by Cassie Ryan
Kate’s cheeks burned. Was it really that apparent?
“I’m sure I had the same expression when I saw this place for the first time. I felt like a fairy princess marching to my doom.”
Kate laughed, and relief washed through her as the woman mirrored her thoughts. Kate gestured to the building in front of her. “This is amazing. I’ve never seen a dungeon like this. It makes my old club look like a shack.”
“I’m Sandra Weston.” The woman held out her hand.
Kate shook the petite, beautifully manicured hand, noticing the wide wedding band with a huge marquise-cut diamond ringed with blue sapphires.
When she raised her gaze, she saw the beautiful wide collar around Sandra’s pale neck, also set with blue sapphires and diamonds.
Kate sighed. So this was Brent Weston’s wife. She’d heard about her from other subs who had met her—all glowing reports.
“I’m Kate Fretwell. It’s nice to meet you. I’m really excited to visit Club Desire. I’ve heard nothing but amazing things.”
Sandra gave a demure smile. “That’s what we like to hear. Was it from one of our members?” she asked in a friendly tone that instantly put Kate at ease.
Kate liked Sandra already, which was a good sign. “The submissives grapevine in L.A. has nothing but great things to say about this place.” She glanced up at the imposing building once more. “And Dex Alexander told me if I ever came to Phoenix, I should definitely visit.”
Sandra’s face lit at the mention of Dex’s name, and jealousy hit Kate like a fist to the stomach. She didn’t want to imagine this gorgeous woman with Master Dex.
“Oh, no,” Sandra hastily added. “I’ve never subbed for Dex, but he’s become a close friend and confidant. And I’ve learned a lot about self-defense since I started taking his classes every Wednesday evening.”
A small gasp escaped before Kate could stop it. Everything she was feeling and thinking had obviously been plastered across her face.
Her cheeks burned, and she strongly considered turning around and running back to the car.
Sandra reached out and laid a comforting hand on her arm.
“I’m sorry. I’m apparently not very good at this whole front-door greeter thing yet. I didn’t mean to upset you.” Her expression was gentle, and just a bit embarrassed. “Believe me, the first time I walked up here, I was half a second away from bolting back to my car.” She chuckled. “Luckily, Jake is much better at this than I am.”
“Surely not.”
Kate turned at the sound of the male voice behind her. He was an attractive man, fit and toned, with sandy-blond hair, but definitely not a Dom.
“Sandra is accomplished at everything,” he said, flashing them both a smile. “
It’s almost inhuman.” He winked, and Sandra laughed, as if this banter was a familiar and enjoyed routine between them.
“I’m Jake, by the way.”
“Kate,” she said as she took the proffered hand and tried to firm her resolve. She had come a long way to give up and go home now before she’d even seen if this could be the club for her.
“What can we help you with, Kate?”
She smiled. At least she wouldn’t be jealous that he might have subbed for Dex in the past. She inwardly cringed as she realized how shallow that made her.
“I’m here to check out Club Desire. If it’s a good fit, I’d like to apply for membership.”
Jake nodded. “Good timing. Sandra usually gives the tours to prospective members. Now that I’m back, I can relieve her.”
Jake pulled open one of the large doors, and Kate followed Sandra inside. A wall of cool air hit her as she left the hot Phoenix evening behind.
“It was nice to meet you, Jake.”
“You too, Kate. I’m sure we’ll be seeing more of you around here. You’ll love the club.” He smiled as they walked away.
Sandra led Kate down the hallway to a comfortable waiting area surrounded by large windows that looked out over the dungeon floor.
Sandra gestured toward the waiting area. “Why don’t we sit and watch while I give you an overview, and answer any questions?”
Curious, Kate slid into a chair just in front of the glass that would give her the best view of the action playing out in front of her.
Sandra sat next to her. “You mentioned your old dungeon. Which one?”
“The Dungeon in Los Angeles,” Kate answered, her gaze glued to the scene playing out on the dungeon floor.
