by Livia Grant
“Hello, sir. Would you like some champagne?” One of the bartenders greeted him in a skimpy outfit, offering the tray of sparkling glasses.
“Well, of course. Thanks.”
“You’ll let me know if there is anything else I can do for you tonight, won’t you?” she flirted.
“Thanks, darling, but champagne is all I’ll need tonight.”
Her lips formed a pretty pout. “Yes, sir.”
Chase downed the glass of bubbly and put the empty back on her tray quickly, hoping Jaxson hadn’t noticed his arrival. He’d sure like a second glass later before he got on stage to settle his nerves, but his Dom had made it clear that both Chase and Emma were restricted to only one cocktail tonight since they’d each overindulged the Saturday night before. Jaxson hadn’t been happy that his submissives had both spent that night on the cold tile of their bathroom paying homage to the porcelain gods.
He didn’t even make it halfway across the space before he was met by an uncharacteristically animated Dungeon Master. Spencer Cook stopped him just in front of the table they were setting up for blood and fire play.
“I just saw the final list of contestants, Chase. You have to disqualify her. She’s no longer allowed on the premises.”
His friend never said a name. He didn’t need to. Chase knew full well that the cause of the DM’s current angst was the head bartender he’d just fired the week before, Klara Eriksson. The two of them had been setting off fireworks when in the same room together since the moment they’d met and tonight would likely be no different.
Chase wasn’t privy to everything that had happened between the two, but the one thing he did know was that it took a lot to pique the jaded DM’s interests these days, but Klara had done it easily. Spencer could bitch about her all he wanted; Chase knew the root of his annoyance with the bossy bartender was his deep-seated desire to tame her. Watching her, the untouchable object of his desire, playing as a submissive with some other Dom was sure to cause new drama for the audience tonight, which was exactly why Chase knew what he needed to do.
“She signed up fair and square. We are allowing non-members to participate in hopes of drumming up more members.”
“That’s just it. She’s not a submissive, and even if she was, she can’t afford the membership,” Spencer objected.
“Well, that’s why she would appreciate the month of free membership for completing the challenge.”
“Did you hear me? She’s not a submissive.”
“And she told you this?” Chase stared him down, knowing the answer.
“You’ve met her! You can see as much as I can that she’s a total pit-bull. A bitch on wheels. She’s cut from the same cloth as Maxine for Christ’s sake. This is not the place for her.”
Chase grinned. “Apparently, she doesn’t agree. The sign-up procedure was extremely clear on what tonight would entail, and she worked here for over a month. There is absolutely no chance of her not understanding exactly what she’s signed up for. We have just enough participants to fulfill all fifteen couples so I’m sorry, but your request is denied. Klara plays.”
“You sonofabitch...”
“Is there a problem here?” Jaxson had stepped up behind Chase. He could feel his Dom’s power emitting from his tense body. Spencer had dared challenge Jaxson’s submissive and it wasn’t going over well.
Spencer’s eyes widened slightly, but he didn’t back down. “Chase needs to strike Klara from the players list. We’ll just have to cancel one of the fifteen couples. Whatever man draws number fifteen...”
He didn’t finish his sentence. Jaxson had lifted his hand like a stop sign, stepping closer until the dungeon master stopped talking.
Jaxson’s voice was soft, but deadly clear. “Klara is an adult. She signed up of her own free will and she’ll participate until she chooses to remove herself by use of her safeword and not a moment before. If her presence is going to bother you so much, perhaps you should stay behind the bar tonight and cover her old job.”
The men stood silently, chest to chest in their showdown. Spencer finally backed down, taking a slight step back to signal his surrender. “For the record, this is bullshit. She is an ex-employee. She shouldn’t be on the premises.”
Jaxson pressed him. “Noted, but overruled.”
After Spencer stomped off, Jaxson turned to Chase. “You okay?”
“Sure, but I do love it when you come riding in to save me like my knight in shining armor.”
