Chapter 39

"Fire dancers are too mainstream," Andrei insisted, leaning against the edge of the bondage chair Colette sat in.

"But fire is sexy," she pointed out.

"I can't believe you're agreeing with Rolf."

Rolf ignored them. He'd pulled up a stool beside Landon, who was seated at her feet.

Colette was on one of the stages in the main part of the private club, because it had the best lighting. She'd winced when, back in the bedroom, Landon had mentioned more lighting, and he'd caught it. Colette told him about Damien screaming for more light, about being spread open and inspected.

He'd tried to cut through the chains while she sat, and then lay, on his bed, but it proved harder than anticipated.

She'd seen the anxiety in his eyes when he said that he was worried he'd hurt her, because he both couldn't see what he was doing, and needed an extra set of hands. Maybe that should have terrified her, but it hadn't. She'd stood, taken him by the hand, and led him out in search of help and light.

The only seat-like option on a stage was a bondage chair, which was a black leather version of something from a gynecologist's office. With the back piece upright and leg supports tucked away, it looked like a bulky padded chair.

Unlike an actual gyno exam table, which would have stirrups, this had curved padded rests for the calves. The metal arms that held the calf rests were adjustable. Usually the leg rests were spread to expose the sub's sex, but right now they were in-line with the chair, only a hand span between them.

Colette sat in the chair, partially reclined, both legs up and in the calf rests, which left her ankles easy to access.

A soft blanket covered her from shoulders to hips, and she'd tucked it between her thighs to help keep it in place. With her legs up, her ass was partially exposed, but it didn't bother her.

Both Andrei and Rolf had offered to help, Andrei deciding it was his job to distract her with conversation about plans for the second Club Alibi.

"Hold it," Landon said to Rolf.

Colette felt Rolf pull the chain they were working on tight. They'd wedged a leather slapper under the anklets, using it to protect her skin.

Landon rose, heavy bolt cutters in hand. He carefully positioned the blades, then pressed the handles together. The jump ring snapped.

The men had this down to science now. Landon stepped back and Andrei leaned in, unlacing the jump ring from the ends of the chain and finally pulled the chain itself from around her ankle.

She raised her head, looking at her own leg. Only one left.

On that ankle.

"Fire dancers," she said, wanting the distraction.

"Instead of having members from the private BDSM club performing in the public club, I was thinking of having the management company hire fire dancers," Rolf said, somewhat repeating his earlier comment.

"You're going to piss off your exhibitionists," Andrei said. "There's half a dozen members here who only joined because you let them perform for a crowd downstairs."

"That club doesn't have any exhibitionists, because it isn't open yet." Rolf pulled the last anklet tight. It was the heavy cuff one, with the large O ring.

When she and Landon had tried on their own, they'd started with that one. The bolt cutter had slipped, nearly slicing into her leg. That's when he'd declared he needed more light.

"Andrei, hold the ring straight up and down for me."

"And risk you cutting off my finger? No." His actions countered his words as Andrei joined the others by her ankles, carefully standing the ring on its side.

"Do not cut off my finger," Andrei hissed as Landon positioned the blades.

The muscles in Landon's shoulders and arms strained as he squeezed the handles. With a loud snap, the rings finally broke.

Colette let out a relieved little laugh as Andrei slipped the heavy snake chain off her.

"What the fuck are these made of?" Landon muttered, shaking out his arms.

"Next leg," Rolf declared, taking the slapper and working it under the chains on her other ankle.

"Are we sure you can't just cut through the chain itself?" Andrei asked.

"Yes," Colette and Landon said in tandem. They'd tried that too, and again there had been almost stabbing.

"How did the jeweler cut these to length?" Rolf carefully turned each anklet so the jump ring was positioned on top.

"I'm not sure." Colette swallowed. "I closed my eyes for…much of what happened."

That sobered the mood, but Landon's warm hand rubbing her blessedly bare ankle pulled her back into the moment.

"Will it have a fire theme?" Colette asked.

Rolf frowned. "There is no theme. BDSM clubs don't need themes."

"Sure, they do. Sometimes the theme is more of an aesthetic. Elegant and expensive, for example. Or industrial modern." She gestured around.

"He could decorate it like hell," Andrei said. "Give the club subs devil horns."

"I wonder if they make plugs with devil tails?" Colette mused, forcing herself not to smile at Rolf's outraged look.

"Probably custom order." Andrei pursed his lips. "I know someone."

