by C. J. Thomas
The corner of his mouth curled. “Not true .”
Shaking my head, I watched Kelly pull two gorgeously wrapped gift boxes from the bag. Each box was lovely and equally luxurious looking with gold ribbon beautifully wrapped around black velvet .
Taking my face into his hands, Kelly brushed his lips against mine. “Open this one first.” He slid the thin, rectangular box up my thigh. “I promise, you don’t have anything like this .”
With butterflies in my stomach, I took my time opening it. First, I pinched the ribbon before pulling the bow free. Then I let my finger graze over the velvet, studying the texture and the way it made me feel inside. And when I finally lifted the lid, I took my eyes off of the box and glanced at Kelly. His eyes sparkled with excitement and I knew that he was up to something .
“Go on. Look. Tell me you don’t already own one .”
Brushing my bangs to the side, I reluctantly took my eyes away from Kelly, letting my gaze fall inside the box with a racing heart. The moment I saw it, I knew exactly what it was—and he was right, I didn’t have one of these .
“It’s beautiful.” I covered my mouth when I looked up at him .
“It’s a requirement.” Kelly plucked it from the box and stretched the elastic band before placing it over my eyes .
The black lace fit snug against my face. It was light and comfortable and I felt sexy the moment it went on. As the feeling of disguise pumped through my veins, I relished in the secrecy of deception. The mysteriousness of the night was drawing me in, and the allure kept me wanting to experience more of this complicated life Kelly Black led .
“And what about you?” I asked. “Will you also be wearing a mask ?”
Kelly opened the flap of his suit jacket, dove his hand inside, and retrieved his own mask. Putting it on, we both took a minute to get lost in each other’s new persona .
He stroked my bottom lip with the pad of his thumb when he said, “Only people who know you well will know who you are .”
My pulse ticked in my neck with the many emotions rushing through me. It was like going undercover, but different. We had each other, and Wes would know who we were. But without a recognizable voice, I wasn’t convinced I would know who anybody else was. The mask, though not covering our entire faces, created just enough mystery to keep our secrets close to our hearts. And I supposed that was the purpose when stepping into the underground world of Mint .
Kelly hooked my jaw, tilting my head up and forcing me to look him in the eye. “And there is something you need to know .”
I bit the inside of my cheek .
“What I’m about to tell you is very important.” His husky voice sent a tremor up my spine .
My breath hitched .
“You’re new. People will know that about you.” His fingers raked down my neck before cupping a breast. “And because of the nature of the club, you must not ever look in another man’s eyes .”
My tongue darted over my lips, wetting them .
Kelly leaned close to me and nudged his nose against my cheek. “Holding eye contact is an invitation for him to pursue .”
“Avoid eye contact,” I repeated .
“Exactly,” he breathed into my ear .
Closing my eyes, I repeated what he said like a mantra. And as I said it again and again, I inhaled his scent, quickly getting intoxicated on all that made me melt when he was around. The next thing I knew, Kelly was kissing me with such intensity I had forgotten the reason behind our visit .
Curling my tongue over his, a wild fire spread between my thighs. Kelly was obsessive about most things, and his possessiveness over me was no different. I liked that he claimed me, warned me about the advances he was certain I would receive. It was important I knew, not wanting to add unnecessary stresses to his already highly stressful life .
By the time he pulled away, I was breathless in his arms. I felt the vehicle slow to a stop and I knew we were nearing the nightclub .
Pecking at my lips, Kelly murmured, “Time to open the second box .”
Setting the first box off to the side, I was quicker at opening the second gift. I had forgotten about it completely and I wondered if Kelly was finding ways to distract me in an attempt to keep my mind from wandering to Mint and what the night would bring. If he was, it was working .
Peeking inside, my hand flew over my mouth as I began laughing. “This isn’t new .”
Kelly chuckled in his deep baritone. “No, you’re right. It’s not .”
“Kelly, then why did you go through the effort to disguise it as such?” I asked as he helped me free it from the box .
“Because we need it tonight .”
I gave him an arched look as fear shook my bones, remembering the last time I’d worn it. His reasoning for wearing it tonight had to be different. I couldn’t be put in a vulnerable position, having him do to me the same things he did to me that night he first put it around my neck .
Pushing my hands away, I couldn’t take my focus off the diamonds glittering in the light. Kelly lifted the collar to my neck. I lifted my chin so he could clasp it shut and as soon as I felt it squeeze against my arteries, Kelly said, “This will also let others know that you’re taken.” He locked his gaze on me. “Owned by me .”
My heart skipped a beat .
I dropped my gaze to my hands fiddling in my lap .
My nipples tightened into painful pebbles slicing through my gown .
I liked having Kelly say he owned me. Because with ownership came responsibility, care, compassion, and perhaps even love. All the same emotions I currently felt—the ingredients I believed we had to be something great .
“Look me in the eyes.” His voice was firm as I felt the vehicle stop .
Slowly, I lifted them until landing on his .
“Remember, these eyes—my eyes—they are the only ones you can look into tonight .”
“I understand,” I murmured, thinking his eyes were darker and more dangerous looking when hidden behind the thin veil of his mask .
