Every time she got a whiff of his distinct scent, it ignited the strangest effects in her. A raging duality between her heart pounding and every nerve coming alive and yearning for his touch, and the way her muscles relaxed, and her brain slowed down to take in every detail.
He pushed her hair back and slid his fingers around to the back of her neck, pulling her forward, so her lips met his. That only amplified his smell and further bombarded her brain, leaving her defenseless as he led her to a set of stairs.
Good bye, control. As much as she thought she should quake at the reality of that thought, it really only pushed her feet forward.
At the top of the stairs, Eric led her down a hallway then stopped in front of the last door.
“A very private changing room?” she asked.
“Not exactly,” Eric opened the door and revealed a full bedroom. The far wall held a large window that overlooked the rest of the club.
“Holy shit. This club must have cost a fortune.”
“She’s built it up over the last fifteen or so years. Her brother has a construction business, so when the last owner decided to step down, they worked out a deal. It used to be just the main room with the rest of the space was blocked off.”
“So, she added bedrooms?”
“Most of the private rooms don't have beds, but yeah, there are a couple.”
Lena nodded, suddenly feeling like she was in a brothel, not a club.
“Look at me.” Eric wrapped both arms around her and held her snugly against his chest. “You okay with this? Everything is clean and safe. I'll make sure that you leave here unscathed.”
Lena laughed and rested her cheek against his chest. “We should get changed. What exactly is the Dom dress-code?”
“There isn't really a dress code. It's all personal preference.”
“Uh huh, so my ‘dress-code approved’ attire is one that you picked out?”
“Your wardrobe falls under my personal preference,” he winked, then tugged up her shirt.
She felt less self-aware standing shirtless in front of him this time, at least until he spun her around to face a dressing table, and she was face to face with her own reflection in a giant mirror. She lowered her eyes to the carved wood of the furniture.
“No, Loner.” Eric reached around to lift her chin. “You watch.”
She tried to set her eyes on him, but he was mostly hidden behind her. And since all of his movements were completely about her, it was hard to ignore that part of the reflection.
“Keep your hands on the bureau unless I say otherwise.”
Lena obeyed but got a swat to her butt. She looked wide-eyed through the mirror at him, standing behind her with one eyebrow raised.
“Yes, Sir.”
He smiled and kissed her neck as his hands moved to the button on the front of her pants. He slid them down her legs, leaving her standing in just her underwear. He tapped the back of each leg in turn so she'd step out of the material. Then his fingers slid into the back of her bra, releasing the clasp.
Her chest shook as she inhaled, and he kissed her shoulder as he moved the bra straps down her arm. When they reached her wrists, he pulled each one from the bureau and the bra fell to the floor joining the rest of her clothing.
He left her standing there with nothing to see except her own reflection while he picked up his bag, placing it on the table next to her. As he opened it and rifled around inside, she tried to catch a glimpse of what else he had hidden.
“Eyes forward.”
He wrapped the bustier around her midsection and tightened it slowly in back. Then, he pulled her backward so that she was tight against his chest, and she could feel his already growing bulge through his jeans. Before she could get comfortable and enjoy his touch, his fingers moved to her panties. She hadn't expected them to go as well, but she leaned her head back against his shoulder and let him go.
He pulled a skirt from the bag. Flouncy and barely long enough to cover her ass, but no replacement underwear.
“You really don't exp—”
He tapped her on the butt again. Not enough to hurt, but enough for her to take that as a direct order to shut her mouth. Her brain, however, kept screaming, and her body tensed.
“Relax, Lena.” He kneeled next to her feet, holding up the skirt for her to step into it. Then he slid it up to her waist and fastened two hooks to secure it.
He pushed her hips forward until they pressed against the bureau.
“I'm going to enjoy the view tonight.”
Lena's mouth popped open, wanting to object again about her lack of underwear, but nothing came out.
“Your mouth better be open to say 'yes, Sir,' or I'm going to use it for something else.”
“Yes sir,” she whispered while her brain screamed he wouldn’t.
He spun her around to face him again, and pressed a hard kiss to her lips. She could feel her lips swelling from his sucking and kissing. When he stepped back, she felt off balance. Her toes curled into the carpet and her fingers into the edges of the skirt.
“No one is going to jump you. People will look, and watch, yes, but that's what all this is. And believe me. There will be subs wearing far less.”
She nodded and tried to relax, but standing here waiting was just encouraging her mind to race. Looking back to see what the back of her outfit looked like in the mirror. Any movement and the entire club would get a whole lot more than leg. And despite his reassurances, she suspected that by the end of the night, she'd be the one wearing far less.
Lena leaned against the bureau as Eric stripped off his own faded jeans, replacing them with a pair of black jeans and a tight black t-shirt. It wasn't what she'd expected, but the look fit him perfectly as he replaced his black biker boots.
“Now you're smiling, huh?”
“Enjoying my view.”
The floor began to vibrate as the music picked up, and she glanced to the window. Would seeing what was downstairs waiting for her relieve the twisting in her gut? Eric moved toward the glass and ushered for her to join him.