"You have a butt-plug guy?" Colette asked with an American accent, thoroughly enjoying herself. Not only because of Rolf's expression, but because Landon was smiling even as he continued to work to free her.

"I have a guy." Andrei's attempt at an American accent was terrible.

They continued to banter, Andrei occasionally stepping in to help, until her other ankle was bare.

The relief that washed over her made Colette feel light-headed.

"These next, please." She held out her wrists.

Andrei braced his foot on the base of the bondage chair, his thigh becoming their work surface. She rested her wrist on his leg, Andrei gently grasping her elbow to keep her arm in place. Rolf slid the protective leather under the cuff. It took several attempts before Landon was able to snap open the ring on her first wrist.

The base of her hand was rubbed raw from having her body-weight pulling her down into the chain cuffs. The damage looked worse now that the gold chain wasn't a distraction.

Once the other wrist was free, Andrei left to get ointment and bandages for her wrists.

Landon bent over her, his hand smoothing her hair back from her head. "You okay, love?"

"Very happy to have these gone," she whispered back.

Landon leaned down, as if he was going to kiss her, but stopped himself. Did he not want to kiss her?

"Is there a place I can kiss that doesn't hurt?" he asked.

She touched her own lip, jumping at the jolt of pain. "I forgot about this."

"What about here?" He kissed her cheek, just in front of her ear. "Or here." His lips grazed her neck.

She gasped, arching a little, thanks to his lips and breath on her sensitive neck.

Landon's gaze searched hers, as if asking if he'd hurt her. Colette smiled, pulling him down so she could rub her cheek against his stubbled one before whispering in his ear. "After this, will you touch me?"

He groaned, then licked her neck. "Always, love."

"First aid now, survival sex later," Andrei declared, passing Landon the supplies.

"Survival sex?" Rolf frowned.

"After you almost die and then you have sex to remember you're alive."

"No. Survival sex is the term used to describe people who trade sex for their basic survival needs. Sex for food. Sex for shelter."

Landon smeared ointment over the marks on her wrists before wrapping them with soft gauze.

That done, all three men looked at her blanket covered torso.

"I'm going to fold this up so we can get at your stomach." Landon touched the blanket. "I can get another one for your legs."

"No, it's fine." Except once the blanket, soft as it was, was piled up on her chest, she felt like she was suffocating.

"Help me take it off," she said, starting to carefully lift it.

"Off?"

"It feels like it's going to smother me."

Landon helped her move the blanket, making sure not to catch any part of the nipple rings or charms.

Rolf and Andrei both stopped talking.

It was their first time seeing her bare chest.

When Landon asked Andrei to get him a bolt cutter, he'd explained the welded jewelry. When they offered to help, Landon had matter of factly listed all the places she had welded jewelry, including her nipples.

But seeing them was something else. She knew how they looked. Even without the piercings her breasts looked batter and sore. With them…

Andrei muttered what might have been a curse, or a prayer. Rolf leaned closer.

Landon reached across her and shoved him back a step, his eyes dark, every line of his body promising violence.

Rolf blinked, then cleared his throat. "Colette, may I examine you? I'm a licensed piercer."

"You are?" she said, surprised.

He nodded.

"Let's do these first." Landon spread his hand over her belly. "The nipples are going to hurt and I want to be able to put her to bed as soon as we finish."

Colette was once more naked in front of three men, but she didn't feel exposed or vulnerable. She trusted each of them, though she trusted Rolf and Andrei far less than she trusted Landon.

They laid the chair flat, so rather than reclined, she was lying down. That gave her a bad moment, but she breathed through it, holding tight to Landon's hand.

Once she gave him the nod that she was ready, Landon had her cup her breasts, and made Andrei hold a wide leather paddle in place as a sort of shield between her breasts and the waist chains. Landon had them off with three quick snaps as Rolf held the chains taut.

She felt lighter, and more like herself as they raised the back once more, putting her in a deep reclined position.

Landon pulled up a stool so he could sit beside her, taking one of her hands in his. "Love, if Rolf knows about piercings, I think it's best if we let him take a look, and decide how we're going to do this."

"I know, I agreed." She squeezed his hand in an unspoken request that he stay with her. Landon kissed her knuckles.

"I will need to touch you," Rolf said in a far less stiff tone than before.

She looked over at him and nodded. "I understand." She started to lift her hands off her breasts, but hesitated. The pain of the piercing was too fresh, her muscles clenching to keep her from exposing herself to what could and probably would, be more pain.

Colette took an unsteady breath. "I…you'll have to help me."

