by Livia Grant
Glaring at him, she shook off his jab and slapped a smile back on her face. “I hope you guys have an amazing night!”
“We will! See you soon!” Chase called out, and she walked as quickly as seemed appropriate toward the theater.
There were more people than she thought inside, some were already seated while others were still milling around, but luckily there was still plenty of room for her to walk up the side to the stage. When she finally got to set the drinks down on the table, she had to fight the urge to shove her hands between her thighs to try and warm them. Instead, she brushed them off on her skirt and rubbed them together as casually as possible.
People were already watching, and the digital clock propped against the back of a roulette wheel told her it was almost seven o’clock.
Talk about cutting it close.
Valentine Roulette Begins
Black Light West
February 14th, 7:15pm
Members were still filing into the theater when the little clock finally showed the official start time. The noise in the room seemed even louder than last year, and maybe it was because of the changes Elijah had made, or maybe it was just that many people… but it was start time no matter how many members were chatting in their seats or strolling through the doors with drinks in hand.
Moving to the edge of the temporary stage, Madison raised her voice, the sound system amplifying it perfectly. “Good evening and happy Valentine’s Day! Who’s ready to get started?”
The crowd cheered, whistled, their applause like a rushing wall of sound that hit the stage and boosted her energy as she smiled out at them.
“That’s what I like to hear!” Spreading her arms, she looked from the waiting doms on one side to the submissives on the other. “First, I want to welcome all of you to Black Light! Tonight is the third annual Valentine Roulette here at Black Light West, but it’s the fifth year for our friends on the East Coast!” More cheers and applause cut her off, and Madison waved her hands to quiet them down as she saw Jaxson making his way to the bottom of the stairs amidst the other dominants.
“I can tell you’re all excited, and you have good reason to be! For those of you joining us again, welcome back, and for all of you Roulette virgins out there — get ready. Tonight will be thrilling, entertaining, and totally HOT!” Madison laughed as the crowd responded with shouts and whistles again. “But, before we can get to the fun stuff, there’s a few things we have to cover, and we’re very lucky to have the owners of Black Light celebrating with us tonight! Jaxson, Chase, and Emma Cartwright-Davidson will be here enjoying Roulette with you, and I’m going to let Jaxson officially kick us off. Let’s give him a round of applause!”
Looking over at him, she clapped along with the audience as he climbed the stairs, raising a hand to wave at everyone while he moved toward her. She stepped back to allow Jaxson to take center stage at the microphone stand, laughing a little as he tried — and failed — to get the crowd to quiet down.
“It seems like Black Light West is ready to get started!” Jaxson said, chuckling as they cheered even louder, but he continued talking over them. “Chase, Emma, and I are very happy to be here tonight. Last year we didn’t get to celebrate Valentine’s Day together, or enjoy Roulette with each other, and I have to admit it just wasn’t the same.”
“You got that right!” Chase shouted from one of the seats near the front and Madison spotted him in the crowd beside Emma.
“Honestly, I can’t believe tonight is five years of Roulette. When we first decided to open up the clubs on the East Coast we were looking to build a place that we would want to go. A place that valued privacy, that protected its members from the press, and ultimately offered a world-class space to explore our desires.” Jaxson paused to look at his husband and wife, and the beaming smile on Emma’s face said it all. They loved each other hard, and Madison felt lucky to know them beyond the stories that still randomly appeared in the tabloids. “I don’t think any of us were prepared for the journey Runway and Black Light would become, but we’re proud of this place. The sanctuary it provides us, and all of you.
“When we came up with the idea for Valentine Roulette, we had no idea if anyone would enjoy it, but each and every year our members have continued to impress us with their bravery, their creativity, and their love of BDSM. And, on that note, I want to thank our participants this evening for making this event possible, and all of you for joining us. Enjoy your evenings, and I hope you’re all still here when we hit ten years!” Raising a hand to wave at the crowd, he turned to smile at Madison and she clapped along with the audience as he beckoned her forward. “Now it’s time for me to turn the stage back over to your MC for the evening, our very own Mistress Madison!”
“Thank you, Jaxson!” she called out as she joined him at the front of the stage.
Jaxson clicked off the mic before stepping away from it, leaning close to whisper in her ear, “Trevor is a really good guy, and I can tell he cares about you a lot. Give our offer to find another MC next year some thought, okay?”
Nodding, Madison felt heat in her cheeks as Jaxson turned back to the crowd, waving as he walked off stage.
Did Trevor say something to them?
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
Get back on track, Madison.
“Let’s talk about Valentine Roulette!” she called out, trying to get her thoughts organized again as she walked over to the roulette wheels. “In just a few minutes our devious dominants for the evening will join me on the stage to draw for the order they’ll go in. When it’s their turn, they’ll spin this wheel here and find out which lucky submissive they’ll be playing with for the evening!”
Reaching over, Madison spun the wheel, letting the clatter of it continue in the background as she looked at the gathered group of submissives.