From what she could tell there were maybe fifteen or twenty couples below, possibly some singles as well, but most of them were gathered in groups talking, dancing, or enjoying the snacks at the bar. A few others had already migrated to the equipment.
“The rules said no alcohol, so why is there a bar?”
“It’s the headquarters for socializing and snacking. Adrienne figures the familiarity helps people relax, and there’s usually a Dom at the bar to watch over things and help keep everyone in check.” Eric’s fingers slipped past the edge of her skirt, brushing against her legs and sending her heart into a frantic dance from the mix of arousal and nerves. And his steady breath on her neck didn’t help matters. She pressed a palm to the cool glass to steady herself, and as hot as her face felt, she was half-tempted to lay against the glass and try to calm the building fire.
“Ready?” he asked.
He wasn’t asking her to be comfortable—just judging from her clothes it was quite the opposite. He was asking her to let go. Offering a respite from her own bombardment of thoughts and worries. All she had to do was go along for the sheer pleasure of the ride. “If you tell me that I am.”
“Not quite, there's something missing.”
She dug her toes into the dark carpet under her feet. “Shoes?”
“I like you barefoot. Tonight, anyway.”
“So, you reserve the right to change your mind?”
With a broad smile, he slid his hands down her back then flipped up her skirt to squeeze her bare ass. She hoped that meant she was getting underwear, but it was a distant hope at best.
“I won’t collar you since you prefer not to have anything around your neck, but you need some decorations for your wrists.”
He took her wrists, watching her every movement as he fastened the two inches of padded leather around each one. She laid her cheek against his shoulder, letting her breathing return as close to normal
as was possible in the situation, and he held her for another minute before leading her out of the room.
As they descended the stairs, she squeezed at Eric's hand, a silent plea for a second to silence her screaming brain, but he pulled her farther into the room. Around the room, at least half a dozen eyes set on them, and she noticed a few nods of acknowledgement. Likely aimed at Eric, but she wondered what the hell she was supposed to do and opted for keeping a death grip on his hand and staying as close as possible.
Across the room, she spotted Cade again, in his tight leather pants and a silky black short-sleeved button down shirt. He was talking to a woman, whose outfit looked nearly the same, except she’d wore a black corset with purple accents. She had deep red hair that fell in loose layers of curls passed her shoulders. The woman started to turn away, but then her gaze focused on Eric, and to Lena’s dismay, she was suddenly being dragged toward that part of the room.
“Well, well, I’m surprised to see you back in town,” she shook Eric’s hand, “but I’m happy that means you’ll be joining us again.”
“Thanks, Adrienne. I doubt I can make it regular, but I’m sure Cade gave you the details.”
As they chatted, Lena relaxed against Eric’s side. At least while they were talking they weren’t paying attention to her, which meant she was free to people watch, until she heard Adrienne, say her name.
“Huh?” she glanced up out of habit.
Adrienne gave her a flat look for a second, then shook her head and grinned. With a sideways glance at Eric, she said, “Good luck,” and walked away.
Lena peeked up at Eric. “Maybe I should have been paying attention?”
Eric and Cade both laughed, which didn’t do anything to ease her confusion. Probably best not to know, she told herself.
“Why don’t you take her somewhere to watch for a while?” Cade nodded to the rest of the room.
“Thanks, Sir, I hadn’t thought of that,” Eric said quietly enough that no one else would hear him.
“If it was anyone but you.” He looked down at Lena, “He give you that lip, too?”
“Sometimes, Sir.”
Eric pinched her side, and she looked up enough to see his smirk.
“She'll suit you just fine. If he gives you lip, just give me a holler,” Cade winked and patted her shoulder as he passed. “I’ll catch up with you both in a bit.”
“So, I put you in skimpy clothes and bring you to a fetish club and you get mouthy?”
Lena shrugged and put on her best innocent expression. “Honesty, right?”
He scooped her to his chest and kissed her, slipping one hand up her already short skirt in the process. She jumped, but with his mouth covering hers, her objection—thankfully—only came out as a moan.
“What was that?” he asked when he stepped back.
“Nothing, sir.”
He took her hand again and walked toward the opposite wall, and she took in all the details that weren’t clear from the room above. The bar was currently occupied by an older couple and a group of middle-aged folks—a mix of subs and Doms. In the center of the room, a collection of strange furniture dotted the floor and lined the walls. Some she put to various books that she'd read, and others she could only imagine what their use might be.
“Grand tour,” Eric whispered. “The main room is where most of the action happens.”
Her body had quite the reaction when he said “action,” and from the look on his face, she suspected that he noticed.
“But there are also smaller specialty rooms, some that have better lighting for more intricate things.”
“Intricate?” she repeated in a whisper without thinking.
The first such room already had a couple inside. At first Lena couldn't tell what he was doing, and then a wave of nausea hit her, and she pulled past the door and viewing window. “I'm so not a fan of needles.”
Eric held her sides until she breathed through it.
“I'm sorry if it's not cool to ask, but why?”
