Chapter 20 - Ciarán
Twenty -Ciarán
I had won Songwriter of the Year, as I expected.
Jordin had convinced me to go out to celebrate when Avian offered. But the second I stepped into Avian’s club, I knew this wasn’t what either of us expected. But I wasn’t mad either.
The energy in the air was heavy, sultry, and electric.
The lighting was dim, punctuated by red and purple hues glowing from the ceiling and hidden corners.
A faint bassline thumped in the background, paired with the occasional crack of a whip and the soft whisper of voices.
There were half-naked and fully naked men and women walking and crawling around the room.
I saw nipple clips, dildos, and strap-ons in every direction I turned, and it was mostly Black people. This was Atlanta, though.
I glanced over at Jordin. Her eyebrows had lifted slightly, and her lips parted just a bit as she took in the scene. The way her eyes darted around told me she was as intrigued as I was.
Avian was ahead of us, turning back with an amused grin that lit up her pretty face. “Y’all ain’t scared, are you?” she teased, tossing her thick braids over her shoulder. Her gold hoops caught the light when she laughed.
“What the fuck kind of club is this?” I muttered, my head on a swivel. To my right, a pair of women passed by wearing nothing but leather harnesses and thigh-high boots. To my left, a group of topless men lounged, their nipples pierced with silver clips. I winced just looking at them.
Avian smirked. “Fix your face, Ci,” she said, laughing and motioning for us to follow her deeper inside. “This is my kind of club.” She threw me a wink over her shoulder, her heels clicking against the polished floor. “Welcome to Obsidian. Every room here has its own… theme. You’ll see.”
Jordin shifted closer to me, her voice low. “Your cousin is wild as fuck, Cia…”
“Tell me about it,” I said, already feeling the adrenaline pump through my veins—'cause even with all this wild shit, a part of me felt like maybe this place knew something about me I didn’t.
Jordin kept glancing around like she couldn’t decide if she wanted to run or stay forever.
Avian led us into the first room, her voice lilting as she explained the layout. “Some folks in here like to watch. Some like to be watched. Some like both.”
My eyes hit the platform in the center of the room, and my whole body went still.
Two couples were tangled together—one woman riding a man’s face, smearing her pussy all over his lips, while another dude slow-fucked a thick girl from behind, gripping her hips tight, making her ass ripple.
Their bodies were slick with sweat, and they were all moaning loud, fucking under the spotlight aimed at them like they ain’t give a single fuck who saw.
Jordin’s hand brushed against mine, and I glanced over to find her biting her bottom lip. Her gaze was locked on the scene ahead. Something was swimming in her eyes—like curiosity, heat, maybe even jealousy. Like part of her wanted to climb up there and show out.
And fuck if that didn’t make my dick twitch.
Watching her watch them turned me on more than the scene itself.
Suddenly, I could see us on that platform—bare-ass naked, brown skin glistening under red light. I wanted to fuck her right there. Wanted to drag her to that platform, pull her dress up, bend her over…
“Come on, there’s more,” Avian called, interrupting my thoughts. I cleared my throat and snatched my gaze away from Jordin before I grabbed her. We were led out the door and down a hallway, then through a set of black curtains.
This room was darker, lit only by flickering candles. Chains hung from the walls, and a faint metallic scent lingered in the air.
“This is the restraint area,” Avian said, her tone casual, like she was showing us a new brunch spot.
“A lot of people like the idea of giving up control here.” Chains hung from the walls, leather cuffs dangled from metal frames in the corner, and a padded table with built-in restraints took up the center of the room like an altar.
I pointed toward the large X-shaped structure in the corner. “Yo, what’s that?”
Avian followed my gaze, then grinned. “That’s a Saint Andrew’s Cross. It’s used for bondage—keeps the arms and legs spread out, restrained. You can cuff someone to it, spank them, tease them, whatever you’re into. Classic tool for dominant play.”
I blinked. “That’s wild.”
She smirked. “You’d be surprised how many folks volunteer to get strapped up there.”
I couldn’t help but glance at Jordin again, wondering what she was thinking. Her face was calm, unreadable, but I could feel the tension rolling off her in waves. She was holding it together, only the slight shake of her hand giving her away.
Avian led us around a corner in the same room.
“And here’s the submissive section,” Avian said as we stepped in.
