by Measha Stone
Instinctively, he reached out, using the tips of his finger he dragged the disobedient lock along her cheekbone and tucked it behind her ear. Her skin felt like satin beneath the roughness of his fingertips. Her eyes darkened at his touch; his fingers lingered on her earlobe.
“Kendrick.” A barely audible sound escaped the small walkie-talkie strapped to his belt, breaking the spell between them. “Kendrick,” the invader persisted.
He stepped back from Kelly and plucked the talkie up. “Go ahead.” He kept his eyes on Kelly as he spoke into the receiver.
“Sam’s taking his break now. I’m moving to the front door,” the no-nonsense voice said.
Kendrick grimaced. The new guy on the crew came from a military background; too many tours overseas had left him saturated in army culture.
“Okay, Todd. Thanks.” Kendrick shut off the device and placed it back on his belt loop. “Sorry,” he said to Kelly, who was already searching the room for another scene to bury her eyes into.
“It’s okay, you’re working.” Her gaze settled on something behind him, and she walked toward it.
He followed her into a small private room off of the main lounge area. It was mostly used by couples new to the scene who didn’t have the confidence yet to play in public or by couples looking for a more private scene.
Kendrick stood in the doorway watching Kelly make her way through the room. The walls had been painted a deep purple, similar to the curtains used in the main play space. There were no windows in the room, but a large black ceiling fan, along with the small oscillating fans mounted on the walls, kept the room cool. A spanking bench stood in the middle of the floor.
Kelly ran her hand over the black leather of the chest rest and paused when she came to stand at the head of the bench.
“This is like the thing Ted had me tied to.” Her voice was soft. The expression in her eyes didn’t portray fear or anger, but rather gave Kendrick the impression that she was trying to remember the feel of the position she had been in.
“It doesn’t look as scary as I thought it would…you know…sober.” She gave him a half grin and placed both hands on the leather. “It’s used for spanking?”
“That’s one use, yes.” Kendrick crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the door frame.
Her shirt was low cut, giving him a good view of the bountiful mounds of her breasts rising and falling with her heavy breaths. Without the prying eyes of others, he allowed himself the indulgence of enjoying the sight before him. The pleated skirt she wore did little to keep his mind from wandering to the depths of erotic sins he wanted to act out with her. Taking a deep breath, he refocused his mind.
“What are the other uses?” she asked with truthful innocence.
The danger she could find herself in if she were having the conversation with any number of other men in the club terrified him. He looked over his shoulder to be sure there hadn’t been any unwanted lurkers beyond the door.
“You don’t want to tell me. Why?” She brought her eyebrows together in obvious confusion.
“What made you come here tonight?” he asked instead, his words sounding harsher than he’d intended.
“I was curious.” She gave a slight shrug. “I don’t know how to explain it, but I’ve found myself drawn to these thoughts…ideas.” She looked off in the distance, avoiding his expression as she spoke. “I’m not completely ignorant.” Her gaze snapped back to him. “I may not have any physical experience, but I’ve read.”
Her indignant air made him want to laugh. She stood at least a head and a half shorter than himself. Although well-toned, she was extremely petite in comparison to his physique.
“You’ve read?” His words held a sarcastic quality as he moved fully into the room. He shut the door and leaned against it, blocking her exit. “What have you read?”
“Blogs, mostly.” She kept her hands on the bench, but moved her fingers around in a jittery fashion.
“And the blogs have taught you what?” He stepped toward her, stopping only a stride away.
“They made me curious.” She raised her chin when she spoke. Her eyes locked with his; there was grit in her expression.
“About what?” He leaned forward.
“What it would be like to…well…” She looked away for a second as if to round up her courage before looking him in the eye again. “To belong to someone,” she spat out in a rush. “To be theirs in all ways.”
Her eyes held sincerity. Her eyebrows arched in a worried pattern, and her lips parted slightly. She pulled back from the bench, walking to him until the tips of her sandals touched the toes of his boots. Her hands rested on his chest. Her eyes searched his face, and she whispered, “I want to be owned.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
Now, She’d Done It
Kelly held her breath after proclaiming her desire. Kendrick didn’t react to her words right away. They stood staring at each other in humiliating silence. Every second that passed without his response was another moment of rejection lived and memorized.
Slowly, his hands moved to cover her own. His fingers wrapped around hers, and he pulled them away from his chest. His eyes were unwavering in their firm hold on her.
“You don’t have any idea what that means,” he softly chided, keeping her hands in his. His expression twisted away from the casual grin he had held to a dark hidden place. “It’s not like in the books. This isn’t your world.” He let go of her and turned to the door. “I’ll call a cab.”
He’d reached for the door handle when her shoe hit him in the back.
He turned around, his handsome, strong features gawking at her from the door. “Did you just throw your sandal at me?”
“You don’t get to tell me where I belong.” She fisted her hands on her hips, feeling slightly off kilter without the heel of her sandal to keep her even. “I don’t want a cab,” she bit out, retrieving her sandal from where it had fallen after striking him. She balanced on one foot as she slipped it back on, ignoring his glare as she did so. “You can move now.” She waved a hand at him; he was still blocking the door.
