by Ashe Barker, Lily Harlem, Katy Swann, Wendi Zwaduk, Lucy Felthouse, Dolly Watt
“Sorry I’m late,” she panted. “Tina decided to quiz me about the piece I’m working on just before I was about to leave.”
“No problem.” I heaped a teaspoon of sugar into my coffee then sat back and looked hopelessly at Chloe. “Help!”
Chloe laughed. “You’ll be fine. Just get your facts straight then do your usual magic.”
“Why me?” I grumbled.
Chloe shrugged and stirred her coffee. “Why do you think? That article you wrote about Britain’s obsession with sex was brilliant. I never knew there were so many swinging clubs or private sex parties in London. And the fact that you ended it with the suggestion that a good spanking could spice up people’s sex lives clinched it. You’re the natural choice to write this.” She studied me for a moment then frowned. “What’s the problem?”
I threw my hands up in an exaggerated show of hopelessness. “But where do I start?” Now was the time to tell her the truth, but somehow the words stuck in my throat.
“You could go to a club,” replied Chloe, licking milky froth from her lips. “Maybe you could find some inspiration there?”
I considered what she’d said for a moment then nodded in agreement. I needed to connect with real people, talk to them and get my facts from their perspective. Chloe was right, I was bound to get some inspiration if I went to a club.
I could, of course, just research the subject on the Internet, but so could our readers. No, they wanted something more, something they could relate to through my interpretation. I also needed to be objective and not just fall back on my own past experiences.
“Okay,” I said slowly, feeling slightly calmer. “Would you go with me?”
“Of course,” she replied, grinning. “It’s been a while since I’ve had a bit of kink. Maybe we’ll get lucky.”
I nearly choked on a mouthful of coffee. “You mean you’ll get lucky. There’s no way I’m going to get involved with any of that stuff.” I’d been there, done that. Never again.
“Never say never. A good spanking might be just what you need.” She grinned and winked at me before downing the rest of her coffee. “We can go to The Chamber tonight if you like. It’s the only club I know of that’s open on a Thursday. You up for it?”
“Yeah, I guess so,” I mumbled. Despite my reluctance to do this, I knew I couldn’t waste any time, seeing as I had such a tight deadline. There was no point in delaying the inevitable. I didn’t mention that I happened to know The Chamber well. I had, in fact, been there many times in the past.
“Good. Make sure you wear something appropriate or they won’t let you in. You obviously won’t have any fetish clothes so just go for something black and sexy.”
If only you knew. “I’ll do my best.”
Chloe stood up and stretched. “Good. I’ll pick you up at nine o’clock. I’m going to enjoy this.”
* * * *
At ten o’clock that evening, I was nearly passing out with nerves as we queued to get into The Chamber. We’d just had a quick drink in the pub down the road where Chloe had lectured me on the etiquette of fetish clubs. I had nodded and smiled like I’d had no idea what she was talking about.
Thankfully, because it was winter, I’d been able to keep my long coat on without looking odd, so Chloe hadn’t seen my outfit yet. I’d chosen the least provocative one I had, a black PVC mini-dress that covered all my private bits, but left little to the imagination. I’d already prepared my explanation about how it was something I’d bought for a fancy dress party a few years ago.
Finally we got to the front of the queue, and the doorman flashed us a welcoming smile. I froze for a moment as I recognized him. It was the same doorman that had been there three years earlier. I swallowed a nervous groan and nodded politely at him. Thankfully, he didn’t appear to recognize me.
Once we’d paid our money and left our coats and bags in the cloakroom, we made our way toward the bar. The Chamber was a large club spread across three floors. The dance floor was on the top level, the main bar on the ground floor and the dungeon area in the basement. I had to remind myself to act as if I didn’t know where anything was, though, and so followed Chloe making sure I acted like I’d never been there before. I wished I’d told her about my past now—all this secrecy was beginning to get to me—but I’d left it too late.
As we made our way toward the bar, I glanced around. It hadn’t changed a bit.
