Chapter 27
Twenty Seven
Val
I couldn’t help but find myself constantly touching my collar. It had been three weeks since Kaden presented it to me, and I couldn’t get over the way I felt each time I touched it or looked into the mirror. Tonight, I was looking forward to showing it off.
The drive had been mostly silent aside from the review of boundaries and going over the stoplight system until I felt like I could recite it in my sleep.
Club Red wasn’t a neon-lit downtown dungeon for all who wanted to enter.
It was a discreet, beautifully built fortress nestled against a remote mountain backdrop.
The air up here was crisp and smelled of pine and snow.
Club Red felt less like a club for those who wanted to explore their fetishes and more like a high-end retreat for the beautifully broken.
Once parked, Kaden stopped the engine but he didn’t move. Instead, he reached up and rested his hand on the nape of my neck, his thumb sweeping over the collar as it rested perfectly in place.
When he finally spoke, his voice was low. “Nervous?”
I took a deep breath. “I feel terrified and yet at peace,” I admitted, glancing over at the giant wooden door garnished with detailed carvings I couldn’t quite make out because of the distance between us.
Kaden reached down and squeezed my hand before going over our safe words one more time. “Remember, red means stop immediately, yellow means slow down and check in, and green means to keep going.”
I nodded. “I promise, I didn’t forget.” I paused to gather my composure. “Let’s go in.”
The walk to the door made me feel as if I was headed to my final resting place, but one glance over to Kaden and I was brought back into the present, remembering all of the research and gentle play we had done at his place.
It felt weird to say it, but I needed more.
I needed the roughness and dreamt about the marks he would leave across my body.
Most importantly, I imagined the feeling I would have once he had finished.
The gentleness was no longer enough for me, the more we dove into our desires, the more I needed.
I felt like a freak, while also wondering if it was just the norm for some people.
When the massive door opened, the outside world vanished without a trace.
The air inside hit me with a wave of deep, pulsing music while hints of leather and smoke swirled around me.
the entrance was dimly lit, decorated in a rich mahogany and velvet, all of it whispered old money and deep secrets.
The vibe was what I had imagined some of the fancier clubs during the roaring twenties would hold in its clutches.
Not to mention the fact it was members only.
The exclusivity felt like holding a different type of power.
Now, I had heard about some of the other clubs in town.
Had Kaden proposed attending any of those, it would have been a hard limit.
There was just something about people having the ability to go in, bring whoever without any vetting, and the looseness of the rules that didn’t strike me as the type of place people should want to explore.
Something like that felt more like a place for posers than those who truly wanted to decode their dynamics.
I didn’t feel like this place put off any sketchy energy. Each person had to be vetted prior to their first visit, which included a background check. It gave me a sense of security knowing the people standing next to us were deemed safe to be around.
Kaden led me through the first series of halls, which weren’t uniform like I had expected. Instead, they were theatrical, each opening into a different themed scene. One hall was set up to look like a hospital and Kaden explained it was for medical and blood play.
We passed through one room where someone was laying down with their feet in stirrups.
When I realized what was happening I had a brief moment of judgment pass over me before reminding myself to each their own.
What was one person’s unease, was another person’s way to get off. Who was I to pass judgment over them?
Get it girl, I channeled my thoughts to be more positive.
Another room we walked past contained an intricate iron cage, which sat empty, waiting to swallow its next captive whole.
In another, a couple was engaged in an intense sensual massage, the room was drenched in a soft golden light and together their energy radiated out into the hall.
I was enamored and loved getting to be part of such a special moment and bond between two people.
As we began to pass another hall something caught Kaden’s eye and he pulled me back.
We wandered down the hall a little ways before coming to a larger room with a giant picture window for us to observe the couple inside.
I was taken back by the beauty on the other side.
She was suspended by a thick rope. Her body was a beautiful complex tapestry of knots.
Each wrap was carefully placed to lift and support her.
It was elegant, vulnerable, and she was completely composed as a living sculpture. I had never seen anything like it.
Seeing her took me back to when I was modeling.
The photographer never did anything this in-depth with me.
It was all simple knots and basic wraps.
“I’ve seen pictures, but I never realized how much I was truly missing out on,” I whispered, not taking my eyes off of her and the rigger.
I had so many beautiful photos taken, but all of it was a lie.
An act. I had to trust the photographer would free me if there were any issues.
My mind flashed back to the sterile studio, the flash of the camera, the smell of the vinyl props. The energy in those moments was so different. It was real.
“Is it?” Kaden raised his eyebrow. “I think the trust you would have for anyone to simply rig you up would be similar. You would have to trust the person, otherwise you shouldn’t be giving them a special part of you.
Where the additional trust comes in is the additional trust of the relationship and connection which would keep things going forward. ” He paused.
I smiled, interceding before he could finish his thought. “I want this, Kaden. I want it with you. Not for pictures, but the entire experience of the feelings and emotions it would bring with our connection.”
His hand settled on my lower back. “If this is an avenue you want to explore, my love, then we will. When you are ready.”
After about five minutes of watching, we moved on, finally arriving at the main area.
The energy running through the space was electric and vibrant.
The music pulsing through the floor and the sheer number of dynamic interactions happening simultaneously was hypnotic.
I was immediately struck with diversity – this wasn’t a single uniform scene – it was more like a festival of the human connection.