Welcome to Serpent's Kiss (Serpent's Kiss #0.5)

by Sherri Hayes

  She strolled over to the door next to the small alcove that housed the coat check, and led him into the club’s main room.

  Brandon lifted his head at their entrance.

  Katrina nodded and then turned her attention back to Drew. “Follow me.”

  Without another word, she led him to her office.

  She took a seat behind her desk, and invited him to sit across from her. He did so without much reluctance, but she could tell he was nervous. Katrina leaned back in her chair, and crossed her legs. Since the club was closed on Thursdays, she wasn’t decked out in her usual club attire. That didn’t mean she wasn’t a formidable presence when she sat behind her large wooden desk in fitted jeans, blouse, and four-inch heels. “I’ve read over your application.”

  Wanting to see how he would react, she left it at that.

  Her patience was rewarded when she saw him shift slightly in his seat. It was minor—he was obviously used to being in uncomfortable situations and hiding his reactions. If she hadn’t been looking for it, she would have missed the movement.

  “Was there a problem?” he asked.

  Instead of answering his question, she asked one of her own. “Why do you want to become a member of Serpent’s Kiss?”

  He took a deep breath, and she wondered whether he was trying to calm his nerves. “To learn, mostly. I’ve done some research online, but. . .” Drew paused. “Before I joined the fire department, I watched a lot of TV shows about firefighters and even checked out some videos online. When it came down to it, the shows were nothing like the real thing. There are just some things you have to experience in order to understand.”

  “So you’re looking for some folks to play with?”

  Drew cringed a little. “Not really. I mean, I’d like to play with someone, experience some things, but I don’t think I could do that with just anyone. I’ve done casual sex, and I want to move beyond that.”

  If that was his position, then Katrina could cross him off her list as a possible play partner. “I heard that you’ve gone to a few local munches. Those are usually better places to form relationships than a kink club—even Serpent’s Kiss.”

  “I know. John and Allison told me as much.”

  “Why not just continue going to munches, then?” She stood and walked around to the front of her desk.

  He watched as she moved, but when he realized he’d been caught staring, he averted his eyes. She had to press her lips together to keep from laughing.

  “I plan to keep going when I can, but I want to see if the physical part is really something that interests me.”

  “Have you ever been spanked?” she asked.

  He shook his head.

  “Flogged?”

  Again, he answered in the negative.

  “Have you participated in any BDSM activities inside or outside of the bedroom?”

  “No. I wanted to try with my last girlfriend, but. . . well, that ended badly. I’m not sure I want to attempt exploring in a vanilla relationship again. From what I can tell, this is my best option.”

  Katrina could understand his plight. She’d tried to bring some kink into her relationship with her husband during the last ten years of their marriage. Everything she tried was an utter failure—even when she’d attempted to bottom for him. He’d looked at her lying there in cuffs with her hands above her head as though she’d lost her mind. So yeah, she got it.

  “Come with me. I’ll give you a tour. We’ll see what you think after you’ve seen everything.”

  He stayed a few feet behind her as they returned to where they’d started. “On the first floor, we have plenty of seating areas, a stage for demonstrations, a dance floor, and a bar.” Katrina pointed each out as she went, but she stumbled when she glanced over at the bar. Brandon was not alone.

  Not wanting to draw attention to her discomfort, Katrina made her way over to the bar with Drew in tow. Brandon smiled when they approached. Ryan had an almost predatory look in his eye, and it only reinforced her decision to put some distance between them.

  “This is Brandon. He’s in charge of the bar most nights. And this is Ryan. He’s one of our members.”

  Completely contrary to how Drew had acted with her, he addressed both Brandon and Ryan directly. “Drew Parker. Nice to meet you.”

  Ryan continued to stare Drew down, but he either didn’t notice or chose to ignore it.

  Brandon wiped his fingers on a towel and extended his hand to Drew. “I hope Katrina isn’t giving you too hard a time.”

  “It’s my job to keep all you boys in line, didn’t you know?” she said.

  Brandon chuckled.

  Ryan remained stoic.

  Drew kept silent as well.

