by Livia Grant
“She is beautiful.” Cash draped an arm over the woman’s shoulders and leaned back with her, an unnecessary claim of possession since she was married, which meant completely off-limits to Alexander – but he had to admit that, otherwise, she would have been just his type. Brown hair, an innocent face, a slight flush to her cheeks that summoned all sorts of thoughts. “And I go by Jonah around my friends… but you can call me Cash.”
Samantha shoved at Jonah’s chest and then smiled up at him. “I think the appropriate answer is actually ‘thank you’.” She laughed a little. “So, you work for the law firm Jaxson uses?”
“He’s a partner, actually, and all three of those jerks have memberships to Black Light as part of their fees. Only Alexander has taken us up on the offer though,” Jaxson answered Samantha for him.
“It’s true, my partners aren’t into this scene at all, and I’m sure they’d have a little trouble looking me in the eye on Monday if they came by.”
“And here you are trying to get another month free out of me? Wasn’t six enough?”
Alexander grinned. “I’m here for the challenge, you can keep the month if it hurts your pocket book so much.”
“Right,” Jaxson rolled his eyes, laughing again.
“Go ahead, I’ll just bill you for the hours we talked on the phone last month and I’m sure I can cover the membership fees here.”
“Asshole.”
“Yes.” Alexander laughed as he agreed, feeling the tension ease a bit inside him. It was true he was there for a challenge, a sub he didn’t know, the potential to spin activities he wasn’t familiar with – it was what had drawn him to the event in the first place. “But, let’s be honest, Jaxson. There’s nowhere else in the city I’d really like to play. After all, I know how secure this club is compared to the others, and my firm has seen more than one issue appear for our clients when poor decisions were made.” He glanced back to the stage, still feeling an edge of concern that he’d be one of the points of interest for the audience members slowly taking their seats at the tables. Normally, everyone would be busy playing – tonight he’d be part of the main attractions.
One of the waitstaff walked by again with a tray of champagne, and he was tempted to snag one. A drink would definitely make him feel better, but he was getting a new sub tonight, and that meant he needed his head completely clear.
How else could he figure out which buttons to push?
Jaxson lowered his voice a little, leaning back in his seat. “You know, I checked the sub roster and based on what we know of the participants, there’s only one little in the group.”
“Not surprising,” Alexander muttered, and looked over the women in the crowd. He’d played with a variety of different submissives in his life, and while he definitely had a ‘Daddy Dom’ persona when he played, he also liked to break them down. Get them to snap, to cry, all so he could pick up the pieces when it was over – and that he could do with any sub he drew that night. “It won’t be an issue either way.”
“I’m sure it won’t.” Jaxson smiled and glanced towards the stage where people were starting to gather near the stairs. “Looks like it’s almost time for you to take your place.”
“Lights, camera, action.” With a sigh, Alexander stepped past Jaxson to catch Emma’s hand, leaning down to press a kiss to her knuckles. “I hope you enjoy your evening, Emma.”
“I will. Good luck, Alexander!” She gave him a perky little smile, her shoulders lifting with her sincere cheer, and he winked at her before releasing her hand to move towards the stage. It was good to see her more confident, more herself sitting next to Jaxson Davidson. When he’d first met the girl, she’d still seemed to be in a bit of shell shock that the two models had chosen her – but Alexander knew why. Emma was the antithesis of shallow, she was pure, and caring, and all of that showed in her natural beauty. They had a relationship to envy, but one thing had become very clear to Alexander in the last few years.
Relationships didn’t work out for him.
As he stopped near the grouping of men, he noticed that most of them were in suits as well, dressing to make an impression, and that’s when he noticed the women gathering on the other side. There were outfits ranging from what could best be described as creative lingerie, to full dresses that covered enough to be considered modest in this room.
Which one would he spin? His cock twitched in his pants as he traced feminine curves with his eyes, thinking of all kinds of things he could do to bring one of them to tears.
There was a commotion near the exit and Alexander’s ears perked up, watching as a man tried to lead a woman towards the door, and they were clearly arguing. He had an urge to step in, but one of the dungeon monitors was already closing in. What surprised him more than anything was that both parties split and started walking towards opposite sides of the stage.
Interesting, had a couple signed up to play with others and one was backing out?
Chase stepped onto the stage then, the lights coming down, and Alexander couldn’t help but smile as the blond turned on his charm and started to explain the idea of Black Light’s Valentine Roulette. It was a pity that Chase didn’t speak up in more of the meetings at the firm, because he had a talent with language. He was quick-witted, smart, and approachable.
Jaxson, on the other hand, had almost made several of the paralegals piss themselves.
When Chase called for the dominants to join him on stage, he followed the queue of other Doms to walk up the steps, feeling a bit awkward as he stood near the heat of the spotlights. Chase walked by with wooden sticks, and he drew number eight. As he stared down at the little number, Alexander couldn’t tell how he felt about it. The middle was better than the end, but he really just wanted to know who he had so he could start to get to know them.
