by Claire Marta
But they needed to talk to Zana, too. See if he could access a membership file for Casey at The Secret Garden Club and learn how she was registered.
Hopefully, he’d still be up.
Because Tobias had ordered them to lessen risk where they could, Malik and Iosefa rode the bus home. They found Zana in the communications room that held the monitors for the Citadel’s security cameras and banks of computers.
He was watching porn online.
“Good,” Iosefa said. “You’re still up. Does anyone else know what you told us about The Secret Garden Club?”
They’d asked him to be discreet, but if someone had come in before he could switch tabs on his computer, they’d certainly have asked about it. While Zana might stretch the truth, he would never outright lie.
“No,” he assured them. “I have done as you asked. Not even Tobias knows. I’ll let you be the ones to tell him.”
Malik and Iosefa exchanged a look.
“Could you hack into the club’s database?” Malik asked, glancing over his shoulder to make sure the door was still closed.
Zana scratched his stubbled chin, his lips pursed. “I could…”
“We need you to search for Casey’s membership application to see how she identifies herself. If possible, we’d like to see her list of soft and hard limits.”
Eyes widening, the Persian began to laugh. “And what are the both of you going to do with that?” he teased. “You may watch porn like the rest of us but you don’t have any experience. Try to handle a firecracker like her and you’re bound to get burned.”
It was a risk. What he said was true. They were not trained Dominants. They were warriors who had only discovered kink and sex recently due to their new orders. Before, they had been celibate as their calling demanded.
The women who brought them coffee had offered their bodies, but they only wanted Casey. Apart from one night when Casey had been particularly cold and a pair of twin sisters had been just the opposite, they had been as chaste as knights on a Grail quest. The women’s blonde hair had reminded them of Casey, but with eager lips and questing hands. The willing, giggling females had found no shame in leading them to the alley behind the coffee shop and introducing them to sex. They’d fucked their faces and taken their pussies… while across the street, Morgan was having a panic attack. When she didn’t see them on watch, she’d called Zac and Aiden.
They were still living with the guilt. They had failed in their duty. They should have been there for her, and they weren’t. They could have waited. Could have had sex on any other day or night. The women here were very friendly. For whatever reason, they were attracted to their exotic looks. Malik’s robe of flesh appeared Egyptian. Iosefa was Samoan. They both wore facial hair which women seemed to like. More than one female had felt his stubble and stroked Iosefa’s beard and offered to pleasure them both.
But they had felt nothing with anyone compared to their reaction to Casey. From what Tobias had described, they believed that they had experienced the quickening—something that happened when you found your fated mate. Only one would cause such a change, and only joining with a fated mate would result in her transformation, the process that would allow their seed to take root and grow.
How sad was it to turn down such temptation when Morgan’s friend seemed to want nothing to do with them? Were they such fools to cling to her without a commitment?
“We can learn,” Iosefa pointed out defensively. “We’ve had centuries to perfect our crafts and trades. Why would this be any different?”
They might have the world at their fingertips through modern technology, but each of them had mastered an art or craft rooted in tradition. Zac knitted. Aiden was a master of board games from all different cultures. Malik did leatherworking and tooling. Iosefa made frame drums and played a variety of instruments. Cayden was their medic. His partner Killian was a mason and drywaller. Zana did cybersecurity but he had the heart of a Persian poet. Women swooned to hear him speak. Emmett was a scholar and teacher. Their artist Theo was responsible for finishing the renovations done by their rehab crew of himself, Iosefa, their electrician Aiden, and their drywaller Killian, with the others pitching in as time allowed.
“Got it.” Zana’s announcement interrupted Malik’s thoughts. “Look,” he said. “Here’s your female.”
Casey Andersson, age twenty-five. She was listed as an untrained submissive looking for a Dominant. Well, that was the good news. But her list of limits was intimidating, to say the least. They were going to have to look up many of them to see what she had marked as willing to try.
Clearly, their Casey had an adventurous spirit.
And she was unbelievably rich. The annual fee at The Secret Garden Club was a quarter-million dollars a year.
Zana hit a tab labeled Rules and displayed them on the screen.
THE MISSION OF THE SECRET GARDEN CLUB:
To provide a safe space for discerning adults who are in the lifestyle to connect and interact with other like-minded people who share their passions and interests. Members must be aged twenty-one years or older, without exception. We welcome those who are new to the community and those with extensive experience who are willing to share their expertise.
This is a very exclusive private club. Members in good standing may bring a vetted guest for one time only. After that, the guest must pay the annual membership fee of $250,000 before they are again allowed entrance into The Garden.
A color-coding system is in place to help identify members’ preferences. Respect their choices. If you see someone who interests you, check the color that they’re wearing. If it matches your needs, approach and ask respectfully if they are free and willing to play in The Garden with you. Permission is mandatory and safewords will be respected. Hired hands (floor monitors) and Master Gardeners (Master Dominants) are authorized to enforce rules and maintain a drama-free zone. Members who violate rules will have their membership suspended until the event is reviewed. A favorable ruling will reinstate a member with full privileges. A warning will result in the loss of some privileges or contact, the nature of which and duration of the sanctions to be determined by the governing board of directors. Certain acts can result in expulsion from The Garden without refund, without appeal, and with a permanent ban from rejoining. There is no place for a bad Gardener here!
