by Livia Grant
Not yet anyway.
He stifled a chuckle at that idea and glanced back at the shrinking group of women. With effort, he managed to check out a few of the other subs, including a big chested girl in a latex bra… but his gaze kept returning to the redhead.
“Number seven!” Madison called, and he tilted his chin up in acknowledgement, joining her as she continued speaking, the microphone broadcasting her words over the speakers to the audience. “Are you ready to find out which submissive you’ll have for the night, Bartlett?”
“Absolutely,” he replied, and Madison smiled as she handed him the marble and set the roulette wheel spinning. He’d planned to get a look at the names, but it was impossible now, and it didn’t really matter since it was up to chance who he’d get.
Dropping the little white ball, he watched it bounce a few times before settling into the spin. As the wheel slowed, it clattered a few more times and then dropped into a slot. Both Landon and Madison leaned forward to catch the name the ball had chosen, but Madison almost immediately raised her hands to clap them together. “McKenna! Please join your dominant on stage!”
Landon hadn’t even seen it yet, but the wheel finally slowed enough for him to verify the name Madison had shouted and then he looked up to see the redhead moving toward the stairs.
Fuck yes.
Luck was absolutely on his side tonight, and the grin on his face summoned a smile on hers as she crossed the stage. That skirt was even shorter than he’d thought, and he was pretty sure the first few rows were getting a solid sneak peek at what was underneath before he was, but that only made his grin wider. Shy girls were irritating, and way more likely to safe word. Any sub that dressed like that could probably handle him. Maybe.
“Here you go,” Madison said, offering the marble to the girl.
McKenna.
It was a nice name, but she didn’t respond to Madison immediately. Instead, she was just staring at him. Up at him, to be more specific, because the girl barely came to his shoulder and all he could think about was having her bouncing on his lap before the end of the night.
“McKenna?” the MC tapped his submissive on the arm, and it was intoxicating to watch the blush flood her cheeks, accentuating her red hair as she finally turned away from him to grab the ball.
“Sorry. I just spin it right?” she asked, and Madison shook her head slightly, spinning the wheel herself.
Covering the mic, Madison spoke softly. “Just drop it in when you’re ready to choose your first kink for the evening.”
“Got it. Sorry,” McKenna apologized again, and Landon couldn’t stop grinning. She was dressed like an experienced submissive, but Landon had no idea if she was a regular here. He spent more time at the local club in San Francisco than he did at Black Light — although it was still well worth the money. He never played hard unless he was here, because none of the other clubs he’d ever been to offered the same kind of protection for his public persona, and Coach would have his balls on a platter if word ever got out that he was involved in the lifestyle.
“Shibari!” Madison suddenly announced, but Landon hadn’t even noticed McKenna drop the ball. Dammit. He’d been in his head again, which was fucking stupid when his submissive for the night was standing right in front of him.
Get your head in the game, asshole.
Just like when he was on the line, he had to give one hundred percent of his focus to this. No distractions. No getting lost in thought. McKenna was going to be all he paid attention to until the night was over… whether she liked it or not.
“Oh,” McKenna said, looking as unsure as he felt. He’d never played with rope, and he definitely didn’t feel confident in it, but Madison had said the DMs would help out. Still, he needed to know what he could do to her once she was in the rope.
“Can I have her limits list?” he asked, and Madison looked surprised for a moment before she handed over the card. Taking it, Landon rested a hand on the back of McKenna’s neck and guided her ahead of him as he tilted his chin toward Madison. “Thanks.”
“You two have fun!” Madison called after them with a chuckle before beckoning the next dom to center stage.
Landon tuned all of that out though, focusing on the silky feel of McKenna’s hair against his palm as he led them off stage and down the steps, stopping at an empty bit of wall. Sliding his hand to the side of her neck, he cupped her chin to force those bright blue eyes up as he towered over her.
Damn, she’s even prettier up close. Thank you, Lady Luck.
“Hi,” she whispered, and he couldn’t suppress the chuckle.
“Hey.” Talking wasn’t his forte, but he liked when she did it. She was wearing too much makeup, but he liked the shape of her mouth and gave into the urge to trace the edge of her lower lip with his thumb. He managed to smudge some of the color, but he planned on doing much worse than that before the night was over, so he didn’t mention it. After all, he had questions for the little sub. “How long have you been into BDSM?”
“A few years,” she answered, seeming to shake off whatever daze she was in because she tried to turn out of his hold, but he grabbed onto her chin again to keep her in place. Gently pushing her back to the wall, he boxed her in, hiding her from the crowd. She had that wide-eyed, spooked deer look, yet her voice came out impressively steady when she continued. “But I’ve played plenty.”
“Here at Black Light?” he asked, taking his time to look over the fancy corset and the obscenely short skirt on her lithe body.
“No.” An irritated sigh slipped past her pouty lips, and he chuckled.
“Don’t like questions?”
“I don’t even know your name. What did Madison say? Barrett?”
“Bartlett,” he clarified, crowding her just to enjoy the little intake of breath that was so close to a gasp. His sub was nervous already, and he liked it. “My first name is Landon, for the record, but ‘sir’ will work fine tonight.”
