Club Alpha: BDSM Romance Boxed Set

by Amy Valenti

  She pushed the door open to reveal a lounge. Instead of blaring, the music here was light. People were sitting on velvet couches and ottomans, chatting instead of dancing. At first, Amy was too shy to speak to anyone. She ordered a cold water, and stood awkwardly, playing with the condensation on the glass.

  A woman with short blonde hair called out to her.

  "Hey, you!" she yelled. When Amy hesitated, she continued. "Yes, you!"

  The woman patted the seat next to her. As Amy came closer, she realized that there was a man kneeling at the woman's feet.

  "Hello kitten. I just saw you over there looking so delicious and confused, and I just had to call you over."

  "Oh, yeah? I guess I'm that obvious…"

  "Yes, but it's cute," she said. The woman pointed at the man. "That's Maddix and I'm Cordelia."

  "I'm Shirley," Amy said.

  "So Shirley, what brings you here?"

  "Ah," Amy paused, playing with her glass. "I just moved to the area. I used to go to another club…"

  "Another club?" Cordelia perked up. "Ooh, what club? I might know it!"

  Amy's eyes opened wide.

  "Oh you don't know it!" she said quickly. "It was so tiny. Anyway I moved here and I heard this is a great place. So I just had to come. Have you ever met the owner?"

  Amy was out of breath by the time she finished, but it seemed like Cordelia had forgotten about her question.

  "You mean J? Yeah, everyone knows J! You haven't seen him?"

  Amy shook her head.

  "No, I've just been dancing all night," she said.

  "Oh, then you haven't seen the exhibition room."

  "The exhibition room?"

  Cordelia pointed to an open archway. Amy couldn't see anything going on in there, but she saw spotlights in the distance.

  "Yeah, I'm sure J is busy doing a scene right now. You should go see him. He even taught me a thing or two."

  Cordelia patted Maddix on the forehead. He smiled around his gag.

  "Well, don't wait around here!" Cordelia shooed Amy away. "You want to see the good stuff, don't you?"

  Amy put down her drink and started walking in the direction of the archway. As she walked, the noises from the room began to grow louder. It was hard to tell over the sound of the crowd, but Amy was almost certain. Had she heard someone scream?

  Chapter 5

  At first, there was nothing to see. Just crowds of people milling around. The darkness made it hard to see, but every now and again Amy would catch a glint of metal in a collar or earring. She made her way through the crowd, pushing to where the spotlights were brightest.

  Out of the darkness, thick fingers wrapped around Amy's arm.

  "Hey you!"

  Amy turned around to see a tall man. He wore leather pants and his stomach flopped over the edge of them. He looked at Amy with a cruel smile.

  "You're going to be my sub tonight," he said. He pulled at Amy, and she almost fell off her feet.

  Suddenly, Amy regretted coming to The Sanctuary. She tried to pull away from the man, but his grip only tightened on her skin.

  "No!" Amy yelled. "Leave me alone!"

  A few heads turned, but most people ignored them. Maybe they assumed that they were together. Amy didn't know where the man was pulling her, but she knew whatever he had in mind probably wasn't going to be her cup of tea. She clawed at his skin, leaving drops of red blood behind.

  "You bitch, I should…."

  "Mimi! Cordelia! Someone! Help me!" Amy yelled.

  The man covered her mouth, but it was too late. Amy saw Mimi pushing through the crowd. And she wasn't alone.

  There were some men who looked like bodyguards, all suited up unlike everyone else. Then there was him. As he walked, the crowd parted.

  When Amy's eyes locked with his, it felt like time slowed down. Even in the darkness, everything seemed crisp about him. His white pressed shirt against his brown skin. His dark hair, closely cropped to his head. His green eyes that lingered on her.

  By the time he stood in front of her, Amy could see that he towered over the man who wouldn't let her go. He looked down and a frown came to his lips. In the next instant, he grabbed the man's hand and pulled it away from Amy. The man groaned in pain.

  "Why are you hurting me, J?" The man pointed an accusing finger at Amy. "This bitch is the one that scratched me!"

  J? That was J? As in the owner of The Sanctuary?

