Chapter 2
Chapter Two
Brian
Sitting next to Rae was pure torture.
Note to self: move faster next time so I can choose my own damn seat.
It felt like the universe was shoving them together as the only two single people.
Thankfully, no one else seemed to notice or think anything of it, but he was hyperaware of her beside him…
and it was nearly impossible not to peek down the low-cut front of her dress to see the curve of her breast. He couldn’t look at her without seeing it unless he kept his gaze trained strictly above neck level.
Which was hard to do when her dress’ neckline was so enticing.
Get it together, asshole.
Thankfully, there was plenty of group conversation to help distract him from the tempting beauty on his left—talking over the options for ordering, the server coming by to tell them the specials and take drink orders.
Then, of course, once they had all their orders in, the conversation turned to talk of the week.
Brian leaned back, resisting the urge to put his arm along the back of Rae’s chair.
If she’d been any other woman, he would have.
But he couldn’t. It felt too… close. Zach was on his right, and Kincaid already had his arm along the back of Zach’s chair.
Brian felt scrunched in, but there was nothing he could do about it. He couldn’t spread out.
“Tomorrow, we have our spa day, right?” Avery asked, looking across the table at Domi.
She was practically bouncing in her seat.
As Sous Chef and Executive Chef at the same restaurant—which was also attached to their kink club—she and Nick hardly ever got to get away together, much less for almost an entire week.
Nick had his elbow resting on the back of her chair, his hand buried in her blonde hair, a fond expression on his face as he watched her profile.
All of which made Brian even more aware of his inability to put his own arm out because he and Rae didn’t have that kind of relationship.
Being single in a group of couples wasn’t fun. Being single in a group of couples where the only other single was someone he was desperately attracted to and couldn’t have was infinitely worse. For a whole week. At least they would be separated tomorrow.
“Spa day for the ladies and beach day for us, right?” Brian asked. Having the first day separated from the women would be good. He could get a hold of being so close to Rae without being so close to Rae.
“Yes. We’re thinking of doing a little volleyball,” Mitch replied, leaning forward to see past Domi and Rae. “There’s supposed to be some nets set up and equipment for anyone to use.”
“Sounds good,” Kincaid replied. “A little friendly competition.” The heated look he shot Zach was filled with promise, and Brian wouldn’t be surprised if they had a little side bet going on tomorrow. It looked like getting away from home was already doing them some good, which was a relief.
They made a good couple, but Zach struggled with his sexuality, not to mention his needs as a sadist and occasional Dominant.
Kincaid was completely comfortable being bisexual and was always the Dominant in their relationship, so they had to find other ways for Zach to get his needs met.
Brian hoped they could make things work, though, and not just because he didn’t want a shake-up in their friend group.
In so many ways, they were really good together.
They just seemed to be missing some essential piece that would help everything click into place.
He just wished he knew what it was so he could help.
Maybe this trip would do the trick.
Besides, he couldn’t even help himself, so he wasn’t really in a position to be trying to help out someone else’s relationship.
“I can’t wait for tomorrow,” Rae said, reaching over with one hand to rub the shoulder closest to Brian. “I need a massage so bad. It’s been way too long since my last one.”
She’s not talking to you, he told his cock, which had perked up with interest at her desire for a massage.
First of all, she wasn’t talking about getting her pussy massaged, and second of all, he would probably be the last person she’d accept a massage from, even if she wasn’t getting a professional one tomorrow.
Despite his first instinct being to reach over and start massaging the spot she was rubbing, he managed to keep his hands to himself.
It was something he would do for anyone…
anyone but Rae. Because the opportunity for misinterpretation was high.
Not to mention, if his arousal was stirring just thinking about giving her a massage, he could only imagine his body’s reaction to actually getting his hands on her again.
Yeah.
He had a problem when it came to her, and he was willing to admit it—there just wasn’t anything he could do about it.
“Is there a plan for after dinner?” he asked, mostly to help get his mind off Rae’s need for a massage and the way her fingers were currently pressing into her shoulder. He could do a better job. If she’d let him.
Which she wouldn’t.