Jaxson grinned his sexiest smile. “I’ll be showing you later exactly how I like to be repaid for my chivalry.”
“Ah, so it’s not free then?” Chase flirted with his Dom, more than grateful that Jaxson had backed him up and supported what he’d told their employee.
Jaxson pulled him closer, leaning in to whisper in his ear with a hint of a growl, “I’ll make sure you enjoy the payment as much as I do.”
Chase’s blood heated, rushing to his cock at the naughty promise. He suspected he’d have blue balls by the end of the night being a spectator and not a participant in the night’s events. There probably wouldn’t even be time for a little bit of play with him at the roulette wheels. “Yes, sir.”
“Let’s go see Emma before you have to go on stage.” Jaxson reluctantly peeled apart from him, grabbing Chase’s hand and weaving them through the small cocktail tables and chairs they’d brought in for the event. As they neared the main stage, the tables were almost full with spectators and club members who had paid the high price to be voyeurs for the evening.
Chase stopped to chat and welcome couples in risqué evening wear, running into the occasional submissive, naked on their knees or collared and on their master’s leash. The sight of a submissive kitty-cat, furry tail and all, got Chase’s eager mind thinking of where he might buy such an adorable outfit for his Emma.
Would she be willing to try a bit of pet play after seeing the kinks tonight?
“Chase!” Samantha Carter pulled away from her new husband, Jonah, weaving through the growing crowd to give Chase a huge hug.
“Now this is a welcome surprise! I thought you two were headed back up to New York after last Saturday night.” He laughed as he leaned back from her.
Jonah ‘Cash’ Carter caught up with his wife and joined them with a grin on his face. “I confess. Sami wanted to stay and spend a bit more time with Emma, and, well... I didn’t want to miss tonight’s event. I think it’ll be a great way to introduce Samantha to some new kinks without having her try them herself first.”
Chase reached out to shake his friend’s hand. “Smart man. I’m pretty sure even Emma will be picking up a few new things tonight. I’m just hoping they are kinks that will go on our play list and not our hard limit list.”
Samantha, a relative novice to the lifestyle, giggled self-consciously. Chase put her at ease with a warm smile, “Emma is going to be so excited to see you. We have a table right over there in front of the main stage. I’m sure we can find a spot for you two near us so you girls can visit some when your Doms are busy.”
As a group they turned and pushed their way through the last of the mingling crowd until they settled into seats at the table, and Chase parted ways. It was time to get the party started. At the foot of the stairs to the stage he found Spencer’s right-hand man, Owen, waiting for him. With Spencer trying to lose his shit over Klara’s recent arrival, Owen seemed to be stepping up and Chase was grateful that one of the dungeon monitors was filling the gap.
“All but two of the participants have arrived, Chase. Luckily, it’s one Dom and one sub missing, so if they don’t make it here in the next few minutes, we could technically start without them, I guess. Candy is phoning them now to see if they’re close.”
“Sounds good. Any new info you can tell me about the contestants that I should know before we start?”
Owen leaned in closer, keeping his voice down. “Well, the Russian Ambassador arrived with several subs with him already and had intended for them to al
l play with the sub he rolls. He wasn’t happy to find out he’d need to leave them out of the play. We didn’t put multiple partners on the wheel or the hard limit list. We’ll have to see who he gets and see if it will be a problem.”
“Got it.”
“And, that last minute Dom addition, Spencer’s friend, scares the bejesus out of me, so I feel sorry for whoever ends up with him. He seems hardcore with a capital H. I’ll let the guys know to keep an eye on him to make sure he doesn’t push too hard.”
“Sounds good. There are a few of these subs who won’t be able to handle that kind of intense.”
“No shit, but then again, that’s what kinda makes tonight fun.”
“Tell that to the sub who ends up with him.”
A commotion near the entrance interrupted the men’s discussion. They turned in time to see Congressman Masterson trying to drag his ex-wife, Veronica, back towards the exit.