  Smirking, Katrina continued with her explanation of how the bar worked, ignoring Ryan and his attitude. “Drinks are available until half an hour before the club closes. You’re allowed either two mixed drinks or one hard liquor serving per night. After that, you are restricted to non-alcoholic beverages. Any questions?”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “Drinks are paid with your membership card. At the end of the month, you’ll get a summary of your drinks along with the cost. We try to keep the cost of drinks reasonable, but if you have any questions, just ask.”

  “I don’t usually drink much, so I don’t think that will be a problem,” Drew said.

  Katrina didn’t comment, although it was tempting. Most of their members had been practicing the lifestyle in one form or another for years before joining the club. Their prior experience deadened the shock value of seeing subs kneeling at their Master’s and Mistress’ feet, or being draped over their laps and spanked. Newbies typically needed some time to adjust to the sights in the club, and many turned to liquid courage. Who knew—maybe Drew Parker would be the exception.

  Saying farewell to Brandon and Ryan, Katrina guided Drew up the stairs to the second floor. “Up here are the playrooms. Each room is equipped with a Saint Andrew’s cross, a padded table, ceiling beams with anchored rigging for suspension, and a variety of whips, floggers, and other impact toys. Members are asked to bring their own insertables, as well as anything that would have direct contact with bodily fluids. The only exception to that is for medical play. We do have a few items that are available upon request that can be sterilized after use since they’re metal.”

  She turned around to find him staring into one of the rooms. His face was unreadable.

  “Any questions so far?” she asked.

  “No. It’s just. . . more than I expected, I guess.”

  They walked farther down, and she showed him the remaining nine rooms. Each was set up in a similar fashion, although two were arranged with masochists in mind. Nearly every implement in there inflicted a fair amount of pain. The other rooms had items that caused pain as well, but these two went above and beyond.

  “There’s always a dungeon monitor on duty up here—usually two—during club hours. If you have a question about anything on this floor, find one of them.”

  “What about safewords?” he asked.

  Katrina smiled. “You have done some research haven’t you? That’s good. As for safewords, the club recognizes the green, yellow, and red system. If you’re playing with a partner you’re not familiar with, we recommend you stick to those. Should you ever need help from a dungeon monitor, yell red and one will come running.”

  “May I?” he asked, pointing to one of the rooms.

  “Sure.”

  She stood back and watched Drew enter one of the playrooms. He walked slowly around the room, looking at the toys that were laid out and those hanging on the walls. He paused at the rope for several moments before moving on. Judging from his body language, she would bet there was some interest there.

  Immediately she began thinking of the femdoms in the club, and her mind went back to Beth. Although she didn’t have Michael’s skill with rope, she liked to restrain her partner. She said there was something about having a man tied u
p and begging. Katrina couldn’t argue with that. There were times when she took great pleasure in seeing a sub tied to a table, unable to resist anything she wanted to do to him.

  Drew finished his inspection of the room and rejoined her out in the hall. “Where are the fire exits up here?”

  Given his profession, she shouldn’t have been surprised by his question. He asked it with complete confidence, so she wondered if this was his way of getting back on equal footing after his foray into unknown territory.

  “Last door on your right. In case one of the fire alarms is pulled. . .” She pointed out the alarm just inside the door of the room he’d exited moments before. “. . .the emergency lights go on, and the exit signs are illuminated. Don’t worry. Everything has been approved by the fire marshal.”

  He nodded.

  “Was there anything else up here you’d like to see, or are you ready to head back downstairs so we can get your application completed?”

  “I think I’m good.” He was looking uncomfortable again.

  Katrina didn’t bother to hide her amusement. “Not having second thoughts, are you?”

  He shook his head. “No. It’s just. . . not what I’m used to.”

  She motioned for him to follow her, and they made their way back to the stairs. When they reached the main level, Brandon was busy wiping glasses—something he normally waited to do until Friday afternoon. He was alone. Katrina waved to let him know all was well as they crossed the room heading back to her office.

  By the time she and Drew sat across from each other again in her office, he looked more determined, if not the least bit more relaxed. She had to give him credit. It took a lot of courage to put yourself out there, and overall he was handling it rather well.