Landon gripped one wrist, avoiding the wounds, and her fingers relaxed under the gentle pressure of his hold. He lifted her hand away from her breast, pressing her palm flat on the leather beside her ass. Then he reached across and lifted her other hand, gently transferring hold of her wrist to Andrei.

"Hold this," Andrei said, placing a nylon strap in her hand. She grabbed it, pulling hard, but the strap didn't give. It was probably one of the built in restraints bolted to the underside of the chair. Landon half rose to see what Andrei had done, then gave her a strap to hold on his side too.

"Don't go," she whispered to Landon as Andrei stepped back, Rolf taking his place.

"Never," he promised, kissing her shoulder.

Rolf pulled up his own stool, leaning in to examine her breast. Landon put one hand on her head, stroking her forehead and hair. Warm hands closed around her feet, and she looked down to see Andrei gripping one foot in each hand. "Your legs are shaking," he said, his eyes as soft as his voice.

"I can't seem to stop." In fact, every inch of her body had started to tremble.

"You don't have to stop," Landon said, even as his palm on her belly eased some of the quivering in her abdominal muscles. "You're allowed to scream and cry and shake. If you have to hold still, I'll…we'll…help you. Don't hold it in, love."

Colette didn't stop pulling against the straps, because it felt oddly good to do that, but she did stop trying to still her trembling. Andrei stepped close enough to press her feet to his chest, his hands on her shins, while Landon kept one hand spread over her belly, the other on her head.

Rolf gently lifted a gold ring, and Colette's eyes squeezed shut.

"Does that hurt?" Rolf asked.

"Yes. Not a lot, but it hurts."

"You said he welded these closed too?"

"Yes."

"Tell me," Rolf demanded. "Exactly how he pierced you."

"Don't make her fucking relive it," Landon snarled.

"I need to know."

In halting sentences, Colette recounted what had happened. It surprised a little laugh out of her when, after describing kicking Tonsure, Landon and Andrei both said, "Good girl," at almost the same time.

Landon glared at him. "Get your own girl."

"I can't. I'm too invested in your relationship to find one of my own." Andrei sighed dramatically.

Colette knew they were playing it up for her benefit, and she appreciated it. She was still smiling when she took up the narrative again. Rolf visibly winced when she described Tonsure using his fingers to pull on her nipple.

When she was done, Rolf looked at Andrei. "Go see if we have antibiotics in the medical supplies."

"Antibiotics?" Landon asked.

"Our skin is the greatest protection we have from bacteria. Piercing breaks through that protection. He wasn't wearing gloves. Didn't clean her nipples themselves." Rolf shook his head. "Colette, you'll need to take a precautionary course of antibiotics."

Andrei jogged back, a blue and white box in hand. "We have some."

"Good."

Landon accepted the box, reading the instructions on the back.

"Now to the other problem," Rolf said.

They all looked at him, Colette releasing the strap to instead grab Landon's hand.

"I can't find the seam in the metal where it was welded closed."

"Are you sure it was welded?" Andrei asked. "Maybe there's a hex screw, like an eternity collar."

"Yes," Colette said. "It was definitely welded."

"Did he turn the ring at all, once it was in?"

Colette swallowed. "Yes. They both…played with them. Damien first, but when he was done Tonsure kept moving them. Every time he did, he had to wipe away the blood."

Rolf sighed and nodded. "First of all, you should never turn or move or shift a fresh piercing."

"If I ever willingly get my nipples pierced, I'll remember that," Colette promised dryly.

Landon squeezed her hand.

"I think he turned the ring so the weld point is actually…inside you."

"Fuck," Landon breathed. "Where did Tonsure end up?"

"Why don't I go find that out?" Andrei purred.

"Later." Rolf caught and held Colette's gaze. "The safest option is to turn the rings and cut at the weld point. These are thicker than anything else we've cut through."

She nodded, back to trembling.

"My concern is that the weld might not be…smooth. If there are any sharp edges, turning it could?—"

"Stop," she said, holding up the hand not gripping Landon like a lifeline. "Don't tell me. Not knowing might be easier."

Rolf nodded, then rattled off a list of supplies to Andrei.

Landon kissed her shoulder and neck, whispering about how strong and brave she was until Andrei got back.

Rolf was gentle, cleaning her nipples with water and cotton buds before gently turning the rings. It hurt, but not as much as she feared.

They debated the best way to protect her nipples during the removal for long enough that Colette started to get impatient.

The door to the club opened.