IN GENERAL:
There will be no bullying or kink-shaming in The Garden. Members are required to play nicely with each other. The use of a safeword stops play immediately. Disrespectful behavior will not be tolerated.
Appropriate dress is required—tuxedos for men and fetishwear or lingerie for women and male subs.
Confidentiality is key. Every member will wear a mask, which must be put on before entering the building. Every member will use an assumed name. Every member must address other members by their assumed names to ensure their anonymity.
Anything that happens in The Garden stays here, even if you correctly guess who someone is. Breaking the oath of confidentiality will result in immediate expulsion from The Garden, loss of membership, forfeiture of membership and rental fees, and permanent banishment from The Garden and any of its properties.
There will be no plowing of fields in the public spaces. Cultivation is limited to private rooms, which can be rented for the year for an additional $50,000 per annum, depending on availability. Current renters have the first option to renew but the rental must be paid in full with the annual membership on or before the anniversary date.
Valet parking, car retrieval, cell phone checks, and coat checks are available at the reception desk. Lockers are available in the men’s and women’s changing rooms. The Garden is not responsible for personal items left in lockers. If you choose to use them, you do so at your own risk.
We ask that you keep all areas clean. Fresh towels and sheets are provided for your use. If you don’t see them, ask. Nudity is allowed but there will be no nude sitting except on a covered surface (towels and sheets ar
e available or you may bring your own).
Respect the property at all times. Check equipment before use and report any issues to the staff. Use equipment sensibly and take care to maintain it. Equipment should be cleaned and sanitized after each use. Deliberate abuse of equipment will result in a warning at the least, expulsion at most.
Toys, implements, and consensual adult behavior are permitted with the following exceptions: No scat, golden showers, or rainbow showers. Blood play is allowed in assigned spaces with prior arrangement made for cleanup.
You may bring your own linens and tools or use public items that are available.
Ask before engaging in consensual activity with another person.
Illegal drug use and excessive alcohol consumption are not allowed in The Garden or on its properties. Possession of a cell phone, taking photographs, and making any audio or video recording are strictly forbidden. Lockers are available for personal items, but items are left at your own risk. As an added service, cellular devices may be surrendered to the receptionist and claimed while waiting for a valet to retrieve your car.
If you are asked by Staff to leave for unacceptable behavior, please comply without argument or resistance. Your return to The Garden will be discussed, and you will be notified. We are committed to keeping this a fun, drama-free private club.
RULES OF ENGAGEMENT
No touching without advance permission. The “Don’t Touch” rule extends to toys, implements, and linens belonging to a member. If they offer to show you something, look but don’t touch unless you have been given express permission to do so.
Proper etiquette is a must. Respect the space, respect the players, and respect their kink. If you are uncomfortable with what’s happening, it is up to you to leave the area and move elsewhere. If you believe that something is unsafe, tell a floor monitor (hired help) or a Dungeon Master (Master Gardener).
No means no. The use of a safeword stops play immediately. If you plan to do consensual non-consent, advise the floor monitors and make them aware of the safewords or signals that will be in use during play.
Be quiet when observing scenes in The Garden. Do not interrupt play. Do not attempt to join the play unless the Top specifically invites you into the scene.
Leave adequate room for the Top to conduct a scene. If you are asked to step back, do so promptly and voluntarily or the Staff will see that you are transplanted.
Save conversation for designated areas that include the bar, the dressing rooms, and the front parlor. You can relax here, listen and ask questions about BDSM or various techniques. See what stirs your interest and learn where you can observe things first-hand. There are theme rooms in The Garden that may appeal to you. Some equipment can be reserved in advance.
Scenes do not end when the action is over. Unless your comments are solicited, hold them until aftercare is done and Tops have attended to their bottoms. Offering anything more than a brief remark requires a return to one of the aforementioned designated conversation areas.
Most of the play will be SSC (Safe, Sane, and Consensual), but some fetishes and practices in The Garden will fall into the RACK (Risk-Aware Consensual Kink) category. Again, if you see something that disturbs you, simply leave the observation area and go elsewhere. Kink-shaming is not allowed.
This was Casey’s first year as a member. She still hadn’t found a Dominant. Malik and Iosefa were not the only men she shunned. Control issues? he wondered. Did she resist putting herself at the mercy of men out of habit, because she’d been hurt in the past, or was it something else? Something more?
“Can you make us copies of all this?” Iosefa asked Zana. “Send them to our email addresses, please.”
A few keystrokes later, and PDF documents for her membership, her limits, and The Secret Garden Club rules were on their way.