Her heart raced in her chest; the pounding was becoming deafening, and she wasn’t sure she’d be able to be so close to him for much longer before her threatening tears fell.
“Kelly—”
“Please!” She stepped away from his outreached hand. A single touch from him would undo her. She’d never spoken those words to another human being before. No one, not even her closest friends knew of her desires.
“Let me out.” Her voice dropped in severity; she heard the tremor, causing anger to build.
He didn’t push her further. The door opened, and he stepped to the side. She didn’t look at him as she passed him and returned to the main dungeon.
He called her name once, but she ducked into a smaller play room with loud music, successfully getting away without looking back.
Taking several deep breaths to calm her racing heart, she leaned against the far wall, away from the scenes going on around her.
She’d played the fool.
Only a fool could feel a spark, where there was none. Once she felt settled and confident that her emotional turmoil would not surface again without permission, she decided to continue her tour of the club.
“Hey, there.” A man, not much older than herself, stepped to her side as she watched a woman lying on a table, receiving a fire treatment of sorts.
The young lady laid nude, face down, on a table while another woman, also nude, stood over her with a fire baton in hand. Both parties seemed to be enjoying the flames washing over the younger lady’s back, and no one around appeared concerned.
“What is this?” She pointed to the scene before them.
“Fire play,” her new companion answered. “I’ve never tried it, but a few friends have. They seemed to like it.”
Kelly turned to look him over. He stood at her height, slightly short for a man. He wore an old cover band shirt and baggy jeans.
His hair was purposefully tousled around his head.
“You’re new here.” He smiled.
She nodded.
“New to the scene?” His voice held a hopefulness she instantly recognized as desperation.
“Yes. Very.” She eyed Kendrick standing in the shadows, watching the room. Probably just doing his security work, she told herself.
She observed the young man carefully, assessing his threat level. “I’m actually kinda hungry. Do you wanna go grab something to eat? I think I saw a diner down the street.” She gave him a brilliant smile.
His eyebrows shot up, and she thought he was going to cry out “yes” with a fist pump in the air.
“Uh. Sure.”
“Great.” She linked her arm through his and led him from the room toward the main entryway.
She felt Kendrick’s eyes on her and heard him approaching. They walked faster. The front door opened, and she managed to slip into the hall just as she heard Kendrick’s name being called over his walkie talkie again.
Two hours after leaving the club and Kendrick behind, she found herself sitting on her couch with a small bowl of rocky road ice cream, feeling every bit the cliché.
The television depicted a love scene between a love struck couple struggling to find each other in a world full of chaos and terrorists. She watched them passionately kiss and claw at each other’s clothing, trying to get to their naked bodies to finally become one, and wished she felt something. If the leading man would pull his leading lady’s hair, bite her shoulder, command her to do anything, Kelly might have felt a stirring in her loins, but society’s version of passion did little to excite anything in her, except a longing for what she now feared she would never have.
Just as she clicked the TV off, the doorbell rang. Looking at the time on her VCR—one of the few left in existence—she wondered who would be arriving at her door at midnight.
Keeping the bowl of rocky road in her hand, she peered through the peep hole.
Her heart stopped momentarily, and her throat clenched.
Kendrick stood on the other side, fist raised ready to pound on the door.
She did a quick mental check of her appearance. Not having expected anyone, she had already donned her black pajama shorts and pink tank top. Her usually unruly red curls were bundled on top of her head, held in place with a thick scrunchie. No Goddess of the Night.
“Kelly, I know you are on the other side of this door.” His voice rang through the wood.
She stared at it, as if to see if it had momentarily become transparent.
“Open the door.” His tone was hard; his voice hadn’t rose, and there was no threat lingering behind the dictate, but she found herself unwilling to disobey.
She slid the bolt and opened the door, keeping herself in the way of his entry.
“Hi.” She forced a flat tone into her voice. Her hand remained on the door, as though she would be able to fling it closed in his face.
His expression was one of determination and concern. His eyes swept the room behind her and then over her body. The corner of his mouth turned upward at the sight of her pajamas.
“Can I help you?” she asked when he remained silent.
“Where’s Tony?” His gaze moved back to hers, capturing her with his stare.
“Who?” She tried to sound annoyed.
“Tony. The little boy you left the club with.” He didn’t need to try, he sounded every bit annoyed.
“Oh, him. I don’t know where he is,” she answered honestly. Tony had turned out to be more irritating than she had originally predicted.
“He’s not here with you?” Kendrick sounded relieved.
“No. I didn’t bring him home like some lost puppy. I left him at the diner.” She omitted the part about how Tony hadn’t understood that just because she was new to the club, it didn’t mean she was about to start taking orders from anyone who called himself Dominant.
Last she saw of him, he’d been sitting in the far corner booth of the diner with his dick in his hand, shocked she had poured his soda in his lap at his command for her to stroke him while he ate.