McKenna just stared up at him with those baby blues, a sassy expression taking over her face as she smirked and lifted her eyebrows a bit. Fuck. All he wanted to do was swat her ass, or grab her throat and squeeze a little, but scaring her off early wouldn’t be fun.
“Try it out for me, McKenna. Say ‘yes, sir’ for me.”
Those lipstick-laden lips pursed for a second until she finally said, “Yes, sir,” as quietly as fucking possible.
“That’s a good girl,” he praised, grinning down at her until she let out a short laugh and he raised an eyebrow. “Something funny?”
“I’m just relieved you’re not a weird old creep, to be honest.” McKenna laughed again, and it was a sweet sound that made him chuckle too.
“I’m glad you don’t think I’m old or creepy. Most girls get a little put-off by my size.”
“Oh, really?” she asked, dropping her eyes as much as she could with his thumb still under her chin, but the flush of red rising up her chest and into her face made it clear exactly what she was referring to — not that she was wrong, but he liked to leave some things to the imagination until he decided to reveal it.
“You’ve got a dirty mind, McKenna…” Shaking his head, he released her chin to run his fingers through her hair, but she rolled her eyes and looked away. What the fuck? Catching her chin again, he forced her to turn back. “What was the eye roll for?”
“Nothing,” she lied, and he could easily tell she was hiding something. That pissed him off more than anything, but he shoved his temper down since the fucking spins weren’t even finished yet.
“Try again, Red, or we’ll see what you left off your limits list,” he threatened, lifting the card in his other hand. That made her eyes go wide, her mouth opening and closing for a second before she finally let out the sweetest little whine of irritation.
“Come on, I didn’t even realize I rolled my eyes, sir, so I obviously didn’t mean anything by it. Really. It’s just that… my hair is all people ever notice,” she mumbled the last part, gesturing to
ward her head. “My agent says it’s the main reason I get picked for parts.”
“Your agent?”
“Yeah, I…” Another eye roll, and he really wanted to call her out on it, but she started talking again. “I’m an actress. My name is McKenna Bell, but it’s not a big deal. Trust me.”
Hmm.
“Why not?” Landon pressed, curious about why she’d downplay it. Maybe it was porn? He didn’t recognize the name, and something about her didn’t scream pornstar — though it wasn’t like he’d met many pornstars in his life.
“It’s just not,” she insisted, and he dropped his hold on her chin just so he could plant that hand on the wall beside her head and lean in. Her eyes were so damn expressive, and he knew how helpful that would be as soon as they could leave the fucking theater and start playing.
Until then, all he could do was learn more about her.
“Okay, fine, but you’re an actress?”
“Yeah,” she mumbled, but when he tapped the underside of her chin with her limits card, McKenna corrected herself with a, “Yes, sir.”
“What have I seen you in?”
McKenna dropped her eyes, looking out at the audience and then the stage for a long moment before she finally brought her gaze back to his with a soft sigh. “Have you seen the Netflix series ‘Born in Blood?’”
“Nah, I don’t watch much TV,” he answered. “I play football, so I mostly watch that. Have you been in anything else?”
“Did you see Slasher 2? I was the third girl to die.”
Slasher 2? He remembered that movie, because horror movies were something he actually liked, but even studying her delicate features he had to shake his head. “I saw that one, but I don’t remember you.”
“That’s fine, I didn’t expect you to recognize me or anything,” she replied dismissively, looking out at the audience again, and he shifted to block her view, forcing those pretty eyes back up to him.
“Well, do you recognize me? I’m a linebacker for the 49ers.”
“I don’t really watch football,” she retorted, using his words against him, and he chuckled.
“Alright then.” He wasn’t surprised, not many women were into it, but it would have been something to talk about until the Roulette event started. Still, part of him was relieved that she wasn’t one of the NFL groupies that chased so many of his teammates looking for a payday.
The silence stretched between them for a little too long, bordering on awkward, but at least it gave him time to study the light freckles peppering her cheeks under the makeup. Then she cleared her throat.
“Well… how did your team do this year?” McKenna asked, seeming a little more engaged in talking with him because some shenanigans happened on the stage but neither of them looked toward it.
His team’s performance wasn’t a topic he wanted to bring up, especially since just the memory of their season had his fist tightening around the card in his palm, but he managed to keep his tone even as he answered her. “Not great, we didn’t make the fucking playoffs”—he shrugged—“but there’s always next year.”
“Hmm…” She made a small noise of acknowledgement, a little smile curving her lips into a perfect bow as she looked over at another Roulette-paired couple arriving beside them.
“What?” he prodded, surprised by the flash of defiance in her gaze when she finally looked up at him again.
“It just sounds like you’re pretty forgettable, too.”
Oh damn.
Half of him wanted to bust out laughing that this tiny girl thought it was a good idea to mock him just before the event started, and the other — much more sadistic — half of him was already coming up with every single thing he could do to punish her for that smart ass comment.
“You think so?” he asked, leaning back to hold her limits card between them.
“Wait,” McKenna piped up, eyes widening as she tried to snatch the card from him, but he lifted it out of her reach easily. “I don’t remember what I put on there, I might need to change them.”
