by Tara Rose
“Well, he is. I’ve seen you there before, but I don’t remember you playing at all.”
Holy shit. “That’s right. I didn’t.”
“Why not?”
“You’re very direct.”
His smile was easygoing and confident. What must it be like to have that kind of self-assurance, every single day? “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable, Summer.”
“You didn’t. It’s just that I’m not sure how to answer your question.”
His gaze penetrated through the confusion and uncertainty she felt right now, and without her realizing how, it suddenly became personal and soothing. It was as if she felt safe, just looking into his eyes. What the hell was that about? “Won’t you try?”
That voice…it was soft yet commanding at the same time, and Summer couldn’t seem to ignore it. She didn’t want to. She wanted to tell Dalton Metcalf all her secrets, and because she didn’t understand where the compulsion came from, she decided to just go with it. “Playing seems like such a private thing. So personal and intimate, I mean. I’m fine watching others play, but I have a tough time imagining myself participating in public.”
“I can understand that.” His tone wasn’t condescending or judgmental, and Summer was grateful for that. “Perhaps Wes and I can help you feel more at ease on Friday?”
She swallowed hard. The realization that both Wes and Dalton would be there with her dawned on her in a way it hadn’t before. Both would see her in club wear. If she decided to play, would both of them take part? “All right.” It seemed inadequate, but she couldn’t form a more coherent thought that that one right now.
“I have to go before it gets too late, but I’m glad I ran into you, Summer.” His grin sent a shock wave of desire straight to her clit. “Not literally, of course.”
This time she laughed, and the sound sort of tinkled, reminding her of the women in tampon commercials who seemed to find everything hysterical, even though they were on their periods. “Well, I’m glad we did that, too.” Oh my God. Could she sound any lamer? “I’m looking forward to what Friday might bring.”
There was that look in his eyes again—the one that came with promises of passion and excitement. “Me, too, Summer.”
As he walked away, she turned to watch him, admiring his ass, and just before he turned the corner he glanced over his shoulder and caught her. When he winked at her, Summer bit back a moan. Friday was either going to be the most embarrassing night of her life, or the most interesting one.
Chapter Two
Wes Danbury was a nervous wreck at work on Friday. He should have taken the day off because by noon he’d lost two phone calls, had to restart an installation for a manager in California three times because he kept typing in the wrong password, and had spilled coffee all over the floor next to his desk. His team kept asking if he was all right, and more than one of them asked if he had a hot date. That had really thrown Wes for a loop.
He didn’t think anyone knew that he’d been taking Summer out to lunch, or that he’d taken her out once to dinner, and it would hardly matter if they did know. Wes struggled so badly with his shyness that it was ridiculous even on a good day. If his team had known how much courage it had taken him just to ask her to walk over to Panera Bread with him for lunch a few weeks ago, they would have laughed their asses off. Either that, or they would have pitied him, which was even worse.
A gamer from an early age, computers were Wes’s best friends. To say he hadn’t dated much was an understatement. But Wes was tired of being lonely, and he was tired of jerking off every night. Summer Andrews was out of his league, but his health scare last year had lit a fire under his ass.
Wes had a family history of heart disease and two paternal uncles who’d had heart attacks by the time they’d turned fifty. At his last checkup, he’d been told if he didn’t get his high blood pressure and elevated cholesterol under control, with his family history, he was headed for the same fate. That had been enough to make Wes, a young man of thirty-six, sit up and take notice. If he didn’t start living his life, it might be over before he had a chance to experience it.
His cell chirped, causing him to startle. It was Ian Malloy, a Dom at Indulgence, and the person that would be mentoring him and Summer at the club tonight. He grabbed his cell and headed for an empty conference room to take the call. Even though Ian worked in the same building, one floor down, he had already asked Wes not to talk about the club where others could overhear them. Apparently not everyone in Passion Peak was as open about a BDSM club as Ian.
“Wes, I meant to tell you this earlier in the week, but I just realized I’d forgotten to. I apologize for the last-minute notice, but I won’t be able to help you and Summer tonight. I’m having another Dom act as mentor for you. His name is Dalton Metcalf. Do you know him?”
