by Dale Cadeau
Clay put his hand on her shoulders and gently removed her coat and sat her down at the table, before he removed his coat and hung them both on a discreet hook behind the table. Taking his seat, he accepted the menus from the hostess before he turned to Laura.
Taking her napkin and placing it on her lap, Laura looked at Clay and inquired, “How do they know you here? Are you a regular client? You seem to get preferential treatment.” She knew she was being nosy, but not many people could walk into a five-star restaurant and not wait for service.
Clay looked up from his perusal of the menu. “Do you remember me mentioning a friend that was on his honeymoon? His name is James. Anyways, he owns this restaurant. So the staff are used to seeing us here, and always keep a table ready.” Clay went back to his menu, asking Laura what she would like for dinner.
Laura, who had been hanging on his words, didn’t want just the off-the-cuff explanation that Clay gave. Her senses told her he was leaving out part of the story and it probably was the best part. In her work, she always wanted to get to the bottom of things and didn’t always take the first explanation that clients gave. “Come on, Clay, tell me more. You just can’t leave me hanging. Why did they need a rest? Is James one of the partners with you in the security firm?”
Clay made a deal with her. “Tell you what. You tell me what you want for dinner. I’ll order then I will elaborate for you. But remember, it goes both ways. You’ll have to tell me more about your life and friends.”
She knew she couldn’t tell him the truth yet and didn’t really know what she would say, but fair was fair so she agreed after telling him her choice of a meal. Chicken salad and garlic bread. She didn’t want to eat too much. She was still nervous and excited at the same time. Being sick on him would not make a great impression.
Clay didn’t think it was enough for dinner, but with a glance at the stubborn look on her face, Clay ordered what she requested, and didn’t say anything.
In his mind she had great curves and he didn’t want her to lose them. He’d let her have her way tonight, but he was going to make sure she knew he loved her body, just the way it was.
After the waitress left, Clay decided to let her in on his life, and tell her as much as he could. He explained again about the army and the discharge. He also told her more details of the company that the five of them had started. James, Angel, Brad, and Grant, plus him. He told her about the case they had taken against the drug lord and Avery’s involvement. Then he detailed how James had claimed her. They had gotten married two weeks ago. All of this was why they needed rest.
He told her a little about each of his friends—the deep bond between them all—and how he was proud of all of the guys. He also explained that Chase, James’s brother, was an investment wiz, and had helped them all invest their profits. That was how James came to own this restaurant.
By the time Clay had explained everything to Laura’s satisfaction, peppered with her questions here and there, they were just about done with their meal.
Laura didn’t even remember eating, she was so wrapped up in Clay’s stories. What a life he had led! Taking a last sip of coffee, she put her napkin down.” I guess we should leave for the club now, it’s getting late.”
Clay knew what she was doing, wanting them to leave for the club right now. That would allow her to put off her telling her story. If she thought that she could get out of it that easy, and that he would forget, she was fooling herself.
Clay sighed. “Yes, I agree.” But he looked at Laura with his twinkling gray eyes. “You are going to tell me your story after we get settled at the club. I can’t wait to hear it.”
Clay rose and helped her from her seat, then helped her on with her coat. He could tell by the expression on her face that she had probably said “damn” in her head.
Her green eyes twinkled back at him. “Can’t stop a girl from trying. I guess your job’s somewhat like mine. We both go at it from different ways, but we like to get to the bottom of things. OK, after we’re settled at the club, I will tell you my story. But if you get bored and fall asleep, I’m leaving you there.” Laura turned her back and led the way out of the restaurant.
Clay grinned. He liked this aggressive side of Laura, and he wondered what else about her he could uncover. Following her out of the restaurant, he watched her long black hair sway back and forth, just touching the top of her ass, seemingly pointing it out to him. His hands itched. He wanted to grab it so bad.
Bringing his eyes back up from her ass, he noticed some guys doing the same thing. He gave them all a nasty look that said hands off. But it also made him proud, that he was the one walking out with her.
