Chapter 1 #2
Shay turned, running a hand through his damp hair. “I need a haircut. Badly.”
“You need to get yourself a pair of clippers, brother. Life gets so much easier,” Rory said, running a hand over the stubble of his buzzed hair.
“Yeah, but not everyone can get away with looking like a gang-banger. The cyclists and marathon-running former geeks of Silicon Valley would back right out the door if you turned up for a meeting.
Rory grinned. “What are you talking about? The tech crowd should be good with me. Put me in a some chain mail, and I look just like a World of Warcraft avatar, right?”
Shay laughed. “I didn’t say they don’t want to be you. I said they don’t want to meet you.”
Rory shrugged. “Looking respectable stopped being a priority so long ago I can barely remember what that was like. Hey, where’s Nikki?
She never misses a role play, and she’s the one who asked me to get in on this little game.
She was such a good girl last week for me, I wanted to reward her. Then she’s not even part of it.”
“I think her plans for the night got changed.”
“Why’s that?” Rory asked, looking around. He hadn’t heard about any other big group scene going on. And other scenes could’ve been scheduled around the night’s big role play.
“D sent her on a mission.”
“Outside the club?” Rory asked, surprised. Getting the young female submissives safely to the club and home was a well orchestrated operation. If someone was going to leave the club during play hours on an errand, it wouldn’t normally be a twenty-something girl.
As Shay and Rory walked down the aisle between scene staging areas, various club members called out their appreciation for the role play’s execution. Shay and Rory nodded acknowledgment.
“That’s why,” Shay said, inclining his head at a girl standing with Nikki just inside the curtains that concealed the entry way.
Now what do we have here? Rory thought.
The girl’s body was the kind he loved best. Hour glass and juicy. Nikki was really beautiful in her own way, but so thin that Rory held back on some of the things he’d have done to a girl with more flesh to protect her.
The girl turned her head and spotted them. When her eyes met his, her full lips parted and she dropped her gaze. A moment later, she glanced up through her lashes, then looked away again. He knew that look. Hunger tightened his muscles and curled lower.
“If you’re going to send a fairy on a quest, that’s exactly the kind of treasure you want her to come back with,” Shay said.
“Amen, brother,” Rory said, still watching the girl.
She wore a pale yellow dress that showed off her tan skin and dark hair.
She was on the tall side and had probably chosen the thin-soled flat shoes as a result.
The strap around her big toe had a little yellow and white flower on it.
Fuck. He didn’t have a foot fetish, but he wanted to suck on every inch of her, including her feet.
“Look at those flowers on her shoes. Looks like a garnish.”
Shay chuckled. “Agreed. Definitely edible.”
“Who found her? Nikki?”
“No, Randall.”
“Randall? The English guy?”
Shay nodded.
“He doesn’t train subs, does he?” Rory asked. “He’s not around much.”
“He doesn’t, but not just because he’s gone a lot. Doesn’t have the temperament for it. He’ll be the first to tell you. Breaking in sub virgins doesn’t appeal to him. He goes in for really rough play and likes to push it. Training subs takes time and patience.”
“Who’ll be D’s first choice? D himself? You?”
“I don’t know. He’ll choose after he talks to her. You know D.”
“I do know him. Gotta watch myself in that office. Might start crying and drinking milk, talking about my childhood and shit.”
Shay barked out a laugh. “Yeah, I could just see that.”
Rory grinned. “Let’s go say hello.” He watched as D approached Nikki and the girl.
“Can’t. Got a scene.”
“What? Now? You’re like a machine, man.”
Shay shrugged. “What can I say? It’s tough to be popular,” he said with a wink.
Rory nodded, registering what Shay said a couple beats late because he’d been watching D take the girl toward his office. “Later.” Rory said and strode away.
He didn’t head to D’s office immediately. Instead he walked through the curtain to the entryway where Nikki was taking over from the sub who’d been manning it.
“Hello, Master Rory. I’m very sorry I missed the scene tonight. Did it go well?”
“People seemed to think so. Would’ve been better if you’d been a part.”
She smiled, dropping her eyes for a moment before looking up. “I try.”
“You could be an actress. Ever try that?”
“A little community theatre,” she said with a nod. “It’s fun. But not as fun as doing a scene in the club.”
“Nothing is.”
She smiled again.
“Shay said D sent you out to bring back a potential club member.”
“Yes. Kate.”
“Why’d he send you? She skittish?”
“Yes, but not overly so. She’s not conflicted about what she wants.”
“Good. What does she want?”
“This,” Nikki said with a small smile.
“Yeah?”
“From what I can see, she’s kind of perfect for the club.” The phone rang. “Excuse me, Sir,” Nikki said before she picked up the phone, her hoop earrings swinging. “Thank you. I’ll alert her that you’ve arrived. She’ll be down in a minute,” she said into the phone and then hung up.
“How long till you’re done with coordinating the pick-ups?” Rory asked.
She glanced at her tablet’s screen. “Another hour. All the unaccompanied subs will be in the club by nine.”
“Find me later if you want to do a role play scene, just you and me.”
Her face lit up. “Really? Two in one night…that’s incredibly generous of you, Master Rory.”
He shrugged. “Gotta make sure good girls get rewarded,” he said.
Master D was handsome, articulate, and rather distinguished. If asked to guess, Kate would’ve put him in his mid forties. He could easily have been a buff version of one of her professors.
He asked questions in a low voice that had her leaning forward.
He wanted to know about her background and former BDSM experiences, but his interest didn’t put her on edge.
She found herself talking about things she’d never told anyone.
When she got a little tearful, he was sympathetic without causing her to break down further.
“After what happened with my last—with Brandon, I tried to just go back to fantasizing. To reading books and blogs and things. But after awhile it wasn’t enough. And I guess, too, I got over what happened. Mostly I have, I think.”
