by Cassie Ryan
Sandra waited for things to play out.
The brunette bit her bottom lip, but there was no fear in her eyes. “Is that a promise, Master Dex?” Her tone conveyed that she very much hoped it was.
He laughed, more of a low, resonant rumble than anything else. “You’re much too eager, Sherri. I’ll find something else to teach you some manners.”
A huff of breath from Master Brent like he’d tried to stop a full-out laugh surprised Sandra. “Good luck,” Master Brent murmured so softly she wasn’t sure if anyone else besides herself had heard it.
Sherri giggled. “Nice to meet you, Sandra. Will I see you at the sub get-together on Wednesday?”
Sandra found herself smiling at Sherri’s enthusiasm, and looking forward to Wednesday even more than she already had been. “I’m planning on it.”
“Great! See you then.” Sherri teetered off on her too-high stilettos, and Master Dex gave a long-suffering sigh. “Woman’s gonna break an ankle that way. I don’t let her wear those damned things on the dungeon floor, but some of the other Doms do.” He slid a sly glance over at Master Brent. “Hope you have good insurance, buddy. Because sure as shit she’s gonna break those skinny bird legs of hers and sue your ass off.” Master Dex rolled his eyes and didn’t quite hide the amusement in his expression.
Master Brent waved off Dex’s comments. “Sherri has been running around on those stilts long before she came to join us here. You’ll have to teach your subs some sense, Dexter.”
Master Dex’s loud, reverberating laugh filled the room and had every head swiveling to look at them. “The man who can teach that woman sense will also be able to walk on water and turn water into wine, and I don’t think He’s scheduled to be back in Phoenix for a while.” Dex motioned for everyone to go back to what they were doing.
Master Dex had some sort of magnetism that naturally drew people’s attention and compliance. That combined with being unnaturally gorgeous with a big sense of humor and a big heart made the man a triple threat, although apparently not to Sandra, since her body wasn’t revving up for him beyond what it would for any other attractive man she met.
“Sandra.” Master Dex held out his large hand and when she took it, he squeezed hers lightly. “I’m sure you’ll love it here. Let us know if you need anything…anything at all.” His expression told her he had meant the comment to be both teasing and serious.
She said, “Thank you,” and followed Master Brent toward the locker room.
When Master Brent pushed open the door, Sandra peered around him to see exactly what she would expect, down to the banks of stacked gray lockers with tiny, hanging combination locks on them.
He gestured toward the lockers. “When we go over administrative details, I’ll assign you one and give you the combination. There are also showers and restrooms back here.”
She followed him toward an area that turned out to be a hallway to the restrooms and showers, which resembled every restroom and shower area she’d ever seen, except these reminded her of a very high-class gym somewhere—somewhere she’d never been able to afford to join.
“This is really nice.”
Master Brent’s answering smile practically beamed, showing her how truly proud he was of Club Desire. “I wanted all the facilities and amenities in my dungeon to be the best anywhere, and I hope I’ve at least come close.”
She smiled up at him, not sure what to say.
“No sex or play is allowed in the restrooms or showers. However, another full set of restrooms as well as showers are on Basement 4 that can be used for those types of activities. The space needs to be reserved in advance to make sure it won’t conflict with any of the large planned parties or orgies down there. Those areas aren’t visible from level 3, so activities in the restrooms or showers on Basement 4 are private unless people are invited in to watch.”
She nodded as she remembered some of the kinks she’d heard discussed in New York that would definitely have to be carried out on Basement 4. She wouldn’t mind taking a shower with Master Brent, soaping each other and playing a bit, but she was glad most of the hard-core kinks stayed on the lowest basement level.
Even though she was sure watching the things that went on down there was a definite fetish, she was glad that Master Brent had drawn a line there. This club did have limits, as did he, and those both made her feel safer and freer somehow.
She had nothing against people practicing their legal and consensual kinks, but how had Master Brent phrased it?
A lot of those things just didn’t flip his switch.
She made a small “hmm” sound, earning a questioning glance from him. This time she was happy to answer. “I was just remembering how you said that the vampire thing didn’t flip your switch, and I was thinking that several of the kinks that are probably carried out in the restroom/shower areas of Basement 4 most likely wouldn’t flip mine.”
Heat seared her body at the thought of having Master Brent soapy and hard for her in a shower. “Well, maybe there are a few…” She trailed off deliberately and couldn’t help but smile at the flash of male interest she saw in his gaze before he clenched his jaw and looked away.
He seemed to be doing that a lot. She wondered what had this very confident man disconcerted so often. She couldn’t imagine this being an everyday occurrence for him. She was half tempted to ask, but bit her tongue and dug her fingernails into her palms for good measure. Her mouth did tend to get her into trouble if she let it have free rein.
“So you were going to introduce me around?” she offered.
“Right over here.” He gestured with his chin to a small group standing by the vending machines.
Over the next five minutes Sandra lost herself in a sea of faces and names, all paired with their designation in the lifestyle or their preferred kink.