“The rules of society don’t apply inside.” He turned his head and looked out the window toward what I assumed was the building that housed Mint. “Inside, the club has its own rules .”
Nodding, I played with the bracelets on my wrist, the rings on my fingers. I was anxious, excited to finally see the elusive nightclub for myself. With all the hype that surrounded the place, I knew it had to be incredible. But I couldn’t forget the reason why I was here—to see if Nash was a member and if he had ever taken Alex there .
When Maxwell knocked on Kelly’s window, Kelly reached for my hand and asked, “Are you ready ?”
Straightening my spine, I fixed my hair. “Like you wouldn’t believe .”
40
Kendra
I t felt like I was floating on a cloud as Kelly towed me through the dark hallway, leading us deeper into the bowels of Mint .
After being greeted by security and them checking off our names on a list, we were allowed to enter. There were no signs—nothing indicating that this was indeed Mint, a nightclub, or that it was anything other than a place people came to escape .
The thump of a bass guitar vibrated off the walls. We hadn’t passed a single face since security. It was just Kelly and me, all alone, slowly walking closer to the music I heard playing .
Pushing my mask tight against my face, I was afraid of it slipping down, revealing more than I intended others to see .
Kelly’s hand was firm as I followed his lead. With each step we took, the noises grew louder. The horn of a trumpet blared and I envisioned the club packed with people swinging, dancing, twirling .
Listening to my heels clack against the floor, I wondered if all members entered the club the same way we did. Or perhaps Kelly was the exception since he wasn’t a member, but rather Wes’s guest. Either way, I didn’t ask, deciding it best to go with the flow, knowing I was completely out of my league tonight .
Stopping at the first closed door we c
ame to, I had flashbacks to the place Kelly first introduced me to his contract. The makings of that place were all here. Similar smells of essential oils and incense drifting through the air, the same dim lighting, as well as the maze of hallways seeming to lead nowhere .
Turning around to face me, Kelly ironed his big hands down my arms before lifting one hand to my face. Threading his fingers over my ear Kelly stroked my cheek, looking like something was on his mind .
Not knowing what to say, I listened to my heart thrashing between my ears .
I was ashamed with how embarrassed I was for feeling like I didn’t belong. But that was the truth. I didn’t deserve to be among those special enough to be allowed membership. No matter what Kelly said to make me think otherwise, I wasn’t convinced. And though I had been wanting to experience Mint since the first time I learned about it, now that I was here, within its reach, everything inside me told me to turn around and not get distracted by the hype. Run, before the chance no longer existed .
Instead I said, “This place isn’t what I expected .”
Kelly grinned as he pulled up his sleeve to read the time on his gold watch. “Shit. We’re a couple minutes late.” He lifted his head. “The show already began .”
“Show?”
“When I open this door, Bella, ” Kelly pivoted his feet and pointed to the door behind him, “you’re going to see something you’ve never seen before .”
I rocked on my heels. It wasn’t much. But must have been enough for Kelly to notice. Because next thing I knew he had me latched to his side, guiding me to the door he was now opening .
“I don’t want you to be scared,” he said. “What you’re about to see is art. Two individuals expressing creative freedom in ways that can only be done here.” His voice dropped to a whisper. “Safely inside the walls of Mint .”
When Kelly pulled open the door, he had the biggest, most confident smile on his face I had ever seen. The warm air hit my face, a light breeze blowing through my hair. The aromas were still there, but now mixed with alcohol and sex .
Wrapping his arm around my waist, Kelly pulled me further inside. My feet felt heavy as I took a minute to let my eyes take it all in .
The music I heard playing was twice as loud. People were everywhere. Filling the balcony above, sitting at tables, booths, and at the bar. The commotion was endless .
It was a party. A real party .
Naked women danced around poles on the sides. Men watched. Woman stared. And people seemed to be having an all-around good time as they danced and laughed the night away .
Then, suddenly, my attention was stolen by what I saw happening on center stage .
Taking a step forward, I felt my lips part as I openly stared .
I had never seen anything like it before. It was the exact sight Kelly warned me about. But seeing it in person was so much different than the terror I saw inside my mind when imagining it .
Feeling myself get turned on, I watched a large muscular man circle the naked woman lying face down on the floor. I watched him bind her hands behind her back before pulling her up on her knees. He was erect with a face hidden behind a similar mask to the one Kelly was wearing. Fisting her hair, he guided her mouth over his cock .
My hand lifted to my collar as I intently watched .
I had never seen another woman suck off a man before. This was different in so many ways. Strangely, my vagina throbbed and I was wetter than ever .
She worked his length with her tongue before being forced to bob faster over the wide tip .
I felt Kelly fill the empty void next to me. I sensed he was more interested in the expression on my face than he was in what I couldn’t peel my eyes away from. He wanted to know what I thought, how I would react, and if it would be something I was into .
“Kelly—” I whispered just as the man pushed the woman’s head away .
Kelly silenced me and told me to keep watching with his eyes .