Just in time. Footsteps sounded in the hall. Zana minimized his window and had it opened to the page with the hockey schedule when Tobias opened the door and came into the room. He looked at Zana, then focused on Malik and Iosefa. “Good,” he said. “You’re here. I was on my way to find you next. Killian and Cayden have dispatched the vampire. With renovations behind schedule, they’ll be alternating twelve-hour shifts with Zac and Aiden to cover Morgan Leviss. You two will be working on the guest suite. It must be ready by next Tuesday. You can go back to the nursery after that. I want the nursery and classrooms completed well ahead of when they’re needed. What you do in your spare time is your business as long as it doesn’t reflect badly on the cadre or endanger another, but I’m asking you to step back from Morgan’s friend. Given what happened in Las Vegas, she was lucky to make it out unscathed. Next time, it might not end well.”
Malik felt his breath seize in his chest. If they couldn’t watch over Casey, how were they to learn if what they felt was a true quickening or just lust? How would they discover if she was their fated mate? If there was any chance for them at all, they needed to pursue it, with or without Tobias’s blessing. Mate or no mate, once they were certain, they would either tell him what they’d found or try to forget they’d ever met.
But first, they had to be sure.
“It will be announced in the morning at assembly,” their superior continued, “but there’s an underground fight taking place the day before Thanksgiving. Some of the Order of the Dragons from Las Vegas are on the card. They’ll be the Citadel’s first guests in the suite that you’ll be making. They won’t be here except to sleep that night and maybe have breakfast before they fly home, but we want to make them welcome. Gael’s already looking up Tex-Mex, Thai, and Indian dishes. They like spice in their diet, the hotter, the better.”
Malik nodded. “As you wish, Tobias. We’ll get started straight away.”
Seemingly satisfied with their response, the cadre superior left, headed in the direction of his office.
“What about Casey?” Zana questioned when the three of them were alone.
Iosefa ran his fingers through the thickness of his beard. “Zana, we need you to keep what we’ve asked you to do a secret. No one can know.”
The Persian nodded. “As long as no one asks me, I know nothing.”
With that promise, they left him and headed to their shared apartment.
As soon as the door was closed, Malik turned excitedly to his partner. “We are quick to study and the faster we learn what Casey likes, the more chance we have of mastering our wildcat and her body.”
Iosefa was already padding towards the laptop. “Let’s do a search and see what we come up with.”
Finding Zana’s email, he clicked open the PDF file of Casey’s list that the Persian had sent.
An investigation with the search engine yielded more information than they had hoped for. There was a huge online community of kinksters in the lifestyle, with blogs, discussion groups, and pages. They also had online videos of scenes as well.
They needed reliable sources. People who understood and could pass on their knowledge to them.
“Look here.” Iosefa pointed at a site. “NYAfterDark seems to be some kind of association we can join.”
Malik took control of the mouse and bookmarked the page. “I see a reference here to gardening.”
Clicking on the entry he’d spotted, they looked over the thread which had been posted by someone called Precious Pet who mentioned how much she missed her Master Gardener. It was indirect. Something that could be easily overlooked if you didn’t see the double meaning. She reminisced about how they loved to garden in the nude, how many tools he had, and how deliciously sore she would be the next day.
With their awareness of The Secret Garden Club, it made sense that the members would be secretive. But if Precious Pet was part of The Secret Garden Club, she might know Casey.
CHAPTER SEVEN
“I’m going to send her a private message,” Iosefa murmured. “Perhaps she can help us.”
Typing off a long note explaining that he and his friend were curious about the lifestyle and wishe
d to know how to become good Doms, he sent it off. He was not expecting the reply that came a few minutes later. The response was guarded at first. Precious Pet asked questions of her own regarding why they were interested.
Iosefa and Malik decided to be as honest and open as possible. They explained they were new to BDSM and wanted to explore the world of fetishes and kink. The messages bounced back and forth between them in a discussion that lasted a good hour.
“She has invited us to a munch Sunday evening,” Iosefa exclaimed excitedly. “I am not sure what that is but the address she has given is a church.”
Malik took the details down on his phone. “We will find out when we get there.”
The next few days were spent working hard on their given tasks and researching Casey’s list of kinks online. By the time Sunday came around, both Malik and Iosefa were overflowing with questions and a need to know everything. They had made certain their evening was free and they were not scheduled for patrol duty. Even though Casey was no longer being watched, the entire cadre still needed to be vigilant and protect her roommate Morgan from harm.
*****
They learned through the internet that a munch was a social gathering for those interested in the BDSM lifestyle. Taking their bikes, they drove to the location with hopeful hearts.
Finding a parking spot, they saw a group of people making their way up the wide, front steps. The stone church with its original stained glass windows looked like it might predate the Civil War. Small by modern standards, it was large enough to hold a few hundred people. Best of all, it had gargoyles directing water away from the building and watching over all who came.
Inside the auditorium, only the two front rows of pews remained, facing a large, stone altar. Banks of candles were lit, adding a golden glow to the incandescent lighting. The buffet tables offered a selection of appetizers, finger foods, and desserts. Another table held cups and dispensers for coffee, tea, and spring water. There was a line at the wine bar, where attendees could choose from red, white, blush, and champagne.