The Fire Saga (The Club)

by Katherine Rhodes

  “Insanely so.” He barely whispered the words.

  Tally reached beyond him and pushed the door open all the way. “Curiosity killed the cat,” she whispered back.

  “And what is this pussy cat chasing?” Liam turned his head so they were staring into each other’s eyes.

  “Whatever the mouse is offering.”

  “I’m a mouse, am I?”

  “If we’re playing the game.”

  “Are we?”

  “You want to fuck me.”

  “And you apparently want to fuck me.” Liam raised an eyebrow. “Tell me I’m wrong.”

  “Of course you’re not wrong,” Tally responded. “You are quite fuckable.”

  Finally, Liam showed his interest, slipping his hand up her back and wrapping it carefully around her neck. He stared at her for a moment in the close, dim light of the hall. To her great relief, his lips pressed to hers, and he sought her mouth with a hot, hungry—and curious—tongue. Welcoming his warmth and taste into her, she responded in kind with delight and anxious lust.

  She wanted this man so much. Tally had not been so reactive to a man since Simon—

  Don’t taint Liam with Simon.

  Tally enjoyed his kiss, and his hands as they gently massaged her neck and ass. She couldn’t stop the smile from interrupting the kiss. He raised an eyebrow. “What’s funny?”

  “How did your hand end up on my ass?”

  “You have a very fine ass that I’ve been thinking about since yesterday,” he answered. “Show me this room. You said it’s your favorite.”

  She leaned in, giving him a good hard kiss with every ounce of lust she felt for him, then backed off, leaving him flushed and fish-mouthed. Tally enjoyed the tease. Grabbing the tie he was wearing, she led him into the room.

  The light flickered on, and the room was bathed in a low, warm light that lent a comfort to the area. There was a bed on the right, sheets made, and Tally approved. All the little details in the room went completely unnoticed by Liam. He was transfixed on the reason why the room existed—a large, leather-covered saddle horse.

  He walked forward and circled the bench. Trailing his hand on the leather as he walked around, Liam was captivated by it. “What the hell…”

  “Fessée Privée,” Tally said by way of explanation. “Private spanking. That is the saddle horse. Or, that’s what I call it. Some people call it a paddle horse, or a spanking bench. You bend over and your master or mistress administers a few paddlings depending on…”

  “On what?” Liam’s voice had an edge of hysteria in it.

  “Oh whether you’re being punished or pleasured.”

  “People like to be hit?”

  “Oh, yes.” Tally walked around and stood on the other side of the bench from him. She sensed a bit of panic in him, and she knew he needed that distance between them. “There are different types of paddling and different types of paddles.”

  He visibly swallowed, resting his hand on the padding. “And you?”

  Tally smirked and looked at him from her lowered lashes. “Receiving, giving, pleasure, pain, punishment. I like it all.”

  “…shit.”

  Tally leaned forward on the horse and looked up at him. “Too much for you?”

  He shook his head. “No, I don’t think so. I just never imagined meeting someone who was so into this. This is all…a wet dream. A filthy dirty fantasy.”

  Tally moved to stand in front of him this time, leaning back against the horse. “I like filthy dirty fantasies, Liam.”

  He stepped forward and took her mouth in a hot, hard kiss. It overwhelmed her reason, threatening to wash away her sensibility. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him, feeling the impressive erection again against her thigh. “I don’t need dinner,” she managed to whisper into his brutal kiss.

  “I do,” Liam managed. “But you are tempting me, Beebee. So much.”

  “I know I’m a lot to take in,” she confessed.

  “Dinner, tomorrow night.”

  Damn. “I can’t. I have a prior commitment.” Double damn! “I’m busy this week. Can you hold out until Thursday?”

  “That’s mean.”

  She smirked. “It’s tease. But I have to go back to work for now. You can come back down and watch the fun. Or you can go. Whichever you prefer. But I want you to promise me something.”

  “What’s that?”