And figure out what makes her tick, his mind added, and it made him smile a little. Looking across the stage to see the collection of submissives gathered at the base of the other set of stairs, he tried to keep himself from hoping for a specific one. There were some of the women dressed loud and provocatively, and he immediately pulled back from them.
They were probably brats, and brats grated his nerves.
He wanted someone who wanted to play. Someone who would be a challenge. Alexander slipped deep into thought as the first few draws went off without a problem, but then Khloe Monroe threw a hissy fit over the Dom that drew her name. It was impressive to see that serious looking man stalk her down and bring her back to the stage to spin her scene. While it was entertaining, Alexander was just grateful he hadn’t drawn the actress – but it seemed like she could be in over her head with this guy.
Another few names went by, and then Chase was smiling at him. “Alright, looks like Alexander is up next.”
Stepping forward, he smiled and shook Chase’s hand, leaning in to speak under his breath, “Roll me a winner, will ya, Chase?”
“They’re all winners,” Chase replied and handed him the small, white marble. As soon as the wheel started spinning, Alexander felt the same nerves he always did just before he stood up from his table in a courtroom. That worry that based on the words he said, the actions he took, everything could go south – but the rush of adrenaline that filled him along with the nerves was exactly why he was a lawyer, and it was the same reason he dropped the ball with a grin.
Time for a challenge, Alexander.
“Would Sienna please join her Dominant on the stage?” Chase Cartwright called out her name, but she felt frozen to the spot for an instant. Lifting her eyes to the stage she almost gawked at the man standing before the wheel.
Gorgeous.
He had a suit on that fit to his body like it was custom-made, dark hair in a clean cut, and even from the floor she could see baby blue eyes. He narrowed his gaze to see past the spotlights and she knew she needed to move, forcing herself to step out of the group of women to walk towards the stairs. Her heels were the nicest pair she owned, as was the sleek black dress she’d
bought for a New Year’s party three years before. However, the short steps to the stage were not nearly enough to prepare herself, especially when she lifted her gaze and found the Dom waiting for her at the top, smiling like some charming prince. “Good evening, Sienna.”
“Hi,” she squeaked, and he offered his hand to guide her back to the roulette wheel. Her heart was pounding in her chest, and she slipped free of his hand as soon as she could, offering her shaking fingers to Chase so he could give her the little white ball. The idea that an audience of people were at her back, along with the heat of the spotlight, made her feel a little dizzy.
Why on earth had she let Terry convince her to do this? This was a nightmare.
The wheel started to spin and she released the ball without a thought, wanting it over. None of the segments made any sense as they whirled, but then the wheel started to slow and the ball clunked into a slot.
Needle play.
“That’s on my hard list!” Sienna gasped.
“Hard list!” Alexander called out beside her, and then they both looked at each other, breaking into nervous laughter. His name had returned to her memory just as he’d spoken, and she was still stunned that this guy felt like attending an event to get paired up for kink. Surely he had a list of women at his door, ready and willing to kneel at his feet?
Get your mind back in the game, Sienna.
Chase was smiling, and she had no doubts that he had been a model. He was gorgeous, and when he met her eyes to hand her the ball again, she had to swallow. “Looks like we’ll roll again!” he announced for the benefit of the crowd. Another spin, and she prayed silently that she’d get something on the wheel that would let her leave the damn stage.
Spin, spin, spin, clatter.
“Water based breath play!” Chase called out, and she knew her eyes went wide. What the fuck is that? Glancing up at Alexander to see his reaction, she saw a wolfish grin that was more than enough confirmation that he was happy with the results.
“Come on, little girl,” he purred against her ear, a hand in the small of her back as he led her to the stairs on the Dom’s side.
Letting him lead her, she obediently followed until they stood outside the sea of tables focused towards the stage. “I’m Alexander,” he was smiling again, offering his hand and she took it, but he immediately adjusted their touch so he could lean down to brush his lips across the back of her hand.
“Sienna,” she whispered, and he chuckled as he stood upright, towering over her. He had to be close to six feet tall.
“Yes. That’s a beautiful name for a lovely little girl.” He went still as he stared at her, and she knew she’d flinched when he had used the term again. Lifting her chin with a finger, those blue eyes bored into her. “What? Don’t like being called little girl?”
“It’s… silly.”
“Excuse me?” he asked, and there was a bite to his tone that made her submissive streak shiver.
“I just, um –” Her voice trailed off, slinking away to some place inside her that she couldn’t reach.
“You’re here to play, correct?”
Sienna nodded, unable to make a sound as he held onto her chin, his eyes tracing over her lips before finding their way back to her gaze.
“Then I think I can call you anything I like.” There was a force in him, a distracting power that already had her melting.
“Yes, sir,” she whispered.
“That’s my girl.” Smiling, Alexander released her chin and turned to look back at the stage. A man and a woman were bickering in front of the roulette wheels to the complete amazement of the crowd, and the obvious irritation of their MC.
After several moments the woman shouted, “What?”
“What?” The man echoed, sounding confused.
