To the left is a large dressing room with a bathroom. There’s even a shower in there. The door to that room is also closed.
Abby steps around me and wanders into the space. She moves slowly, taking in the king-sized, four-posted bed on one wall. It’s the only permanent piece of furniture in the room. The bed is mahogany with thick posts. It looks ordinary enough without getting closer and noticing the eye hooks placed in intervals up the posts.
If there was a bedspread or at least sheets on the bed currently, it would look innocent enough also. But it’s bare right now. Whatever was used on it last has been washed and put in the closet. Some clients like to use sheets or fluffy comforters for their scene. Others prefer to leave it as is. The mattress is firm and covered with a deep maroon leather fitted mattress protector. It’s custom-made. Easy to clean. Sexy.
Abby steps closer while the rest of us follow. She runs the tips of her fingers along the edge of the mattress. Her gaze then scans the rest of the space. There isn’t much to see. The bed is the only thing we really can’t put away. One of the two closets on the right has double doors. Inside it is all types of equipment, most of which would probably blow her mind. We pull out what we need for each client so that nothing extra ends up in the shoot.
Her gaze scans the flooring and walls. Dark hardwood and beige paint. It’s warm. Most of our clients like it this way. If they want something brighter, we can pull down white backgrounds or one of many other colors, much like any studio would have for pictures or filming.
Abby sighs, her shoulders dropping. Her gaze lifts to meet each of ours in turn, ending with me. “This is just a room. I have no idea what you’re showing me.”
I nod my head toward the right. “Whatever a client wants is stored in those closets. We can show you. When you’re ready.”
She holds my gaze, her bottom lip caught between her teeth again.
Her combination of innocence and intrigue are killing me. My cock is furious. I’m sure I’m not alone. Julius and Levi and shuffling at my sides.
“So, this is like a secret side business? When you’re not filming legitimate weddings and stuff, you have clients who come here to film naked? How do you know enough people who want this sort of adult entertainment?”
Julius clears his throat. “I manage a club. It’s called Surrender. A fetish club.”
She stares at him before finally nodding and then glancing at Levi. “And you, uh, go there?”
“Yes. We all do, though Beck isn’t as fond of the club scene. He doesn’t go often.” Levi glances at me. “The fact that you saw that video is a severe breach of privacy. No one should ever see what we film without permission of the participants. Ever,” Levi emphasizes, running a hand through his hair. “In this case, I’m lucky. I know Katarina wouldn’t mind. She’s an exhibitionist. She lets anyone see her perform who wants to. Nevertheless, it shouldn’t have happened. I’m sorry you got introduced to something you didn’t ask for.”
Abby shifts her gaze to me again. “You’re in the video.”
I nod. “Yes.”
“When did you…” She swallows. “I mean, do you do that often?”
“Dominate women or video them?” I inhale slowly. “Yes. I dominate women as often as they request me to. And likewise, we will tape anyone who wants us to. That video is from several months ago. She asked me to edit it into a five-minute version she can use for classes.”
Her brows draw together. “Classes?”
Julius jumps in. “When people first start coming to the club, they often like to attend some seminars and demonstrations.”
Abby swipes a hand down her face. We’re totally overwhelming her, but I don’t know what to do differently. “I think I need some time to process this.”
“Of course,” I respond. “Whatever you need. We can give you some space. Leave you alone. All I ask is that you please come talk to us later. You can ask us any questions you want. We’ll be happy to fill in the holes. Maybe you’d like to see the club yourself, or if you’d rather talk to a woman, we can arrange that. One of our best friends is a Domme, a female Dom. Claudia. She’d be happy to talk to you.”
I’m desperate. What a clusterfuck. I badly don’t want her to decide to leave. It’s warped. I know. Levi never should have hired someone vanilla for the summer as if we could hide her from our private life, especially while she stayed in our home.
BDSM is foreign to her. It’s not on her radar. Or it wasn’t. We should let her go. We should apologize more profusely and send her home.
But that’s not going to happen. Partially because I’m too selfish and I don’t want her to leave, but also because I can’t shake the feeling that she’s intrigued. She needs to know more. If she watched most of that video as turned on as Levi is implying, then she’s not as vanilla as she thought. All I can do is pray that she figures that out and asks for more information instead of deciding she can’t handle the situation and leaving.
Please, God.
Chapter 13
Abby
* * *
I’m pacing my bedroom. It’s large enough for me to cover a lot of ground each time before I spin around and return. I’ve been in here an hour. The first thing I did was ditch my heels and then change out of my skirt and blouse, trading my professional attire for a sports bra, tank top, and yoga pants. I’m barefoot, but if I ever get up the nerve to leave this room again, I might benefit from a long run.
My brain won’t slow down. I’ve never been so confused, nor have I ever learned so many new things in such a short time. My eyes were probably bugging out of my head the entire time I was in the studio downstairs with the three men whom I now know are Doms.
That’s what they’re called. Doms. I wish I had paid more attention to Sabine when she spoke of the kink world.
Do I have questions? I chuckle sardonically while I pace. I could start asking questions now and not finish for a month. I’m not sure I want the answers though. I could have gone my entire life not knowing there even were unanswered questions.
