by Livia Grant
With a lavish wedding, a new career at the FBI, and a child on the way, it seemed prudent to keep their playing more private. And after Hannah had arrived, Tricia never really wanted to play again. Two years later she disappeared with another guy.
He finished his drink and set the glass back on the bar. The bartender looked at him with a raised eyebrow.
“Just club soda.” He’d had one drink, to help him calm the jitters, but he had no intention of playing tonight with anything less than a clear mind. He glanced around the room, noting the arrivals as they entered. Several couples occupied one set of couches, the doms sitting back with drinks in their hands, their subs kneeling on the floor at the side. A domme in a red dress and tall black boots approached, and they rose to greet her. She dropped the leash that was attached to the male sub crawling behind her, and kissed the cheek of each of the men. As she settled back on the couch, she motioned to her sub, who crawled over parallel with the couch. She lifted her legs up to drape them across her living footrest, and motioned to a pretty server who wore nothing more than a tiny apron, a thong, and a smile, to bring her a drink.
He saw several other men - doms, by their self-assured manner - arrive without a partner, and wondered if they were also part of the Roulette event. His knew his friend Colin would be by later tonight, more than likely with his wife. Anyone not playing would just be spectators, though. The only people playing tonight were the participants.
Several women arrived, alone. He smiled. He knew he was beginning to relax by the way his gaze had become predatory as he roamed over their figures. They were all attractive enough, though he was always a man who preferred less makeup and less fussy hair on a woman.
A few minutes later another lone woman entered the room. He studied her as she took in the surroundings. She was tall and curvy. He liked curves on a woman. She wore a dress with a sheer bodice and a neckline low and wide that revealed luscious creamy cleavage. There was a diamond pattern in the fabric that obscured the otherwise see-through material, the pattern strategically placed to cover her nipples and make the dress just barely acceptable in public. The solid black skirt, though, was anything but decent. It covered her ass but didn’t go an inch longer, and it fluttered as she walked, revealing a tiny black thong underneath. Her shapely legs were completely bare, right down to her red stiletto heels. And best of all was the mane of unrestrained chestnut curls that fell down her back, almost to her waist. His hand itched with a desire to gather all that hair up in his hand and twist it around until she was pulled to her knees in front of him, head arched backwards, and dark red lips opened wide…
He shook himself. There were a lot of subs here tonight, and for all he knew she was meeting her dom and didn’t plan on playing with anyone else. Except, she was peering around the room with wide, almost innocent eyes, clearly here for the first time, and as astonished as he was at the surroundings. Her eyes lingered for a long moment on the cages set up on the stage, before moving on to the rest of the room. She wore a collar, but it didn’t look like anything more than a ribbon with a round metal ring at her throat - nothing that screamed ‘off-limits’. His cock twitched for the first time in so long he hadn’t been sure it was still a functioning part of his anatomy. He watched her chew on her lip as she looked around and finally set off in the direction of a tall, serious man in a suit. She got about three steps towards him when someone else caught the man’s eye and stepped between them. She stopped, chewed on her lip some more, then turned around and walked away.
She wandered in the direction of the row of small rooms used for scening that ran along one wall. The privacy curtains were pushed to the side, and she ducked in one, looking back at the room, probably wondering if anyone was watching. Then she sank to her knees in the classic submissive’s pose with her hands placed face up on her knees. Her eyes closed and she took deep breaths, and he could almost feel her shoulders relax. She stayed utterly still. The tall man she’d approached before walked past and paused to look at her, before nodding and continuing on. Adam felt a flash of irritation that he was spying on her, before chuckling with the realization that he was doing the same thing.
Eventually she opened her eyes and smiled to herself. Then she looked up and Adam didn’t look away fast enough. She caught his eye and grew red. He raised his glass to her in acknowledgment, then turned away to give her the privacy he should have given her before. When he glanced back a few minutes later, she was gone.
Chapter 5
As Sari had entered the dungeon, she’d spied the man she needed to talk to. He was tall and stern-looking, and her courage weakened as she started in his direction. A dom and his sub stepped in front of her and began talking to him. She stopped. Honestly, she was more afraid of telling this man about her mistake, than bowing out and losing the free month if she had to safeword. She doubted he’d let her fix something, anyway. And it didn’t look very responsible to admit she’d not paid attention to something so important.
There were twenty-something activities. The odds of landing on the one she hadn’t chosen was very small. She shook her head. She would just cross her fingers.
That decided, she needed to find somewhere to be quiet for a moment, to meditate and reclaim the submission that she kept at bay during her regular life. A row of small rooms, with privacy curtains that were fastened open for now, faced out into the large room. She chose an empty one and settled to her knees, breathing deep and feeling peace descend across her tense shoulders. When she finally opened her eyes, she realized a dom at the bar was watching her. Their eyes connected for just a moment, and then he raised his drink at her, and turned to the side so fast she didn’t have time to get flustered.
