Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
This isn’t a good idea, Gin. Truly not a good idea. Sure it was Saturday night—but she should have just stayed home. Gin followed Becca into the rustically decorated Serenity Lodge and up the flight of stairs to the private floor where Becca, Logan, and their baby lived.
“Kallie and Jake had the other half of the top story, but when they moved out, we remodeled,” Becca said. “We expanded our living room, kept theirs as a playroom, and turned their bedroom into a nursery.”
Women filled the living room, and Gin froze for a second, remembering every miserable moment of being the new girl in school. Her executive father had relocated the family three times. After he left, her mother had moved them another three—each time she hooked up with another man.
As a social worker, Gin was comfortable meeting new people. But being a new person in a circle of old friends wasn’t exactly the same. Just shoot me now.
She summoned a pleasant expression and followed Becca.
“Hey, you made it!” To Gin’s relief, Kallie was present. Seated on a lounge chair, the brunette waved. “I’m so glad. Virginia—known as Gin—meet Rona and Abby from San Francisco.”
Abby had fluffy blonde hair and a flawlessly white complexion. The huge leather couch she occupied seemed to engulf her. She gave Gin a welcoming smile. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“Welcome,” Rona called. She stood in front of the fireplace holding a black-haired baby a few months short of a year. A scarred-up German shepherd rested his weight against her legs.
“A baby.” Delighted, Gin walked across the room.
The dog rose in warning.
Uh-oh. Gin stopped and held her hand out, wondering if her fingers would get nipped right off. “Hi there. May I have permission to visit the baby?”
“Thor, it’s all right,” Rona said.
The dog ignored Rona and sniffed Gin’s fingers. Finally, its tail wafted back and forth. Permission granted.
“Thor, it’s all right,” Becca called belatedly. “Gin is a friend.”
With a light whine, Thor sat back down.
Obviously Becca’s dog. Gin studied the baby’s black hair and blue eyes, then turned and asked Becca, “Is this your baby?”
“He’s my munchkin, Ansel,” Becca said, beaming. “Doesn’t he look just like Jake and Logan? He’s a Hunt male from head to toes.”
“And he’s a charmer.” Rona motioned toward Becca. “Like his mother—not his father.”
Although Becca laughed, Gin frowned. What did that mean? Was Logan nasty?
“Here, why don’t you hold him?” Rona passed Ansel to Gin. “I need to finish dressing, and you look as if you could use a baby fix.”
“Oh, there’s never a question.” Gin gathered the little boy closer.
Gurgling happily, Ansel bounced and reached for her loose hair.
How she’d missed holding babies. Gin kissed the top of his head, inhaling the baby powder fragrance. “Aren’t you a little honey?”
Rona opened a jewelry case on the coffee table and pulled out earrings before glancing over. “That’s not a Virginia accent I hear, is it?”
Gin pouted. She’d thought her accent was fading. “I was born there—hence my name—but grew up mostly in Georgia and South Carolina.” Then Louisiana and Alabama after her father had walked out.
“Ouch.” Rona reached over to pat her shoulder. “It’s difficult to be moved around so much, isn’t it?”
At the ready sympathy, Gin’s last discomfort faded. She should have known that Becca would have nice friends.
“Here, I’ll take the monster child while you get out of your coat.” Kallie lifted Ansel and blew bubbles on his bared tummy, making him squeal with laughter.
Gin dragged off her knee-length coat and took the baby back. “Did the nasty woman call you a monster-baby? What was she thinking?”
The silence registered. She looked up. “What?”
All eyes were on her attire. Becca frowned.
Gin’s heart sank. Well, spit. Even after days of trying to decide what to wear, she’d obviously picked wrong. But, how could she not? She owned clothes suitable for nightclubbing in a big city. But this party was going to be held in a barn. And yet, Kallie had said to wear something sexy.
Honestly—a barn?
Gin had managed fairly well, she’d thought. Her best lo-riders were paired with low-heeled boots—barn, right?—and a frilly, somewhat cowboyish, shirt.
Trying not to pout, she checked the women’s attire.
The corsets and bustiers showed off breasts.
Kallie had on a short, short skirt; Becca’s was ankle-length, but slit every few inches so ample amounts of skin teased the eyes.
Rona wore fishnet stockings and a skintight, leather skirt that molded her ass.
Gin’s gaze turned to Kallie. “I do believe our perception of what constitutes sexy must be worlds apart.”
Every woman burst out laughing.
“Becca.” A tall, black-haired man strolled in the room. “Are you ladies about ready to leave
At first, Gin thought he was Jake, but no… Jake was easy-going, his attitude relaxed. This man was the opposite. In fact, he could give the hard-faced inmates a run for their money in sheer intimidation. Surely this wasn’t Becca’s Logan.
