by Jenika Snow
“I’m serious, Mara. If you can’t handle it, I understand.” Rose looked at the curtains, like she could see through the thick material. “You might see things that are a little…extreme.” Rose turned back around and her gaze met Mara’s own directly. “Just promise you won’t freak if you see something that frightens you.”
A shiver worked through Mara’s body, and she knew that Rose would assume it was fear, but in reality it was anticipation. When Mara didn’t say anything in response, Rose gave a tight nod and stepped through the curtains. The lighting was even dimmer than it had been on the main floor. Strips of fabric hung on wires from the rafters, creating makeshift rooms. Shadows danced all around her, but they blended together and she couldn’t discern what was what. She didn’t speak, and Rose continued to lead her further into the abyss. The sounds of flesh being spanked, of moans of pleasure and pain surrounding her, and of whips slicing through the air filled Mara’s head. She grew dizzy from it all, intoxicated from the fear and nervousness. Rose stopped and Mara wondered why she’d chosen this particular “room.”
Mara tried to listen to see if she could pick up on any noise on the other side of the material, but it was like every sub, every Dom, decided to express the pleasure they felt at that moment. Mara saw several other people milling around, dipping between the fabric of other sectioned areas before coming back out and going to the next. Without thinking and just acting on how she felt, she took that first step forward and gripped the edge of the curtain. Peeling it back, the first thing she noticed was a woman bent over what looked like a sawhorse. Her legs were kept spread by a bar attached to her ankles. Her hands were secured above her head by ropes, which were tied to metal poles running horizontally above her.
The woman’s flesh was creamy like a peach, but the red lines that marked her ass made it abundantly clear that she had been restrained for the purpose of being whipped. Taking her eyes from the woman, she saw several tables off to the side. There were items laid upon them, but she couldn’t see exactly what they were. A metal pole was situated just a few feet from the sawhorse and pressed against the farthest corner was a couch. Who was on the couch had her heart stalling in her chest. Blond-haired Nico lounged casually, a glass of whiskey in his hand. His sub sat at his feet, and a black silk blindfold covered her eyes. Her head was lowered, her hands clasped behind her back. In one hand Nico held his tumbler, while the other was placed on the female’s head, slowly stroking her hair as if she were a pet. His bright blue eyes were trained on Mara and she felt her throat go dry. She could feel Rose beside her, but she didn’t turn around to see if her friend watched. Mara should have looked away, but it was like Nico’s gaze held her immobilized. If she was being honest, though, she didn’t know if she wanted to look away.
The distinct sound of something flying through the air a millisecond before it connected with flesh filled Mara’s ears. A slow smile curved Nico’s mouth and Mara forced her gaze to leave his and return to the woman tied and bent over the slab of wood. A lump formed in her throat as she watched Jere circle the bound woman, a flogger held loosely in his hand. He still wore his three-piece suit, and just seeing him holding that instrument, one that could cause pleasure and pain, while still dressed so professionally, caused Mara’s lust to spike. His short onyx hair looked like the darkest corners of the building, where the shadows merged as one.
Jere stopped in front of the woman so that he faced Mara. He held her gaze for several long seconds and she could feel his stare as if he reached out and ran those strips of leather over her body. What would it feel like to have him bring those strips down across her bare bottom, marking her in just the right way that she begged him for more? Jere moved back around the female, his dark gaze still holding Mara’s. He stopped at the bound woman’s side and caressed one cheek of her ass with his hand. He warmed up her flesh and Mara knew why he did it, why he prepared her. She should just turn around and go, leave before they sucked her in even more and she couldn’t think straight. Already she was having difficulty breathing.