My eyes swept the room, trying to take it all in at once.
A woman was on her knees, head bowed as a man traced her jaw.
A man in silk shorts coiled at a woman’s feet like a pet.
Across from them, another girl lay with her head in a woman’s lap, eyes closed while her hair was being stroked slow and gentle.
A dude stood in the corner, arms behind his back while someone whispered in his ear and dragged a fingernail down his chest. Another woman was on all fours, licking wine off a tray while her man just watched, calm as hell.
Trust, power, obedience, control.
The air felt thick with it.
Avian turned to us with a smirk, but there was something else behind it this time—something unreadable in her eyes as she looked between me and Jordin. Almost like she knew something we didn’t.
“This is where I’ll leave y’all,” she said smoothly. “Looks like you two are real interested in this room.”
Her gaze lingered on Jordin a second too long, then slid to me.
“Wait—” I started.
“Nah,” she said, waving her hand. “I know these things. This? This y’all room. Ask the attendants for whatever you want or need.” She winked and walked off.
Jordin let out a low breath, her hand brushing her hair back. “This is… a lot,” she said, her voice quiet.
I nodded, scanning the room. “Yeah. You wanna leave?”
She hesitated, her gaze moving through the room.
“No,” she said finally. “Let’s stay a bit.”
We found a small couch near the back of the room, and I couldn’t help but watch Jordin as she sat, crossing her legs and adjusting her dress, it was tight, red and hugged every curve on her body. The tension in her shoulders was easing, but her eyes were still scanning, taking in every detail.
“What do you think about all this?” I asked, leaning back casually, though my pulse was anything but calm.
She glanced at me, her lips curving into a faint smirk. “It’s… interesting.”
“Interesting how?”
She shrugged, her fingers tracing the edge of her clutch. “I’ve never really thought about stuff like this. Submission. Giving up control. It’s not… me.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Never?”
“Never,” she said firmly. Her eyes met mine, a challenge sparking there. “What about you?”
I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees. “I could do it. For the right person.”
Her laugh was filled with disbelief. “You? Submissive? Please.”
“Why not?” I asked, my gaze steady on hers. “I’m comfortable enough in who I am to let someone else take the reins. It’s about trust.”
She tilted her head, studying me. “I don’t buy it.”
“You don’t have to,” I said, a smirk tugging at my lips.
Her gaze flicked over my shoulder, landing on a woman who was staring at us. She leaned closer, her voice low. “Stay here.”
Before I could ask what she was up to, she stood and crossed the room, stopping in front of one of the women. A light-skinned, petite twenty-something with hair down to her ass. They exchanged a few words, and then the woman nodded, her eyes darting toward me.
Jordin returned, her expression unreadable as she sat back down.
The woman approached us a few seconds later. She stopped in front of me, her head tilting slightly.
“May I?” she asked, her voice soft, her gaze flicking to Jordin before returning to mine.
I frowned, looking between them. “May you what?”
Jordin answered. “She’s asking for permission to do what I told her to. You said you could be submissive, right?”
My chest tightened, heat creeping up my neck. “What did you tell her?”
Jordin’s smile was slow and wicked. “Agree, and you’ll find out.”
I hesitated, rubbing the back of my neck as my mind raced. But the look in her eyes—a mix of challenge and something darker—was impossible to resist.
“No,” I said, licking my bottom lip. “I’ll only agree if you’re the one giving out the orders.”
Jordin’s smirk deepened. She stepped in a little closer, dragging her nails lightly down my chest. “You sure you want me to do that?”
“Yes,” I nodded, voice low.
She chuckled, soft and dangerous, then reached up to tug at the collar of my shirt. “You gonna do anything I say?”
“Yes. Do your worst, baby.”
She turned to the woman who had been waiting patiently.
“Can you show me how this works, real quick?”
A smile curved her pink lips, and she nodded. “I can do you one better since you’re a VIP. Follow me.”
Jordin and her disappeared through a door near the back of the room. I watched her go, my pulse pounding in my ears.
I was locked in place, barely breathing. Mind racing.
What happened when she came back?
My fingers tapped against my thigh, anxious now. The anticipation was a slow drag, the kind that made a man pace even when he’s sitting still.
I kept replaying the look in her eyes. The lust, the need. The want.
I swallowed hard, shifting in my seat. Too wired to sit still.