Nina Ch. 01

It was a little different with Carter. He had discovered a key of sorts to unlock another facet of her personality and responsiveness: humor. He would poke and prod and nudge at her—always kindly, always gently, but always in that dominant way, even going so far as to backing her into a corner—until she couldn't help but smile. He was forcing her to respond, and making her do it with a smile on her face, a smile that she actually felt. And she enjoyed the feeling of giving in to his pressure. In that way, she was beginning to crack open, just a little. But she still held her emotions tightly.

She was doing the best she could.

What would happen today, she wondered, when she felt like a tight string ready to snap?

BEN

Ben couldn't believe it when Nina walked in. His first thought was to wonder if he should leave.

He didn't want to leave for her comfort. No, deep down, he wanted to make her uncomfortable, to push her buttons. Never in a million years did he think he'd have another chance to get his hands on her. But should he?

Back when Nina took the class he taught at the community center, he remembered, she barely looked at him. Ben was an easy-going guy. Sure, he could tell she was a little nervous around him; and sure, a nervous woman wasn't exactly a turn-off for him; but he mostly kept things professional. A stray comment here or there... For the most part, all he wanted to do was put her at ease.

Although, Ben admitted to himself, uneasy Nina was appealing. He caught the way she looked at him when she thought he didn't notice. When she wasn't fast enough, he'd snap his gaze back to her, staring long after she would look away demurely. For a while, Ben had tried to gauge whether Nina might be open to the possibility of dating. But it soon became apparent that the more he focused on her, the worse her ability to concentrate became.

At one point he'd even lost his temper, an event he looked back on with regret. She had visibly flinched away from him. He'd barely raised his voice—but he knew the angry reaction was in the eye of the beholder.

It months after she'd left his class that Ben started to explore dominance and submission, and it dawned on him that Nina might be a woman who craved the D/s relationship dynamic, even if she didn't know it. She might desire a man to come along and overpower her, to figure her out and pin her down—but never, ever, harm her. She might have been okay with feeling nervous.

A friend of his who'd also taken his class and knew Nina a little better had given him something else to think about. Nina's father had been... Well, unkind was too nice a word for it. Ben knew this might influence Nina's attractions: a dominant man who could hurt her, but who absolutely wouldn't.

And here she was. Looking uneasy as ever and trying not to be noticed. With that neutral expression, those faraway eyes.

Carter paired up Ben and Nina, ostensibly coaching them both, though all of them could sense the power dynamics that put Carter and Ben on top. Ben always felt itchy around Nina, like she was the itch and he wanted to scratch. Her eyes were like mirrored sunglasses, he thought. You could look at them and never really look into them. Once in a while he caught a flicker of something, but the damned woman played everything close to the vest.

Nina was guarded, and cool, though when she had been in Ben's class, he'd caught her trembling once as he'd held onto her to show the class how to do some sequence of movement. He didn't remember what the demonstration was, but he wouldn't forget the way her face and neck flushed as he adjusted his grip over and over, eventually finding that her palm was damp, too. He'd held onto her hand a little longer than necessary, allowing himself a small smile as he released her, which just made her look down.

She was not a particularly small woman; Ben put her at a buck fifty. But she had noticeably small wrists and ankles, and he'd enjoyed the feeling of swallowing up her wrist with his hand. Where Nina was usually so precise about staying a certain distance from him, and where she usually held herself so woodenly, as soon as he'd grasped her wrist and started to move her, she had become compliant. Calm, even. This was exactly as it should have been, but it still surprised him—and pleased him.

It had been only natural for him to choose her to be the dummy over and over again, just to elicit that shift between guarded, controlled Nina and cooperative, malleable Nina.

Ben could see that she had the same curvy figure as before. Her auburn hair in its ponytail swept across her middle back, hanging down just to the same level as the slight roll under her sports bra. He knew, dimly, that this roll irritated some women, but he personally didn't care about it. Ben was more interested in what was happening in the front of her sports bra.

Though surprisingly muscular, Nina was generally hourglass-shaped. She didn't gripe about weight, but Ben had heard one or two self-deprecating remarks about her body, and he knew a slender body type was in vogue. Ben liked a variety of body types. When he looked at Nina, he tended to think 'handful.'