“The submissive will then spin the second wheel to discover their first kink! As always, there’s a lot of fun and exciting things on this roulette wheel, and it’s up to the whims of chance what they get.” Smiling, Madison spun the second wheel, feeling a little more confident as the audience cheered and she fell into the language she’d practiced. “Our participants for the evening were allowed four limits, but only four, and I can tell you there’s some things on this wheel that will definitely draw a crowd!”
A few of the submissives looked around nervously, whispering to each other, but Madison had attended Roulette for two years, and if they didn’t read what they were signing up for… it was definitely too late now.
“Don’t worry though! Even if one of our dominants gets something new to them, we have Dungeon Monitors spread throughout the club tonight ready and willing to help our participants out and keep the scenes safe.” Moving closer to the dominants’ side, she grinned at them. “Of course, we all still have some rules to follow, but it’s worth it to pay attention because Valentine Roulette ends at eleven o’clock tonight, and any of our participating couples who are still together will receive a free month of membership! That’s twenty-five-hundred dollars back in your pocket, just for having a bit of fun.”
Whistles rang out from the crowd, and she couldn’t help but laugh at the cocky, over-confident looks some of the dominants shot her way.
“Calm down, boys. Mistress Madison is talking.” The audience laughed and she looked out at the sea of members. “As usual, to help keep things safe, we’re using the club’s traffic light system for safe words tonight. Using ‘red’ means all play stops immediately, no matter which participant uses it, and use of the safe word will disqualify the couple from winning their free month. What does that mean?” Madison asked, glancing over at the dom that gave her the biggest asshole vibes.
He crossed his arms, lifting his chin like a challenge, and she tried to place his picture from the list of participants as she continued.
“Dominants, it’s your responsibility to stay attuned to your submissive. Everyone is here to push their limits a little, but it’s your job to pay attention to how y
our sub is handling it and not push too far — or you both lose.”
The man looked a little more subdued as she flashed a smile and strolled across the edge of the stage toward the submissives.
“Now, no matter what our wicked wheel hands them, all participants are required to spend at least thirty minutes in their scene. Then they can either keep going or come back to me to play the game of chance again for another kink!” Offering some of the nervous submissives a warm smile and a quick wink, Madison remembered the next item on the list of rules. “Of course, with all these incredibly sexy scenes going on, you might be tempted to join in… but Valentine Roulette means all equipment inside Black Light is reserved for participants only! We still have plenty to keep you busy though. Not only do you get to watch our participants try out a variety of kinks tonight, but our bar is open and our audience members are not limited to two drinks. There’s also plenty of snacks, a fantastic silent auction with some really amazing things to bid on, and you will get to be a part of the fun in one way. All of our audience members tonight received a card to vote on their favorite scene or couple of the evening!”
Turning around, Madison scooped the example card off the table and held it up for the crowd as she planted her boots on the stage and propped her other hand on her hip.
“Why is this little piece of paper so important tonight? Well, the winning couple gets an additional free month at Black Light. You heard that right! A five-thousand-dollar value, and that puts quite a bit of power in your hands,” she said, pointing out across the audience. “So, have fun, look for the most adventurous couple, the wildest scene, the kink that just makes you want to go home and try it yourself — and then make a note of it, so you can drop your vote in the box near the entrance to the co-ed locker room before you head home!”
Beckoning the group of dominants onto the stage, Madison dropped the card back on the table and scooped up the popsicle sticks. After a quick check to make sure all the numbers were safely hidden in her hand, she moved toward them allowing each man to take a stick as she passed.
Madison returned to center stage and smiled at the crowd, feeling that buzz of excitement rising as she announced, “Now, it’s time to find out which of our doms for the evening will meet their submissive first!”
A dominant named Braxton stepped forward, giving her a polite smile as she traded his popsicle stick for the marble and set the wheel of submissive names spinning.
“Our first dom will throw in the ball now to meet his submissive,” she called out, but he seemed a bit distracted by one of the submissives, his hand poised above the wheel, but completely still.
She was about to get his attention, but she didn’t get the chance to prompt him before he turned back to the table and dropped the ball into the roulette wheel.
“I wonder who you’ll get,” Madison whispered, giving the handsome dom an encouraging smile as his marble spun and spun before finally settling into a slot and they both watched the wheel slow until the name was readable. A grin spread across Braxton’s face, his gaze already turning toward a specific submissive as she called out, “Cinder, please join your dominant on stage!”
There was a brief conversation amidst the women before a beautiful redheaded submissive in red silk climbed the steps to the stage. It was a stunning dress, cinched in at the waist, and Madison made a mental note to look for something like it in the future because it was hot. Trevor would probably like peeling something that fancy off her, even if he pretty much always preferred her naked.
“Cinder?” Braxton said as the woman approached, and his continued grin made Madison think the two might know each other, which always led to some fun entertainment during Roulette.
“Yes, and you are…”
Well, maybe not.
“Master will do for now,” Braxton replied, and the woman’s cheeks turned pink as she faced the wheels.
“Cinder, it’s your turn to spin,” Madison chimed, offering the white ball. The woman took it without meeting her eyes, and Madison set the wheel of kinks spinning. Yet, just like her partner for the night, she hesitated with the marble still trapped in her hand.