Of course Wes knew him. Everyone knew him. As he seethed with jealousy at the mention of the name, images of Summer falling all over herself in Dalton’s presence danced through his head. Why the hell had he done this? Nothing good would come of this night, and any chance he’d had with Summer would fly right out the window as soon as she saw Dalton in his leather pants. “Yeah, I do. We were in the same grade, remember?”
“I’m sorry, Wes. I really am. It just slipped my mind. But Dalton is an experienced Dom and you’ll do fine with him.” Either Ian hadn’t caught the sarcasm in Wes’s voice, or he’d chosen to ignore it.
“All right, Ian.” He made the excuse of having to return to his desk to take part in a conference call because he had to get off the phone with Ian. He wasn’t angry with him. This was Wes’s demon to wrestle with, no one else’s. If it had been any other guy besides Dalton, Wes could handle it.
But Dalton had stolen Brittani Featherstone right out from under his nose in tenth grade, and then laughed at him afterwards. Even that wouldn’t have been fatal if Dalton and his friends hadn’t constantly made fun of Wes. He’d only gone out with Brittani a couple of times and the chemistry hadn’t exactly been mind-blowing.
Nash had dozens of Doms who frequented his club. Why did it have to be Dalton? Ian hadn’t been part of his gang of cretins, but surely he remembered high school. With a graduating class of less than one hundred, he couldn’t have been that oblivious to the day-to-day torture inflicted on Wes. This was ridiculous. He was thirty-six years old and he still had to deal with juvenile bullshit.
Wes trudged back to his desk and stared at his cell phone, debating. If he cancelled their date, that might be it. He liked Summer. He really liked her a lot. He’d been drooling over her for years. But would it be worth it to watch her throw herself at Dalton? Dalton would be on familiar turf. Wes would not be.
He could suggest they do something else instead, but what if she already knew that Dalton would be mentoring them and not Wes? What would she think of him then? Should he call Ian back and ask if Summer knew? He’d sound like a damn fool if he did that. How the hell had he landed in this shitpile?
He was pulled away from his dilemma by a phone call from a line technician supervisor, and although he could have bounced it to someone else, Wes took the call. Maybe if he buried himself in his job for the rest of the day, the answer would magically come to him on the wings of fairies. Sure. Right after UFOs land in the middle of Juniper Street.
* * * *
Dalton leaned against the wall in Indulgence, at the foot of the stairs, waiting for Wes and Summer to show. Ever since he’d run into her Wednesday at Shady Pines, he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her. Unfortunately, doing so also dredged up memories of high school, and Wes.
Dalton shook his head as he remembered what an ass he’d been to the guy. Did Wes remember? If he did, Dalton would have to get the apology out of the way early in the evening. He had no idea what to expect tonight, but the last thing he wanted to do was rehash ancient history in front of Summer. She hadn’t been in the same grade, and he doubted that she would remember any of it, but he wasn’t going to take any chanc
es. People change, and Dalton certainly had. But Wes might not know that.
“Who are you waiting for tonight?” Dalton turned to face Ron Carson, one of the Doms acting as DM tonight.
“Wes Danbury and Summer Andrews. He’s a newbie that Ian asked me to mentor tonight. Not sure why Summer’s coming with him.”
“She’s been here before but only watched as far as I know. Came in once with a giggling pair of first-timers that I was ready to toss out five minutes later.”
Dalton grinned. He remembered that incident. Summer’s cousins from Denver had been visiting, and claimed they’d been to clubs before. The only reason Nash let them visit was because Summer had asked him to. She’d been embarrassed by their behavior, and had actually written Nash a letter, apologizing. Nash had gotten a kick out of that, and told her not to worry, but also asked her not to bring any more of her visiting relatives to the club unless they could provide proof they’d been inside one at least once before.
Ron nodded toward Nash, Ian, and Angela Davidson, setting up a wax play scene in the far corner. “Is that official now? Nash, Ian, and Angela?”