He told himself he had to make a claim on her before anyone else did. He knew he sounded like James in his head. Maybe James had it right. Stake a claim and tie them up to you as quickly as possible.
Chapter Six
Arriving at the club, Clay gave Bob, the bear of a man guarding the front doors, his pass. The guy didn’t say anything as he waved them to the door to his left. Clay shook his head at the man and headed right and into the vanilla bar.
Laura took in the exchange between them but didn’t ask anything. The man behind the desk didn’t look like he would answer any questions if she asked any, anyway.
Clay just put his hand on her back and guided her into the bar. Like the night before, the music was a little too loud for Laura’s taste, but everyone in the bar seemed to be enjoying themselves. The dance floor was packed and most booths were taken.
Clay led her to a reserved booth that had a great view of the whole room. Making sure she was comfortably seated, he asked what she would like then made his way to the bar.
Laura sat back and watched Clay. He had a very tight ass and his muscles stood out, bulging beneath his black shirt. Laura was doing the thing she liked most, people watching, and she couldn’t help noticing that she wasn’t the only one checking out Clay as he moved through the room. Quite a few women admired him and a lot were younger than she was. That started her thinking about how a guy like him could be interested in her. But it made her smile also, because she was the one with him. She was finding she was very possessive. They could look at Clay, but no one else could touch. No one was getting a taste of him before she did. She smiled at her thoughts. Now she just had to get Clay on the same page.
Watching Laura, with her wide green eyes taking him in as he waked back to her, Clay felt ten feet tall. Those eyes of hers seemed to be eating him up and he had to get his body under control as his cock wanted to rise and greet her. Down boy. He tried to talk his cock down. He was half-successful as it didn’t rise to its full height, but he knew if she took a closer look, she would notice. The best way to get her attention was to talk as soon as he reached near enough for her to hear.
“Want to dance?” Clay put their drinks down on the table and put out a hand to Laura.
“I really don’t think I’m much of a dancer, but if you want to take a chance I’m game.” Laura took his hand and rose from the booth. Clay led her to the dance floor and put his arms around her. They were lucky it was a soft ballad as Laura didn’t know what she would have done if it had been one of the new beat sounds that the kids liked so much. It had been years since she had to dance fast. As Clay’s arms surrounded her, she calmed down and just let her body rest against his. She could smell his aftershave and Clay’s own scent as she got closer and laid her head on his chest over his heart.
Clay wanted to squeeze her and never let her go. She felt so good in his arms. Maybe dancing hadn’t been a great idea. Now she was even closer. His cock started to harden even more and bumped against the zipper of his pants. Clay moved his lower body away from her a bit. Clay didn’t want any space between them, but he wanted to show Laura the respect she deserved. His cock nudging her would not give a great impression on their first dance. He hoped he had a chance to introduce the two of them later.
Clay just savored having Laura close to him. He couldn�
��t stop himself from giving her a small kiss on the top of her head. He could smell her lemon scent from her shampoo and it just added to his whole picture of Laura. Clay could have stayed there with Laura in his arms all night, but he also had to remember he had a job to do. Letting his arms release Laura as the music came to an end, Clay escorted her back to their table.
After seating Laura he took the bench seat across from her. He would have liked to sit beside her but he had to have an unobstructed view of the whole bar. This seat halfway down the bar allowed him that and was better for people watching. Taking a scan of the people in the bar, he noticed quite a few of the Doms and their subs. Except for the leather, they were no different from other patrons.
The door to the bar suddenly opened and Angel walked in. He grabbed every one of the women in the bars’ attention right away. He stood at six five, dressed all in black leather with his chest bare and muscles bulging. Even Clay had to admit he made a very impressive Dom. Clay could tell that Angel didn’t like the attention he was gathering and lowered his eyes. Something he shouldn’t have done while acting as a Dom.