I could leave. I could go back to my regular life. Spend the summer working ahead, reading my law books. Law I understand. It’s precise. At least it is for me. It’s comforting. I wish I had something light I could read this afternoon in fact, something like Constitutional Law or The Applications of Criminal Law.
I laugh at myself. Yep. Any of my textbooks would be light reading compared to what I don’t know about BDSM.
Should I leave? Yes. Am I going to? Not a chance. The only reason I’m still pacing is because I’m coming to terms with my curiosity and working up the nerve to verbally admit I want to know more. If I had to pick anyone on the planet to introduce me to kink, it would be these three men.
Too bad I’ve also spent the past week lusting after them. Too bad I’ve been tingling with arousal ever since Levi caught me watching that video. Too bad my nipples are still stiff and my damn panties are wet—the new pair I changed into when I got to my room. Too bad I’m certain none of these three men would be remotely interested in quelling this ache.
I groan in frustration. There’s no denying I found that video to be titillating. I never would have imagined I could react that way to porn, or whatever it is. I have a problem. I don’t just have questions that will satisfy my curiosity, I have to contend with the attraction I have for the three men who are nearly twice my age who couldn’t possibly be interested in me, sexually or otherwise. Nor would I sleep with my damn boss or bosses, I remind myself. My thoughts alone are highly unprofessional.
A soft knock makes me jump, spin around, and face the door.
“Abby?” It’s Julius.
“Come in.” I fiddle with the hem of my tank top as he enters.
He shuts the door behind him and leans against it. He’s at least as nervous as me. “You okay?”
“Yes. I’m fine. Just…” I don’t know what to say.
“Our friend Claudia is here. The one we told you about. I’ve known her half my li
fe. I trust her. I thought you might like to talk to her. You don’t have to, of course. I don’t want to pressure you. But if you’d rather speak to a woman, someone you don’t even have to see again…”
“Sure.” I nod. It’s a good idea. It’s better than the alternative, speaking to Julius, Beck, and Levi about their kinks. I don’t think I can sit still in their presence, and I can’t fathom discussing sex with them. Not a chance.
“Okay. Good. She’s in the library. You can just come down whenever you’re ready.” He turns around and slips from the room. I’m fascinated by how nervous he is around me. All of them really. The three huge men who exude power and dominance have a weakness. Me.
I put on my tennis shoes before heading downstairs. I doubt anyone cares if I’m barefoot, but it seems weird, especially if I’m about to meet someone I don’t know.
When I reach the library, I’m surprised to find no one in the room except the woman who must be Claudia. She’s sitting in an armchair that faces the door, flipping through a magazine, but she lifts her gaze, smiles, and rises when I enter. “You must be Abby. I’ve heard so much about you.”
Interesting. I’ve heard nothing about her until moments ago.
“Come on in.” She motions me over with a wave of her hand. “Shut the door if you want.” Her smile broadens and she winks at me.
I close the door at my back and then take a breath and cross the room, deciding to sit in the armchair adjacent to hers. I don’t know what I would expect a Domme to look like, but this is a regular woman who seems to have come straight from an office. She has on a gray pencil skirt, white blouse, and black pumps. Her blond bob frames her face perfectly, and her blue eyes draw me in immediately. She makes me feel comfortable.
I glance down at my workout clothes. A few hours ago, I looked as professional as her. Now I feel kind of ridiculous.
She must pick up on this because she plucks at her blouse. “I should change. I have my gym bag in the car. We could go for a walk or something if you want.” She chuckles and then lifts out her hand. “I’m Claudia, by the way. Sorry.”
I take her firm hand. This is the most ordinary woman in the world. I mean gorgeous, yes, but nothing about her would cause me to think she dominates people.
“I know you must have a million questions. Julius filled me in on what happened.” She cringes. “Sorry. That’s not how I would want anyone to learn about the fetish community.”
I fold my legs and tuck them under me, leaning her direction. “Yeah. I was shocked. That’s for sure. I’m not a prude, mind you. I mean I don’t think I am. I don’t care what kind of kink people are into. I just haven’t been exposed, and I didn’t realize these guys were into that sort of thing.”
She smiles and leans her chin on her palm, her elbow on the arm of the chair. “You saw Katarina in action. She’s amazing. I’ve dominated her myself.”
My eyes widen.
“It’s a lot to take in. Honestly, if you’re interested, I would love to show you around the club. While it’s not open, I mean. It helps if you can see things firsthand, touch them, try them out even.”
“You mean like now? Today?”
She shrugs. “If you want. I’m free. Surrender isn’t open tonight. We could ditch these guys and go over there.”
I nod. I like this plan. It means getting out of this house. Even though Julius’s home is huge, I’m suffocating in it today. Shocker.
She sets her hands on the armrests and pushes to standing. “Let’s do it then. I’ll change out of my work clothes first. Be right back.” She strides from the room with confidence and poise. Two things I don’t normally lack myself.
I unfold my body and stand, heading for the row of windows that display the amazing view of the gardens below. Have there been women out there with very little clothing on submitting to one of the men who live here? I shudder.