Looking at Nina as she finished her warm-ups—including a few sets of squats, which he viewed from a side perspective—he let his eyes stray once or twice to her rear, one of his favorite aspects of a woman's body. And Nina's was nice to look at, indeed: well-rounded. She had thick thighs and must have had some power in those muscles. Her slim ankles wobbled and looked a little unstable. He suddenly remembered a class where she'd turned one of them and had complained about them being untrustworthy. At least her balance seemed to have improved.

Her attitude, however, appeared to be the same. During their partner drills, she was quiet and never met his eyes. If she had to look at him, she seemed to have settled on his chin. Maybe she was just keeping her gaze soft and trying to look at the clavicle. But he felt sure she was shrinking away, as she'd always done. Some of the old irritation began to creep in. He breathed deeply and forced it to settle, though he was aware on some level that his stare was hard.

Ben noticed that Carter was pushing a little hard. In fact, it seemed to Ben like Carter was looking for some kind of response in Nina. Whatever it was, it didn't seem to be happening; Nina was clearly withdrawing into her shell. Ben knew it wasn't his place to push, too, so he bit back his comments. But he saw in her troubled face that Nina was nearing some kind of emotional breakdown.

Or maybe a breakthrough was what Carter had in mind. Ben wondered. He remembered having seen Carter at the fetish club; was it possible Carter was trying to overcome her barriers? Ben almost became so distracted as to forget the combination they were working on, but he recovered, anticipation gathering in his gut. In the few years since Nina had been in his class, Ben had come up with a simple solution he only got to try in his fantasies. He decided right then he would try it if the chance came up in their practice tonight.

They finished kickboxing, and Carter said he usually taught submission wrestling during the next hour. Ben stayed, since that was his main interest. He and Carter looked to Nina to see if she would stay, too.

She hesitated.

"All right, you're staying," ordered Carter. Ben heard the forcefulness and playfulness in Carter's voice, and miraculously, Nina smiled. Ben felt his eyebrows raise.

"Do you need to change?" asked Carter. Nina nodded. "Go get changed. Hurry up!" he barked.

"Wow." Ben couldn't keep the word from slipping out; Carter was playing with roles already. "So it's like that?" asked Ben.

After a moment's pause, Carter said meaningfully, "Yep. It's like that."

CARTER

Carter could see the wheels turning in Ben's mind. In some ways, Carter was surprised Ben hadn't figured this out earlier about Nina. Or maybe Ben had, but he was surprised to see this dynamic in the gym. And Carter felt a little uneasy about sharing this information. He didn't know Ben well.

But he couldn't very well say it outright. What would he say? 'Hey, Ben, just so you know, I don't think it would be appropriate for us to seduce the student...'

No, that would be too weird. Besides, this was his gym. Ben would respect that.

But he had also seen the way Nina had responded to Ben: nervous, apologetic, shy. Carter felt a stirring in his dick as he imagined what might happen next. It was the perfect storm, he thought.

NINA

She rushed to the locker room to change her shirt. She wasn't very sweaty, but the little sweat she had shed smelled like fear, she was sure of it. Fear or some kind of excitement. After a few moments of calming breaths, she reapplied her deodorant and swapped for a fresh shirt.

When she returned to the mat, it was as though she had caught them talking about her—but they weren't saying anything. Her heart was fluttering one moment and pounding the next. She sank down onto the mat several feet away from both of them, creating a triangle, and awaited instructions. Although she tried to appear relaxed, she couldn't help but pull her knees up under her chin, wrapping her arms around them. Her eyes flicked from Carter to Ben and back. She shook off the uneasy feeling that Ben was hiding a look of knowing.

Carter briefly explained the drill they would be doing. "Come on over here, Nina," he said, patting the mat in front of him. He took her into his guard and—and—he moved too fast, but suddenly she was locked into an arm bar. She stifled a sigh. She should have known this, but she had forgotten since the last time they'd covered it.

The phone at the front desk rang.

"I'd better get that," said Carter, rising. "Ben—you go through it with Nina."

Ben looked at Nina mischievously as Carter walked away. He was just as fast as Carter, but he kept pausing between movements. Nina thought it was for her benefit. She felt like a rag doll, and the feeling of being physically manipulated, under Ben's control, sent a thrill through her. She quashed it and they swapped places, with Nina lying down on her back.