As if the next moment happened in slow motion, she watched Jere raise the flogger, and the leather handle glinted under the light. For that suspended moment he did nothing but stare at her, possibly trying to gauge her reaction, or maybe get a rise out of her? He brought the flogger down across the woman’s bare ass. The sound of leather slapping violently against flesh made Mara flinch. The restrained woman jerked, and a loud gasp left her. After that initial strike Jere continued to bring the leather down, over and over again, not relenting in his task. The woman’s ass became bright red from his erotic punishment. The way the leather landed across her flesh was precise, she could tell. Jere knew what he was doing, and knew exactly where to place the whips so they never hit the same spot twice. Mara might have thought the woman in pain from the way she groaned and screamed out at times, but the sight of fluid dripping down the woman’s inner thighs proved his activity was getting her off.
Mara felt her pussy tingle with arousal as she watched, the scene highly erotic and sensual in nature. A sound off to the right, low and needy, caught her attention. Turning her focus back to Nico, Mara’s eyes widened as the blond billionaire leaned further back on the couch and placed his hands behind his head. The material of his shirt stretched wide against his hard chest and she could see the planes of his pecs and six-pack defined through the fabric. He held her eyes, but Mara had to look away from the penetrating blue depths. The woman that knelt by his feet was now between his thighs. Her fingers went to the button of his slacks and undid it with sure, steady motions. Mara felt Rose still beside her, but refused to look away. The sub pulled his cock out and the long, thick length was revealed in all its erect glory. The woman still wore a blindfold, but as if she could see through the silky material she opened her mouth and sucked the tip in with expert precision.
“Come on, Mara. It’s about to get intense and I don’t think you’re quite ready for all of that.” Mara wanted to argue with Rose, but deep down she knew that when walking into this she needed to take baby steps. Besides, she was having a hard time watching the whipping and, almost, blow job. If it got any more intense she might need CPR.
Chapter Four
Mara stared out the window and watched the world below. Being fourteen stories up, everyone beneath her looked like little ants, scurrying around as they fulfilled their tasks for the day. Since leaving the BDSM club almost a week ago, one that Mara realized didn’t even have a name, all she could think about and picture was Nico and Jere. They had been so sure about every move they made. The whip Jere wielded had been brought down on the woman’s ass with such precision, such exact placement. Nico may have only been watching the act, but his dominance over the sub by his feet had been clear. He knew what he wanted, and if she had just stayed a while longer she might have seen him bend the submissive over his knee and spank her ass until she came undone under his hand.
Mara shifted in her seat, the junction between her thighs becoming increasingly slick from her arousal. How many times had she found herself lying on her bed at night, rubbing her clit and thinking of two men whipping her and making her beg for release? God, she wanted that so damn bad, but she would never have the nerve to seek it out herself. No, she would just go home and continue with her routine and live her quiet life.
At the end of her shift she grabbed her stuff and left the building. The weather was warm, yet there was a slight chill in the air. Deciding she would just walk home instead of taking a taxi, Mara took a left and started toward her apartment building. The sun had begun to set and the city slowly came alive. After about five minutes of walking down the paved street she was home. Once inside she placed her keys in the little dish on the table by the door, hung up her jacket, and did her routine for the night. She sat alone at her two-person dining room table, ate her microwave dinner for one, and listened to the wall clock tick down the minutes. When had her life become so boring?
After cleaning up and taking a shower, M
ara slipped into bed and stared at the ceiling. At twenty-nine years old, she hadn’t accomplished anything in her life that wasn’t professionally related. She had no children and aside from one lone Beta fish that lived in a little bowl by her bed, she had no other pets. Her life was lonely, very lonely, and she didn’t see it ever changing. She wanted a family someday, wanted to have that little house with a white picket fence in the suburbs.
Exhaling, she slipped her fingers past the edge of her panties. She was nude aside from the thin lace that covered her mound, and to be honest she didn’t know why she bothered wearing them, because every night since seeing Jere and Nico dominating those women, she had played with herself. The image of them restraining her was always the last thing Mara saw before she fell into a blissful sleep, and tonight wasn’t any different.
****
“Are you excited, Rose?” Mara washed the last dish and placed it in the strainer. She held her cell phone between ear and shoulder and dried her hands off.