Thursday nights had never been as busy as the weekend and I preferred it that way. The clubbers always got a seat in the bar area and hardly ever had to queue to use the equipment in the dungeon. Tonight appeared to be no different. Although there were enough people there to make it feel busy, it wasn’t manic. We didn’t have to wait long to be served our drinks and had no problem finding a comfy sofa with a good view of the large room.
“You okay?” asked Chloe. She must have taken my silence for nerves.
“Yeah.” I smiled back at her. Actually, I was all right. More so than I’d thought I’d be. I’d forgotten how good it felt to be around other kinky people. The atmosphere in the room was friendly and non-judgmental. Nobody gave us hostile stares or was unfriendly toward us. I felt at home and that surprised me. I hadn’t expected that.
“I’ll show you around when we’ve had our drinks,” she said, raising her glass to mine. “Cheers.”
Half an hour later we made our way down to the dungeon area. Chloe was keen to show me what all the fuss was about and chatted away as we descended the stairs, but I wasn’t listening to her. All I was aware of was the intoxicating lure of BDSM that greeted us as we reached the bottom. The slap of a flogger, the groan of a submissive, the tang of leather all floated toward me as we stepped into the large room.
My heart hammered painfully in my chest as memories flooded back. The dungeon furniture had been moved around, some of it replaced, but it was still the same dungeon I’d once felt so happy in. The St. Andrew’s cross was new and there was now a cage where the old wooden wheel had once been, but otherwise it was pretty much the same.
Chloe took my arm and dragged me across to a small seating area.
“We need to keep out of the way,” she whispered. “Trust me, you don’t want to get in the way of that flogger there.”
As I sat down I watched the scene she was referring to. A woman was suspended by rope from a hook in the ceiling. Her arse and thighs were marked with angry-looking red marks from the leather flogger being wielded by her Dom. As the flogger thudded against her body, the woman groaned and swung in her bonds. I flinched slightly as if I’d felt the impact myself and a shiver ran through my body in response. I knew exactly what that submissive would be feeling right now and was surprised to find that I was a little bit envious of her. No! I’m not into that stuff anymore.
“We’ll find a Dungeon Monitor to chat to in a bit,” said Chloe, not taking her eyes off the scene as she spoke. “They’re really friendly here and I’m sure they won’t mind answering any questions you have.”
I nodded. “Okay.”
“Don’t look so terrified. No one will hurt you unless you want them to.”
I laughed at her incredibly inaccurate assumption. “Don’t worry about me,” I reassured her, “I’m fine.”
“Look, there’s one over there,” whispered Chloe and nodded toward a small bar area. “We can talk to him if you like.”
I looked at the man she was talking about. He had his back turned to us, but his T-shirt clearly marked him out as a Dungeon Monitor. From behind he was sexy as hell. Tight leather trousers hugged his cute arse and his broad shoulders were muscular and toned. His dark brown hair was cropped short at the sides and back, but was slightly longer on top.
Something about his whole demeanor screamed ‘Dom’. Powerful and commanding, he stood tall and proud.
Then he turned to face us and the bottom fell out of my stomach. Oh my God, it was Eddie from work. Shit!
He must have recognized us as well because, for a moment, he looked just
as surprised as I was. Then he smiled and started making his way toward us.
Eddie was my idea of the perfect man. Tall and good-looking in a rugged sort of way, he always kept his calm—even when Tina tore strips off him as she did with everyone. Our paths had only ever crossed at the weekly meetings, though, so we’d never actually spoken more than a few words to each other. He had an air of confidence and authority about him that had attracted me from the start, and now I knew why. Fuck, Eddie’s a Dom.
Chapter Two
I stared in disbelief as Eddie approached us. I just smiled back silently when he greeted us and tried not to look as stunned as I felt.
Why the hell was I reacting so strongly anyway? It wasn’t that surprising that Eddie was a Dom, so what was wrong with me? I blinked and tried to focus on what he was saying.