"Open up. Let me into your guard." Ben put his hands on her knees and gently guided them open. Nina gulped. Their eyes met and Ben tightened his grip almost imperceptibly on her knees, letting the moment hang. She felt vulnerable, but god, what a feeling!

"Here I come," he said playfully, letting out a low laugh and easing forward, his large torso settling over her. "Okay," he murmured. "Go ahead. Put some effort into it."

She dragged her thoughts away from his warmth and smell as he leaned over her. She wanted to practice the drill, but suddenly she felt small and stupid. Why waste his time on her? It was as though her thoughts were sliding over the edge of a roaring waterfall, into a deep pit. She could do nothing but shrivel up with embarrassment.

"Come on," his rough voice urged into her ear. Step by step, he began to walk her through the relatively short series of moves. But Nina got stuck partway through.

BEN

He felt a sudden shift in Nina's movements and realized she was trying to wriggle out from underneath him. Knowing what he knew about her, he wasn't going to let her distance herself from him and disengage. He started to feel frustration, but it quickly turned to anticipation. This might be the opening he was looking for.

"Nope," he said lightly, denying her freedom. She floundered a bit and he gripped her thighs, pulling her back into the first position, insisting on his position between her legs. He must have startled her; a small sound escaped her lips. Her entire face was tight: her brow drew inward, her eyes looked pinched, and he wondered for a brief moment if she might cry. It hit him like a freight train just how stressed she was.

Ben knew he could take the stress away, if he could just break down those walls. He made a decision.

"Nina," he said evenly. He pulled back a little so she could look at him, but he stayed wedged close to her body, between her legs. He knew keeping her physically vulnerable would affect her psychologically. She looked up at him.

Ben made a show of leaning forward, resting his elbows on the mat on either side of her, and taking control of her hands with his own. Nina couldn't go anywhere, pressed against the mat as she was. Her chest rose and fell as she took shallower breaths. Ben allowed his gaze to roam over her; when he looked back into her eyes, they were wide, her pupils dilated. He kept his expression serious.

"Nina, you don't need to resist me."

It was as though he had slapped her. Her face became even redder, and he saw tears gather in her eyes. She tried to look away. "Look at me," he said, trying for the same tone Carter had used. Friendly, but authoritative.

Her large, grey eyes reluctantly found his.

"You don't need to be scared. I'm not going to hurt you." He meant it. A little bit scared—well, that could be fun, as long as she knew she was really safe.

"I'm sorry," she whispered finally.

"I know."

Here, he made a move, to see how she would respond. If she rebuffed him, he would back off. But he thought that unlikely.

He slowly released one of her hands and moved to touch her face. Nina watched his hand come closer to her, and a calm seemed to steal over her. With a large thumb, he brushed away the moisture from tears forming in her eyes.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled again, clearly ashamed. He waited for more. "I know it's... I know I'm... frustrating." She was shaking her head. As Ben expected, she started to move again, trying to get out from under him. But it felt like she was trying to release him instead of the other way around. "I'm sorry," she said yet again. "Please don't worry about it. It's fine if I don't get it."

He allowed a little harshness to creep into his voice. "Nina, stop." She froze. Ben made a show of repositioning them to close any distance she had created, and he tightened his grip almost imperceptibly around her hands.

"I do get frustrated sometimes," he went on. Her expression of worry deepened. He waited, hoping she would carry them forward.

"I have a hard time..." she began, searching for words. When that failed, she looked up to find him watching her intently. Her lips parted and her chest rose and fell more rapidly.

When it was clear she didn't know how to go on, he made his voice as calm and soothing as he could: "I know you're nervous. You have to trust me—trust us."

"Okay," she said at last, giving him a brittle smile.

"Let's go through it again, then." Ben knew she wasn't ready yet, and she wouldn't be successful. But her failure would probably open the door for what he had in mind.

Carter wasn't back yet, probably still on the phone. Ben walked Nina through several steps, feeling her determination falter until at last she stopped, stymied.

"Sorry," she whispered. She made a move to get up off the floor, but Ben held her fast. She looked at him in surprise.

"Come on," he said, his voice ringing out in carefully gauged frustration. "There's no reason why you can't cooperate with me and do this. And you know it."

Nina shook her head. When she spoke, her voice was tight with emotion. "I'm sorry. I feel so guilty about wasting your time."