Dalton shrugged. “No clue. Ian didn’t say. He only asked me to fill in for him tonight.”
As Ron’s sub, Darlene Perkins, came down the stairs and immediately dropped to her knees in front of Ron, he clapped Dalton on the back. “Catch you later.”
Darlene stood and they walked away, arm in arm. Dalton pushed back the jealousy coursing through his body. He wasn’t interested in Darlene. That wasn’t it. Dalton had never had a sub who’d lasted more than a few weeks. For a town with such a surprisingly large number of kinksters, the women were either with other Doms, or wanted one to fix the mess she’d made of her life. They also didn’t see past Dalton’s money or his family name.
Dalton didn’t want to rescue anyone, and he wasn’t interested in being strung along, simply because of the family he’d been born into. He just wanted someone to love him for who he was, not for his money or his family connections. Did such a woman exist in this town who wasn’t already attached?
He sighed and pushed away from the wall, pacing. Where the hell were they? Wes had said they’d be here by seven. He hoped Summer wasn’t bothering with a lot of makeup or making her hair perfect. Not if she intended to play, that is.
He was about to call Wes when he caught a whiff of perfume that he’d smelled at Shady Pines on Wednesday, and glanced up to see Summer coming down the stairs. She was dressed in a royal blue PVC halter top and matching skirt. Her boots were black, and her hair was loose. He blinked a few times, uncertain if he was hallucinating, and then he burst out laughing. “Summer, take off those damn earrings, right now.”
“What?” She looked at him as if he’d just asked her to eat a bug.
Wes finally appeared, and Dalton had to bite back the urge to laugh a second time. Why hadn’t Ian told this guy how to dress in here? He was wearing jeans, a T-shirt, and sneakers. Dear sweet Jesus.
“Why should I take off my earrings?” Summer looked confused. Dalton decided it was time to find out why these two were here before this went any further.
“Well, for starters, they’re as big as Wyoming. You get those caught in rope or cuffs, and you’re in big trouble. Secondly, if they’re hanging in front of your face, I can’t see it. If I can’t see your face, I can’t judge your response to anything. If I can’t do that, I’m not doing my job as a Dom and a mentor. Take them off.”
“But they look sexy,” said Wes. He actually had puffed out his chest.
Dalton stared from one to the other. Wes looked like a mother lion, protecting her cub, and Summer’s jaw was open, but Dalton wasn’t sure if that was because she was shocked by what he’d asked her to do, or by what Wes had just said. And what was even more confusing was the look in her eyes. If that wasn’t lust, he’d eat a flogger. But which of them was it directed toward? How long had she and Wes been dating? He had no idea. He was going to kill Ian the first chance he got for putting him in this situation tonight. “Okay. Let’s forget the earrings for a second. Come over here so we can talk.”
He turned and walked toward one of the benches set in an alcove. When he didn’t immediately hear the sound of footsteps behind him, he glanced over his shoulder to make sure they were following. Dalton forced his face to remain neutral. Wes now looked like a scared kid, and he hated that. It wasn’t supposed to be this way. He should talk to Wes alone, but how was he going to accomplish that without making Summer think the worst?
Once they were all inside the alcove, Dalton sat at one end of the bench and motioned for Summer to sit between him and Wes. “Look, I’m only trying to keep you safe, okay? Those things are too big to be worn in here. You’ve watched scenes before, right?”
She nodded, looking less shocked than she had a moment ago. Dalton tried not to stare at her, but she was so damn pretty. Her big green eyes looked like emeralds in this low light. Finally, she took off the giant hoops and held them in her hands. “They matched the outfit, so I wore them.”
He couldn’t help but smile this time. “And under any other circumstance, they would be perfect.” Dalton leaned back and crossed one ankle over the opposite knee. “Now, tell me what you both want to do tonight. Are you here to watch, or do you want to play?”
“Play.” Summer’s eyes gleamed, and Dalton gritted his teeth as his damn dick jumped to attention. How the hell had he landed in the middle of this?