Together, we watched as the man on stage wrapped his Sub tight with rope, looping it around each breast, squeezing them purple. Soon she was back on the floor, hog-tied .
The music shifted to a different intensity and the crowd’s murmur dropped lower as we all watched a large hook drop from the ceiling. It lowered slowly and once it was about fifteen feet off the ground, the man tossed another rope around it before threading it through the expert knot he had just tied, the same knot binding the woman’s hands and feet together .
Then, once everything was securely in place, he hoisted her body off the floor .
My shoulders drew together and the muscles in my neck strained .
The pain on her face was unmistakable. Her lines were deep and her wails chilling .
But as I continued watching the show unfold in front of me, I couldn’t help but think how similar it was to my relationship with Kelly. That was us. Him having his way with me. Doing what he wanted. Minus the hundreds of pairs of eyes watching, that was us .
This was Maria .
And maybe Alex and Nash, too .
Taking my gaze off the woman for the first time, I began searching the crowd. Faces of all colors hid behind masks, and it was impossible to know if Alex was here tonight or not. Without knowing what she was wearing, there were dozens of couples that looked like they could be her and Nash .
A broad-shouldered man caught my gaze from across the room. My heart flew into my throat as I quickly looked away. Turning my attention back to the show, I could still hear Kelly’s demand ringing between my ears to not look anyone in the eye .
A subtle panic rolled through my bones when thinking of the implications of what I might have just done .
The woman spun high in the air as she dangled from the ropes .
The man lifted his arm and cracked the whip over the small of her back .
She curled her spine and screamed .
The man cracked the whip again, getting me to jump .
Kelly wrapped his arm around me and pulled me into his chest. But I couldn’t look away. With each minute that passed, I forgot that I wasn’t alone. I wished that it was me being hung. Wished that I was the one getting whipped. My vagina was aching so badly. I needed it to be touched, needed it to be loved and assaulted. And there was only one man who I wanted to give it to .
Tipping my head up to Kelly, he quickly met my gaze .
I wanted him to put his fingers inside me. He could lead me anywhere—take me back to his car just so that he could fuck me hard enough to clear my head. Because I wasn’t myself. Not with what I was watching. Not with what I was thinking. My sexual urges were completely out of control. And just as I was about to demand Kelly take me away, I heard a familiar voice come from behind .
“I’m glad you made it,” Wes greeted Kelly .
Kelly turned and gave him a man-hug. I smiled, nodded, but made sure to keep my gaze downward, never once looking him in the eye, obeying the rules of my Dom .
Wes had his fiancée Kami at his side. She kept her gaze fixed on me and when I met it, it was friendly, filling me with a sense of comfort in an unfamiliar environment .
Kelly was right. Inside Mint we had to conform to different rules. Doms had the freedom to speak, while their Subs just stood by and watched. No matter the title they held in the outside world, a new power structure reigned inside these walls—one that would take some getting used to .
“I have a table waiting upstairs.” Wes smiled .
Squeezing Kelly’s hand, he leaned his ear close to my mouth. “I’d like to freshen up first .”
Nodding, he directed me to the ladies’ room, reminding me to keep my gaze from wandering. But as I weaved my way across the expansive floor and down the steps, it felt like everyone was staring at me .
It was like I was wearing a sign that alerted people to telling them it was my first time. They could smell the virgin on me despite my collar and they wanted to draw blood .
Weaving through several tables, conversations I passed quickly pl
ayed tricks on me. First it was my name being called. Then it was Kelly’s, and then Alex’s before swearing to myself I heard Madam telling me that I shouldn’t be here .
My head spun .
And I knew that none of it was real. My ears were just hearing things .
Picking up my pace, I hurried to the women’s room once I had it within sight .
Extending my arms, I pushed through the wooden bathroom doors quickly, turning to close it so I could shut out the noise. Letting my shoulders fall back against the door, I breathed a sigh of relief and took a minute to let my head clear .
Once I knew that I could breathe again, I stepped in front of the mirror. Checking my makeup, I turned and took the first empty stall I could find .
The loud outside noises rushed in when the bathroom door opened. Pausing, I turned to see who had entered. The woman had a large bust with dark hair that cascaded down her back. And though she hid behind her disguise, I could recognize her in anything .
She held my gaze for a solid second before recognition flashed across her face. Without saying anything, she quickly turned her back and reached for the door handle .
“Alex, wait.” I hurried after her .
Pulling the door open, I jammed it with my foot. Turning to face me, there was fire in her eye. “Kendra, what the hell ?”
“I knew it.” My finger jabbed into her shoulder .
“How did you even get inside?” Her cheeks were red with anger .
I put my face close to hers. “Is Nash here with you ?”
Alex pushed me away. Stumbling backwards, I watched as she managed to escape .
Catching sight of her along the back wall, I quickly caught up to her without drawing unwanted attention to us. Clamping my fingers around her arm, I slowed her to a stop .
Her eyes darted over my face before snapping her elbow free. “Kendra, why are you here ?”
“Why couldn’t you tell me ?”
“You think you would have listened to anything I had to say ?”
“Of course I would have.” The crease between my brows deepened. “I always listen to you .”