by Silk, Nicole
Jeweled Serpent
The Complete Collection
Nicole Silk
Table of Contents
Beginnings Book 1
Networking Book 2
My Love Book 3
Guardians Book 4
Revelations Book 5
Author’s Note
Also by Nicole Silk
Copyright & Disclaimer
Beginnings
Jeweled Serpent
Book 1
Nicole Silk
Terri’s gold and brown eyes widened as the leather-clad Dom pointed to the man currently being whipped, “You must first know yourself in order to overcome yourself.”
Terri had resisted researching this scene even though she felt compelled toward it. Nothing in her life had prepared her to witness the man obviously receiving pleasure at the end of a whip. She stared at him while reminding herself that she’d signed up for this.
She’d rarely endured sex with someone she knew. After meeting a stranger at a bar, she’d realized one-night stands with strange men were her forte. She could easily lose herself, becoming who she wanted to be rather than tolerating their idea of who she had become.
She was sure the Dom could hear her heart pounding in her ears. Glancing at the man brandishing the whip, she shyly said, “Master…I don’t know if…”
With a commanding voice, the Dom said, “Look at me.”
Insecurity had always plagued her. She didn’t date because of the awkwardness she felt around people. She suspected having an active fundamentalist for a mother had much to do with it. She’d been highly sheltered, lectured frequently, and now shuddered at the thought of her mother coming around.
As a result, humanity simply rattled her. She’d created a life where she had little contact with people. Unfortunately, she couldn’t resist one thing—sex with strangers. And her appetite was ferocious. Of course, her mother didn’t know many aspects of her life.
He motioned to the whip in her hand, “Feel its weight. Let it become an extension of your arm.”
She hefted the whip, snapping it with skill. He nodded, “Which is it, Miss Kale? Either you are a natural or you know more than you’re letting on.”
She simply nodded. The Dom, cloaked in a domineering attitude along with the leathers, walked up to her. “Speak to me. Where did you learn to brandish a whip?”
“Master…I’m the hermit co-owner of an adult shop.” Her voice was barely audible. “I like playing with the toys.”
“I see. So, you’re familiar with much of our equipment?”
She nodded again. He barked, “Answer me when I speak to you.”
“Yes…Master. I’m familiar with most adult items.”
She stood frozen when he walked around her, knowing he was raking eyes over her from head to toe. Words such as exquisite and breathtaking had been used to describe her but she didn’t feel beautiful inside. Instead, she felt dead inside.
She’d lived a life that her mother had built for her while hiding a life she knew would bring harsh judgment. She’d known this day was approaching but had become content. Now that the co-owner of the shop was moving on, Terri had no choice but to move along as well.
The Dom stopped in front of her. She automatically looked at him, forgetting to avert her eyes. His eyebrows rose, “You may know product but you don’t own your businesses culture. You are clueless about how we operate.”
Caught by the most vivid icy blue gaze she’d ever seen, she didn’t know whether to answer or not. After a split-second, she stammered, “R…right, Master.”
“What is your sex life like?”
Her mouth dropped open as her bizarre gold-flecked brown eyes darkened. His face remained neutral as his gaze raked over her body. Tilting his head, he invaded her space. When she stepped back, his hand shot out and stopped her, “You do have sex, don’t you? I can’t imagine that you’d be here if you didn’t.”
Starting to shake at his closeness, she tried to moisten her dry mouth but croaked, “Yes. With strangers.”
He released her and turned away as he said, “You have a thing for strangers?”
“Yeah…Yes, Master.”
He glanced back to see her swallow hard, “Am I a stranger, Miss Kale?”
She breathed, “Yes, Master.”
“Not for long, Tigress.”
She winced at her inability to think straight before blurting out, “I’m no good around people. When I run out of things to say…”
A corner of his mouth turned up as he asked, “And you co-own an adult book store?”
“Yes, Master.”
He nodded as he turned back to her, “Okay, Miss Kale. Your mother enjoys religion, does she not?”
“Yes, Master.”
“Am I correct to assume that she finds us dreadfully sinful?”
“Yes, Master.”
“Do you want to agree to relinquish your control to me if you enter this scene, Terri Kale?”
“Yes, Master.”
He pointed to the man receiving gentle pain, “Show me what you’ve got, Tigress.”
“I’m not really into…”
His eyes hardened, “I didn’t ask what you were into, Miss Kale. I commanded you to please someone. As your Dom, I must know you. To change yourself, you must know yourself.”
He pointed to her spiked boots, “Crossing someone into pain is a delicate matter. The body becomes flooded with endorphins. I need to see how you whip him.”
She hefted the whip, stepping up as the current partner stepped away. After a couple of practice swings, she expertly struck the man’s back. He grunted, causing her gaze to dart to her Dom.
“Harder and repeatedly.”
Taking a deep breath, she swung the whip with skill. The tethered man groaned, obviously enjoying the attention. To her horror, Terri couldn’t stop. As if a switch had been thrown, she struck him harder with each snap of her wrist.
