Chapter 14
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
A few hours later, James entered the dimly lit main room of Club Indigo. He received a chin lift from Mitch in greeting as Julie knelt at his feet. The small Chinese woman was usually so full of energy, yet she seemed perfectly content to stay there all night. For people who claimed they were only play partners, they looked a lot like a couple to James. But he hadn’t been here for quite some time, so maybe things had changed.
Kate came strolling up to him next. “Look what the cat dragged in,” she said, her eyes lit up in a smile. Her auburn hair was tied back in a severe ponytail and in her black leather pants, corset, and high heeled boots, she looked every bit the strict Domme she was.
James leaned over to give her a peck on the cheek. She would be about the same height as Laura without the heels, James thought.
Hell, and there I go thinking of Laura again .
“Good to have you back. Chris told us you two have been busy?” One perfectly-formed, dark-red eyebrow rose. “Too busy to come see your friends? ”
“Too busy to eat or sleep, most days. I thought we’ve been doing fairly well the last few years, but since the tornado, things have been crazy-busy. How are things with you?”
Kate hooked her arm with his and steered him towards the bar.
Scott greeted him from behind the counter. Scott was one of the few switches in the group, and he liked to man the bar because it fulfilled his need to serve, and it also made it easier for him to meet possible play partners. It all depended on his mood and preferences in that moment.
“Hey, man, good to see you. We were wondering if you’d turned vanilla on us.” Scott chuckled at his own joke and held up his hand at two submissives, who apparently wanted to order drinks. “Beer?” the bearded man asked, already bending under the counter to grab a bottle from the cooler.
“Thanks,” said James, accepting it.
Kate gestured toward the subbies. “Someone for you? They’ve been here a couple of times and like to play.”
James eyed the two women. Too damn young for his taste, or maybe he was getting too old. His focus returned to the redhead besides him. As a bisexual sadist, these women might appeal to her as well, but she plainly wasn’t interested. “What’s the matter, are they Tops?” he asked, leaning an elbow on the bar.
“Nah, they bottom, but they’re not masochists.” Kate accepted a white wine from Scott with a cordial tilt of her head. “I did a scene with them to introduce them to the club. Sandra, the taller one, can take a bit more than Ruby, the one with all the ink, which isn’t saying much. Besides, they’re het, so they’re really not for me anyway.”
James was once again happy that he wasn’t bisexual. It was hard enough to find one person that fit you as well as you fit them. Finding two partners and making a triangle work to everyone’s satisfaction could be insanely difficult.
As he pondered this, James felt a soft hand stroking his arm and turned around in irritation to come face-to-face with Sonja.
“Good evening, Master,” she purred.
He did not return her sultry smile.
“First of all, you shouldn’t touch a Dominant uninvited. You’ve been in the lifestyle long enough to know that,” he snapped. “Second, you don’t use ‘Master’ unless you have a commitment. You may call me Sir or Master James. But you know this already.” He turned to Kate. “Who’s Dungeon Monitor tonight?”
Kate grinned. “Captain Connor.” Without any preamble Kate grabbed Sonja by the upper arm and hauled her over to the DM.
Captain Connor was true to his Scottish heritage. He was wearing a leather vest and a kilt. On his belt hung a coiled whip and a sheathed knife. With his big bulk and long hair, he looked like he’d just stalked off the cover of a historical Scottish novel. He liked genital torture, whipping and wax play and was also known for his devious punishments.
James turned his back on the scene unfolding behind him. Sonja was notorious for Topping from the bottom, and somehow he’d become her favorite target to goad. He wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of watching her punishment, knowing she’d only turn it into a performance aimed at him. Maybe other men thought her games were cute, but he wasn’t one of them. A bit of sass was attractive. Hell, he liked a challenge as much as any Dominant, but he would never let himself be manipulated. More than anything else, he liked honesty in his partner.
Like Laura, who, even angry and afraid, could not help but be honest. In her words. In her expressions. In her responses…
There I go again, damn it.
Chris was late and James wasn’t going to sit around and wait for him. He needed a distraction. Time to grab himself a willing submissive and lose himself in a scene. James pushed himself away from the bar and wandered over to the new girls.
Per his usual, Chris strode into the club late. He scanned the main area. On his left, Sonja stood in the corner with cat’s ears on her head, a tail hanging from her naked behind, and a tear-streaked face. Chris admired the beautiful contrast of her black hair and ebony skin with the white tail and ears. By the way Captain Connor was pointedly ignoring her, she was being punished. Chris gave him a chin lift.