She studied him for a moment. He was tall, with curly black hair in a civilian crew-cut. His red shirt, red and black tie, and black trousers didn’t reveal a lot about his physique, but he didn’t look like a bodybuilder. Just someone who kept himself in reasonable shape. His clean-shaven face wore a guarded expression, as though he wasn’t entirely sure this was where he wanted to be tonight. She wondered if he was a member, or here for the game, as she was. He sipped his drink, holding the glass in front of his face and staring through the clear liquid.
The crowd was beginning to gather in front of the stage, so she forced her gaze away from him, and rose to her feet, ready - mostly - for whatever the night held. A group of very nervous-looking women were grouped to one side, and she assumed they were the other submissives. She headed in their direction. It would feel good to be in like company for a few minutes.
As she reached the group she did her best to hide her shock. She was absolutely sure one of the women standing there was Khloe Monroe. She tried not to stare. Seeing the actress in a group of submissives would have been the last place Sari would have expected her to be. Khloe had the reputation of being a drama queen, and Sari would have pinned her for a domme instead.
She shook her head and forced herself back to her own situation. She was about to be paired up with a complete stranger and do any number of things she hadn’t tried before. What the hell was she thinking? She had zippo experience in so many of the activities on the list for tonight. Was it too late to leave? She glanced around, seeing the same deer-in-the-headlights look on several other faces. She hoped she was up for this. Which dom would own her for the evening? There were several cruel-looking guys that made her shiver. A few looked friendly enough, but rather stern. She hoped she’d find one that smiled, at least, and wasn’t annoyed at her inexperience.
The emcee took the stage, introducing himself as Chase Cartwright, one of the owners of the club, and welcoming everyone to the event. Sari resisted biting her nails to shreds as she listened. She just wanted to get this over with.
The first couple of pairings went smoothly, but when Khloe’s name was called, the woman took off running in the opposite direction. A collective gasp went up from the crowd as the dom she’d been paired with ran after her. Sari couldn’t see what was happening be
cause of the other people blocking her view, but the couple returned a few minutes later, hand-in-hand, to the stage, ready to roll for their scene.
Several spins later, the cruel-looking men were paired off, and she sighed in relief. As the list of unmatched doms grew smaller, her nerves returned. Her gaze was fixed on the stage and she suddenly realized the buzzing had quieted, the audience clearly waiting for someone to respond. She looked around, hoping to see a sub walking forward, and when one didn’t, her face grew beet red. Oh, lord, had she—?
“Sari?” Chase read the name again. She looked at the stage and realized that the dom who had witnessed her meditation from his seat at the bar was on stage. Relief at seeing him up there swept through her. She smiled weakly and tentatively waved her hand, wondering what to do next, until he crooked a finger at her. She scurried to the front. A man standing at the bottom of the stairs held out his hand and she was so flustered she almost missed it. She let him assist her up the stairs, and hand her off to the man who would be her dom for the night.
“Sorry, sir! I wasn’t listening!” Dammit, her first communication with him was an apology. This wasn’t the right way to start off the night. She had also completely missed his name, and there was no way she was going to ask him right now.
He raised an eyebrow. “I see that. Are you fully present now?”
She looked up into his eyes. They were piercing, and dark, and made her shiver. “Yes, sir, I am.”
Chase handed her the ball and spun the second roulette wheel. She counted to three and tossed the ball in. She watched the options flash by - needle play - water sports - whipping - suspension… Her brain was going around in matching circles. As the wheel slowed she saw one of her limits approach and she tensed. It passed by and stopped on ‘wax play’.
“Well, we have our first assignment. What do you think?”
She was still focused on ‘wax play’ and looked up, startled.
“Am I going to have to repeat myself all night?” he frowned.
“No, sir. I, um, hope not. I’m just a little scared.”
He leaned forward so his lips were near her ear. He smelled really good. “Are you in over your head?”
A ripple of fear, not entirely unpleasant, rolled through her. I hope not.
Chapter 6
Before she could reply, he pressed on her back to guide her away from the roulette wheel and towards the back of the stage where several couples waited. A few had left the stage already. As she walked in front of him, he snagged her wrists and pulled them behind her back, holding them gently but securely in his hands. She shivered as he turned her around to face out into the audience, his hands still holding hers captive. “Still scared?” His voice in her ear made her jump.
“Yes, sir,” she whispered. “A little more now than before, to be honest.” She kept her eyes glued on the emcee, trying to calm the roiling sea her stomach had become.
“Good. But you didn’t answer my second question.”
She struggled to remember what questions he’d asked. They’d barely had two minutes together and she’d missed something else?
She felt his soft breath on the nape of her neck. It tickled, and she hitched her shoulder up and tried to pull away.
“No. Stay right there. Don’t move, and don’t make a sound.”
She drew in her breath and struggled to relax. He didn’t move, but breathed in and out, the air drifting against the skin of her neck and driving her out of her mind. Her wrists tugged in a futile effort to bring her hands up to rub away the tickle, and in response he gripped them even tighter. And, predictably, the junction between her legs developed an ache that seemed to steal all the blood from her brain.
Being up here on stage, mildly restrained, with all those people looking at her – she suddenly had the feeling of being on an auction block …a slave, just sold to the highest bidder, facing an unknown future. Would her new master be harsh, or kind? Demanding? Just? No matter; she’d have no choice but to obey…
She had a rich and full fantasy life, that was for sure. She shivered again, bringing herself back to the present.