Behind her the Master’s eyes darkened. When she didn’t correct herself after another couple of swats, he barked, “Enough. You see, Miss Kale. Even though he’s enjoying your roughness, you are becoming blind in the face of the roughness. This is not about punching bags.”
He stopped too close to her and said while taking the whip, “Be back here tomorrow.” Catching her chin in his hand, he gazed at her bizarre eyes and said, “I plan on making those eyes go wild.”
Her tongue darted out to wet her lips, causing amusement to bleed into his eyes.
Even though she was co-owner of an adult toyshop, being ignorant about the lifestyle was her way of denying her involvement. She knew product. She had, in essence, became a hermit to retain sanity while residing under her mother’s watchful eye.
“Walk with me.”
He led her out of the room and down a corridor. They stopped within the foyer where he lifted a slender piece of jewelry from a case. The jeweled serpent was a twin to the one she now wore on one boot. His head dipped toward hers as if for a kiss. When he approached her lips, he redirected to whisper into her ear, “Welcome to The Serpent.”
Without another word, he turned to leave. Terri knew there would be a cab waiting on the other side of the massive double doors. A buzz and click from the doors prompted her to open them. As she stepped over the threshold and walked toward the cab, her gaze darted back to the massive stone and rock structure which resided completely off the radar.
From what she’d just ascertained from the displayed information within, a man built the castle which jutted out of a hillside to smoothly blend with nature for his dying wife. When she passed away before he completed it, he’d continued to build. Unless standing before it at dusk
, it was literally invisible.
She’d researched it and couldn’t find the location on any search engines. The enormous castle was set on acreage with no close neighbors. The enigmatic presence wasn’t listed anywhere as if society had embraced it as a well-kept secret. The only thing seen upon approach was the weather vane atop the spire of the immense tower.
Leaving after nightfall, she missed the vibrant light show emitted when the sun hit strategically placed tiles. As if to signal its presence each day, jeweled eyes blinked open as a ray of color raced down its back.
On the way down the long winding drive, she studied the jeweled serpent from her seat in the back of the cab. By the time she reached the third turn out of the winding lanes, she could no longer find it amidst the trees and rolling hillside. Turning in her seat, she tugged at the new boots and flexed her ankle.
Leaning down, she wrapped the slender boot-jewelry around her spiked heel and placed the emerald against the zipper. Admiring the craftsmanship, she thought about the strange man and woman she’d met on the subway earlier in the week.
Creepy. That was the only word that came to mind to describe the vagrant offering the beautiful item to her. Shaking her head, she’d told him, “I’m not buying your jewelry.”
A rich accent rolled off his tongue when he told her the jewelry was a gift. When she stepped backward, sitting down on the crowded subway with a thump, he’d insisted she take it to grace such beauty.
His ragged appearance had been in total contrast to his polished French accent. She’d been stunned when he pushed the bizarre but beautiful slender jeweled serpent into her hand as he’d said, “Please…follow its path. It will enlighten.”
Without another word, he’d moved away from her. She’d watched him maneuver through the crowded subway. A well-groomed woman in an expensive suit had taken notice and insisted that Terri allow them to accommodate her.
A business card was offered between two fingers. Not wanting to appear rude, Terri had taken it and murmured a thank you. Shyness made Terri resist the woman’s offer of a free pair of boots at her designer shoe shop. The woman had leaned forward and urged her to take advantage of this gift, my dear.
Motioning toward the fine silver piece, the woman had pointed out diamond crystals marching down its back. Terri had noticed the inscribed phone number but, when she’d looked up, the woman was nowhere in sight.
She’d looked at the card again before realizing they were near the address. Shoving the jeweled item in her pocket, she’d taken a deep breath and stood to depart the subway. She’d almost missed the tiny shop, tucked in the back of a mall that appeared vacant.
The minute she’d produced the business card, she’d been shown to a seat and fitted for the boots she now wore. Once they’d been placed on her feet, the sales representative had asked if she had any jewelry she’d wanted to display.
With a flick of the representative’s finger toward a wall, she’d seen a shelving unit holding an array of jeweled items with the serpent resting amongst them.
***
Arriving home from the elite castle known as Jeweled Serpent, she carefully removed the beautifully crafted items before slipping the boots off her feet. Flexing her toes, she muttered to herself, “How do women wear these things?”
Unaccustomed to wearing anything but baggy clothing and tennis shoes, she gazed down at the tight jeans she’d purchased for her visit and moaned to herself, “Terri, what are you doing?”
Rolling her eyes, she chastised herself, “If you’re going to talk to yourself, at least get some cats so you can own the title crazy cat lady.”
Pitching the expensive boots to the side, she rose and went to shower before settling down to her computer. As co-owner, she placed inventory and handled all the behind-the-scenes issues such as shipping, e-mail correspondence, and the like.
When Master, the only title she knew him as, had declared that her partner was the face behind customer service; he had nailed it. She could count on her fingers the times she’d actually spoken face-to-face with clients. She was indeed the secret partner but no more. Since her partner wanted out, Terri had no choice but to come out of hiding.