Angel looked uncomfortable as he scanned the bar. Spotting Clay, he made his way over. Clay got up and took the seat next to Laura. He didn’t want Angel sitting beside Laura. He liked Angel but he found he was very possessive and didn’t want to give her a chance to forget who she was with.
Putting his hand on her knee, he gave it a squeeze. Clay turned his attention to Angel as he sat down on the other side of the booth.
Angel squeezed into the booth that wasn’t made for a man his size. He took in Clay and his new lady. She’s a looker. Clay is one lucky SOB. Changing his thoughts as to why he had sought Clay out, he turned from looking at Clay’s lady and told him “I look like a fool wearing this leather costume.”
His words didn’t sway Clay. “You fit right in, a lot of people are wearing leather, Just look around.” Clay didn’t see any problem with what Angel was wearing. He looked like the other Doms in the place. He stood out because he was a head taller than most Doms, with his Native American heritage and long black hair hanging to his shoulders. What else could he expect? “Why don’t you just try and enjoy yourself. I can see that you are getting a lot of attention from the ladies.”
Clay turned to Laura “Laura I’d like to introduce Angel to you. He’s a great guy and a member of Braden Security when not being an ass.”
Clay, wanting to appease Angel, continued “Tell our shy guy here how he looks. A woman’s opinion might help.”
Laura closed her month and looked down at the table, embarrassed that she had been caught gawking at Clay’s friend. When Laura had first come into the bar last night, she had noticed a few men dressed all in leather and thought nothing of it. But tonight the majority of the men in the bar were all dressed that way.
Laura had to ask about it. She hadn’t heard of a new dress style for men, not that she got out much, but she would have noticed the new trend.
Taking another look at Angel, she told Clay, “At first glance, I think Angel looks good and fits right in with the others. In this bar anyway. Someplace else, not so much. But, why are the majority of the men dressed in leather?”
Clay really didn’t want to get into the whole BDSM thing. He didn’t want to scare her away, but with Angel here he couldn’t avoid the subject.
Clay cleared his throat. “As you know this club is for members only. If you have a full membership you are given a choice of doors to go into when you first come in, vanilla or spice. The one to the right comes into this area, the vanilla bar. It allows anyone entrance with a membership or guest card, like you and your friends had. The door to the left is the spice bar and is strictly for members only and is a very exclusive BDSM club. I don’t know how much your friends told you before you came here.”
Laura had heard of these types of clubs. She had read about the subject in her erotic books, but had never thought about it about it one way or another.
Clay looked intently at her for an answer. Laura told him the truth. “My friends didn’t mention anything about it being a BDSM club and I really don’t know much about the lifestyle. But I would like to think I wouldn’t judge anyone who was. I believe strongly that as long as you don’t hurt anyone with your choice, it’s nobody’s business.”
Clay seemed to like her response and sat back in his seat, giving her knee another squeeze. Wanting her to know more about the lifestyle, Clay explained about Doms and subs but didn’t go into great depth, just giving her a few facts.
“Angel is dressed up as a Dom as a favour to me. He is helping me check out a few things for my friend, Lance who owns this club.”
Laura looked up at Angel with new eyes. Now she knew more about the club. “Well, Mr. Angel, if I was a sub, if that’s the right term, I would be all over you. You look great.” Laura finally realized what she had said without thought and lowered her now red face down to the table, her hands covering her head. Clay just laughed at her embarrassment and leaned down and gave her a kiss on her hands.
“Don’t let it bother you. You spoke what you thought and I admire that in a person.” Clay gently sat her back up handing her a drink. Laura took a much needed sip and refused to look anywhere but at the glass.
Clay could tell Angel still didn’t feel comfortable after hearing Laura’s words.
