Defending it All: Dark Romantic Suspense (Punishment Pit Book 5) Read online

  Defending it All

  The Punishment Pit ~ Book Five

  Livia Grant

  ©2020 by Livia Grant

  All rights reserved.

  No part of the book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

  Published by Black Collar Press

  Defending it All

  Punishment Pit Series - Book Five

  by Livia Grant

  e-book ISBN: 978-1-947559-40-0

  Print ISBN: 978-1-947559-41-7

  Cover Art by Laura Hidalgo and Spellbinding Creations

  Sign Up for Livia’s Newsletter! www.liviagrant.com/newsletter/

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  First Electronic Publish Date, October 2020

  First Print Publish Date, October 2020

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  About the Author

  Also by Livia Grant

  Black Collar Press

  Chapter One

  Lukus

  Lukus’s hands were shaking as he worked to unbuckle Trisha from the spanking bench. He was used to having not only Derek, but also Rachel to help with the show. The thoroughly thrashed sub needed aftercare, but there was no way he was taking the time to comfort Trisha to make sure she came down safely from the intense session they’d just shared.

  He felt like a complete ass because he’d been extra hard on her tonight, but he was desperate to get backstage to Tiffany. He was already feeling guilty as hell for leading the show without at least telling her ahead of time. Now, to see Tiff’s look of betrayal as she discovered it in the worst possible way filled Lukus with dread. Regardless, he knew he had a responsibility to see Trisha was okay.

  He looked out into the audience pit, only able to make out a few faces in the front rows due to the bright lighting blinding him to most of the large room. He saw Grey’s concern and waved him up to the stage.

  Grey and Violet made their way to him. Lukus wasn’t surprised when Violet let him have it. “You’re a top-notch asshole, you know that Lukus? You didn’t even tell her you were doing the show, did you? Don’t lie to me. I saw her face. She’s the best thing that ever happened to you, so you better start groveling, buddy.”

  Grey tried to quiet his wife, but he obviously agreed with her sentiment to some degree. “Violet, I suggest you keep your mouth closed. Lukus has his hands full right now. If Tiffany has already left, I’m not going to blame him if he comes looking for you to take out his frustrations.” Turning to his friend he asked, “What can we do to help?”

  “I need you to close the curtains, then take Trisha backstage and stay with her long enough to know she’s going to be okay. This was a true punishment, so she doesn’t get any lotion or anything to lessen her pain, but I was hard on her. She needs to be monitored for a while. Can you do that?”

  “You bet. I’m getting the better end of this deal. Good luck. You’re gonna need it.”

  Lukus didn’t need his friend glomming on. He knew he’d fucked up. At least all this commotion had given his boner time to shrink. He could only pray Tiffany hadn’t seen it. He wanted to be angry with her for coming here without warning, but he knew he couldn’t. This debacle was all on him.

  He rushed to his office, praying she was there. He burst through the door to find her standing facing away from him, her shoulders shaking from the sobs wracking her body.

  Fuck, I hate to see her cry.

  “Tiffany, I can explain.”

  She spun around so fast that he was unprepared as she threw herself at him, beating his chest with her fists. “I can’t believe you! You’re a complete asshole, you know that? I can’t believe I actually trusted you!”

  He held her tight against his chest, trapping her flailing arms between their bodies as he let her cry out her frustration. She was shaking in his arms, yet his own tension added to their trembling. He knew he needed to take control of the situation, but he wasn’t sure how. He went with complete honesty.

  Reaching up to stroke her hair gently, he apologized. “I’m so sorry. I should have called and told you that I had to do the show tonight. Rachel is at the hospital with some pregnancy complications. Derek called at the last minute. It was too late to find someone else to fill in.”

  She leaned back enough so he could see her eyes. He took it as a positive sign that she was at least listening to him. “I really hope Rachel is going to be okay, but that doesn’t matter. You know how I feel about you doing the shows. You promised me you would respect my wishes, and the first night we’re apart, you sneak behind my back to do exactly what you promised me you wouldn’t do,” she said.

  “What did you want me to do? I already decided today that I’m going to hire a full-time person to take over the shows going forward, but it’s gonna take some time to find someone, damn it.”

  “So, this was your only option? Really? You couldn’t have canceled the show? Or found another Dom to fill in?”

  “Listen, I thought of those things. I did have another Domme fill in during the nine o’clock show, but I couldn’t cancel another show. I already canceled one last night. People are getting pissed off.”

  “Oh, well, people are getting pissed off. We can’t have that. Better to piss off me, your supposed girlfriend,” she snapped.

  “That’s enough. You need to settle down.”

  “No, Lukus. I don’t need to do anything other than get the hell out of here. I can’t believe I was actually worried about you when I couldn’t reach you on your cell phone. Little did I know you were too busy playing with naked submissives to bother answering your phone.”