A woman bent over a spanking bench, her wrists and ankles restrained and affixed to the D-rings on the bench. A Dom who looked to be in his early twenties fucked her mercilessly from behind. Kate shifted in her chair as she thought about Dex plunging inside her repeatedly last night.
Had it been only one night ago? She bit back a sigh as another wave of longing hit her.
Damn it, she missed him.
“I have to admit, this room has some interesting memories for me,” Sandra offered softly from beside her. “When Jake first escorted me in here and went to tell Brent I wished to speak with him, well, let’s just say I got a little too involved in watching, and didn’t pay attention to what was going on around me. Poor Jake came back to catch me masturbating right here in front of the glass.”
Kate sucked in a breath as she whipped her head to the side to see if Sandra was serious. When Kate saw her expression, tinged with remembered embarrassment, she couldn’t help the loud laugh that broke from her.
She immediately slapped her hand over her mouth as she stared between Sandra and the scene in front of her. “You must have been mortified.” She still fought back giggles at the thought of being caught in that situation—which could have easily happened had she been left in here alone to wait. “I’m not sure I could’ve looked Jake in the eye after that.”
It was Sandra’s turn to laugh. “Oh, believe me, it took a while. But in time, we became good friends, and now we can joke about it.” She shrugged. “It took even longer for Brent not to glare at Jake every time he teased me about catching the boss’s wife pleasuring herself in the waiting area. He used to say we should add it to the website as a selling point.”
Kate laughed again, unable to help herself. Sandra was someone she could see herself being good friends with.
“It’s probably a good thing you joined me in here, or I might’ve ended up in the same situation. Although it would be worse if there was a great flogging going on.” Kate gestured toward the glass and the scene beyond.
Sandra nodded. “I understand completely. I love to watch, and the impact play can be amazing around here.” She gestured toward the floor. “The alcoves on basements one and three are great places to watch, and those are private, or semiprivate, depending on the type of membership you have.”
Kate felt her mouth drop open and her eyes widen. “Basement levels? We’re on a mountain. That had to be ridiculously expensive.” She whistled long and low as she shook her head.
“It apparently was,” Sandra agreed. “Although Brent said there was another project started here that did a lot of the blasting and clearing before he acquired the site and started construction. That was before I came into the picture, but Dex could tell you all about that.”
“Dex?” Kate frowned. What did Dex have to do with the construction of this place? From his answer about Club Desire, she got the impression that while he was friends with Brent, he merely played here sometimes.
“Dex has been around since Brent came up with the idea for the club. They planned the place together.”
A spear of ice sliced into Kate, and she winced. Instinctively, she tried to put on a blank face and not let her reaction show. “Oh. I didn’t know he was that involved here. He said he played here, and that it was a great place I should check out if I came to Phoenix.” He had definitely lied, at least by omission, and while he might have his reasons, she felt betrayed nonetheless. “I’ll definitely ask him next time I see him.” She didn’t bother to hide the slight edge to he
r voice.
Sandra had fallen silent, and Kate had the impression she had censored what she’d been about to say.
“So what’s next on the tour?” Kate asked brightly, wanting to move on, and deal with her hurt and anger on her own, later.
“I’ll leave some of that up to you. On the main floor there’s the dungeon floor you see here, which is used mostly for sub and Dom training, or trying out new lower- to medium-level kinks. There are also locker rooms, and a larger waiting area, as well as aftercare.”
She smiled as Kate tried to map out everything inside her mind.
“On the floors above us are the kitchen, office space, the pool, and some living space. Rooms and suites members can rent out for a night or longer term.
“The only ones who live on-site right now are Jake, Brent, and I, but there are several members who stay here at least some of the time.”
Kate tried to picture living at The Dungeon in L.A., and couldn’t manage it.