A sound behind me makes me spin around. Levi is in the doorway, fingers in his pockets, feet planted wide. “Claudia is going to take you to Surrender I hear.”
“Yes.” I bite my bottom lip. Why does he have to look so damn delicious? He’s changed into worn jeans, loafers, and a white polo. His broad chest would make any woman drool.
“I think it’s a good idea. Claudia’s amazing. She’ll help you understand. You might even meet the owner, Master Roman, and his…girlfriend, Lucy.”
I notice he hesitates before finishing that sentence. I wonder what Lucy really is to Master Roman. “Do you go by Master Levi at the club?”
“Yes.” He doesn’t pause with that response. “At home too.” He holds my gaze.
I nearly choke when I swallow. What is he trying to say?
He wanders into the room, still looking directly into my eyes. “We rarely have guests who aren’t in the lifestyle, and even less often ones who sleep here.”
“So, Beck and Julius prefer to be called Sir also?” I murmur.
“Yes.”
“And Claudia?” I bite my lip again. This is hard to come to grips with.
“Mistress Claudia when she’s dominating.” He’s standing directly in front of me now, and he reaches toward me with his hand and uses his thumb to pluck my lip from between my teeth. “I wouldn’t do that in front of Beck,” he informs me.
I suck in a breath, holding his gaze, my heart racing, my belly dipping. I have no idea what he means, but I’m not prepared to ask either.
“I’m ready,” Claudia calls from the doorway.
I take a quick step back, feeling awkward to have been caught standing so close to Levi even though I’m not the one who closed the distance, nor am I sorry.
Claudia shoots daggers at him, however. “Jesus, Levi. Give her some space. Give me a few hours. For the love of God.”
I’m startled by her response. The implications are beyond anything I’m capable of swallowing right now. I slide past Levi and rush to join Claudia, who is now dressed similarly to me. Tight black leggings, a hot pink sports bra, and a thin white tank top. She has on pink tennis shoes. We look like we’re heading to the gym.
Instead we’re heading to a BDSM club. Surrender. The club one of my bosses manages.
Chapter 14
Abby
* * *
It turns out Surrender is located only about five minutes from the studio I’ve been going to every day. It’s totally unobtrusive. No one would know it was even there if they weren’t specifically looking for it. It’s in a row of businesses, and it has no windows. Until Claudia has the car parked and we’re nearing the door, I’m not even sure there’s a business here at all.
The door is solid. Black. Nothing on it. No words. No indication of where we are at all. Claudia has a key, and she opens the door with ease. She’s done this before. “Come on in.”
I follow her, squinting in the dark until she flips on a light. We’re standing in a normal-looking waiting room. There are a few chairs and a counter where I assume someone greets people when the club is open.
I blow out a breath. There’s absolutely nothing about this room that makes me uncomfortable.
Claudia continues through to the other side and opens a second door. It’s dark on the other side too. Not surprising. I follow her, wiping my palms on my hips. It occurs to me that this entrance area would have to be generic. Vanilla. Just in case someone wanders in from the street.
I jump when the heavy door shuts behind me.
Claudia finds and flips on another set of lights, and I’m instantly standing in another world. She says nothing, letting me absorb this space in silence.
The room is large and black. Black everything. The walls and floor and ceiling. If the lights were dim or not on at all, it would be very dark. Scattered around the room is every sort of equipment my mind could possibly conjure with regard to BDSM. Items from books and Wikipedia and movies. Not the sort of equipment I would expect to encounter for real in my life.
“Let me show you around.” Claudia’s voice is calm. She sets a hand gently on my sho
ulder. She’s a few inches taller than me and twice my age, but other than that I don’t feel as though she’s somehow better than me or above me. Perhaps because she has changed into workout clothes. I feel like her equal. Except that I’m not. She’s a Domme, and I’m not even sure what I am.
If I get off on watching a woman orgasm from a flogging and a fingering, does that make me submissive? I shudder.
For the next half hour, I feel like I’m at a job training as Claudia describes everything I’m seeing. We wander past benches and pads and hooks from the ceiling. There’s something called a St. Andrew’s cross. There’s also a spiderweb-looking thing that makes me shiver as I picture someone strapped to it spread eagle.
Claudia leads me to a wall and tells me about the various types of floggers and whips and canes hanging on it. If someone had shown me this stuff twelve hours ago, I would have been far more appalled, but since I’ve watched Katarina get flogged, I realize these items aren’t always intended to bring pain. Either that or some people enjoy pain.
I cross my arms and rub my biceps.
Claudia lifts a deep purple flogger from a hook on the wall and hands it to me. “Hold it. It’s soft. I love this one.”
I tentatively take it from her, surprised to find out she’s right. The strips of leather are very supple. I run my fingers through them.
“A flogging can be like getting a massage. Lots of people enjoy the way it feels. The thumping of the leather against your back or thighs can be incredibly soothing. Do you want to try it?”
I hand it back to her. “Sure. But go easy on me. I’m freaking out a bit.” I manage to give her a fake chuckle that I don’t feel inside.
She smiles and guides me to one of the crosses. “Lift your hands above your head and grab these pegs.”
Teaching Abby Page 6