  Lukus’s guilt was receding and was fast being replaced with anger. “You’d better be careful, Tiff. You’re about to cross a line, and trust me when I say you are not gonna want to see what happens when you do.”

  “Seriously? You cheat on me and I’m the one crossing the line?” Her voice was incredulous.

  “Cheat? What the fuck are you talking about? I was doing my job. Period. In case you forgot, I own this club. A club I named The Punishment Pit for a reason. Members actually pay money to come here to perform and witness punishments.”

  “Fine. I get that. It doesn’t mean YOU need to do the damn punishing.”

  “Listen. I’ve respected your wishes, and I haven’t done any shows since I met you.”

  “Really? So that was a figment of my imagination, seeing you paddling that slut’s ass while she came on stage?”

  “First, Trisha is not a slut. She’s a confused woman with a lot of problems. Coming here to The Pit and being punished is part of her recovery,” he said, icily.

  “Wow. That’s a new one. Punishment and orgasm therapy. You should market that as your new slogan.”
r />   “All right, that’s enough. You’re out of control. You’ve just earned your very own punishment therapy session, and believe me, you’re not gonna enjoy it.”

  “That’s rich. You fucking cheat on me and I get punished. What kind of bullshit is that?”

  “I did absolutely nothing that came close to cheating on you tonight. Nothing.”

  “Oh, so that raging hard-on you were sporting on stage for everyone to see… that was just for show?”

  “Jesus Christ, woman! What the hell do you want from me?” Lukus flailed his arms through the air in frustration.

  Tiff shouted back, up in his face. “I want you to admit you were wrong to do the show without at least discussing it with me first. I want you to admit that if I hadn’t come in when I did, you would have pulled that big boy out and fucked her right there on stage.”

  Lukus had had enough. “I never would have fucked her. Never. You’re it for me, at least you were until you turned into The Taming of the Shrew tonight. I was doing my job. Period. Something I’ve done hundreds of times before and will do hundreds of times again. It’s business. Derek had to take Rachel to the hospital. There was no time to find anyone else to fill in, so I did what had to be done. And now, I’m going to do what needs to be done as your Dom.”

  There was a quick knock on the door and, without waiting for a reply, Ethan sauntered in, obviously unaware that he was interrupting the next middleweight boxing championship bout already in progress.

  He was an observant man. He moved to retreat. “Oh, shit. Sorry guys. I’ll come back.” He started to back out of the room as if to back away from a sleeping lion.

  “No, Ethan. Stay.” Tiffany’s voice was shaky.

  “Get the fuck out.” Lukus’s voice was furious.

  “Stay.”

  “Out.”

  “Really, I’ll come back later… at a better time,” Ethan said.

  Lukus continued on as if he’d already left. “Tiff, you’ve just earned the exact same punishment I was delivering to Trisha, and you can see for yourself if you think there is anything sexual about it. It was punishment. My job. Plain and simple.”

  Tiff reached out to grab Ethan’s arm, holding him back from leaving. Her eyes remained locked on Lukus. He detected the shivers running through her body and wasn’t sure if they were caused by fear or anger. Maybe a bit of both.

  After a quiet stare down, he got his answer. She was eerily calm.

  “Fine. You think I deserve a punishment. I think it’s bullshit, but I agreed to this D/s relationship with my eyes wide open, so I’ll submit.”

  “Finally, you’re coming to your senses.” Lukus was surprised at her fast turnaround.

  “But I want Ethan to deliver it,” she said.

  “Say what?”

  “You heard me. It’s just a punishment, so it shouldn’t matter who delivers it. I choose Ethan.” Lukus couldn’t believe she had the gall to turn to Ethan, stroking his bare arm with an intimacy that kicked Lukus in the gut. “Sorry, but you don’t mind, do you? I know you’re busy, but if you could spare the time to take me backstage and secure my naked body to the spanking bench, then wail on my ass until I’m a blubbering, sobbing mess, and then help me orgasm, I would appreciate it.”

  “Uh. I, well…” Ethan stammered.

  “No, really, I’m sorry to impose, but you work here so it must just be part of the job description, right? Nothing personal. Hey, I’ll go ahead and get undressed here to make it easier.” Tiff started to unbutton her tight-knit cardigan. She was already reaching to unhook her black lacy bra by the time Lukus found his voice.

  “Ethan, if you plan on living past the next thirty seconds, I suggest you leave now.”

  “I was thinking the exact same thing, boss. Clearly you kids have a few things to work out. I’m outta here.” He was almost running by the time he slammed the door closed behind him.

  Lukus caught Tiff’s under-her-breath retort. “Chicken.” In spite of the tension hanging in the air, he had to fight down a smile.

  God damn, this woman is infuriating… and sassy… and beautiful… and… well, fuck, she’s right.