“Yeah, but I’m not looking forward to the plane ride. It’s like twelve hours, or something like that.”
Mara rolled her eyes at her friend’s raised voice. “Listen, I’d take a twelve-hour plane ride to Madrid rather than stay here in Los Angeles, where the car smog is enough to cause permanent brain damage.”
Rose chuckled. “All right. You got me there.”
“So when do you leave?”
“Tomorrow morning. Ass crack of dawn, to be exact. They're sending a car over at six in the morning.”
Mara sat on the couch and sighed. “I wish I had your life sometimes.”
Rose scoffed and Mara could hear the click of clothes hangers being pushed around. “No you don’t, honey. It sounds all fun and shit but I’m going to be in meetings for the majority of my time there, and when I do have a moment of free time I am going to be so exhausted I won’t feel like doing anything but crashing.” More shuffling of hangers before Rose said, “And don’t get me started on the whole jetlag bullshit.”
“I mean, I guess, but still. Rose, you’ll be in Madrid!”
There was a smile in Rose’s voice when she spoke. “I'll bring you back a fan and a bottle of wine.”
After Mara hung up she stayed on the couch and did nothing. It was the start of the weekend and she could clean her apartment, again, or she could go get a movie and some takeout. Obviously, the movie and food won.
Once she was back on the couch wearing her rattiest sweatpants and holey t-shirt, she snuggled in for a long night of Ryan Gosling in all his shirtless glory. The sun was just starting to set when her phone rang. Her caller ID showed it was the front desk.
“Hello?”
“Ms. Stephenson?”
“Yes?”
“I have an envelope for you at the front desk. I just wanted to make sure you were home. I’ll have someone bring it you.”
“Okay. Thank you.”
Who in the hell would be sending her an envelope on a Saturday evening? Maybe Rose? No one from her office notified her that she would be receiving anything. Her curiosity was piqued and moments later she heard three soft raps on her front door. Once she had the thin, oversized envelope in her hand she felt her brows knit together. There was no return address, just her name, including middle, printed on the yellow paper. She tore the envelope open and looked inside. Her brows knitted even further when she saw another smaller, notecard-sized piece of paper, this one white. Reaching inside, she grabbed it. It was thick and textured, and when she pulled it out she could see how expensive it was. Upon further inspection she saw it was an eggshell color with multicolored fibers woven through it. Yup. Expensive as hell.
When she flipped it over her heart stopped at what the front said.
You’re Invited
Her heart started beating again and the first thing that crossed her mind was to call Rose. Although she hadn’t opened it she knew right away it was an invitation to the BDSM club she had attended with Rose. With shaky fingers, Mara broke the seal and unfolded the paper.
You are invited to a private gathering tomorrow evening at:
5543 Willow Hawk Estates
Mara stared at the masculine yet elegant printed script. She turned the paper over, expecting to maybe see a phone number or something else that would inform her as to who had sent it and how the hell they knew her name and address. She hadn’t given her name when she was with Rose, but there was a part of her that knew if one of those handsome billionaires wanted to know something, they could find out. A lot of doors were opened for people of wealth.
Her heart had yet to slow and her mouth had gone dry as well. She knew the address, well, the area at least. It was a very ritzy part of the city, one that had stone masonry walls and iron gates to protect the properties within. It wasn’t too late, but Mara knew Rose was most likely in bed due to her early travel time. Still, she knew her friend would want to hear about this and even if she didn’t, Mara needed to tell someone.
With the phone pressed against her ear, Mara listened to it ring as she stared at the envelope.
"Thisbetter be important or I'm committing homicide.” Rose’s voice, groggy and filled with sleep, came through seconds later and Mara instantly felt bad for waking her.
“I’m sooo sorry to wake you, but I had to talk to someone about this.”
The sound of sheets ruffling preceded Rose’s words. “Talk about what? Is everything okay?”