“I still think I look like a damn fool. Maybe in here I don’t stand out, but you should have seen the looks I got when I had to stop for gas. I now know why Lance told me at the tailors that everyone uses the locker rooms to change when they get here. I thought I was saving time. Remind me not to do that again. That’s not the only reason I came in here. I wanted to ask if you had any tips. Lance gave me a quick rundown as I was getting suited up in these leathers. I like to think nothing can shock me anymore after what we’ve seen in the army, but, man. Clay, I don’t know if I can remain calm and do my job. Lance told me that in special rooms on the spice side, people get naked and use some contraptions that he supplies. I asked him to give me some descriptions and I had a hard time wrapping my mind around their use.”
Angel stopped and ran his hand through his hair and pinned down Clay with his black glaze. “Then he told me that some people get off on pain. I know I’ve only just made it inside to the bar and haven’t seen anything yet, but I don’t know if I’m capable of being a monitor over there. How do you know when to step in or not? I don’t fit in and I don’t want to blow this for you.”
By now with Angel’s description of the other side, Laura was outraged. “They are allowing that type of thing to go on over there? You better get back to your job, and stop them. I can call the police.” She was already digging in her purse for her cell. Clay put his hand over hers, stopping her movements.
“Both of you step back a bit and I will explain more. In a BDSM club, everything is safe, sane, and consensual. People that go to this club are here to play. You might not agree with how they play, but you must always respect their wishes. Each scene is talked over beforehand by the people involved in the playing. They know what they are going to do and how it is going to be played out. They also agree on a safe word. When that word is spoken all play stops. So if you are acting as a monitor you could go up to the person if you think they are in trouble and ask them if they want to use their safe word. If they don’t choose to, you have to back off, no matter what you think. Lance’s club is not into any rough stuff that can take place in other clubs. As for the naked people, it’s not allowed in the front bar leading back to the playrooms. I didn’t know you were a prude, Angel. Why don’t you just enjoy the view? But remember, don’t touch until you ask. Now get back there and try to relax. With your size I doubt anyone will pick on you. And as a monitor you can’t play. So you’re safe.”
Angel didn’t like the advice from Clay, but he knew he had to go back. He would try to look at things differently and try to see them with new eyes and less attitude. Squeezing back out of the booth, he gave Clay a
long hard look.
“Remember that payback is a bitch.” With that said, Angel left the table and bar. He made a magnificent sight walking away. No one could tell he wasn’t a Dom in his own right.
After watching Angel leave the bar—she was a woman after all, Laura could admire the gentle Native American as he made himself walk over to the other side. She turned her eyes back to Clay to see him grinning at her.
“Well, what do you expect? All of the women are looking at him. Don’t even go there. I know I couldn’t keep up with someone like him. He would walk all over me in a week with those black eyes of his.”
“As long as you just look. He is a very good friend of mine, one from the army and now the security firm. We do get a lot of calls asking for him on security detail, and with the way he looks anyone would be crazy to tangle with him. He also seems to be able to sense things and is always one step ahead of everyone else. It has come in handy many times over the years. But getting back to my little talk with Angel, did it bother you?” Clay moved to the other seat that Angel had just left.
He took a scan of the room as he asked Laura the question. He really wanted to know what she thought. While he wasn’t into heavy BDSM, he could admit that he liked having control in the bedroom.
Laura didn’t know how to answer Clay. From what she had read, she was intrigued about BDSM. She just hoped this wasn’t a hard line for him and a breaking point for them. She had to tell him the truth. It was not something that she could hide if they ever got to the intimate stage, so she just blurted it out. “I don’t know too much about it, just what I’ve read. To be honest, I’ve never thought about it in relation to myself personally.” She still kept her eyes looking at the table as she answered him. She didn’t want to see any disappointment in Clay’s face.
Clay reached out and gently tilted her chin up. “I’m glad you’re honest. Anything else we can deal with. I must admit that I do like the control that comes with BDSM and have dabbled in it in the past. Like I told Angel, it is safe, sane, and consensual. If you don’t consent, nothing happens. We both have to be on the same page for it to work.”