  J bent the man's hand backwards, bringing him to his knees.

  "You know the rules, Allan," he said. Amy was surprised by the deep rumble in his voice. "You can't make anyone do anything they don't want to. That's not how this works."

  He turned to the bouncers and made a hand movement.

  "Take care of him."

  J turned to Amy and brought his hand to the red bruise that was forming on her arm.

  "Are you all right, Ms. Lopez?" he asked.

  His touch stung, but it was cool. Amy found she wanted him to linger there, holding her.

  "Ms. Lopez?"

  "Ah, how do you know who I am?" Amy asked.

  "I know everyone in my club," he said.

  Amy blushed and looked away from J. Could he see right through her?

  J's hand slid down Amy's arm, squeezing her hand and brazing her fingertips. Her skin burned where he touched her.

  "The truth is, I'd love to give you a tour, but I'm already late for something I have to do," he said.

  J turned to Mimi and smiled.

  "Take care of her for me, ok?"

  "Yeah, I won't let her do anything I wouldn't do," Mimi said. She threw her arm around Amy's waist and hugged her close.

  "Oh great," J said. "Just what I was worried about."

  He laughed a little, and Amy was struck by how beautiful he looked like that. His white teeth against his dark skin, his eyes smiling. It seemed like he was totally different from the person who brought a man to his knees without breaking a sweat.

  J turned to leave and waved at Mimi and Amy. Even though he was late, he wasn't in a rush. He simply strode into the crowd until Amy couldn't follow him anymore.

  "Betcha wish he was the one who had grabbed you, huh?" Mimi said.

  Amy broke out of her daze. "What?"

  "It's fine," Mimi said. "Nothing to be embarrassed about. Everyone does, even the guys. But no dice."

  "What do you mean?" Amy asked. Her eyes were still searching for J in the crowd.

  "I mean J doesn't take subs. He's nice, but he'll never let you get too close." Mimi said. "So don't get the wrong idea."

  "Hmm," Amy mumbled.

  Her mind was racing too fast for a real response. That was the guy she needed to talk to. She just knew it. The way that he made her feel… No! Because he owned The Sanctuary! How great of a story would that be? She would undercover his secret abusive past, save her job, get a raise…

  Mimi pulled at Amy, dragging her forward.

  "Come on! Stop standing there with your mouth open. Let's go see some fun!"

  Mimi tugged Amy in the direction of the spotlights. Soon Amy could actually see what they were. All round the spotlights were pitch dark. The lights illuminated platforms. Some of them were bare, and some of them had what seemed like giant wooden X's.

  "What are those called?" Amy asked and pointed.

  "Oh, those are St. Andrew's crosses,"Mimi said. She stopped and looked at Amy. "But shouldn't you know that?"

  "I always forget the names of things, you know!" Amy said and chuckled.

  Mimi gave her a look, but let it slide.

  "So what do you guys do up there? Have sex?" Amy asked.

  Mimi turned to her with a cocked eyebrow.

  "No," she said. "Or at least, not mostly. We have scenes."

  "Scenes?"

  "Yeah, you know, like education." Mimi said. "Didn't you have that at your club?"

  "Oh, ah, I often couldn't come on scene night. Busy, you know?"

  "Yeah…"

  Amy could sen
se Mimi's suspicion. Even in the dark, she felt like Mimi could see right through her. A crowd of people had gathered around one of the St. Andrew's crosses. It looked like something interesting was happening.

  Amy pointed her finger at the platform in order to distract Mimi.

  "What's that over there?" she said. "Looks like an interesting scene."

  "Oh that's probably-"

  Amy pulled Mimi along before she could finish her sentence. She wanted to get there before all the good stuff was over. Maybe one of these "scenes" would make for a good article.

  Chapter 6

  But when they finally reached the circle of people, Amy's mouth dropped. It was J and he wasn't alone. The entire crowd looked up at him as J attached a woman to the cross. Her arms and legs were spread wide, and the only things she was wearing were a pair of lace panties and a collar around her throat. Her ass pointed towards the audience.