“There’s no changing.” Looking at the card above her head, he wasn’t surprised or interested in the first three. Needle play, blood play, or scat. It was the fourth one that caught his eye. “No anal?”
Her cheeks turned almost as crimson as the parts of her corset just before McKenna grabbed for the card, but he kept it out of reach.
“Why no anal?” he pressed.
Huffing, McKenna crossed her arms and although she was looking down, he could tell by the muscle twitching in her cheek that she was clenching her jaw.
It was almost… cute how embarrassed she was by the idea of it, but if it was a limit he needed to know why. “Bad experience or just afraid to try it?”
“Let’s go!” someone in the audience shouted behind him, and Landon glanced back, wondering what it was for, but a moment later Madison stepped to center stage and answered his question.
“You’re right! It’s time for our participants to go and start Valentine Roulette! Good luck!” she called out, and the shuffle of people talking and moving instantly became a roar.
When he turned around, he caught a glimpse of McKenna’s backside, barely covered by that black school-girl type skirt, as she slipped between two people and headed straight for the exit.
Sonuvabitch.
Chasing after her, Landon easily moved people aside with his size until he caught up and grabbed her by the back of the neck. Yanking her back to him through the crowd, he leaned down to whisper in her ear, “Bad girl.”
It was intoxicating to feel her muscles stiffen under his hand, and he moved her in front of him so she wouldn’t see the grin on his face. McKenna Bell was already a lot more intriguing than most submissives he’d played with, and he planned on cracking every one of her secrets before Roulette came to an end.
He just needed to find the DM in charge of shibari first, because he had no fucking idea how to make the idea forming in his mind a reality… but if it worked? McKenna would be begging him to let her out, and he’d make her answer all of his questions before she earned her way free.
On her knees with those pouty lips wrapped around his dick.
Chapter 4
McKenna
Running was a stupid idea.
She didn’t even know why she’d tried to run from the man. He was fucking huge, and even before he’d told her he played football for the goddamn NFL she could tell he was solid muscle… but as soon as the opportunity to escape the awkward conversation had appeared, she’d done exactly what Susie had predicted.
She’d bolted.
Not that she’d made it very far. Landon Bartlett, linebacker for the 49’ers, had caught up to her in seconds, those long legs eating up the distance and his massive body cutting straight through the crowd while she’d had to dodge between people.
Then his big hand had landed on the back of her neck and he’d whispered two magical words right against her ear, “Bad girl.”
McKenna wasn’t sure if it was the words or the warm brush of his breath that sent tingles rushing over her skin, but it didn’t really matter. She was caught in his grip, being pushed through the crowd, although she hadn’t actually run into anyone. Instead, Landon was moving people out of the way with his long arms before they ever got near her.
Is this what he does in a football game?
Her utter ignorance of the sport wasn’t helping her out at the moment, and in the back of her mind was the memory of Madison calling the word ‘shibari’ into the microphone. McKenna knew that had to do with rope because Black Light offered classes for it. She’d even shown up as a volunteer sub once so that one of the doms could practice a chest harness on her.
But she already knew she wouldn’t be that lucky tonight.
Whatever Landon had in mind was going to be a lot more complicated than just a simple chest harness, and she couldn’t decide if she was more nervous or excited by the idea.
“Wait here,” he whispered right against her
ear again, stopping her just outside the curtain to the play area. When he released her neck and disappeared inside without another glance, she immediately felt awkward. Great, now she was the sub that had been abandoned less than five minutes after the event started and people who had come to watch were crowding the bar for drinks where more than a handful of them were staring directly at her. Awesome.
Don’t look at them. Be confident. You can do this.
As nervous as she felt inside, she tried to treat the situation like a role. The people crowding the bar were just extras being directed to stare at her like that, and she was supposed to be calm and confident. Her character on ‘Born in Blood’ was always strong and brazen, a take-no-shit kind of badass that fans had already fallen in love with, and she called on her role as Macy to stand up straight and stare into the middle distance like none of it bothered her.
Not being left alone by her dom for the evening.
Not being asked why she’d put anal on her limits list.
And she definitely wasn’t distracted thinking about exactly how big Landon was out of that suit. His muscles, that is. Not that… but, actually? That too.
Would he want to fuck her tonight? The idea didn’t scare her. It had been too long since she’d had sex, and Landon looked like he could be a lot of fun — if she could handle his kinks.
Butterflies took off in her stomach like they always did before the director called ‘Action!’ and when she closed her eyes, she could imagine that the ceiling wasn’t there, replacing it in her imagination with lighting rigs and mic booms and camera cranes.
She was just on a set, waiting for the cue to deliver her lines, and she was a fucking badass.
“McKenna.” Landon’s voice made her turn to find him peeking through the curtain, and that damn grin was back on his face, an intoxicating mix of mischievous boy and sexy dom. Offering his hand, he beckoned her with a simple, “Come on.”
Taking his hand was instinct, not a conscious decision, and the world seemed to spin around her as his strong arm pulled her through the curtain and into the play area of Black Light. One of the DMs was standing just inside with a whole lot of rope looped over one arm, grinning like the cat that got the canary.