As if in answer to Gin’s concern, he curved his arm around Becca.
Becca was still frowning at Gin. “I’m going to need another fifteen minutes—someone needs better clothes.”
“No,” Gin protested. “I don’t.”
Ignoring her completely, Becca confided in her husband. “You know how much I love to dress people up.”
A brief smile transformed Logan’s face as he squeezed his wife. “Sugar, you must not have had enough dolls as a girl.”
To Gin’s dismay, he turned to look at her. His steel blue gaze did a slow head-to-foot of her clothing—and he was obviously unimpressed. He walked over. “Logan Hunt. And you’re Virginia?”
“Um, yes. But it’s Gin.” Just being friendly, he was as terrifying as Atticus in a bad mood. She had to force herself to meet his gaze. “It’s very nice to make your acquaintance.” Lie, lie, lie.
He took his son, ignoring the tiny fist bouncing off his chest. “Your first BDSM party?”
Oh no, he wanted to talk? She gulped. “Aside from the camping trip, my first everything.”
Not only did his face have scars, so did the powerful hands holding the baby. Yet, Ansel chortled and kicked with no fear of his father. “I heard you had an introduction to rope. Would you like me to set you up with Atticus again?”
“No!” When Logan’s eyes narrowed, she realized she’d been overly emphatic. “It’s really fun to meet new people.”
“Is it now.” His tone said he knew she was bullshitting him.
Lordy, Atticus should be his brother instead of Jake.
“Well, pet, since I’m one of those in charge of the party, why don’t you tell me what you’re looking for in a play session and—after Becca dresses you up—I’ll help you find someone.”
“I…” Talk about being put on the spot. Shi-sugar. “No rope.”
“You didn’t like being bound?”
Oh, but she so had. She could still feel how Atticus had trailed the ropes over her skin, his gaze watching as her whole body roused. The way he’d wound the strands around her, taking more of her will with each binding, returning pure sensation. She shivered.
An eyebrow went up, and Logan smiled slowly. “But not this time, I see. Perhaps something simple. Flogging?”
She shook her head.
“Spanking is about as basic as it gets.”
Her cheeks turned flame-hot. Dear heavens, she didn’t even know him, and he asked if she wanted to be spanked? Even worse, her thoughts had immediately gone to Atticus. Of being held… Stop that. “Um…”
Logan waited her out, second by second, until she nodded.
“It’s a start. I’ll help you negotiate a scene with someone.” As he left the room without waiting for her answer, Gin gaped. His statement had sounded more like a threat than a promise.
Too late to go home. “Oh, dear,” she said faintly and dropped down onto the couch next to Abby.
Abby took her cold hand. “I know how you feel. The first time I met Xavier, he told me he wanted my breasts and showed me what nipple clamps were all about.”
Gin stared at her. “Seriously?”
“The funny thing was…” Abby tilted her head. “The clamps didn’t fluster me nearly as much as my first experience with a Dominant.”
Across the room, Rona was nodding. “Exactly. After talking with Simon the first time, I almost tripped trying to retreat. Needing to get my head back on straight.”
Gin felt the muscles in her shoulders relax. “I’m glad I’m not alone.”
“Not even close.” Abby patted her hand. “As for the clothes, Becca dressed me up the first time I came.”
“Me too.” Kallie grinned at Becca. “Besides, there’ll be city submissives there, flaunting their fetwear at us backwoods types. We have to pull out the stops to keep up. So you can’t let the home team down, right?”
“Well,” Gin said. “When you put it like that…”
Atticus had commandeered a corner of the barn to think and watch the BDSM scenes from a distance.
Apparently, Gin wasn’t going to take him up on his invitation.
He hadn’t wanted to pressure her after he’d been such an asshole, but maybe he should have tried harder.
Dammit, every time he saw her, he wanted her more.
If he showed up at her house and asked her to accompany him here, would she shut the door in his face?
Undoubtedly.
Then again, nothing chanced, nothing won. The worst she could do would be say no.
Before he reached the door, he was intercepted.
“Atticus. It’s good to see you again.” One of Dark Haven’s most powerful Doms was accompanied by another man.
“Simon. Did you bring your pretty wife?”
“Of course.”
Of course would always be his answer, Atticus knew as they shook hands. Simon’s love for his submissive was a legend among the Dark Haven people.
Simon motioned to the man beside him. “I don’t think you’ve met Xavier Leduc. He owns Dark Haven.”
Atticus had heard of the owner of the BDSM club who was called my liege by the San Francisco submissives.