“Sorry, what?” I muttered, trying to ignore the heat burning my cheeks.
Eddie smiled and nodded at the chair next to the sofa we were sitting on. “May I?”
Both Chloe and I nodded, and he sat down. I couldn’t help noticing the leather of his trousers stretch around his crotch as he sat, his thick muscular thighs spreading slightly as he made himself comfortable.
“I asked how your research is going?” he said, gazing at me directly with those striking green eyes.
“Oh, er…fine, thanks.” I didn’t normally act like a shy schoolgirl around men and it wasn’t as if Eddie was a stranger, so why was I so flustered? Because I’ve just found out that the guy I’ve secretly fancied for the last six months is a fucking Dom.
He and Chloe started chatting about work then, while I pretended to listen. But my thoughts were occupied with mental images of me kneeling at Eddie’s feet, my eyes in line with the huge bulge in his leather trousers… I shook my head. Stop it! If I’d had any designs on Eddie before, I definitely wasn’t going to go there now. No way.
Chloe suddenly nudged me, pulling me out of my thoughts, and pointed across the room. “Hey, I’ve seen a couple of people I know over there so I’m just going to pop over and say hello. Are you okay if I leave you with Eddie for a minute? I won’t be long.”
I wanted to scream at Chloe not to leave me alone with him, but all I could do was stare helplessly after her as she jumped up and ran across the room to greet her friends.
Eddie studied me for a moment, making me want to shrink and disappear into the sofa. God, if that was how he looked at women in a normal setting, what would he be like as a Dom?
“You seemed pretty shocked this afternoon when Tina gave you that assignment,” he said, with a slight frown. “Do you have a problem with BDSM?”
“No, not at all,” I said, quickly. It was odd how much it meant to me that he didn’t get the wrong impression.
“Good. So I take it you’re here to do a little research, then?”
“Erm, yes, I felt it was important to get the right perspective from people actually in the lifestyle.”
“Hmm, good idea. You hinted in your last article that you believe spanking can be highly erotic. Were you speaking from personal experience?”
“No,” I lied. “It was a general observation.”
“Right. Well, going back to your research,” he continued, pointing to the large letters on his T-shirt identifying him as a Dungeon Monitor, “you’ve probably worked out that I’m a Dom. I’d be happy to answer any questions you’ve got.”
“Thank you, I appreciate that.” I smiled, and blushed when he smiled back.
“I’ve just finished my shift so you can grill me as much as you like. You look lovely, by the way.”
“Do I? Oh, thanks.” I turned away, annoyed with myself for being so flattered by his compliment. Keep away from him, he’s a Dom.
When I glanced back at him, though, I saw his brow had furrowed as if something was bothering him.
“You don’t seem fazed by this place at all, even with the scenes going on in here. But, for some reason you don’t seem as comfortable around me. Why?”
Pull yourself together, Kirsten. I was a successful career woman in my early thirties, not some bumbling teenager who fell to pieces just because a gorgeous Dom talked to me. I raised my chin and sat up straighter. If I pretended we were at work it might be easier to appear calmer than I actually felt.
“I guess I was just surprised to see you, that’s all,” I replied, trying to picture him sitting across the meeting table at work.
He smiled, as if he knew I wasn’t being entirely truthful but, to my relief, he didn’t challenge me about it.
“So, have you decided how you’re going to approach your article?” He didn’t take his eyes off me as he spoke.
I ran a hand through my hair, wishing I didn’t feel like a prisoner being interrogated. “Not yet. I panicked a bit this afternoon, which is why Chloe brought me here tonight. She thought it would give me some inspiration.”
He raised his eyebrows and grinned. I smiled back, melting slightly as his eyes crinkled at the corners.
“So how do you feel about watching the scenes going on here?”
I shrugged and put on my best ‘couldn’t care less’ expression. “It doesn’t bother me at all. Each to their own and all that.”
“Would it make you uncomfortable if you were to watch me flog one of the submissives here tonight?”