“Is it my breath that causes you to shiver? Or some fantasy you see in your mind?” He was still right by her ear. She opened her mouth to reply, when chaos broke loose among the four remaining participants. She didn’t understand all of what was happening, but gathered that a dom and his ex-wife had been paired up, and that was not ok with the ex-wife. They rolled pet play, and Sari understood the look on the woman’s face. Pet play was not the worst thing that Sari could think of, but it ranked right up there.
The quarreling pair quieted down for the moment. Chase thanked the crowd and dismissed everyone to start.
Her temporary dom – how had she missed his name? – kept her wrists pinned as he guided her off the stage over to a couch. He let them go and sank down in it, but did not invite her to sit.
She fidgeted, unsure what to do. After a moment, she realized he was studying her. She forced her hands to her sides and let him finish his inspection.
He nodded. “That’s better. Would you like a drink?”
“Um, no thank you, sir.”
“So, what would you like me to know about you for tonight? Besides that you’re scared?”
“Me, sir?” She couldn’t recall a dom asking her that before. The good ones asked about her limits, but never about herself. “I haven’t had a lot of experience?”
“Are you asking me or telling me?”
“I’m telling you, sir.”
“Then say it like you’re sure of yourself. Inexperience is nothing to be ashamed of.”
She chuckled. “Sir, I am not very experienced.”
“I might push you tonight. How do you feel about that?”
“You’re asking me, sir?”
“I’m asking you to tell me how you feel about the idea. I didn’t say I was going to go easy on you.”
Zing. She went from damp to soaked between her legs in less than a second.
“I like that very much,” she confessed.
“Good. Then we’ll get along fine. Now, what would you like to ask me?”
Oh, thank god, he gave me an opening. “What is your name, sir?”
He raised an eyebrow. “You missed that, too? Do you ever pay attention? You could just call me ‘Sir’.”
“Well, sir, there are a lot of ‘sirs’ here tonight. How will you know if I’m talking to you?”
“Because my gaze will be on you the whole night, and yours on me. Understand?”
“Yes, sir.” She forced herself to look him in the eyes. It was unexpectedly hard.
“Adam.”
“Sir?”
“My name is Adam. I want you to call me that. Not Master Adam.” Something passed across his face.
“Yes, sir. I mean Adam.”
“Any other questions?”
She thought furiously. “Why did you ask me if I was in over my head?”
His smile disappeared.
“I’m sorry, sir! I shouldn’t have asked.” Shit, that was the second apology, and a very intrusive question she had no business asking.
He took a moment to answer. “No, you have every right to ask me that. There were times when someone was less than honest with me, and I regretted getting involved. But I’m sure tonight will be different.” He cleared his throat. “Any medical issues or things I should know about? No trouble with your jaw? No joints that give you problems? Any triggers or past experiences that would give you trouble tonight?”
She hesitated. “Actually, sir, I had a really bad experience a few months ago. A dom wasn’t watching me and I was having trouble breathing. A dungeon monitor saw me and got me down.”
His mouth tightened. “Was the jerk dealt with?”
“I think he was banned for life, actually.”
“Good. There’s no excuse for that. None. And I can promise that nothing will happen to you tonight because I will never let my attention wander.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“Please give me your underwear.”
It took her a moment to realize they’d started. She hurried to pull off the thong, frankly glad to have it pulled out from between her butt cheeks. He took it and stuck it in his pocket. “If you make it the whole night, you can have them back. If you safeword, you forfeit them. Now, I saw you get into your submissive head earlier. I liked that. But I want to establish something between the two of us as well, before we start, and there’s nothing like a spanking for that.” He crooked his finger at her again and she squirmed with secret delight at being directed that way. He patted his lap. She lay down across his knees with her head and arms on the couch. She felt his hands slip the tiny skirt up, and felt the cool air settle on her skin. Her pussy contracted in anticipation. She loved being spanked more than almost anything else in the world.
His warm hand caressed her skin with long strokes and gentle squeezes. She made little noises of appreciation. Her legs relaxed and fell apart. He must have taken that as inspiration, for his hand dipped between her legs, cupping her smooth mound. She breathed out a sigh.
“I hope to get to know this pussy better by the end of the night,” he whispered. She tensed without meaning to and then made herself relax, hoping he hadn’t noticed. But, apparently, he did pay close attention.
“Why the fear?”
Because… “Because I’m just a little nervous, sir. I’ve mostly played with people I knew well. This is new.” Liar, liar, pants on fire…
“I understand. We’ll go slow.” He began to lightly spank one cheek over and over, the impact only warming the skin with a nice sting. She wiggled a little in thanks. He moved to the other cheek and repeated. Then he came back to the first one. “I like to spank one at a time. I like the woman’s anticipation when one cheek is red and sore, and she knows I haven’t even begun on the other one yet. What do you think of that?” He increased the strength of his spanks, peppering the same spot over and over until her moans became sharper. He paused and she knew he wanted an answer.