  Next J pulled out long canes. He didn't just have one, but three. A thinner one, a thick one, and one right in the middle. He pulled out the middle one and moved back towards the woman.

  At first, he didn't even touch her. J simply rapped the cane against his palm. The smacking noise was rhythmic, and as he walked around, Amy could feel the anticipation building. And not just in the woman on stage. In everyone.

  The crowd was quiet, holding its breath and waiting for that very first hit. Even Amy was waiting. She didn't want to admit it but she felt like her stomach was squeezed tight. Amy couldn't wait to see just what would happen next.

  When the first hit came, it wasn't what she expected. It was gentle, even gentler than J had smacked his own hand. Still, the whole crowd let out a breath. It was starting.

  A few more times, the cane landed gently across the woman's soft cheeks. Then J pulled away. He walked around, smacking his palm again so that the thin whipping noise filled the air. J went back to the woman and dragged the tip of the cane slowly over her skin. Up one leg and down the other.

  Then finally, it began. At first, everything was soft and slow. The rhythm was almost hypnotic. Then the steady beat became faster, harder. The woman moaned and tugged against her restraints while sticking her ass out to receive even more of the blow.

  That's when J really ramped it up. The hits came faster and faster. Now, they were so strong that they left pink marks behind wherever they fell. Soon, the woman's entire ass was covered in cane marks. She yelled, shifting and trying to get away from the cane's assault. Amy could even swear that it sounded like she was crying.

  The next part happened without her thinking. Amy looked around to see if anyone else was upset, but they weren't. The crowd's faces looked up at J with adoration. They concentrated on the scene, noting down everything he was doing. No one seemed to think there was anything wrong with having a crying, half naked woman on stage being hit with sticks.

  Before she could even stop herself, Amy was on stage. She jumped in between J and the woman, getting in the way of his path.

  "Ms. Lopez, I'm going to have to ask you to move," J said. His dark eyes fixed on her. "You are not allowed to interrupt scenes."

  "A scene, is that all this is to you? Can't you see this woman is in pain?" Amy yelled.

  "Ms. Lopez," J moved to pull her away, but Amy grabbed his cane instead. As soon as she did that, his whole demeanor changed. His face went cold and his eyes burned into her. She could tell that this meant trouble.

  J turned to the woman he had been caning.

  "Lucy, how do you feel about this caning?" he asked.

  "I was happy until just a minute ago," Lucy said. "I've been looking forward to this for a long time. Not everyone gets to be flogged by you. But now it's ruined."

  Amy's stomach dropped. She had ruined it? Ruined what? Obviously this lady didn't know what she was talking about.

  J turned back to Amy.

  "I told you earlier that this club has rules," he said.

  His voice didn't seem angry, just stern. Amy could tell that he was disappointed in her, and for some reason that hurt. She had only just met him, but she didn't want him to dislike her.

  J started to rap the cane against his palm again.

  "And here, interrupting a scene deserves punishment," J said.

  He grabbed her arms, scooping up both wrists with a simple motion and holding them behind her back. On a different part of the stage, there was something that looked like the sort of hurdles horses or athletes jumped over. Only this one was covered in leather and padded at the top. J took Amy and bent her over it.

  Just as swiftly as he had bound up the other woman, Amy was tied to the hurdle. She protested.

  "I didn't know," she said. "She sounded like she was in pain!"

  J was unmoved. "Of course she was in pain," he said. "That doesn't mean she wasn't enjoying it."

  Instead of the cane, J brought out something that looked like a long leather strap. At the end, it was cut in two. J showed it to Amy.

  "This is a tawse, and it is what I will be using to punish you with, " he said.

  Tears sprung to Amy's eyes.

  "I'm sorry," she said.

  "Me too," J said.

  The first hit was so loud that it scared her. The slap echoed through out the room, loud and clear. It took a moment for Amy to even feel the sting, but when she did, tears sprung to her eyes. She bit her lip to keep from yelling out.

  As he belted her, J continued to talk.

  "This is pain," he said. "But it is not good pain, it is not pleasurable pain like I was giving before."

  Amy was having a hard time doing anything but tolerating the pain. The searing seemed to spread all over her bottom like fire. Still the hits kept coming one after another.