The Scot spotted him and walked over. “She pissed off yer friend. Came on a little strong for his taste.” Connor still had some accent, with a rolling ‘r’ and long held vowels.
Chris chuckled. It wasn’t the first time Sonja had gotten herself in this kind of trouble. She wasn’t a bad woman and could be a good submissive, but she was too eager for a committed relationship. As an independent businesswoman, she longed to submit, but often topped from the bottom.
He eyed the long furry tail. “Butt plug? ”
Connor grinned. “Aye. Huge one, with minimal lubrication and no stimulation. She will remember this lesson tomorrow and probably the day after as well.”
Chris laughed and slapped the Scot on his back. After the Scott returned to his sentry position, Chris swaggered over to Kate, who was sitting with her back to the bar, propping herself up on her elbows while scanning the room. On the nearby bench sat Peter, gazing longingly at the stern woman.
Chris embraced Kate and whispered in her ear. “Why don’t you admit you secretly want to submit to me?”
She hugged him back. “Not a chance. But if you ever want to feel the whip, I’d love to show it to you, you shameless flirt.”
He shuddered in mock horror and gestured with his head to the bench.
She followed his movement and sighed. “Peter, you mean? I’ve played with him before. We’re not compatible at all. He’s much more into lust than pain, and he wouldn’t handle my needs for a female partner well.”
Chris snickered. “What man could turn down two lovely women?”
Kate smacked the back of his head and his snickers grew louder as he rubbed the spot.
“Where’s James?” His eyes did a furtive sweep of the room before returning to the beautiful woman besides him. Damn, he wished she was submissive.
Kate gestured to the back of the room. “Doing a scene with one of the new girls. Shall we take a look?”
Chris lifted her off the barstool and swung her around in a playful circle before placing her on the ground, earning himself another irritated smack before she threaded her arm through his and they walked off together
James longed for a spark to ignite his senses once again, but his mind stayed empty and hollow. After a brief introduction and some negotiation, he buckled Ruby to a St. Andrew’s cross and gave her a light flogging.
She was reacting fine, but something was missing. There was no connection between them. From the negotiation, their preferences seemed similar. She was willing and wet.
Yet his head wasn’t in it, and his dick hadn’t stirred. Since when could he do a full-blown scene without getting a hard-on? Damn it, with Laura his dick had been hard for most of the time they were together.
James sighed. He had a submissive to take care of. He would do his duty as a Dom and get the hell out of here.
After James drove the girl into her second screaming orgasm, he freed her from her bonds and planted her in a comfortable chair, snuggled in a blanket. The chair was practically the same as the one his grandfather had, with a high padded back and sturdy armrests.
Great, now I’m thinking about grandfather .
His libido wouldn’t even begin to rev up. Chris helped him tidy the scene area and James kept an eye on the girl. Sub drop could happen even after a light scene, and he wanted to be there if it did.
“Aren’t you going to fuck her?” Chris asked. “She sure looks willing.”
James shrugged and glanced ruefully down at his fly.
Chris followed his gaze. “Oh man, you’re in serious shit. Those screams probably made every dick in the room stand to attention.” He glanced at the couple standing closest to them and nodded politely. “Present company excepted.”
Henry and Lincoln smiled back at him. They had never announced a public relationship, but they were as serious as a couple could be without a collar or a ring.
“And here you are,” Chris went on, “limp as a noodle. That laundromat fling really broke you, man. You’ll never be able to get it up again without the sound of sexy sloshing in the background and the scent of borax in the air.”
“Shut up.” James walked over to the submissive. She was snuggled comfortably in the blanket and her eyes were clear. “How do you feel, girl?” he asked, handing her a bottle of water.
“I’m great, Sir. It was a wonderful experience. Thank you,” she replied.
“What did you like about the scene?” he inquired. He might not want play with her again, but knowing more about her preferences could help to pair her up with a more suitable Dom.
They sat together for a while, discussing what had worked for her and what hadn’t. She was alert and focused, able to express herself clearly and advocate for her needs. James was fairly certain she would be fine.
As they said their goodbyes, James realized she thanked him for the orgasms but didn’t offer to return the favor. It reminded him of what had attracted him to Laura besides her looks and submissiveness – her giving nature.
He called farewell to his friends and went home.