"You're not wasting my time. But I need you to trust me."

She hesitated. "Of course I trust you."

"You don't," he said evenly.

Nina bit her lip. "I'm sorry," she said for the umpteenth time. "I want to trust you." Ben let the silence hang. "Um... Okay. What do I need... What can I do?" Her voice trembled, pleading for relief from the pressure of holding herself back.

The moment he had been hoping for. He took an audible breath. "There is something you can do for me." Nina's eyes were huge now.

CARTER

Unbeknownst to Ben and Nina, Carter had wrapped up his phone call. As he returned to them, he felt the tension between them right away and stopped before they noticed he had come back. He felt a strong desire not to interrupt what was happening on the mat, instead listening in to their conversation.

"What can I do?" Nina had said hesitantly. Her need to please rolled off her in waves. Carter was certain Ben would wield this to his advantage, and he felt blood beginning to move toward his groin.

"Yes. There is something you can do for me," Ben was responding. Carter heard the gruffness in his voice. There was no question where this was headed, now. But he waited, allowing Ben to continue.

"Here." Ben was helping Nina off her back. "No, stay on your knees. Now come forward on your hands." Carter saw her give Ben a long look before coming to her hands and knees in front of him. Ben knelt at her side. "Truthfully, Nina, this will help alleviate my frustration. But it's also for you to trust me; I'm not going to hurt you more than a little." Carter saw her throw a startled glance back at Ben, who kept a firm hand on her back. "If you need me to stop, just say 'Stop.' Okay?"

Carter heard a soft reply: "Okay."

The first spank landed, and Nina gasped. "Sorry," she said immediately, covering her mouth with one hand. It wasn't a very hard spank, but it must have been shocking. Carter's mind flew forward to what might be happening only a few minutes from now. He flexed his hand in anticipation.

Carter walked over to them. "You're not counting," he stated. He had stopped right at Nina's head, so she had to crane her neck to look up at him. He smiled broadly as he looked down at her, and he felt a sense of triumph.

"You're right," said Ben, continuing to strike Nina's ass, his other palm still planted on her lower back. "But we didn't set a number."

"Nina? How many is fair?" Carter noticed Nina had been very focused on the feeling of kneeling here and being spanked by one of her coaches. At first he thought she hadn't heard him.

Nina's worried look returned. Her eyes darted around, but she didn't respond—not in time, anyway.

"Fifty it is!" Carter laughed as Nina's mouth fell open.

"Well, we've had about—ten," said Ben, grunting a little with effort. Nina's shirt had ridden up her back a little, and the top of her underwear just started to peek out from her gym pants. A black thong, Carted noted, suppressing a groan.

"Do you think you're making an impression?" asked Carter. Nina froze, listening.

Ben eyed the thong, then responded, "Yeah, but I think we could make more of an impression." He grasped the pants in one hand and held the thong in place with the other. As he peeled Nina's tight pants down, exposing her cheeks, she shivered and pulled her knees closer together.

"Ah-ah," said Carter. He slipped a hand between Nina's thighs and wedged them apart. Her skin was smooth, and he lingered there for a few moments, rubbing her. She shuddered. "Good girl," he said, desire making his voice rough.

"Why don't you take the next ten?" asked Ben.

Carter nodded and began, but when he didn't hear Nina counting, he stopped. "Count!" he ordered. She did, very quietly.

He paused after eight strokes. "How's it feeling?" Nina murmured something. "Nina, speak up."

"It's okay," she said.

"Okay." Carter and Ben continued, taking turns until they had gotten to fifty. Although their athletic clothes weren't very tight, they were visibly aroused.

Nina's butt, meanwhile, was a little pink. They weren't too hard on her, but the last several strokes had been a little more forceful than necessary. Truly, thought Carter, this was a very satisfying way to work out some of the feelings swirling around in his mind about Nina. He was looking forward to grabbing and squeezing her thick ass instead of just spanking it. And maybe more...

NINA

It hurt, but not too much. Nina was worked up from their ministrations and from simply being there, half naked, vulnerable, with these two men who were so much more physically capable than she was exerting their will over her. The thought crept into her mind that they could do whatever they wanted, but she knew they weren't going to harm her. She liked that she could allow them to do this to her. She liked that they wanted to do this to her, that she could fulfill this need.