Her face almost hurt from smiling, and she was sure she’d never remember even one piece of information she’d learned during the last twenty minutes. Everyone was friendly and welcoming, but Sandra was ready to take a break. Before she could figure out a way to say something, Master Brent glanced down at her, a gentle, almost protective expression on his face. His deep, soothing voice cut into the conversation.
“Sandra and I have commitments elsewhere. Enjoy your evenings, whatever your plans might be.”
Master Brent expertly steered her out of the locker room meeting area, across the dungeon floor, and into an elevator. She wasn’t even sure if it was the same elevator they had exited earlier since it, too, was hidden unless you knew where to look.
When the doors of the elevator shushed closed behind him, Master Brent inserted his key and punched the button for the floor. “I forgot to take you inside the aftercare room, but I can show you that another time.”
Warmth and comfort spilled into her at the thought of Master Brent showing her aftercare—once they’d played a scene together.
He leaned forward to cup her chin and trace his thumb over her bottom lip, distracting her.
Fire ignited from that one simple touch, flaming out along every nerve ending and pooling between her thighs. Her soft gasp sounded loud to her inside the closed elevator.
“You seemed like you needed to get out of there, so I cut the tour a little short. I hope you don’t mind.”
Since her mind refused to work, Sandra settled for a wobbly shake of her head, and hoped he understood.
She wasn’t really tired, but the sensory overload of this place and all the new people and faces were beginning to wear on her.
She needed to eat and come, and right now. She didn’t much care in which order those two things happened.
“Talk to me, Sandra. What’s going on in there?” He gently tapped her temple and then traced one large, warm finger down her cheek and over her bottom lip again.
Without thinking, she opened her mouth and let her tongue stroke over Master Brent’s thumb.
The low growl that sounded from deep inside his throat made her spiral of need coil tighte
r, and she searched her vacant brain frantically for something coherent to say. “I’m hungry,” she finally pushed out through trembling lips.
The blatant innuendo in those two words hung heavily between them, and Master Brent nodded once, as if sexual energy wasn’t crackling around the enclosed space like lightning.
“Let’s tackle those one at a time, shall we?” His expression smoothed out and he met her gaze squarely. “And we can complete part of our tour at the same time.”
Heat flamed into her cheeks, and mortification swamped her. Master Brent had definitely not missed the double entendre of the word “hungry,” and had even said he would take care of it—both versions.
Hadn’t he?
Chapter 4
“Excuse me a moment.” Brent pulled his cell phone out of his pocket as that one word from Sandra still echoed inside his mind—hardening his cock uncomfortably against the back of his fly.
She’d said she was hungry, and stupidly, he’d told her they would tackle those things one at a time, openly acknowledging the double entendre.
He stepped out of the elevator and into the hall only partially to use the phone without breaking the illusion that he tried so hard to build around Club Desire. Many of his members told him they suspected him of outright magic, if not extrasensory perception, because he and his staff went the extra mile to anticipate their needs and then exceed their expectations without showing them too much of the mundane behind-the-scenes actions.
He enjoyed the reputation he’d garnered and did all he could to cultivate it. Beyond that, he wanted to impress Sandra more than he had ever wanted to impress anyone he’d ever given a tour of his club to.
She still hadn’t recognized him as the geek pariah from high school who had worshipped her from afar. Although Brent wasn’t sure he wanted her to remember him in case that changed the way she’d been looking at him for the past hour.
Right now he saw the raw need in her eyes every time she turned that amazing gray gaze on him. Whenever he touched her or even spoke to her, those full lips opened and she either flicked her tongue out to moisten them or delicately nibbled on that ripe bottom lip—something that was close to making him lose all his hard-won control and back her up against the nearest wall.
He clenched his jaw against the thought. Not only was she a new member to Club Desire, she hadn’t yet laid out her limits or her permissions. According to Mason’s note, she’d had a rough time with her last Dom and had fled the state to escape the man.
Brent glanced at Sandra again. Even though constant sparks erupted between them, he needed to proceed carefully and try to keep his libido and his Dom tendencies in check until she gave him the green light.
But she was making it damn hard for him to keep his head clear—especially when he saw how she reacted to the scene she’d been watching in the lobby while pinching her own nipples and dipping her fingers inside her cunt.
A mental image of Sandra wearing a blue thong with the matching rope tied around her to accentuate those beautiful, full breasts formed inside his mind so clearly he felt like he could reach out and touch it. In his fantasy, her arms were pulled tight over her head and sweet sounds erupted from her throat as his flogger fell to mark that wonderful heart-shaped ass.
He cursed himself, knowing he needed to keep his thoughts from venturing in that direction. For now, he needed to stop torturing himself with mental images of Sandra in erotic scenarios.
He wasn’t sure of the extent of what her last Dom had done to terrorize her, but he might have to put in a call to Mason for specifics unless Sandra willingly told him.
Finally remembering the phone in his hand, he hit speed dial for the kitchens and as quietly as possible ordered some finger food and drinks to be delivered to his main personal alcove on Basement 1. He blew out a long, slow breath, hoping it would bring back at least a small portion of his sanity.