  She leaned in close and placed a hand over the erection straining against his pants. “I want you to go home, wrap your hand around that enormous cock, and think about all the filthy things we’ll do while you make yourself come.” Tally closed the gap between their lips and kissed him hard and deep—

  —then slipped out the door, leaving him panting and hard.

  Five

  Monday morning

  Liam opened his eyes slowly and saw the time projected on the ceiling. Ten minutes before the alarm, as usual. He quickly became aware of the painful, rock-hard erection that was tenting the sheets, and indulged in a dirty little smile. He’d have to take care of that.

  Again.

  As promised.

  With pleasure.

  A lot of pleasure. Beebee had left so many dirty thoughts in his head. It seemed like every time he’d thought of her, he instantly went hard. He’d never reacted to a woman like this. He’d always found them delightful and fun and loved having sex. But this woman was drawing out a beast he didn’t even know he had inside.

  After making his way to the bathroom and adjusting the water to the right temperature, the whole time with his hand occupied at his erection, he stood under the stream and let his imagination take hold. The fantasy starred Beebee, of course, and she was barely dressed. Liam wanted to see her completely dressed and suck her pert nipples into this mouth, teasing and toying with them.

  It seemed there was no end to the dirty things he could imagine doing with Beebee. It was worse after his Google search about BDSM. Letting his mind wander was a dangerous thing—he could see Beebee leaning over the saddle horse, ass-up. Tied on a bed or bench, just waiting for him. All the wonderful toys and tricks that the lifestyle seemed to contain all applied to the gorgeous, naked body his mind supplied for him. But the simplest things were the hottest, the most intimate acts—like licking her from ass to clit—that drove his hand the hardest over his shaft. And just the simple thought of her climaxing while she rode him sent him over the edge with a climax of his own.

  He leaned against the shower wall, palming himself as he came, and came down. He just didn’t know how he was going to make it to Thursday at this rate. His balls were going to dry up.

  Another erection threatened as he pulled into the garage below The Club just a little over an hour later. Just being near her work was enough. Liam took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. It wasn’t going be a good impression to walk in on the first day, the first face to face with Jet Mak and Tally Fremanis, with a raging hard-on.

  He rang the bell at the back of the garage and a moment later there was a large, hulking gentleman, dressed in a black, tailored suit, standing in the door. Considering that Liam wasn’t a small man, this guy had epic proportions. “Can I help you?”

  “Good morning. Liam Dunfrees. I’m here to start installing the new biometrics system. I have a ten a.m. meeting with Mr. Mak and Ms. Fremanis.”

  The giant’s stance softened, but he was no less ‘on guard.’ “May I see your ID?”

  Liam pulled out his Illinois state ID, and the giant studied it for a moment. “Mister Dunfrees, you’re expected. Welcome to The Club. You’ve sent in all of your paperwork very promptly and that was much appreciated.” He stepped out of the door to allow Liam room to enter. “We’ll make a quick stop at the security office and get you your access card. Please remember—there are no keys. If you don’t have your access pass, there is no way to get in or out of here.”

  “That’s why I’m here.” Liam nodded.

  Ten minutes later the giant of a guard,
who gave his name as Preston, handed him the badges and led him to the third floor, letting him to the Premiere Bar. Wordlessly, the door shut behind him, leaving him stranded in the bar.

  Surprisingly, there was already a bartender behind the counter, and oddly enough, the entire floor smelled like bacon and fresh baked rolls. The bartender walked over to him with a hardy, “Good morning, sir!”

  “Good morning. I’m here for a meeting with Ms. Fremanis and Mr. Mak.”

  “Ah, Mr. Dunfrees, yes,” he answered. “I was told you would be here this morning. Mr. Mak won’t be able to make it this morning, unfortunately. He expresses his regrets, but he and his new wife have jetted off again. Ms. Fremanis is waiting for you. Would you like anything before I show you to her office?”

  “No, thank you,” Liam said, and the bartender motioned him to the door at the right of the room.

  Once through, he pointed to the second door on the right. “Please knock. Ms. Fremanis is waiting for you.”