Sandra continued in her sweet, melodic voice. “Below us are four dungeon levels. Dungeon Four is where the hard kink goes on. There’s a fully equipped dungeon with moveable walls, and props to meet pretty much any kink you can imagine. That’s also where we hold large events like orgies, collaring ceremonies, and parties. My wedding to Brent was held down there.” She smiled and absently touched her collar. The expression on her face was one of pure happiness and love.
Another swift tug of envy made Kate frown. She had never been much of an envious person, and definitely wasn’t insecure, but Sandra was highlighting a few areas in her life that made her yearn for something more.
“In fact, there’s a group renting out Basement Four soon for a reenactment of a slave girl auction followed by an orgy. Those are always fun to watch.” Sandra flashed a grin. “Anything with a high kink level goes on in Basement Four.
“Anyway, Basement Three has private and semiprivate alcoves that overlook Basement Four. Basement One has the same setup as Three, but it overlooks Two. As you can imagine, One and Three are quite popular, since they offer privacy and voyeurism all in one.”
Kate laughed, but when she saw Sandra’s expression, and that she was entirely serious, she slowly smiled, intrigued.
She had read on the website that Club Desire offered meeting space, and could accommodate large parties or events, but she’d never imagined all of this. “That’s legal?”
Sandra nodded. “Yes. Brent is very good with contracts and always follows the law. Private groups rent the floor, and all the guests sign contracts of their own to attend. The entrance is closely monitored.” She pointed toward the four corners of the ceiling in turn. “I should also mention that there are cameras just about everywhere, and they are monitored at all times.”
Kate grinned, as her certainty grew that Club Desire was the right place for her. “This is amazing. I know I said this outside, but I never imagined any club like this. Granted, I’ve only played at The Dungeon, but I hadn’t even conceived of anyplace like this.” She gestured around them. “And your website, while thorough, doesn’t even begin to hint at all of this.”
Sandra gave her a small smile. “While word of mouth does get around, we prefer to maintain an air of mystery to some extent. Our loyal members are very protective of that image, and very proud that we are one of the premier clubs in the Southwest.”
Kate glanced out at the dungeon floor, noting that the Dom had switched to paddling the woman. Kate squirmed in her chair as arousal snaked through her, and she forced her attention back to Sandra. “As much as I want to see the rest of Club Desire, I’d really like to find out more about becoming a member. Dex mentioned something about a waiting list.”
Sandra nodded, and disappointment snaked through Kate.
“It’s not so much a waiting list as a list where people sit while the background checks go through,” Sandra continued. “But there are also temporary, restricted memberships for people who have been vouched for or vetted in some way.”
Renewed hope curled inside Kate’s stomach and she sat straighter in her chair, sparing a quick glance for the couple out on the dungeon floor. “Great. Where do we start?”
“Let’s go talk to Brent.” Sandra glanced down at her watch, a thin sterling silver band with a dainty face surrounded by more blue sapphires. Kate didn’t feel so bad about having all the green in her life after meeting Sandra. She’d already displayed more blue sapphires than Kate had green items in her entire household.
Sandra smiled at her in that welcoming way she had. “Brent should be finished with his meetings by now, and be back in his office.”
Kate followed Sandra farther down the hallway and onto an elevator she would have missed entirely had she been walking by on her own. This entire place was designed so it was state-of-the-art, and yet had a classy, almost mysterious air to it. It called to Kate like the home she’d never known existed.
When the elevator doors closed behind them, Sandra pulled a small key ring from a pocket in her skirt and inserted a key into the panel, turning it before she hit the glowing 4 button.
Kate wondered if the entire place had this much security.
Sandra must have noticed Kate’s expression, because she shook her head as she dropped the key back into her pocket.
“This elevator opens directly into Brent’s office, so there’s restricted access. A different elevator for general use goes to all floors. Full members always have unrestricted access to Basements One and Two. But Three and Four are restricted to only certain members, and those require key access.”
“Ah,” Kate said, not sure what else to say. Her mind spun as she took it all in.