  “Do you have your driver’s license?” she asked.

  He propped himself up on one hip and removed his wallet from his jeans. She couldn’t miss what a nice ass he had. The man was clearly in shape. It would be interesting to see how the other members of Serpent’s Kiss reacted to him. She imagined he’d be turning a few heads, especially with those blue eyes of his.

  Drew handed her his license, and she in turn gave him two forms to fill out while she made a copy of his ID. “The first page outlines the club’s rules. The second goes over our privacy policy. If you have any questions, ask.”

  She finished with his license and gave it back to him.

  Katrina waited until he’d reviewed the two forms and signed them. Taking the pages from him, she placed them in his file. “Did you bring the results of your blood work with you?” Keeping the club and its members safe was a top priority. New members were required to get tested for sexually transmitted infections before their membership could be approved.

  He reached into his other pocket and removed a folded piece of paper.

  After looking over his medical forms, Katrina was satisfied everything was in order. “I think I have everything I need. Any last minute concerns?”

  “None that I can think of, no.”

  She nodded, and stood. “Wait here. I’ll be back.”

  Katrina ambled down the hall to the room where she kept all the membership files, as well as the machine that made the membership cards required for entrance into Serpent’s Kiss. She entered Drew’s information into the machine and waited while it did its thing.

  “Hello.”

  She whipped around to find Ryan standing in the doorway. “What are you doing back here? I thought you left.”

  “I wanted to talk to you.”

  “I’m busy right now. If you want to discuss something, you can track me down Friday night.”

  He got that look again. “I was wondering if you wanted to play again tomorrow before the club opened. I’m scheduled to be in court that afternoon, so I’ll already be downtown.”

  Katrina stepped away from the machine and took up a position roughly a foot away from Ryan. “You need to wipe that look off your face right now. And no. I don’t think us playing together tomorrow is a good idea. In fact, I don’t think we should play together for the foreseeable future.”

  “What? Why?”

  “You seem to be under some sort of misconception that I belong to you. I don’t. I don’t belong to anyone but myself. Apparently I’ve not made that clear enough, but that is going to change starting now.”

  She took a deep breath and looked him square in the eye. “You need to leave. And if you can’t get your emotions in check, then you shouldn’t bother coming back.”

  His eyes widened in shock, but she paid little notice. The machine beeped, letting her know Drew’s card was ready.

  Plucking the freshly made membership card from the machine, she pushed past Ryan and marched back down the hall to her office. When she walked in, Drew was right where she’d left him.

  He turned toward her when she entered.

  “Here you are,” she said, handing him his new membership card.

  Drew looked it over and then stood to put the card in his wallet.

  Once his hands were free, Katrina offered him a handshake. He hesitated for a moment and then took her hand.

  She grinned. “Welcome to Serpent’s Kiss. I think you’ll have a lot of fun here.”

  Look for Beth and Drew’s story

  Burning for Her Kiss, Serpent’s Kiss Book 1.

  Coming in 2015!

  Other Books by Sherri Hayes

  Finding Anna series

  Slave

  Need

  Truth

  Trust

  Daniels Brothers series

  Behind Closed Doors

  Red Zone

  Crossing the Line

  Single Titles

  Hidden Threat

  A Christmas Proposal: A Hidden Threat Novella

  About the Author

  Sherri spent most of her childhood detesting English class. It was one of her least favorite subjects because she never seemed to fit into the standard mold. She wasn't good at spelling, or following grammar rules, and outlines made her head spin. For that reason, Sherri never imagined becoming an author.

  At the age of thirty, all of that changed. After getting frustrated with the direction a television show was taking two of its characters, Sherri decided to try her hand at writing an alternate ending, and give the characters their happily ever after. By the time the story finished, it was one of the top ten read stories on the site, and her readers were encouraging her to write more.

  Nearly eight years later, Sherri is the author of eight full-length novels, and two short stories. Writing has become a creative outlet that allows her to explore a wide range of emotions, while having fun taking her characters through all the twists and turns she can create. You can find a current list of all of Sherri’s books and sign up for her monthly newsletter at http://www.sherrihayesauthor.com/ .