  Liam stepped to the door and knocked sharply three times. He heard a woman’s voice call out permission to enter. Stepping into the room, he was greeted with a windowless, warm, neat room that spoke of comfort and a good amount of wealth. There were rich woods, and yet it was lightened by the touch of a woman who was very much aware of being a woman.

  Tally Fremanis stood behind the desk adjusting something on the shelf. She wore a tailored suit that hugged in all the right places. Her ass was fantastic in the skirt and Liam found himself thinking he’d like to see the legs that went with it.

  “Good morning, Ms. Fremanis.”

  “Good morning, Mr. Dunfrees.”

  He froze at the voice while the woman there turned around.

  “Beebee.” His voice caught on her name.

  “My bar nickname,” she answered, walking to the desk to take her seat. “Sorry for the deception, but I stay in character when I’m serving the drinks. It has a purpose.”

  Liam was torn. “It was an act?”

  “I didn’t say act, I said I stayed in character.” She motioned to the chair. “Please sit.”

  “Is this job a farce?”

  The woman there rolled her eyes. “Liam, please sit. The job is very, very real. And what happened on Saturday, as well as everything I said, was real as well. Beebee is the name I use when I’m at the bar. I have to keep that up through the whole night. Most people don’t know that Beebee is actually me, and it works. This lifestyle is scorned and mocked. Finding and helping people who need what it offers is one of my goals with this club.” She leaned forward. “Surely after what happened on Saturday night, you did your research.”

  Liam finally sat. “Yes, I did.”

  “And you understand the need for the non-disclosure.”

  “Yes.”

  She looked down at the desk and picked at the blotter. “I am sorry about the deception.”

  “Are you?” he asked.

  “Yes, I am,” she snapped. “Believe me or not as you choose. I trust it won’t get in the way of your job here.”

  Liam held up a hand. “Sorry. I’m sorry. I just truly did not expect to find you here in this office. I wasn’t ready for it. Because all I’ve done all weekend is fantasize about you. First thing’s first. What the hell do I call you?”

  She laughed. “You can call me Tally all the time except when I’m serving at the bar. My full name is Tallulah Belle Fremanis, and if you ever use it, I will put your dick in a CBT device for three weeks and make you piss sitting down.”

  “Good God!” Liam laughed. “Fair enough. Tally it is.”

  Tally smiled at him. “Good. I’m glad we understand. I truly am impressed with your qualifications for this job, Liam. I need your expertise in this place. Our security system is lacking badly and I want to make sure that everyone in here feels comfortable. There have been some undesirables meandering through.”

  “Undesirables?”

  “Curious onlookers who don’t understand the difference between the lifestyle and rape. Or sodomy. Or assault.” She placed a picture in front of him. “That poor woman was attacked in one of the private rooms by someone who didn’t understand that he wasn’t sadist, but a misogynistic abusive asshole.”

  Liam picked the picture up. The woman had a split lip, a bruise on her cheek, one on her arm, and a cut above her eye. “God, someone did that to her?”

  “Yes,” Tally said. “In some cases you will find bruises willingly given, willingly taken. The key here to this being an attack and not a scene gone wrong is that she’s got that fat lip and cut over her eye. We do not allow skin to be marked or broken in such a manner. If you are caught doing such thing on the premises, you are not only ejected but sent to the police. We won’t have it.”

  “And you shouldn’t.”

  “Exactly. So in an effort to make sure that people here are safe and comfortable and unencumbered with that danger, we are beefing up the security. Hence, you.”

  Liam nodded and considered the picture. The woman looked so sad, so hurt. And that picture added another layer of his confidence in taking the job. There might be people who enjoyed it, but this woman he was staring at was a victim. “Do you have any ideas?”

  “Your résumé and proposal jumped out at me because of your experience with biometrics. As I understand the less expensive version of that is the finger print ID. I think that retina scan and facial identification is too much for what we want.”