Then the doors of the elevator opened, and she found herself captured by a very blue gaze. It took her a moment to break away from the spell of those eyes long enough to look around the office.
The man behind the large desk stood and walked toward them with a broad smile.
Brent Weston, Kate presumed. He was strikingly handsome, with full, sensual lips, black hair, and a muscled physique that looked like he’d gotten it doing something more activity-based than pumping iron.
“Hello, ladies.” He held out his hands, and, as if in a trance, Kate laid her hand in his, and noticed Sandra did the same. His deep, resonant voice probably made women flock to him in droves.
Kate wondered how Sandra dealt with that—especially here, where women were always thinking about the men as possible sex partners.
She felt no erotic zing with Brent like she had immediately with Dex, but Master Brent was still an extremely sexy man.
He raised Sandra’s hand to his lips and brushed a gentle kiss across the back of her fingers. “Who have you brought me, my dear?”
Sandra smiled up at him with such adoration that Kate almost felt like she was intruding.
“This is Kate Fretwell. She’s heard good things about us through the submissives grapevine, and from Dex, and wants some information about membership.”
Brent’s expression brightened at the mention of Dex. Kate wasn’t surprised that Dex was well liked everywhere he went; she just wished things hadn’t ended between them the way they had.
“Welcome, Kate. Come in. Have a seat, and we can talk.” He gestured to a large leather love seat next to his desk.
As the butter-soft leather welcomed her, she settled back against it, shamelessly feeling very decadent and pampered. Sandra sat beside her, and Brent took the large office chair in front of his desk.
It was only then that Kate noticed a large bank of monitors mounted on the wall that would be easy for Brent to see from his seat behind his desk. There seemed to be views from all around the dungeon, just as Sandra had said.
Brent turned his head to follow her line of sight. “I assume Sandra has already told you that Club Desire has cameras throughout that are monitored at all times, from a few different places inside the building.”
She nodded. “Yes, that’s pretty impressive. But then, everything I’ve seen an
d heard so far has been pretty impressive.”
Brent smiled, and she felt the impact, even though there was no attraction between them. She wondered if all the Doms around here were lethally gorgeous. She knew at least two of them were.
Brent’s phone issued three short notes in what she recognized as a tritone sound, like a train whistle. Jarring enough to get someone’s attention.
“I apologize for the interruption.” He took out his phone and while his expression never changed, Kate was adept enough at reading people that she immediately saw his level of tension rise. His gaze snapped up to hers and then slid over to Sandra. “I’m sorry. I have to see to something on Basement Four.” He stood. “Sandra, if you want to stay here with Kate and answer any further questions, I’ll be back as soon as I can.” He pressed the elevator button, and as soon as the doors opened, he stepped inside and hit the button repeatedly to close the doors.
Once they’d closed, hiding him from view, Kate turned to Sandra. Her expression showed clear worry. “Brent wouldn’t have left like that unless it was urgent.” She stood and crossed the office to the bank of monitors. Kate followed, curious as to what was going on.
When her gaze found the one marked B4, she gasped.
Chapter 21
Is this a sex club, or a library?
Dex stepped into the elevator on the main floor of Club Desire. His phone chirped, and he pulled it out of the holster on his belt. Likely the text was urgent, since Brent was in a meeting and Dex was covering for him. The elevator doors slid closed as he frowned at the display.
B4 34 STAT. OMW! ~J
“Damn. I jinxed myself!”
Dex punched the B4 button on the elevator panel a little harder than necessary. Jake wouldn’t send a STAT text for anything less than a serious situation.
According to the message, he would meet Dex in play area 34 on Basement level 4. On the security monitors, Jake must have seen him in the elevator and hoped Dex could arrive first.
When the doors opened on Basement 4, Dex bolted out of the elevator, turned right, and ran full speed down the curved hallway. In the dim corridor, the row of lights that ran along the baseboards glowed enough to allow him to see the vacant play areas as he ran by.