“You’re quite brave, Kate.”
“Oh, I don’t know.”
“I do,” he said firmly. He smiled at her then. “Let me tell you a little about us and then if you’d like, a tour.”
“Master Randall said that I’d only have a tour if we decided I’d become a member?”
“I’m anticipating that we’ll both think that a tour’s appropriate.”
Her lips were dry. She smiled and licked them. “I hope so. And thank you.”
He nodded. He explained that the club’s membership fees were percentage-based with more affluent members paying more than those who hadn’t accumulated as much wealth.
She flushed. “I hope to be successful enough one day to be among the group that pays higher dues, but at the moment—” She flushed.
“That’s fine. A girl in school may pay just a few dollars a year as a token.
” He looked at her intently. “I don’t want you to get the wrong impression though.
It happens that more of the dues come from the club’s Dominants, but we do have a few submissives who pay a great deal as well.
This is not a situation in which anyone is paying anyone else to participate in anything.
We strongly discourage the club’s Dominants from buying gifts for the club’s submissives and prohibit monetary gifts.
Money, when one doesn’t have enough of it, can be coercive. Do you understand?”
“You don’t want someone like me, who’s on financial aid at an Ivy League school, to feel like this is a way to finance college?”
“Exactly. I never want you to feel like you’re prostituting yourself, but it goes beyond that.
I want you to extend your limits when and if you decide you’re ready to do that.
I don’t want you to feel that whether you can afford your rent is dependent on changing a hard limit to please a club’s Dominant.
That’s a dangerous and slippery slope. This is a club for like-minded people to satisfy their needs and cravings.
And that’s all it is. No one is ever going to pay your rent or your tuition.
And no one is going to pressure you into changing your hard limits. ”
She smiled. “I think it’s a good policy. A smart one.” She tucked her hair behind her ears.
“That being said, the club has a good relationship with a couple of exclusive boutiques that provide some specialty clothing. The club has a dress code, so we have an account that covers part of the cost of that clothing. And that’s a discount that’s used by all members who choose to shop within those establishments.
It’s also not uncommon for members to donate to what we call the Clubwear Fund. So things can be very affordable.”
She nodded. “I didn’t know what to wear tonight. Master Randall said I should just wear a dress that suits me.”
“And you did. Well done.”
The tap on the door made her glance over her shoulder.
“Come,” Master D said.
The door opened, and He was there. The guy who looked like he belonged in a Fast and Furious movie.
“Rory, this is Kate. She’s thinking about joining us. Kate, this is Master Rory.”
“Welcome,” he said.
“Thank you,” she murmured.
He had the most amazing hazel eyes. She realized that she’d been staring at him for a little too long and dropped her gaze, biting her lip.
“D, Talia wanted to know if you need to cancel your scene with her?” Master Rory asked.
“No,” D said, glancing at his watch. “Kate and I are almost done talking. J’s going to explain more when he takes her on a tour, assuming she’s inclined.”
“Yes, very,” Kate said to D, her cheeks still warm.
“J’s all the way over on Dungeon Row,” Master Rory said.
“He won’t be long. Rory, you’ll look after Kate while she waits?”
“I’m not here for the Canada Dry,” Rory said with a glance at the mini-fridge in the corner.
“Good,” Master D said, taking Kate’s hand. “I’ll see you in a little while.”
“Thank you, Master D.”
“Of course. We’re happy you’re here.” To Rory, D only inclined his head before he left.
Master Rory, who was shirtless, was so sculpted he could’ve been in an illustration in an artist’s anatomy book. He had a black sun tattoo on his shoulder and barbed wire circling his enormous bicep. He took her breath away.
“Want something to drink? D goes for the ginger ale, but he’s got other things in there.”
“I am thirsty,” she said, moistening her lips.
His gaze lingered on her mouth. “How about hungry? There’s food in the lounge.”
She shook her head.
“Shame. Seeing those lips wrapped around anything would be a show worth watching.”
She swallowed, unable to meet his gaze. She felt like her entire body flushed.
“Name your poison. Strictly non-alcoholic while there are still decisions to be made.”
“Um,” she said. She was having trouble focusing. She’d lowered her gaze and now she couldn’t tear it away from his six pack.
“Why don’t I choose for you? Since you’re busy,” he said mildly.
“Sorry,” she said, dragging her eyes up. “You’re just—”
“What?” he asked, moving to the front of the desk and leaning against it.
He was close enough to touch. She tucked her fingers under her legs as a precaution.
He leaned forward and caught her chin in a firm grip and then tipped her face up. “I asked you a question. Answer me.” His voice was so forceful it took her breath away.
“Like a fantasy come to life.”
“Which fantasy?” he asked.
“All of them,” she whispered, staring up into his eyes.
“Hope she invited you to put hands on her?” a voice said from the doorway.
“She did. An unspoken invitation,” Rory said, brushing his thumb along her jaw before he released her face. “Unless I misread things. Did I, Kate?”
She swallowed and shook her head, her jaw still tingling from where he’d held it.
Rory stood, bringing his body close enough to lick. Then he moved away, and she finally turned her attention to the man in the doorway.
“Um, hi,” she said, standing up. “I’m Kate.” She extended a shaky hand.
The man in the doorway was handsome, too. In the same way that D was. Tan, fit, nice features. He was probably in his early forties, though it was hard to tell. He was very tall, maybe six-four or six-five.
“Kate’s thirsty,” Master Rory said, pulling her attention back to him. “You got here too soon. I never heard what she likes to drink.”
“Water’s fine,” she said softly.
Master Rory got a bottle, unscrewed the cap and handed it to her.
“Thank you.”
He nodded. “I’ll see you later.”