“Good.” Kendrick nodded, as though she had just given him the correct answer to an unknown question. “May I come in?” he asked with a softer, tender voice.
She wanted to ban him from her apartment, from her thoughts, but she was drawn to him.
He entered the apartment. She shut the door.
“It’s late.” She crossed her hands over her chest, knowing the action pushed her breasts further outward. Luckily, she’d eaten enough of the rocky road it wasn’t in danger of slipping out of the now tilted bowl onto the floor.
“I know.” He raked his hand through his hair. “I shouldn’t have blown you off so easily.” He let out a gust of air.
“Okay…” she pressed.
“I didn’t like seeing you with Tony. He’s too young and inexperienced. You’re too impulsive,” he added with a pointed finger.
She arched a brow.
“You need someone with a stronger hand. Someone who knows what the hell he’s doing.” His voice turned ragged.
She grinned. “Someone like you?”
“Yes…no.” He took a deep breath. “If you’re going to go exploring, I’d rather be the one to show you around.” His expression showed his hesitation. “I don’t want someone like Ted or Tony leading you around.”
“So, you want to be my tour guide?” Her question was more sincere than her tone implied, but the excitement of having him standing in front of her, offering her any sort of lead into the world she sought had her giddy.
“Well, if you want to call it that.” His smile reached his eyes, and he visibly relaxed. She felt the tension leave her own body at the sight. “But there are rules.”
“I would assume so.” She unfolded her arms and put the ice cream bowl on the coffee table. “Do you want something to drink? Are you hungry?” She pointed toward the kitchen. “I can make you a sandwich.”
“No, thanks. I have to get back to the club.” He took two strides toward her, leaving only a sliver of space between them. “I didn’t want to wait until morning to see you.”
“You thought Tony was here, and you wanted to save me again.” She spoke softly.
“In a way.” He shrugged and ran his knuckle along her jawline, creating tingles on her skin. “I don’t like sharing.” His fingers grasped her chin and tilted it upward.
She braced herself for a deep, lingering, passionate kiss. The warmth of his lips brushed over hers then disappeared. She heard the low rumble of his chuckle, and her eyes flew open to meet his.
He was grinning at her. “First lesson is patience.” He kissed the tip of her nose and released her.
“I am patient,” she promised, knowing full well it was an out-and out-lie.
“Hmmm…maybe the first lesson should be in honesty.” The firmness in his stare counteracted the sly smile on his lips. “You must always be truthful with me.” His warm breath washed over her, his face remaining so close to hers.
She swallowed hard, unsure of how to respond without her voice cracking. He saved her from herself.
“I have to get back. The club doesn’t close for another three hours. Are you free tomorrow?” He stepped away from her.
“Yeah. I lead a study group from ten to noon, but otherwise, I’m free.”
“Good. Don’t make any other plans. When I send for you, you are to get in a cab and come straight to my apartment. No delays, no dallying, no excuses.”
“You’ll need my number.” She walked him to the door.
“Have it. Club file.” He grinned at her and opened the door.
“Why didn’t you just call then, instead of coming all the way out here?”
He leaned in and kissed her cheek quickly then gave her a slow wink. “Because I didn’t want to. Tomorrow.” He walked away and bounded down the stairs of the building.
She waited until she heard the main lobby door close before
going back into her apartment.
The daze she felt didn’t fade until she was nestled under the covers of her bed. She’d set her alarm, but her mind raced toward the possibilities of the afternoon.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Sometimes You Have to Bend
Sunlight ravaged Kendrick’s bedroom. In his exhaustion of the early morning return home from the club, he’d neglected to shut the curtains. Rather than close them and try to gain some extra moments of sleep, he decided to shower and get ready for the day.
Kelly was in her tutoring session until noon. He had at least an hour before he would think of texting her.
The first lesson was patience, he’d told her. Who was being taught here, he thought to himself when he found his phone in his hand again, checking the time.
Set on not making a move toward her until well after one, he donned his workout sweats and went for a long jog.
Running along the lakeshore on a Saturday morning didn’t provide Kendrick with the solitude he wanted. Other runners and bikers were sprinkled along the path, making him have to dodge and be dodged as he went along.
His thoughts easily drifted to Kelly.
He’d promised himself he would not be party to bringing her into his lifestyle. His plans to dissuade her from any more experiments or field trips had vanished when she’d walked away from him in the club. She was determined, and she had her own mind. The sight of her with the newbie had made him rethink his original position. She would be entering his world with or without his guidance, and the idea of the new pup touching her in any way sent angry shivers through Kendrick’s spine.
If he hadn’t been waylaid by being a man short at the club and Sam taking his sweet ass time on his break, he would have gotten to her sooner.
Once it was clear to leave, he’d driven to her apartment only to find it dark. No answer at the bell. Giving way to thoughts all of the horrible things that could have been happening to her, he’d driven to another club he knew of that was close to the Gallant Domination.