Owen cursed under his breath. “Shit. I was worried that might happen. Excuse me.” He peeled off toward the yelling couple looking determined to quiet them down.
Alone once more, Chase pulled out his prompt sheet and made a few notes with the pen he always carried, refreshing his memory of each of the participants once more. He was just finishing when Spencer appeared next to him.
“It’s just after eight and the final participants just arrived. Let’s get this show on the road,” the dungeon master grumbled, clearly still holding a grudge.
Chase slipped the name and limits cards he’d be passing out to the contestants into his side pocket. He grabbed the wireless microphone from the nearby table next, glad to see it was still there after that afternoon’s sound check. After he’d flicked it on, he hesitated as the nerves caught up to him again, glancing back to the table where Jaxson and Emma sat with Cash and Samantha. He felt heat rising on his face to find Jaxson and Emma both staring at him, but there was a supportive smile on each of their faces. Jaxson’s slight nod was the sign he’d been waiting for from his Dom to proceed with the event.
Here we go.
A few seconds later, Chase was center stage as the lights in the room dimmed slightly and spotlights lit up the portion of the stage they would be using for roulette. There were still many conversations happening around the expanse as Chase opened the show.
“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Black Light.” Random applause and cheers broke out, settling the last of the conversations. He turned on his bright smile, the one that had booked him so many gigs as a model, and continued. “I’d like to introduce myself first. I’m Chase Cartwright, and I’m one of the owners here. Jaxson, Emma, and I would like to wish you all a very happy Valentine’s Day, and to thank you for choosing to spend the night here with us - enjoying the first of what we hope will become an annual event, Valentine Roulette.”
The room that had hushed as his introduction began broke out into a round of excited applause. When the clapping ebbed, Chase glanced to the participants on either side of the stage. “I would like to start by thanking those of you who have come here tonight as participants. I’m sure it must be a bit nerve wracking signing up to play a game where you don’t know exactly who you’ll be playing with, or even what activities you’ll be asked to participate in. Our hope is that you’ll look at the evening as an adventure where you’ll hopefully learn something about yourself and your limits, all in a safe environment. You’re all brave as hell, and we definitely look forward to enjoying all of your efforts.”
Supportive cheers came up from the attendees at the tables, several crying out names in support of friends. Several of the submissives glanced out into the crowd of tables before returning their eyes to him.
“For those of you here as observers, I want to remind you of the rules our participants have agreed to when they signed up for Roulette. In a couple of minutes, fifteen Dominants will join me on the stage. They will be drawing numbers for their turn at the first of two roulette wheels. On the first wheel are the names of fifteen submissives. I will spin the wheel and each Dom will take their turn dropping the ball to choose their submissive for the night.”
Chase took a break and glanced to his left at the group of nervous looking women grouped together on the floor. “Ladies, when you hear your name called, Garreth will be waiting to help you up these stairs so you can join your Dominant and me center stage. After you’re together, I’ll spin the second wheel and you’ll drop the ball, this time into the wheel that will choose your first activity.”
Chase looked up to address the rest of the audience again. “There are twenty-five activities on the wheel and each participant was allowed to choose up to four activities to place on their hard-limit list. I’ll check my master list after each roll, and assuming the submissive rolls an action that is not on either limit list, they will spend at least thirty minutes participating in that event. After thirty minutes, couples can either continue with that activity, or, if they so choose, they may come back up to the stage and the sub can roll again to get another random kink to play.”
The room was abuzz with excited conversations on the variety of possibilities. Chase waited until the din died down to continue. “I know everyone is excited, but there are just a few more rules to go through before we get started. The event will continue until eleven this evening. Couples who stay together and complete one or more of their rolled kinks will each receive one month of free membership to Black Light, worth $2,500 each. There will be dungeon monitors available throughout the dungeon. They are there to keep everyone safe and are also available for coaching Doms who may need assistance with scenes they are less familiar with. Just speak up if you need help at any time and we will connect you to the right monitor.”