“Everyone has their own reason. Some like to be tested and pushed farther than they would normally go. It's also about trust and having faith in your partner. Needle play isn't for everyone. I've never tried it. It takes a lot from both sides, and certainly more experience than I have. Feeling better?”
Lena nodded, she turned toward the window again, even though Eric pulled her back. “I'm curious. That's allowed right?”
“Yeah.”
This time as she watched, there was only a hint of the nausea she'd felt earlier, and it passed with each breath. The sub barely moved with each prick of the needle, and after her Dom had placed the last needle, leaving two rows down her back, he took a piece of ribbon and carefully wrapped it around each hub until she had what looked like the back of a corset running down her back. “It's actually sort of pretty.”
“Have you changed your mind about it?”
“Just don't ask me to try it.”
“No problem. Anything else you've thought of that you don't want to try?”
Lena shrugged turning so that her back was against the glass. “Nothing that we haven’t covered yet.”
He watched her for a second, but as soon as she started to fidget, he tugged her into motion. “Let's finish the tour before you start thinking too much.”
The other two smaller rooms were empty, but beyond them was another large room that looked more like it led into a maze.
“This half has a few partitions for privacy, but beyond that it opens up again. There are different toys in each area, and the final playroom has an oversized leather bed and couches. A lot of people will stay in the main room for a while, socialize and grab some snacks and drinks, then break off to play.”
Lena
It seemed like the crowd in the main room doubled in size during her tour. If this was a smaller crowd than Saturday night, Eric sure as hell wasn’t ever dragging her here then. He held her by the waist as they walked, which was a good thing, because her attention was on anything but watching where they were going. Members, some half-clothed, or less, had already begun scenes on the equipment around the edges of the room.
Eric settled his course on a black couch in the shadows near one of the back walls. He took a seat, pulling her onto his lap with barely a chance to make sure her skirt covered as much as possible. As she tried pulling it down and tucking her legs together, she felt Eric’s chest vibrate with a laugh. He drew her hands together and settled them in her lap.
“What do you want to do tonight?” he asked.
Her mind went empty. “Isn’t that up to you?”
“In the end, but I want to know what you want.”
Glancing around the room, she felt her foot start to twitch—now that Eric had drawn her attention to her little tell, she caught herself doing it at least once a day. Wasn’t this supposed to get her out of her head?
“I told you that I wanted to get out of my head.” She leaned back and tucked herself against his chest. “I don’t want to think about it. I’ll try whatever you want.”
“That’s a brave decision, and I’ll agree on one condition. You promise to use your safeword if you need me to back off. And,” he squeezed her chin, “I expect you to say yellow at least once tonight. If I’m pushing you to your limits, you have to say when I hit them.”
For a moment, she thought she’d lose her nerve, but she gave herself a second to watch his hazel eyes, and take in the calming smell of his aftershave. “Deal.”
Thwack. The sound of a scream caught her off guard, invading her senses. Another crack rang out.
A hand came toward her face, and she pushed it away.
“Lena.”
She recognized it as Eric’s voice, but her brain was set on finding the source of the noise.
“Lena, it's okay. Rose knows her safeword, she's done this before, and she's fine. You hear me?”
She nodded. Her eyes settled on a girl bent over what looked like a sawhorse. Her blond hair fell in a long
curtain around her head, and a shirtless man stood behind her, wielding some kind of whip.
“Are you okay?” Eric asked.
Another nod.
“Can you look at me and tell me you're okay?”
She broke her eyes from the scene. “I'm okay.”
“Do you want to take a break and go somewhere else for a while?”
“No. I'm really okay. I just snapped out of it for a minute.”
“I know,” he tipped her head back, watching her eyes, “and I don't want to risk you snapping out of it again.”
“I just didn't expect it to be so loud. It seems—”
“Loud doesn’t always mean painful, Sweetie. First one probably gave her a start, but she’s fine. Maybe we should take a time out and talk.”
“I'm okay.” She said with as much conviction as she could muster. She relaxed and nuzzled against his neck, hoping that would convince him to just carry on. “That’s Rose? As in ex-girlfriend, Rose?”
“That’s the one,” he said, with a kiss to the top of her head.
“Well, that’s awkward.”
“Your subbie is looking a little pale.” Cade said, appearing next to the couch with two bottles of water.
Subbie. Lena repeated in her head. I guess there are worse things to be called. “So much for no one else paying attention to me.”
Cade cocked his head, but handed her a bottle of water and took a seat.
“Thanks.” She twisted the lid, then glanced to Eric, then Cade. “Sir.”
Cade’s lip quirked, and he handed the other bottle to Eric. Except to open his own water, Eric’s hand never left her side. And at least with him and Cade around, she felt like some of the wandering eyes were diverted—or at least discouraged.
“You don’t have a sub?” She asked Cade without thinking, but by the time she realized she wasn’t supposed to be asking random questions, he was already answering.
“No. I’m meeting someone tonight, but she works late.”
“So,” she looked up at Eric, “when exactly am I allowed to talk and who to?”
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