  “You made your point. You can gloat now. You were right, and I was wrong. Is that what you want to hear?”

  He saw the surprise flash in her eyes at his confession. To her credit, she didn’t rub it in. She did take several deep, cleansing breaths to calm her nerves. It calmed him, too. They each started taking small steps forward to close the gap between them. Tiffany closed the last few feet quickly and rushed into his arms. The silky warmth of her skin paired with the scent of her vanilla shampoo settled his nerves. This felt right. He couldn’t resist stroking her long blonde hair as she snuggled into his neck.

  They stood there silently, reconnecting in a way that melded them back together. He briefly wondered if he was failing her as her Dom by letting her get away with such cheeky insubordination. If all she was to him were a submissive, the answer would be an easy yes. But she was so much more to him and as she stroked her hands up and down his back, he recognized a surprise surge of pride in how strong she was tonight. Few men… hell, few Doms had ever been brave enough to go head-to-head with him like she did.

  When they separated, he could see she’d had enough time to calm down. The fire in her eyes had been replaced with fear. He hated it.

  “Tiff, I’m not gonna say I’m sorry I did the show, but I am sorry I didn’t call you when I figured out there wasn’t another choice except for me to go center stage tonight. I should have at least given you a chance to come and attend so you’d have known I was just doing my job.”

  She was quiet in her reply. “And I’m sorry I accused you of cheating. I really am angry that you did the show without talking to me, but I know you weren’t doing it to cheat on me and, well, I know you wouldn’t have fucked her. I’m sorry I said that. I was just angry.”

  “Really? I couldn’t tell.” They shared a chuckle before he got serious again. “I meant it. I do plan on hiring someone to take over the primary responsibilities of doing the shows, but there are going to be times when I have to fill in, in a pinch. I’d like you to understand that it’s just part of owning the club and that no matter how turned on I might get on stage, I promise you, I’ll only take those sexual frustrations out on you after the show. Will you please trust me enough to let me do that?”

  She was pensive. She finally sighed. “I don’t think I’ll ever like seeing it, but the bottom line is I do trust you. I would just like it if you would at least tell me before you do a show so I know. As much as it will be weird to watch you punish another sub, I think not being there was worse. I’d like to at least be given a choice to be there if possible.” She smiled sheepishly before adding a quiet, “Sir.”

  “That’s a reasonable request. Now. What can I do to make it up to you?” Lukus’s hard-on was returning. Just thinking about resuming leading some of the shows with Tiffany in the audience pit, tied down and watching, was revving his engine. He brushed her long hair from her shoulder in order to bare her neck for his nibbles.

  He was surprised by her shaky request. “Honestly? I’d like to forgive you in exchange for you forgiving me for something I did that I need to tell you about.”

  Lukus stopped nibbling to look into her ocean-blue eyes. He saw guilt. “I’m sensing you’ve been a naughty girl.”

  “I don’t think so, but I worry you might feel differently.”

  “Okay. Spill it.”

  “Not until you promise me you won’t be mad at me,” she said.

  “I promise no such thing.”

  “Damn.”

  “That’s one.”

  “You’re gonna count now?”

  He grinned. “Would you rather I go back and count all of the colorful cuss words you spewed during your angry rant before?”

  “I guess not.”

  “So?”

  She was shuffling her feet. “It’s just that you and Derek weren’t here to meet me when
I arrived. Neither was the normal bouncer.”

  He could feel anger percolating. “You parked your own car? Did you leave it in the alley near the door for someone to park later?”

  She didn’t answer.

  “You parked in the garage?”

  She nodded.

  “Tiffany. I’ve made it clear that it isn’t safe for you to walk alone in the alley. You should have called to have someone meet you.”

  “I did call. You didn’t answer.”

  A wave of fear for what might have happened had him wanting to blister her ass—drag her to the desk, whip down her panties and pelt her with his belt for her careless disregard for her own safety. As her Dom, that was not only his right, but his duty. Lukus recognized it was getting easier to see things through not only his Dom lens, but also this foreign new lens he was using for the first time in his life—his boyfriend lens.

  Fuck, I miss the days when it was so simple. Sub breaks a rule and they’re disciplined—harshly. I had to go and fall for a strong woman who refuses to play by the BDSM rules 24/7. What a pain in my ass.

  Pain or not, he had no regrets. Without warning, Lukus dropped his arm down to deliver three fast, hard slaps to Tiffany’s covered ass. His hand remained there, gripping her barely punished flesh through her clothes, squeezing until she whimpered in discomfort.

  “You will never again go to the parking garage alone. Do you hear me? If no one is at the door, you call the main number to the club and tell whoever answers to send someone out to park the car. If you can’t reach anyone, park your car next to the door and we’ll send someone out for it later. Do you understand? Never again, Tiffany.”