“And finally, I have to mention that every participant can use either the house safeword of ‘red’, or an otherwise negotiated safeword you choose as a couple, to immediately end play at any time. I will remind you, however, that if one of you safewords, you both will be out of the contest. So, it’s in your best interest to work together as a team. Doms, it’s okay to push your submissives to the edge. Just try not to push them over the line, because if they safeword – you’re done for the night, too.”
Taking a slow breath, he steadied himself. “So, before we begin, does anyone have any questions?”
One of the Doms called out, “What about time for aftercare? Do we have any time between scenes for that?”
Chase hadn’t discussed the exact rules for this with Spencer, but he knew the right answer to the important question. “Great question. Of course, Doms should be watching out for the health and welfare of their submissive and providing aftercare within reason is more than acceptable. We also have some light snacks and non-alcoholic drinks at the bar if you need them, which are available to participants and attendees alike.”
The next question was quieter, coming from the submissive group. “What happens if we... like... you know... need to take a bit of a break?”
Chase smiled. “Talk to your Dom. Maybe use ‘yellow’ to let him know you need to slow down.” He turned to the men. “I’m sure your Doms are going to want to win as much as you do and won’t want to push you beyond your limit unless they can’t help it.”
When no more questions surfaced, Chase reached out to the table holding both roulette wheels. Between the wheels was a box that held fifteen wooden popsicle-type sticks. Each had a number from one to fifteen on the end, which Chase hid in his palm.
“Gentlemen, it’s time for you to join me here on the stage please.” Chase motioned to the set of stairs just to the right side of the stage. “Please watch your step.”
It took a few minutes for all fifteen men to shuffle one at a time up the stairs and line up on the stage. He observed each man as they walked up, putting names with each of the faces from the sheet he’d studied before, noting how most looked like they were trying way too hard to hide how nervous they were.
He started at the end of the line farthest from him, stepping in front of eac
h man and allowing him to draw one wooden stick from his hand as he moved down the line, passing out all fifteen sticks. Along the way, he heard several men curse their number, either unhappy with the low or high number they hadn’t wanted.
“Alright, then. Let’s begin. Would the dominant with number one step forward?” For a brief moment, Chase thought they’d screwed up the numbers on the sticks because no one moved. Finally, Antonio Stavros, the Greek hotelier stepped up – charming, handsome, but clearly nervous. He shot the man a supportive smile, because of all Doms to go first, Stavros would have been his last choice. In fact, being a switch himself, Chase wondered if Mr. Stavros might have been a bit more comfortable on the submissive side of the room if they’d allowed male subs this year. Regardless, he waved him forward.
“Alright, ladies and gentlemen. Our first Dom has elected to simply go by the nickname ‘The Traveler’ tonight. I’ll spin the wheel and then you can drop the ball in whenever you’re ready.” Chase had to grab the man’s hand to give him the heavy marble. As he glanced down at the fifteen names spread out on the wheel, he tried to think who might be the best match for the non-dominant Dom. He wasn’t sure who might be best, but he knew who would be worst.
As soon as the marble rested on a name, it was as if Chase’s thought had willed the ball to find the woman he’d been thinking of. “Marty, the wheel has chosen you.”
All eyes watched the group of submissives until one of the tallest in the group stepped forward towards the second set of stairs. Chase had seen her at the club before and knew that no matter what kink they spun, Marty would be the one in control. The irony of two people who wanted to play on the other side of the D/s equation getting each other was not lost on Chase. He glanced down at his cheat sheet and grinned.
“Well, our first couple is very compatible. They have chosen the exact same hard limits. Well done.” He handed the marble to Marty who stepped closer as he gave the activity wheel a spin. “Anytime you’re ready, Marty, release the ball to choose your activity.”