The Night She Sunk My Fleet by Niki

We walked into the dungeon, smiling and laughing as we checked in.
She looked stunning in her suit, my borrowed necklace just visible.
I was passable, in all black with my hair pulled back.
After checking in, we walked into the dungeon proper. The music was loud and the lights were low, people were playing, people were watching.

We picked out a spot out of the way and I put out a blanket for us to sit on.
I was feeling rather confident, though it was my ass that was literally on the line. Playful banter and smack talk went back and forth while we set up the game of Battleship.
There was some confusion when she gave me the ships, notably the aircraft carriers and all the other ships that have the most hits. I tried handing them back, noting that I would have an unfair advantage, but she insisted.
I relented, feeling I was being given a huge advantage. Until the hood came out.

I protested, these weren’t the rules!
But they were. We would be playing by HER rules.
I finished setting up my ships, mostly by touch. The haze of the hood making it a challenge.
After the set up the hood came off and we were ready to play. Or so I thought.
I found my hands behind my back, something stiff and hard being wrapped around them, binding them.
“This is the belt I’m going to beat you with,” she whispered in my ear, a sigh escaped my lips.

She generously allowed me to take the first shot. I called it out and missed, unable to mark it on my board as my hands were bound.
She took her shot.
Her gaze trapping me, she took a red peg, reached across my board, and placed it in a ship, scoring a hit.
I knew then that I never stood a chance.
So it went, me calling out a shot and her, placing a red peg in a ship, until my entire fleet was slowly and inexorably sunk.
I did manage to sink two of her ships, a small victory.

We cleaned up and I prepared to pay off my end of the wager for losing.
Three hits with the leather belt that had been binding my wrists.
If I had won, I would be collecting on the wager.
What that would have been didn’t matter, it was an illusion.

I approached the spanking horse and bent over, leaning against it.
She asked if I was ready and I indicated that I was.
She swung the belt, there was a sharp pain followed immediately by a sweet burn.
Over and over I felt the bite of the belt.
She walked behind me, back and forth, switching sides.
I focused solely on her.
Her words washing over me, her fingertips moving over my sweaty skin, her mouth on mine.
Again and again the sound of leather striking flesh, I’ve lost count.
Stop don’t stop don’t stop don’t stop don’t stop don’t stop.
She tells me I’ve had enough and we stop.

Shakily I clean up, spraying the station with alcohol and wiping it down, just like the gym.
We go outside where it’s cool, we have the night to ourselves.
She settles on a bench and I go over to sit next to her, but find myself in front of her on my knees.
“You were perfect,” she whispers, taking me in her arms.
I wrap my arms around her, still kneeling, listening to the beat of her heart.
And I’m safe.
In her arms, I’m safe.