Wes snapped his head toward her and then glanced at Dalton again with a challenge in his eyes. “Ian said you would only be here to guide us.”
Dalton studied his face for a second or two, and then he leaned forward and placed a hand on Summer’s forearm. She flinched a little, but not in a don’t-touch-me way. More like she was surprised but didn’t find his touch unpleasant at all. “Summer, could you excuse Wes and me for just a moment? We have some unfinished business to get out of the way, or I’m afraid this evening will be a bust.”
“Oh. Okay. Of course. I’ll just pop into the restroom for a while.”
“Thank you.”
As soon as she was out of earshot, Wes started to speak, but Dalton cut him off. “Look. Let’s just cut to the chase, okay? I’m sorry for what happened in high school. I was a prick. But I’m not sixteen anymore and neither are you. I’ve changed. People can do that, don’t you agree?”
Dalton watched, fascinated, as the indignation drained from Wes’s face. “Sure. Yeah. People can change.”
“So, do you accept my apology, Wes? Because honestly, I can’t help you and Summer tonight if all this crap from when we were stupid kids is still hanging over our heads.”
“Sure. Okay. Thank you.”
“Good. Now, Ian didn’t have time to tell me what you and he talked about, but topping someone is about way more than flogging them or tying them up in a pretty pattern.”
“I know that.” He may have indicated that he’d accepted Dalton’s apology, but his voice was still too defensive.
“So, you also realize that it’s about trust and communication, right? It’s about getting to know a bottom or a sub so well that you anticipate their needs and know when they’ve reached their limits before they have to safeword. Have you and Summer played together at all?”
Wes shook his head. “No.”
“She’s been here to watch but I don’t believe she has any actual experience. What have you and Ian worked on?”
“Flogging techniques, bondage safety, safewords, things like that.”
He ticked off the list as if he were reciting code. Dalton sighed. IT dudes…they thought everything in life lined up all nice and neat in pretty packages that made sense. “When she comes back, I want you to ask her what she wants to do tonight, okay? She’s your date, Wes. She obviously wants to experience what it’s liked to be topped, so start now. Put on your Dom face and act like you mean it.”
“What if she thinks I’m being an egotistical jerk?”
“What if she think
s you’re sexy as hell and asks you to spank her?” Had this dude ever been laid?
Wes averted his gaze, but Dalton could tell by the way he shifted in his seat that his words had at least had some effect on Wes’s brain. “You could talk to her that way. I couldn’t.”
“Why not?”
Wes glared at him. “You said you’ve changed since high school. That may be true, but I haven’t, okay?” He cut his gaze toward the main floor but Summer wasn’t in sight yet. “It took me weeks to work up the nerve to ask her to lunch.”
Dalton actually felt sorry for him. He obviously had a huge crush on Summer, but he was still the same geeky, shy kid that Dalton and his friends had tortured so long ago. Those friends were no longer in Dalton’s life, but they might as well be sitting here with them as far as Wes was concerned.
“Wes, do you want me to take the lead? Then when you’re comfortable, imitate me. Use your own words and find your own rhythm, but at least you’ll have an example to follow.”
“Won’t she see through that?”
Dalton smiled. It was a great question, and proved that he understood Summer wasn’t a vapid bimbo. Dalton liked that about him. “It’s our job to help her enjoy this, physically as well as emotionally. Seduce her with not only your words, but also with your attitude, Wes. Make her believe it.”
He actually blushed. Holy shit. This was going to be harder than Dalton had ever anticipated. “I hadn’t planned on having sex with her here.”
“I meant seduction in the broadest sense of the term. Seduce her mind, Wes. Seduce her emotions. Let her experience subspace simply by hearing your voice or seeing a certain look in your eyes. Being dominant isn’t about brute strength or force. It’s a stance, a look, an aura. It’s about control, but the power isn’t one-sided. It’s called a power exchange because that’s exactly what it is. We hold the decision-making power as Doms, but our subs actually have all the control. They take away the consent, and we can’t touch them or it’s no longer dominance. It’s abuse.”
