered with attachment points for cuffs and rope alike. At a nod from me Bella scrambles up onto the bench and leans back against the more upright part, not protesting when I pull her ass flush with the edge until she's more lying than sitting.

While I grab some rope to attach to Bella's ankles Beth buckles soft padded leather cuffs around her wrists and secures them to the bench just above Bella's head, her raised arms pulling her tits up nicely. Bella is watching me with curiosity when I spread her legs and raise them so I can secure the other ends of the ropes to the wall behind her. That leaves her very open and vulnerable, and once again completely at our mercy.

Beth joins me where I stand between Bella's spread legs and grin down at her, and I can see the familiar mixture of apprehension and excitement flit over my lovely sub's face. We both smirk down at her until she starts squirming – uselessly, of course – in her bonds, before Beth turns to me.

"Shall I start or do you want to do the honors?"

I shrug, my eyes never leaving Bella's face.

"Why don't we let her decide whose hands she wants on her first?"

Bella looks panicked for a moment, convinced the question is a trap, which it is in a way, but not the kind she might expect. Her silence is heavy until she clears her throat, her eyes still darting from one of us to the other.

"I think I would like Beth to start, Master."

I nod, rather happy about her choice. Beth shares a meaningful glance with me before she walks off to fetch a cloth covered tray, its contents still hidden from Bella's view. In the meantime I ready a low swivel chair and table where Beth can place her needed paraphernalia, before I step away again to observe and enjoy. Bella's eyes follow me for a moment before she casts them down again, awaiting what's to come with as much calm as she can muster.