Mara took several calming breaths, trying to get her rampant heart to slow enough that her pulse wasn't beating in her ears. “I got one, Rose.” Mara’s voice was a whisper and she cleared it. Really, it was just a little invitation, but Mara knew the significance of it.
“Mara,” Rose exhaled loudly, “I can’t read your mind, honey, and I am half asleep. You got what?”
“An invitation.” From the silence on the other end Mara knew she didn’t have to elaborate.
“Mara. Oh my god.” Rose’s voice sounded wide-awake now. “You’re going to go, right? When is it?”
Was she? That thought hadn’t honestly crossed her mind despite the fact she was holding on to the invitation. “It’s tomorrow. I mean, it is such short notice.” Mara set the paper down and tried to calm down. If she didn’t know what they did at these parties she wouldn’t be so nervous, but the fact she had been invited specifically told her someone had noticed her and wanted to see her again. “I don’t even know who would have sent me one. I mean, I didn’t speak to anyone but you, and it isn’t like anyone knew my name there.”
“Honey, someone noticed you all right, and you don’t have to give your name for them to find out who you are. If one of the men, or hell, even the women, saw you and wanted you, they would find out every little thing about your life. Then when they’re satisfied they’ll take what they want.”
A chill of excitement washed through Mara at Rose’s words. It should have creeped her the fuck out that some stranger had quite literally stalked her, but knowing that someone wanted her that much, for the sole purpose of using her so they could give and receive pleasure, awoke something deep inside of her. Call her sick, a freak, but she knew, deep down inside, that what she felt was real. What if it was a woman that had sought her out? What if she was like Rose, getting off on dominating others? Mara liked to submit, but would it have the same effect on her if a woman were calling the shots?
“I bet it was Jere or Nico.”
Just hearing their names made the blood rush to her pussy and caused her tissue to swell with arousal. “You think?” They had been the only two men Mara had really taken notice of, and the only two that had made her insides quiver as she watched them dominate those women.
“I do, because I saw the way they looked at you.”
“The way they looked at me?”
Rose chuckled softly and the sound of sheets moving again broke the silence. “Yeah, honey. When you weren’t looking they watched you like they wanted to devour you. Like you were the crème de la crème.”
&nbs
p; Mara was speechless. She had seen them looking at her, but hadn’t thought much of it, not in the way Rose implied.
“I totally think you should go. Enjoy yourself, experience what the lifestyle really is, and don’t hold back.”
“I don’t know if I can do it, especially alone.”
“Mara, you can do anything you set your mind to. You know what to expect, and if you don’t like it you can put a stop to it immediately. These parties are exclusive and cater to the elite. Nothing bad will happen. I’ve been to several of them and I’ve never been disappointed.” Mara didn’t say anything for several minutes. She mulled the situation over in her head, knowing this was something she truly wanted to do, and if she didn’t then she would most likely regret it. “You will regret it, Mara, if you don’t go.”
Rose knew her so well. Rose always gave her strength, and even now that Mara was a grown adult she relied on Rose’s confidence. Maybe it was time for her to grow up and face the world on her own. She had been relying on other people to show her the way for far too long, hiding how she really felt and her darker desires because she was afraid of what others would say. Obviously she shouldn’t care what others thought, but when it came to her need to be controlled, to let all of her worries disappear and give up every piece of herself to a domineering man, Mara knew it was not typically smiled upon. The thoughts she had, the things she dreamt about, made her blush profusely.
“Okay. I’ll do it. I just wish you could be there.”
Chapter Five
Mara pulled up to the massive, iron gate that guarded the three-story mansion. On the gate was iron curved into the initials JA. Even through the slats Mara could see the white lights that illuminated the home, showcasing it and allowing others to “see” but not touch. A small black box intercom was to her left with a small keypad beneath it. She had the invitation with her, but she knew there wasn’t any code for her to enter on it. With fingers that were far too shaky for her liking she pressed the red button, which she assumed informed the interior of her arrival. After several seconds a click sounded and the double gates swung inward to allow her entrance. This was so much harder than she thought it would be.