  "This is a punishment. It will hurt. You will still feel the sting tomorrow, and maybe even the next," he said.

  Then J brought his face close to hers. His breath was deep and his voice rumbled as his lips razed against her ear.

  "Ms. Lopez, you will remember to never, ever defy me again," he said.

  Those words shook Amy to the core. They sunk right down to the deepest part of her and made Amy's heart race. Warmth flooded her body and pooled between her legs.

  But she didn't have time to think about it because J's final blow jolted her forward and out of her thoughts.

  Without another word, he untied her and helped her stand up. The guards Amy had seen earlier appeared on stage.

  "Please escort Ms. Lopez out," J said.

  Amy's eyes went wide. Out? What did he mean out?

  "I'm sorry!" she said.

  J's eyes met hers only for a moment, and then he looked away. No luck. It was over.

  Chapter 7

  The guards weren't exactly rough, but they weren't gentle either. They dragged her out of the room and out of the mansion. Pushing her into the coat room and slamming the doors shut behind them.

  Suddenly, in the bright light, Amy felt like an idiot. Her stockings were ripped and stained by cocktail liquor. Her outfit was a wreck, and she was sure her makeup had slid off of her face.

  And that wasn't it. J's face kept reappearing in her mind. Not the warm smile. No, his cold stare kept reappearing and telling her she was being punished. And then, just like that, she was kicked out. No goodbye. No see you later.

  Amy's heart wrenched. Hot tears poured over her cheeks and she slumped onto the floor of the coatroom.

  She should have stayed home. Why did she come to this stupid mansion in the first place?

  Her job. The scoop! Amy started to sob when she remembered. Without this, she was as good as fired. She had blown it. Big time.

  Someone cleared their throat behind her, and Amy jumped.

  "Sorry Ms. Lopez, I just thought you'd like your coat." It was the same man she had met earlier. Instead of looking amused, he seemed sorry for Amy this time. Well, she didn't need his pity.

  Amy grabbed her coat and stomped out of the mansion.

  "Ms. Lopez," the man called, "Shall I call you a taxi?"


  Amy stopped dead in her tracks. Robin had dropped her off. She had no ride. Shit.

  It didn't matter. She didn't want any favors from them.

  "No!" Amy yelled back and kept walking.

  It wasn't until she got out of sight of the mansion that Amy slowed down her pace. Self-righteous anger didn't change the fact that she was walking down a dark, lonely road in the middle of the night. Wearing little more than underwear. Freezing cold.

  Amy pulled out her cell phone. The screen glowed with an alert. Three missed messages. She pressed the button to read them.

  Good luck! – Robin

  Amy smiled. If only Robin had known just how much luck she would need. Amy clicked to the next message.

  It's getting late. Still out partying? ;) – Robin

  Amy looked at the time. Shit. It was five in the morning. How did that happen? She guessed she was having more fun than she had expected. Finally she clicked through to the last message.

  Going to bed. Call if you need a ride. – Robin

  Amy let out a long sigh. That message was from two hours ago. Sure, she said to call, but Amy felt bad. Who wants to be woken up in the middle of the night because their friend got kicked out of a sex club? It sounded like the plot to some kind of bad sitcom.

  She looked up and down the road. No cars. Even the taxis were probably not running at this hour. Well, there was nothing else to do. Amy took off her shoes and held them in their hands. Looked like this was going to be a long night.

  By the time she reached home, Amy was exhausted. Her feet felt as if they had swollen 10 times their normal size. They were red and aching, and the only thing she wanted to do was plop on her bed.

  It didn't matter if she was wearing makeup, or still fully clothed. Amy pulled the covers over her and closed her eyes. Right before she dropped off to sleep, her phone beeped. An email.

  In her groggy state, Amy just shut the phone off. She didn't have time for stupid messages. Her eyes closed, and she drifted off to sleep.

  When Amy woke up, the sun was already high in the sky. She stretched her limbs, which were aching and sore. She yelped as her raw bottom pressed a little too deeply into the mattress. That's what made it all come back to her.