“Drop the ball,” the dom commanded, nodding toward the wheel where it was already slowing.
“Oh,” Cinder mumbled before tossing the ball at the wheel with a flick of her wrist that proved to be too much for the tiny marble. It clattered against the slots and bounced right back out, but Braxton managed to catch it before it hit the floor, earning a chorus of hoots from the crowd.
Standing up straight, Braxton pressed the ball into his submissive’s hand. “Try again.”
“Are you sure you want to do this?” the woman asked quietly. “Maybe it’s a sign we shouldn’t continue.”
Interesting. Maybe they know each other after all?
“I’m not only sure, I’m absolutely positive,” the dark-haired dominant replied. “Unless you’re not up to the challenge?”
Madison was just about to give the wheel another nudge to keep it spinning when Cinder suddenly dropped the ball. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much force left in the roulette wheel and it only clattered a few times before sinking into the space next to, “Chemical play!”
That’s a hell of a kink to start off the night with.
Flashing a smile, Madison tried to look confident about the more unique kink, while Cinder leaned over the wheel like she couldn’t believe it.
“Something wrong?” Braxton asked.
“No. Well, I don’t think so. It’s just I’m not too sure what that actually means.”
“If you’re asking then I’m guessing it’s not one of your hard limits,” he said, and Madison reached for Cinder’s limits card, but the submissive spoke up before she could offer it.
“Um, no. I put down needle play, diaper play—”
“Then we’re good to go.” Nodding at her, Braxton laid his hand against the small of his submissive’s back and led her off the stage.
Madison barely had the time to take the marble out of the wheel before the large, tattooed dominant was stepping forward.
Shit, what’s his name? Pavlov?
Scrambling through her cards, Madison managed to find his name just before he made it to center stage. “Next up, we have Master Pavel.”
The big guy was intimidating, and she tried to remind herself that the Cartwright-Davidsons wouldn’t let anyone that was really dangerous play during Roulette. Still, the way the man stared at her before taking the marble made her more than a little uncomfortable.
She’d barely spun the wheel when he let it drop from his hand, and it danced and hopped in the spinning wheel before clacking into a space like gravity had willed it to be so. Swallowing, Madison leaned forward to catch the name moving at almost a blur beside the small white ball. “He will be paired with the submissive, Kiki.”
Good luck, Kiki.
The poor girl was dressed like a playboy bunny, sans the ears, and she looked about as nervous as Madison would have been in her position. Master Pavel didn’t do much to help her out as he stared her down like the little submissive’s presence offended him.
Taking pity on the sub, Madison reached out to hand her the marble. “Kiki, give the wheel a spin for your first activity.”
Distracted by the staring contest between the sweet looking submissive and the big, dangerous Pavel, Madison almost missed the telltale clack of the marble choosing a slot.
Oh God. Poor girl.
“She landed on humiliation,” Madison announced, watching as Kiki seemed to absorb the news in slow motion. Not that her dominant for the evening gave her much time to process it as he took her by the elbow and led her off the stage without a word.
Making a mental note to send someone to check on them later in the night, Madison shook off the uncomfortable meeting of the second pair and glanced at the line of dominants, expecting one of them to step forward automatically.
“Who has number three?” she called out, watching the line of men
as they looked around at each other, a few of them holding up their popsicle sticks as if to say ‘not me.’
After another moment, a handsome, dark-skinned dominant in a white button-down and a red bowtie looked down at the stick in his hand. His jaw tightened, and he seemed pissed at missing his cue because he suddenly stomped toward her like a panther on the prowl.
Staying silent, Madison spun the wheel and held the marble out on her palm as she mentally flipped through the list of dominants playing for the night until she remembered his name — Jafari. It was exotic, intriguing, intense… just like the man who threw the ball into the wheel like he had a grudge against it.
Why the hell was everyone being so aggressive with the wheel tonight?
As the ball whirled around, Jafari only seemed to grow more irritated, and Madison wondered if everyone was in a weird mood tonight, or if perhaps she’d laid on the rules a little too harshly.
Had she let her Mistress Madison persona go too far? Surely Jaxson would have said something if she was being too harsh. Trevor definitely would have given her a signal to rein it in if she was pissing people off.
Blowing out a breath, Madison straightened her shoulders and tried to brush off the insecurities plucking at her, watching as the wheel chose the next submissive. “Master Jafari will be paired with Special K!”
That finally brought a smile to the dominant’s face, and it transformed him. He wasn’t intimidating and irritated anymore, he was… hot. Definitely hot.
Hoping to fill the awkward silence as the submissive hesitated near the foot of the stairs, Madison grabbed for the woman’s card and read it off. “Her hard limits are ABDL, scat, watersports, and breath play.”
Jafari’s smile turned feral as the petite submissive finally climbed the steps, but he inclined his head and offered her his arm when she reached center stage like a true gentleman. Leaning down, he whispered into the woman’s ear and she shivered before whispering something back.