My face flared as my blood heated. “Not at all,” I replied, attempting to look like the idea didn’t affect me one way or another.
“Good.” He paused for a moment. “Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be spanked, or even flogged, Kirsten?” he asked, his deep voice almost whispering my name.
For a second I just stared at him. Blood rushed to my head, making me feel dizzy as I tried desperately to remain composed. This was getting a little too intense. And I was becoming uncomfortably turned on.
“I thought it was supposed to be me asking the questions?” I glared at him, trying to regain control of the conversation, but his presence was too commanding.
“Answer my question, Kirsten,” he demanded, his tone suddenly firm.
My professional façade crumbled away as the submissive inside me scrambled to get out. I never could resist the uncompromising tone of a Dom.
“No…” I began, but then stopped. Who was I kidding? If he was half the Dom I believed him to be he’d have seen right through my defenses. “Sometimes,” I admitted.
He leaned forward and softly stroked my cheek with the side of his hand. It was both a gentle and an authoritative gesture, and I subconsciously leaned into his touch.
“Good girl,” he said softly. “That wasn’t so hard, was it?”
How did he know? “I’m not a submissive,” I insisted.
“Really? Do you know something?” he asked, sitting back and thankfully increasing the space between us.
“What?”
“I’ve wanted to ask you out to dinner since I first met you.”
Bloody hell, I hadn’t been expecting that. Trying not to look too surprised, I raised an eyebrow teasingly. “Why didn’t you?”
“Because at work you come across as the least submissive person I know. I’m a Dom and always will be, so a vanilla relationship would never work for me, which is why I didn’t think we’d be suited. But after tonight, I’m beginning to think that you’re not as vanilla as I first thought you were.”
I was about to deny what he was implying when Chloe came back over with a tall, well-built man wearing black jeans and a skin-tight latex top. I didn’t like the look of him. He seemed a bit scary.
“This is an old friend, Tom,” she said, a little breathlessly. “He said I can join in with a scene he’s about to do. Would you mind awfully if I disappeared for a while?” She looked at me imploringly then added, “But if you really don’t want me to leave you, I won’t.”
“I’ll look after her,” said Eddie, not giving me a chance to reply.
I glared at him, then at Chloe when she said, “Oh really? Thank you.” She blew us a kiss,
took Tom’s hand then let him lead her away before I could object.
“She’ll be in for an interesting night with Tom,” said Eddie, laughing. “He can be a sadistic bastard when he wants to be.”
“Will she be all right?” I asked, worried. Maybe I should have trusted my instincts and insisted that she stayed with me?
“She’ll be fine. Tom’s okay, he won’t go further than she can take, but he is intense.”
“You’re pretty intense yourself.” Jesus, why the hell had I just said that?
His eyes darkened as he leaned toward me again. “I’m not a sadist like Tom, but I’m a pretty strict Dom. I expect a submissive to be obedient and I reward her well in return. If that means I’m intense then I guess that’s what I am.”
My stomach lurched at his words, making my whole body go limp. His eyes bored into mine, and I swallowed nervously, hoping he couldn’t see the effect he was having on me. I was just about managing to hold onto my equilibrium when he reached up and took a handful of my hair. He didn’t exactly pull it, but he held it firmly, keeping my head in place, and I melted like a Ragdoll kitten. I knew he had me then. So did he.
“I’d like to help you with your research,” he growled, still holding onto my hair, “by putting you over my knee and spanking you until your arse is glowing.”
I opened my mouth to speak then shut it again in defeat. Damn it, there was no point in objecting. I wanted this. I really wanted it.
“But first you will be honest with me.” He moved his head closer to mine until his lips touched my earlobe. “Are you a sub, Kirsten?”
I nodded. “I used to be… A long time ago.”
“Used to be? Sweetheart, you don’t just stop being submissive. It’s a part of who you are.”
I had no answer to that so I just whimpered as his breath tickled my ear.
“Do you want me to spank you?”
