by BJ Wane
Camille hadn't eaten since lunch and knew she should help herself to some of the enticing finger foods being offered, but her stomach was too jumpy with nerves, nerves stretched too tautly to eat right now. A strong drink would go down easier and go a long way toward bolstering her courage towards trying to finagle an invite into the sex room, which is where she needed to be if she hoped to catch Steve on camera.
"Could I have a screwdriver, please," she asked the good looking, twenty-something bartender who materialized in front of her the moment she sat on a stool at the far end of the shiny, mahogany topped bar.
"Coming right up," he answered with a smile before his gaze shifted up and behind her. "Hey, boss. Can I get you your regular?"
"Thank you, Tony. Camille, isn't it?"
Camille closed her eyes in disbelief as the effect of that voice washed over her with the same results as the one and only other time she heard it a few months ago. Her nipples became painfully tight, her sheath embarrassingly damp, her face flushed. She knew when she turned around she'd look up at least eight inches above her own five foot six height and encounter gunmetal grey eyes that held the potential of seeing way too much for her peace of mind. Swallowing past the lump wedged in her throat was difficult, but not as difficult as turning around and forcing herself to respond.
"Declan Whitmore, Nate's friend?" He was as devastatingly handsome as she remembered, but dressed in black jeans and a sinfully tight black tee shirt, his face sporting a sexy five o'clock shadow, he resembled a bad boy biker more than the polished attorney she was introduced to by both Eve and Nate.
"Dec to everyone except my parents." Dec thought he was doing an admirable job of hiding his surprise at seeing Eve and Nate's friend in his club, the same friend who had snared his attention and his curiosity the one time he met her. "Thank you, Tony," he said when Tony set their drinks in front of them. Nodding toward Camille, he added, "On the house."
"Yes, sir."
Camille shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "Thank you." Damn it, did this mean an end to her plans already? She had not counted on running into anyone she knew tonight, and especially not this man whose brief introduction had affected her in a way no one since her husband had. She assumed her astonishing, unaccustomed reaction to him the first time they met had been an anomaly, but obviously not.
Dec slid onto the stool next to her, asking. "What brings you into my club tonight, Camille?"
Setting her drink back down without taking a sip, her eyes flew up to his in surprise. "Your club? I thought… when he called you boss, I assumed you might moonlight as the manager…"
Cocking his head, he wondered why she was so flustered over him owning the club. "Owner, manager and sometimes bouncer, all rolled into one. But you haven't answered my question. Somehow, I didn't picture you as the type who would be interested in the club scene, especially a sex club." He sipped his drink, watching closely for her reaction at his mention of sex.
Camille averted her eyes from that intense, probing look, hoping he didn't notice the way her nipples were pebbled into prominent pinpoints she feared couldn't be disguised by her bra and clothes. Just hearing the word sex from this man had her responding in a way that both thrilled her and scared her. She knew she would have to play along if she wanted to get into the other room, the room where all that alternative sex he mentioned was taking place and where she hoped to find Steve. "You don't know me, so I don't know why you would assume I wouldn't be interested in a place like this." Her brow furrowed as a thought occurred to her. "From what Eve said, you're a successful attorney. Why bother owning a club?"
"I like being the boss."
Rolling her eyes, she tried again. "Let me elaborate, why a sex club?"
His grin held mockery when Dec answered. "Let me elaborate. I like being the boss when it comes to sex."
"Oh." Flustered, she sipped her drink, taking a moment to think about that statement and wonder why it sent a shiver of unease crawling up her spine. "I'm surprised you have the time to practice law and run a club."
"Taking on a hard to win case can be as stimulating and fascinating as a willing and submissive woman, which makes finding the time easier." Dec enjoyed the blush stealing over her pale face and the spark that lit her blue eyes and replaced her discomfort. Whether she wanted to rebuke him for that statement or ask him to elaborate wasn't clear.
"So you prefer your women cowering at your feet, calling you Master?" She couldn't keep the sarcastic bite from her tone even though she knew her attitude could prevent her from getting any further tonight.
"As long as they obey the rules, there's no reason for women to cower from me, and no," he added when her eyes widened in horror, "that doesn't mean physical abuse like you're thinking."
"And if they obey the rules?" she asked, her interest piqued despite her disdain for what he was saying. After catering to Greg's every whim for almost three years only to have him betray her with heartbreaking callousness, she couldn't fathom why any woman would allow herself to be subjugated in such a way.
"Then the rewards can be very… pleasurable."
Oh God. The way he drew out that last word then swept his eyes down her body had a strong effect on her happy places. She knew when she first set eyes on him this man was out of her league, but she didn't realize just how far until now. She'd gone years without interest in men or sex. Why this man was all of a sudden responsible for arousing both her interest and her body was completely unfathomable. Despite his good looks and panty dampening body, he wasn't her type. Or rather, he wasn't what her type used to be. But it wasn't his attributes responsible for the strong urge to turn around and run back to her car, but the way he focused that intense grey-eyed look on her, as if he wanted to peel away all her shields with slow precision, layer by layer, until she was laid bare, both physically and emotionally. If the need to free Bethany and Joshua from Steve's threat wasn't stronger than the desire to run and hide from that look, she would be high tailing it out of here right now.
Seeing an opening, she had to respond quickly, before she changed her mind. "That's why I'm here, to explore new ways of pleasure."