It wasn’t so much that she hid but that her awkward state around people made all parties uncomfortable. As if humanity owned radar for the inept and damaged, people detected her unwillingness to engage with them. She’d been called stuck-up, rude, and looked over by some. Others had pushed to connect as if seeing past her hang-ups and willing to endure anything to bond.
Years of therapy hadn’t helped. She’d been told she held an enchantment that people wanted to share. Of course, that had been before the therapist had hit on her which ultimately made matters worse. She’d went into hiding at that point, never wanting to endure such an embarrassing situation again.
Now, she must face the public until she found a partner or employed a replacement manager. She was not a happy camper at the thought. Currently, she furiously typed product code into her computer. After filling the order, she brought up her contact and sent it in. When her phone text alert sounded, she frowned, “That was fast.”
Thank you for joining The Jeweled Serpent. We look forward to fulfilling your fantasies.
***
The next day, she restlessly moved about her home. She couldn’t get the impending visit to The Jeweled Serpent off her mind. Not being one to shop for specific clothing, she thought about what to wear to such an event. At a loss, she turned to her laptop.
Tapping her lip as she searched, she cringed at her resistance to step out and explore. Taking a deep breath, she typed in dominatrix. Clicking on the first link, she gasped at the busty leather-clad female that owned the screen.
Oh…I could never look like that!
Shaking her head, she tried the next link and shrieked, “Oh my God!”
Staring at the spiked heal placed at the man’s scrotum, she frantically shook her head, “I can’t do this!”
As panic shot adrenalin throughout her body, she waved hands in front of her face and moaned, “Okay, Terri…what are you going to do?” Shutting the laptop, she rose to pace the floor as she bolstered the tiny bit of self-esteem she’d convinced herself she owned. It wasn’t so much the sex that scared her half to death but the thought of her mother discovering the truth.
Closing her eyes on a deep breath, she muttered, “Terri, you can do this. No one will hurt you. There must be some type of security on the premises.”
Shoving hands in her long dark tresses, she gathered her thoughts and demanded of herself, “Clothing! You need to find clothing.”
Thinking about her business partner, she chewed an already ragged nail as she stared at her cell phone. Scrunching her face up, she grabbed the phone and quickly pulled her number up. After a couple of rings, Sandy answered, “Terri? Is everything okay?”
“Yeah. I know you don’t know me that well but I have a favor to ask. It’s kind of embarrassing.”
Sandra quickly said, “Okay. I’ll do whatever I can.”
“I need a…um…costume…to wear on a date.”
Silence met her before Sandra hesitantly said, “Okay. Do you want to come down to the shop? I mean, you order our line of clothing so…”
“I know but I have no clue as to what to wear.”
Desperation tinged Terri’s voice. Sandra calmly said, “No problem. Come on down and we’ll pick something out. Do you know this guy or is it a first date?”
Terri almost panicked all over again. She shook her head before realizing she was on the phone, “No…I don’t know. Oh crap…”
“Terri, we just got a shipment in. Come over. There’s something for everyone regardless of the situation.”
“Okay, Sandra. I’ll be over in a bit.”
It took her an hour and a half to drum up the nerve to go down to the shop. She’d been in business with Sandra for over five years but still hadn’t gotten to know her well enough to call her a friend.
It wasn’t
that she didn’t want to know her, she just didn’t know how to connect. Her outgoing and bubbly partner had detected her nervousness long ago and adjusted. Now, it was purely business.
Entering the shop, she looked around and immediately felt her cheeks heat. Sandra motioned for her to go into the back room while asking, “How well do you know the guy?”
Pressing her lips together, Terri shifted from foot to foot and shook her head. Sandra quickly nodded, “Okay. Do you know where you’ll be going on the date?”
Terri winced, “It’s sort of a club.”
“A bar or a night club?”
At Terri’s shake of head, Sandra asked, “Country club?”
Terri groaned, “Oh, this was a bad idea. I can’t really explain it. I just need something…”
Her eyes widened as they fell on a leather outfit similar to what she’d seen when she searched the internet. Sandra followed her gaze and breathed, “OH!”
Terri quickly gathered the garment in her correct size and, almost hyperventilating, told Sandra, “Please don’t judge me. With you leaving, I have to take steps…”
“No, don’t worry. Are you kidding me? Working here, I don’t judge people. I was just surprised at the choice…that’s all.”
Quickly nodding, Terri grabbed a bag and started to flee but Sandra said, “Um…there’s actually a variety of accessories that would go really well with that catsuit.”
She pointed to some unopened boxes as she said it. Terri momentarily felt like an idiot, “Of course there are. I ordered them after all.”
Nervous laughter bubbled up from Terri as Sandra grabbed the box cutter and opened the first one. Terri placed the leather aside and stared down into a box of collars, padded cuffs, corsets, and the like. Another box produced a variety of spiked and studded accessories.
When Terri lifted a studded collar out, Sandra grinned, “Terri, I never imagined you’d be…”
“It’s a costume party.”
Nodding at her partner’s obvious distress, Sandra asked, “You’re going as a dominatrix, right?”