Since Sandra had walked through the front doors of Club Desire, all rational thought seemed to have escaped him, and it reminded him too closely of that awkward, insecure boy he’d been all those years ago and had sworn never to become again.
He stepped back into the elevator with her.
“I’m curious to see the setup of Basement 1.” Her voice held both eagerness and true interest, and he had to force himself not to reach out and pull her against him.
She turned toward him, meeting his gaze squarely. “You mentioned it overlooked Basement 2 and allowed people to watch as well as play.” Curiosity animated her expression and she nibbled that full bottom lip again.
He took a deep breath and forced a few words out. “It took a while to come up with this exact setup, but I think we’ve hit upon a winning solution.”
He hadn’t lied when he’d told Sandra he liked to watch. In fact that’s what had originally interested him about the lifestyle. Something so simple, and yet incredibly erotic. And finding out Sandra shared his interest had only sent his long-denied craving for her into overdrive.
When he’d seen her on the cameras he hadn’t recognized her at first. He’d only seen a sexy blonde in profile enjoying the scene in play on the main dungeon floor.
But when the elevator doors had opened and those familiar gray eyes had locked with his, he felt like he’d been sucker punched in the gut. Mason’s note hadn’t contained her last name, so he hadn’t been prepared.
Her soft voice broke into his thoughts. “If my old dungeon was any indication, watching is quite popular. A safe way to get involved.” She looked almost shy, which made him wonder if watching was what had enticed her into the lifestyle.
“Very true. What kind of setup does Master Mason have now?” He cocked his head to the side and allowed himself to study her lovely features for a long moment. “I haven’t been to his new club. I think he moved into the new property about five years ago.”
“Nothing like this.” She gestured around her, her gaze sweeping left and right as if she were looking at the dungeon floor right now instead of the inside of the elevator. “There are just some couches, benches, and chairs around the periphery of the dungeon floor. It’s common to see people having sex or near-orgies around the edges while they watch the scenes in play.”
Seeing her flushed skin as she described Mason’s club made him realize ten years had only made her more beautiful. She was still trim, but she’d grown into her already heart-stopping curves. No longer was she the young girl with a blossoming body; she was now a fully grown woman in her own right. And she continued to fascinate him. Not only for her beauty and the graceful way she moved, but she was also an intriguing combination of confidence and sensual timidity that threatened to drive him insane.
There were definitely certain things she was leery of and he was committed to finding out why, as well as what caused the haunted look in her eyes. He found that he was feeling extremely protective of her, and angry that anyone had mistreated her in any way. No matter the fact that he hadn’t seen her in ten years and that he’d never been more to her than some geeky outcast she passed in the halls between classes.
He dragged himself back to the present and her description of things in Mason’s club. “That’s exactly why I designated no-sex zones in certain parts of Club Desire. There are those who want to watch the kink in play without having to trip over an orgy to do it.”
The soft chiming of the elevator pulled his attention back to their destination, and he placed a gentle hand on her lower back as the elevator doors whooshed open.
The lights on this level shone discreetly and were kept on, as elite members were allowed access to basement levels 1 and 2 at all times.
But whereas this level had a circular walkway like on Basement 4, Basement 1 had darkened alcoves instead of play areas.
Brent guided Sandra around to the right for quite a while until they neared his personal alcove. Most of the alcoves were sectioned-off spaces separated by soft, moveable walls and heavy, dark floor-to-ceiling curtains that hung down over the front exce
pt for right over the doorway. When the inner lock was engaged, a red stop-sign image showed over the door to allow privacy.
His alcove, however, was twice the size of the others, had hard walls, although they were moveable if need be, and required a special key to access it. Also, the image over his door read, “Private. No Admittance,” even when the lock wasn’t engaged.
“You said there were cameras all around the dungeon. That means down here too, right?” Curiosity laced her voice, showing him her embarrassment from earlier had passed.
“Members sign off on surveillance throughout the building in the legalese of the contract. Most never bother to read the full description, but those who do understand the need, since the contract also states the tapes will only be used or released for very specific purposes if the need arises.” He paused as she nibbled her full bottom lip again and then forced himself to continue what he’d been telling her. “It’s more for safety and liability issues than for voyeurism purposes. Jake and the two other dungeon managers who report to him watch the monitors real time to ensure nothing goes on that isn’t safe, sane, legal, and consensual, and I make sure he has discreet and skilled security personnel on duty at all times in case a situation arises that requires their attention.”
He held up his index finger. “However, I do like to have total privacy within my own, personal alcove. It’s good to be the owner.”
“If not the king?” she said softly, showing that she hadn’t missed the Mel Brooks History of the World reference. He couldn’t help but smile. Her lips quirked up at the edges, charming him, and she cleared her throat before speaking.
“I’m surprised there are people who don’t balk at the stipulation of cameras. A lot of very public and important people seem to belong to sex clubs.”
“True, but the specific purposes listed are usually very familiar and agreeable to those who can afford the membership prices to our very elite establishment.”