***
Hell, the woman couldn't even say the word pleasure without tripping over it, Dec mused, finding her naivety both amusing and challenging. For someone who sent out 'off limits' vibes as easily as his scotch slid down his throat, what made her think a sex club was what she was looking for? She was as much of an enigma as her reason for being here tonight. Dec never could resist working on a puzzle until he put the last piece in place or solved the last clue. Holding out his hand, he invited, "Come have a bite with me. I haven't had time for dinner tonight and you look like you could use some sustenance."
Dec had recognized Camille the minute she entered the room, watched as she made her way to the bar, her striking face framed by hair the color of his finest burgundy wine turning more heads than his. Heads those vivid blue eyes ignored as easily as she had dismissed his interest at their initial meeting when he had walked her out to her car from the hospital room of a mutual friend, Eve Sawyer. There have been a few times in the past two months he found his attention wavering when an image popped into his mind of this woman bent over a spanking bench or her world class figure she couldn't disguise with her penchant for loose clothing strung up and on display in the other room. But he never dreamed she'd show up here in the flesh.
Handing her a plate when they reached the buffet table he said, "There isn't anything I don't like, but the shrimp quiche and bacon wrapped meatballs are favorites. Fin, do you remember him? He makes those at his restaurant."
At the reminder of their first meeting and who introduced them, Camille stopped halfway down the buffet and looked back at him, worry etched on her face. "Uh, look, I'd really appreciate it if you wouldn't mention my being here tonight to either Nate or Eve. It could be awkward for me, and Nate'll insist on an explanation I don't want to give."
"He the big brother you never wanted?" Dec a
sked, knowing only that Camille had been Nate's sister's best friend at the time of Leah's death when she was just eighteen.
"Yes, something like that. So…"
"I don't kiss and tell, Camille, not even to my closest friends. Let's take that table and you can tell me what brings you here."
Dec, Nate, Fin and Wes had been as close as brothers since the first time they met in boarding school at the age of six. For thirty-three years the four of them had remained close, bonded even tighter as they spent their youth devising ways to embarrass or just plain piss off their wealthy, socially elite parents, and then traded in that fun pastime for exploring their interest in kinky sex together when they got into college. They had each refused to follow in the footsteps of their parents and were all much happier for having gone their own way. Even though there wasn't anything he wouldn't do for any of them, Dec honored the privacy most players in his club needed and desired.
The space between the seating area around the fireplace and the bar held tables and padded chairs on rollers. Pulling one out for Camille, he sat across from her and gave her no time to think before questioning her. "How long have you been interested in exploring alternative sex?" Grinning, he pushed a glass of water toward her when his question caused her to sputter around her first bite and she had to wash it down before answering.
"Are you always so blunt?" she asked crossly, wishing he'd just accept her interest at face value. She had never been a good liar.
"It's the best way to get answers. By your reaction, I'm guessing this interest is fairly new. What's happened? Your sex life get boring all of a sudden?" Once again she averted her eyes. That evasiveness usually sent up a red flag for any experienced Dom, but for some unfathomable reason, he didn't want to let her reticence force him to send her on her way without giving her a taste of what she'd come to his club to explore.
"Is baring my soul a requirement for visiting your club?"
Dec took a few bites of food, pausing before answering so he could get the irrational urge to go caveman on her and demand she open up to him or face the consequences under control. Wanting to know how she'd respond to those consequences was almost as strong as the desire to dish them out.
"Trust is essential when dabbling in alternative sexual practices, and honesty is essential for gaining that trust. Have you ever been tied up, spanked, played publicly?" An image of her tied spread eagle on a bed with Dec staring down at her naked body popped unbidden into his mind and had his cock stirring even though he'd already had sex once tonight.
"No," she stated, uncomfortable with the warm rush of pleasure infusing her and thinking it best to answer the easy questions truthfully. "Is that what you do in the other room?" She wondered if the images flitting through her mind were responsible for that warm flush or whether it was the direct, focused look in his steely grey eyes that had her sweating.
Dec smiled, seeing the intrigue in her eyes she couldn't hide, the pink tinge on her face that told him her imagination was placing her in the other room and her slight shifting that indicated her body was on board with those images. Because he found himself as captivated by her tonight as he had been on their last encounter, he did what he'd never done before, ignored her evasive reticence. At least for the time being.
"Finish eating and I'll show you."
***
Look for the rest of Camille's and Dec's story in Bind Me To You, coming soon from Blushing Books®.
BJ Wane
I live in the Midwest with my husband and our two dogs, a Poodle/Pyrenees mix and an Irish Water Spaniel. I love dogs, enjoy spending time with my daughter, babysitting her two dogs, reading and working puzzles. We have traveled extensively throughout the states, Canada and just once overseas, but I much prefer being homebody. I worked for a while writing articles for a local magazine but soon found my interest in writing for myself peaking. My first book was strictly spanking erotica, but I slowly evolved to writing erotic romance with an emphasis on spanking. I love hearing from readers and can be reached here: [email protected].
Recent accolades include: 5 star, Top Pick review from The Romance Reviews for Blindsided, 5 star review from Long & Short Reviews for Hannah & The Dom Next Door, which was also voted Erotic Romance of the Month on LASR, and my most recent title, Her Master At Last, took two spots on Amazon’s top 100 lists in BDSM erotica and Romantic erotica in less than a week!
Visit her Facebook page here:
https://www.facebook.com/bj.wane
Visit her blog here:
bjwane.blogspot.com
Don’t miss these exciting titles by BJ Wane and Blushing Books!
Blindsided - Virginia Bluebloods Book 1
Bind Me To You - Virginia Bluebloods Book 2
Surrender To Me - Virginia Bluebloods Book 3
Blackmailed - Virginia Bluebloods Book 4
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