Which drove him up the fucking wall.
“I think just exploring the resort,” Domi said, glancing at Mitch for confirmation. He nodded, leaning in to leer at her.
“Exploring the resort… exploring you…” He winked.
“I’m pretty sure you’ve already explored every inch of me,” she retorted with a roll of her eyes, though she couldn’t keep the smile from her lips.
“I’d better make sure. Go over everything again, just in case I missed something the first time.”
Next to Brian, Rae sighed. He glanced down at her but couldn’t see her face. She was watching Mitch and Domi, so her head was turned away from him. He could guess, though. He bet she was feeling the same yearning he was.
Dammit.
If only he’d been able to convince her to give him a try, to let him be her Daddy Dom, this entire trip might be very different.
Rae
Dinner next to Brian had been pure torture.
It had been hard to be right next to him among all the couples, all while thinking…
what if? After sitting next to him for so long, it felt like her entire right side was tingly and extra sensitive.
They hadn’t been able to avoid brushing against each other multiple times, and every time someone to the right of her had talked, she’d had to look past him to see them.
Talk about brutal.
Fortunately, Domi seemed to think everything was fine, so Rae knew she was covering it up well. Linking arms with Rae, Domi gave her a little squeeze as they walked into the building with the Dungeon.
“I can’t wait to see this place,” Domi said, her eyes alight. On the other side of her, Mitch shot her a sideways glance before his apologetic gaze flicked up to Rae. She grinned back at him.
She fully expected him to steal Domi away at some point this evening.
She would be disappointed if he didn’t. And she was a big girl; she could entertain herself.
She’d been going to Stronghold and Marquis long enough to be comfortable in a club situation, even if it was around strangers.
Plus, she doubted all their friends were going to scene immediately.
Playing third wheel to whoever was available was also something she’d become accustomed to.
Everyone walked around as a group first, admiring the Dungeon.
The building was huge, easily as big as Stronghold, but with quite a few differences.
Stronghold was actually three floors, while the Hideaway Dungeon had two.
The main floor was dedicated to the usual equipment, but there was a large hole in the ceiling where those on the second floor could look down onto the play area.
When they went up to the second floor, they found dedicated stations for certain kinks. Unsurprisingly, Law and Iris veered toward the station where a Dom was using electricity on his submissive. That was Law’s favorite kink, and according to Iris, he was damn good at it.
Rae went with Domi and Mitch to watch a cupping scene, but when that was over, Mitch whisked Domi away down to the first floor where they could play—though not before dropping Rae next to Kincaid and Zach, who were watching a fire play scene.
She stood to Kincaid’s left while Zach was on the other side of him.
“This looks like fun,” Kincaid murmured as the fire-whipping portion of the scene started. It was beautiful to watch, but Rae wasn’t sure she would describe it as “fun.”
Zach apparently agreed, going by his response. “I don’t know who you think you’re going to be whipping with fire, but it’s definitely not me.”
Beside her, Kincaid chuckled. She might be imagining things, but she thought his chuckle sounded a little strained. Before she could think too much about it, her gaze lifted to a newcomer on the other side of the scene…
Brian.
Watching her from across the moving strands of fire, his eyes were just as hot as the whip.
Rae’s insides clenched as their gazes clashed.
He was watching her rather than the scene, and for a long moment, she couldn’t look away.
Eventually, she dropped her gaze, forcing herself to focus on the whipping.
The fact he could draw her attention when something so interesting was going on was a testament to how much he affected her. And holy fuck, did she resent him for it. Dammit. He shouldn’t be able to affect her like that.
But every time she raised her gaze and found him still looking at her, her body heated all over again, as if she was the one on fire. Honestly, it took a lot of the fun out of watching. She didn’t want to be watching. She wanted to be doing.
Specifically, she wanted to be doing Brian.
Get over it, girlfriend. You know it’s a bad idea.
They wanted two different things out of a relationship.
He wanted to be her Daddy Dom, and the idea of calling someone Daddy made her want to gag.
She was happy it worked for other people, but it was so not her kink.