  “Well, that’s why I’m here. I’ll need to assess premises, in the daylight, and figure out where your vulnerabilities are, and what kind of security system would best suit the needs. I’ll also need to see your current security system. From the control room.”

  “Yes, of course.” Tally picked up the phone. “Preston. Mr. Dunfrees will need access to the security room and system. Starting today. Very good.” She put the phone back on the cradle. “How long do you think you’ll need to case our joint and give a recommendation?”

  “About a week,” Liam said. “Just because I want to see all the various potential situations you could have where the security is an issue. And, um…you have a unique situation here that I’ve never tackled before.”

  Tally smiled. “I wouldn’t imagine you had. Still, I think that I made the right choice.”

  “I’d like to get started right away.”

  “I wouldn’t expect any less.” Tally stood from her chair and made her way to the door. “Jet…Mr. Mak…and I will get the final say on what systems you install.”

  “Of course.” Liam joined her at the door. “It’s your choice, I can only strongly recommend a particular system.”

  “Very good.” Tally rested her hand on the knob and Liam found them just inches from each other. He could smell her—raspberries and sweet cream, and he had to take a deep steadying breath. This was his boss for now. He really needed his libido to not instantly send “hard-on” to his dick. But she shot that to hell in the next sentence. “I am looking forward to Thursday night.”

  Liam was confused. “I would have thought—”

  Tally shook her head. “I am sorry about the charade. I take the security of this club very seriously. I take the comfort of our members very seriously. I need to stay in character as Beebee. But you have to remember that I am Beebee.” She leaned in closer. “And everything I said on Saturday night is the truth.”

  “Including the spanking?”

  “Oh, my, yes.”

  “And wrapping my hand around myself.”

  “I certainly hope you haven’t disobeyed that.”

  “Oh, I wouldn’t dream of it.”

  “Good.” Tally’s eyes roamed his face, and a smile spread over her own. “I will keep dreaming about it being my hand.”

  “I hope it will be yours soon,” he answered. Shit, what is it about her?

  Tally leaned in even closer, and in a heartbeat, captured his mouth with hers. Slipping his hand up behind her head, he kissed her with all the pent-up frustration of the past day—a
nd the lust that was rushing all the blood in his body straight to his dick. It was delightful to taste her, and tease her, and had it been up to him, he would have swooped her off her feet, found one of the private rooms, and spent the day fucking each other senseless.

  But even though it was him crushing her body to his, it was more than apparent that she was in charge and they stayed rooted to that spot. She led him on, into the kiss, for a good long time, her want and desire carefully controlled. She broke the kiss slowly, enjoying his little nips at her lips to try and entice her back. “You are an excellent kisser, Mister Dunfrees,” she whispered.

  “I have an excellent partner.” He didn’t want to let her supple body go.

  Her posture released. “I can’t do this right now, Liam. I have a client and a club to attend to.”

  “I didn’t expect you would. I’m fine with dinner on Thursday,” he whispered into her ear. “As long as I still get to fantasize about you while I make myself come.”

  “Permission granted.”

  Six

  Thursday night

  Tally looked at herself in the mirror for the tenth time in five minutes. Adjusting the necklace she always wore, she realized she really had not been this nervous in years. Tally Fremanis was going on a vanilla date with a guy she could not fully explain her attraction to.

  Usually, when she came across someone who had a lifestyle vibe as strong as Liam’s, she asked them to lunch. If they were curious to the right degree, she’d offer a tour. If they were still interested, she would invite them back to the Voyeurism Magnifique for what she liked to call “open mattress.” And if they were still interested, she would start to work on matching them up with one of the doms for a lesson, either as sub or a dom.

  But with Liam…she had felt a magnetic draw to him. He didn’t just let out the ‘curious’ vibe. He let out a ‘please help me’ vibe—the kind of vibe that was displayed in his nomadic lifestyle, his willing deference to authority—that Tally had seen in very few. He was incredibly handsome, and, as she’d found out several times during the week, a very good kisser. He’d starred in most of her fantasies since she’d first met him.