With a sigh, Chase raised his hands and sang out, “And a one, and a two, and…” when the audience shouted back with a resounding ‘WHAT’, the pair seemed to become aware of their location, and shuffle to the side of the stage. Sienna swallowed, a nervous tension tickling up her spine as she watched the last few participants get paired off. It was peaceful until the very last couple, and the angry shouting match on stage as they were paired was only capped with the spin of pet play.
For an instant, Sienna felt jealous of the other woman, wished she could swap, because pet play would have been easy for her. Crawling, serving, obeying – it took no thought. It was simple. But she had no idea what water based breath play would be, and a cold shiver rushed over her skin as she looked across the room and her eyes landed on an oversized tank of water.
Oh God. No way.
Chapter 3
Alexander was smiling as the last couple left the stage and Chase signaled the official start of the event, but Sienna couldn’t think straight. Her eyes were dancing between the water tank and the Dom standing beside her, wondering what in the hell she’d signed up for.
“Give me a moment, I’m going to locate someone to help us get setup properly.” He spoke with the kind of confidence that should have calmed her, but she wasn’t sure how she felt. Tracking the dark haired demi-god through the room, she saw him stop at one monitor, and get pointed towards another man. Sienna wasn’t sure what they said, but they both looked back at her with predatory gleams.
Fuck.
Alexander summoned her with a crook of his finger, and her feet started moving before she’d given them permission – but he was the one in charge tonight, so that shouldn’t have been a surprise. As she approached, they kept their eyes on her, but it was the dungeon monitor who spoke, “I’m Garreth, I’m a dungeon monitor here and I’ll be observing your activity to make sure you’re safe. Do you have any medical conditions we should know about?”
“No, sir.”
“Nothing that would interfere with breath play or submersion in water?”
His words created a nervous energy inside her, and she shifted her weight between her feet, looking up at the water tank again. That’s where I’m going to be.
She knew it before they’d even confirmed it. Submersion in water. Even imagining it was making her ears buzz in a funny way, her stomach twisting into tight knots of anxious energy.
“Sienna?” Alexander prompted. “He asked you a question, little girl. You need to pay attention.”
“No. Nothing will interfere, sir.” Pointedly keeping her gaze locked to the DM, she ignored Alexander’s use of the term again, and then Garreth turned to speak to her Dom for the night.
“Alright, let me walk you through the set-up, how it works, and some things to watch for.” Garreth had started to walk towards the tank, but he paused when Alexander didn’t move.
Because he was staring at her.
“I want you to strip, underwear too, leave your clothes against the wall by the tank, and then kneel at the bottom of the stairs. Understand, little one?” He was smiling as she lifted her eyes to his and nodded once, fighting the urge to argue at his continued use of the little language.
“Yes, sir.”
“Good.” Alexander walked away to accompany the DM to the tank, and she uncharacteristically felt like stomping her feet and throwing a damn temper tantrum so it would at least make sense. Why was he insisting on calling her little girl? She had given a brief description of her style of submission in the application, had been clear in her kinks and experiences – but maybe he didn’t know.
Reassuring herself that it was just a mistake, she slowly unzipped the dress and stepped out of it, carrying it past the hot tub, and what looked like massage tables, over to the tank where she could hear the two men talking. Their voices were like a low hum amidst the soft instrumental music and the other discussions happening around the room. Within eyesight of both men she slid her underwear down first, drawing her heels through, before she slipped them off as well.
Even shorter. Great.
Sienna was used to feeling short though, and if Alexander was hoping to throw her off her game in making her strip – he was going to be surp
rised. She wasn’t concerned about being naked in front of club members. Especially with their activity being one of the farthest removed from the gathering of tables.
Her main interest was in what she had spun on the damn wheel.
With a silent sigh she took the bra off, drawing it down her arms and moving to kneel at the edge of the steps leading up to the raised platform the tank sat on. It was gigantic. Alexander could have laid down in it without touching either end, but she was completely focused on the strange chair that seemed to be a part of the tank. It was missing the front legs, the metal seat dangling out over the water.
“Just watch your time, and it will be fine.” Garreth said, and then she realized both men were looking at her, and Sienna dropped her eyes to the tiled floor.
Alexander took the steps slowly, each of his shining shoes landing heavily before he continued. Once he was on the floor, he paced around her slowly, and she shifted her posture to ensure she was presenting in a proper kneel. “You are beautiful, little girl.”
Her teeth clenched, but she stayed silent, only letting out a gasp when he eased his fingers into her hair, gliding down to the back of her head before he gripped hard and made her look up at him.
“I want to know more about you.” He smiled slowly, a look that she was sure charmed most of his submissives. “Tell me something.”
“What would you like me to say, sir?” It was a plea for him to give her direction, to make it so she didn’t have to think, but he seemed determined to make her come up with her own answers.
“I want to know you, little one. Tell me something you like or don’t like.”
“I don’t like being called little girl, sir.” Sienna muttered, and he chuckled, tightening his fingers in her hair until little pinpricks of pain rushed over her skin.
“I already know that, and I’m enjoying it very much, little girl.” Pulling her to her feet, he pushed her to the stairs so that she climbed them in front of him, the angle of her neck growing uncomfortable. “Tell me something I don’t know.”