Just the idea of trying to call someone other than her father ‘Daddy’ made her stomach turn over with nausea. But that was what Brian wanted.
Needed.
She couldn’t meet those needs, so she wasn’t going to try when the outcome was inevitable heartbreak.
Right, because not trying is so much less heartbreaking.
If only he would give a little on what she called him… but as far as she could tell, it was an integral part of his needs. She’d happily call him Sir. Or Master Brian. Just nothing that implied a fatherly relationship.
She couldn’t do it.
Which meant she couldn’t do him. Again.
It had been hard enough walking away from him after nothing more than a play scene. She couldn’t imagine how much harder it would be after actually dating.
The Dom running the scene finally finished, stepping up to his submissive and running his hand down her back, leaning forward to check in on her.
The moment was heart-achingly intimate. It made Rae yearn for things she couldn’t have right now.
Even if she did meet someone down here, it wasn’t like they could start a real relationship.
Her mood was dipping, despite being in a kinky Dungeon resort.
It was time to call it a night and get some sleep, and hopefully, tomorrow, she’d have a better outlook on life…
and this trip. Especially after getting a massage.
Tonight, she was tired from traveling, unpacking, and…
sitting next to Brian during dinner. That’s why she was struggling.
Yawning, she stretched and smiled at Kincaid and Zach. The audience around them was already breaking up.
“I think I’m going to head back to my room,” she told them. “I’m more tired than I realized.”
Immediately, both men were frowning down at her. Zach might switch for Kincaid, but it was like her statement had flicked a switch, and he’d gone into full Dom. His and Kincaid’s questions overlapped on top of each other.
“Are you okay?”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m fine,” she reassured both of them. “Just tired and not really feeling up to meeting someone new and negotiating and all that. You know how it is with all the travel and everything.”
“As long as you’re sure you’re okay.” Kincaid was still frowning, and Zach wasn’t much better. The two of them were tall, looming presences that made her feel all petite and protected, which was very nice in some circumstances, but right now, it just made her feel even more tired.
“I’m good.” She gave them a cheeky thumbs up. “Seriously, guys. Go have fun.” She yawned again, letting her jaw stretch as she covered up with her hand, so they could see she was serious. Not that she was faking the yawn—it was very real—but she might be exaggerating it a bit.
The two Doms glanced at each other. Yeesh. It was a good thing they were together instead of tag-teaming some poor woman. This amount of bossy testosterone would be hard to counter.
“I don’t think you should go back to your villa on your own,” Kincaid said. “We can walk you back.”
“Absolutely not. You guys should stay here and enjoy yourselves,” she said, crossing her arms stubbornly over her chest and shaking her head. “I don’t want to interrupt your night.”
“It’s not an interruption,” Zach countered. “We can always come back here after. It’s not that big a deal.”
“It’s also not that big a deal for me to go back to my villa on my own.
There are golf carts right out front, with drivers.
It’s not like I’m going to be all on my own.
This isn’t Stronghold or Marquis; you don’t have to make sure I get out to my car okay, much less back to my villa.
” It wasn’t like the clubs back in D.C.; they didn’t need to chaperone her or anything.
She hated the idea of inconveniencing them, but the desire to go was getting stronger.
They both frowned harder at her. Stubborn Doms.
“You’re going back to the villas?” Brian’s voice came from behind her.
Rae somehow managed not to groan. Of course, he’d come over and heard the discussion because that was how her life worked. Though the fact he’d been staring at her from across the scene should have clued her into the fact that he was paying more attention to her than he should be.
“Yes, I’m tired and need some time to decompress, unwind, and get a good night’s sleep,” she said firmly, turning slightly to include him in the conversation without actually facing him. “Everyone else can stay here. It’s fine.”
“I can take her back,” Brian said over her head to the two Doms, as if she hadn’t just said it was fine. “You guys stay here.”
“Okay, great, that works,” Kincaid said at the same time Zach thanked Brian.
Great. Decision made. It seemed like her input on what she was doing wasn’t needed at all. Thoroughly annoyed, Rae turned on her heel and stomped toward the front door.
Freaking Doms always thinking they knew best.