Black Light: Valentine Roulette (Black Light Series Book 3)

by Livia Grant

  “Of course, and I’ll give you the good stuff since Master Kent told me it’s on his tab.” She giggled, walking to the narrow shelves of alcohol to grab a bottle and pour. T-Baby was in an obscenely short and frilly pink skirt, with a white corset on top that had pink ribbon as the backing. A stark contrast to her mocha skin, which made her the picture of innocence.

  Littles…

  Sienna shook her head and smiled to herself, not really getting the allure of dressing and acting like a kid, but – to be fair – a lot of people didn’t understand her craving for humiliation and service. Taking a slow breath she repeated one of the community’s many mantras in her head, ‘Your kink is not my kink, and that’s okay’. It was a good reminder, because consenting adults or not, there were some much stranger kinks in the world than the littles – and she’d tried several of them.

  “Here you go, sweetie. You feeling okay?” T-Baby leaned forward on the short bar, baring all of her cleavage.

  “I’m good, thank you.” Sienna spoke softly.

  “If you’re sure.” T-Baby shrugged and walked away to keep cleaning. The woman never bothered her, never tried to make her talk, and it was why she often retreated to the bar at the end of the night. When whoever she’d played with had long since left.

  Taking her first sip of the wine she moaned softly, grateful to wash the acrid taste of whatever hard liquor Master Kent had been drinking out of her mouth. His shoes had been more pleasant.

  “Sienna.” A rough voice made her jump a little, and she turned before looking way up to meet one of the dungeon monitors in the eye. It was the one they all referred to as ‘Muscles’, because he looked like he took steroids at breakfast while he ate an entire cow. He was massive, with muscles where Sienna hadn’t even been sure there should be muscles.

  Realizing he was waiting for her to respond in some way, she cleared her throat. “Um, yes?”

  “What just happened over there? I saw you with that guy for the last couple of hours, and then that blonde shows up and he’s leaving with her. Right now.” Muscles looked agitated, glancing back at the door to the exit. “Did he cross a line?”

  “No, no, we were just playing together tonight.” Sienna tried to explain, but speaking was not a natural talent for her, and the DM was only getting more irritated.

  “Exactly, that fucker doesn’t just get to do some pick-up play and then literally kick you to the side when he sees something else he wants. Aftercare is a minimal expectation.” He growled, actually growled like some large beast, and then he held up a finger between them. “I’m going to go have a conversation with him about club expectations.”

  “Wait!” She grabbed onto his arm when he turned to walk away, but she may as well have tried to stop a moving car. Sienna almost spilled her wine as he pulled her with him for a step, and then he looked down at her. Being 5’ 2” on a good day, this was one of those times she really hated being short, because Muscles was easily a foot taller and about a million times stronger.

  “I’m not waiting, he just walked out the door with her! You don’t deserve this, Sienna, you –”

  “That’s his girlfriend!” Almost shouting it, she felt her eyes go wide as he stilled, and then he turned to face her completely and she took a step back so it was easier to see him. “She, the girl I mean, she’s his girlfriend. Bombshell Life, or something like that, is her username on FetLife.”

  “Explain,” Muscles demanded and Sienna took a large drink of her wine, trying to fortify her voice so she could answer him.

  “It’s a thing they have, I’ve served Master Kent before for it.”

  “A thing.” The huge man in front of her looked doubtful, and she sighed.

  “He didn’t do anything wrong. She likes to pretend they don’t know each other, that she distracts him from some other sub he’s playing with, and then he chooses her over the sub.” Sienna shrugged, feeling an inkling of shame as Muscles stared down at her, irritation still etched into his features. “I think it’s how they first met, but we discussed it all online. He knows what I like, and I knew the deal.”

  “That’s no excuse to ignore aftercare,” Muscles grumbled.

  Sienna shrugged. “Being ignored is part of it.”

  “Your kink?” The man asked, wiping his face free of the irritation he’d been broadcasting.

  “I like it,” she confessed in a whisper, but instead of judgment she saw him physically relax.

  “Okay, I just –” Muscles rubbed his hand over his short-cropped hair. “I was worried about you, but I’m glad it was all arranged.”

  Smiling a little at him, she tried to show him she felt fine – because she did feel fine. Good. Peaceful, actually. Serving as a footstool for the last however-long had been the quietest her head had been since the last time she was at the club, but all of that was too much to explain. “Thanks for checking on me.”

  “Of course. It’s the job and all that.” He seemed suddenly awkward, which was a challenge since he took up about twice the physical space that she did, and his bare chest was a veritable monument to strength and the benefits of weight lifting. “I see you here a lot, you know.”

  “Really?” She snuck a sip of her wine, bringing her eyes up from the dark tattoo covering his shoulder and the upper part of his bicep. “I’m really only here once or twice a week.”

  “That’s pretty consistent considering I rarely see you play with the same person.”

  Sienna blushed, wishing he would just walk away now that he knew about the arrangement she’d had with Master Kent and his girlfriend. She didn’t need to evaluate her life choices while standing in a BDSM club, and definitely didn’t want to discuss them with a stranger. The heat was scalding her cheeks as she tried to speak, “I didn’t – I mean I don’t –”

  “Hey, I don’t care that you play here a lot. I think that’s great. You know what you like, and you seek it out, but it would be nice to see one of them stick around long enough to see you to the fucking door.” Muscles sounded like he was lecturing in a Dom 101 class, which Overtime held once a month, but while some of the Doms may need a few tips in basic protocol for play, she definitely didn’t need to hear it.

  “I’m fine. I promise.” Seriously. He didn’t even take any of my clothes off.

  “Right…” He turned to sweep his eyes across the floor, and she studied his face while he wasn’t focused on her. The man clearly had a passion for this, a real dedication to the community, and she respected him for it. It would just be nice if his attentions were applied to someone else.

  This was the kind of torture she hated. Socializing.

  If she were a more talkative person she’d explain that she wasn’t upset in the least by her evening. It wasn’t like she was new to the community, she’d had several Doms since college, it was just none of them lasted. She was too busy, they were too busy, and the relationships usually dissolved without a lot of drama. Pick-up play suited her; it worked because it was uncomplicated. Planned out. Organized, without the convoluted expectations that came from anything more. Sienna spent most of her life quiet, she spent her life listening and watching. Well, except for her second job as a waitress where she had to make casual conversation with customers before putting in their orders – but that was easy. It was like reading from a pre-written script. Spontaneous discussions like this? Real conversations? That’s where she usually panicked.

  Why couldn’t she just be a footstool for another thirty minutes?

  “Muscles?” she asked, trying to get his attention, but he turned back to her with a laugh.

  “Terry. You can call me Terry. That’s just what all these assholes call me because they don’t hit the gym as hard as I do.” That’s the truth.

  “Okay, Terry then. Listen, I’m really okay. I got to – you know, relax. Get into my headspace for the night. So, I’m fine, and I promise you Master Kent didn’t do anything wrong. Please don’t say anything, sir?”

  “I get it, I won’t talk to hi
m about it.” He nodded, suddenly looking animated as he brought his hands together in front of him, making his biceps bulge. “You know, I actually have an idea. There’s another club that just opened a couple of months ago that’s looking for more subs. I work there on the nights I’m not here, and I think you’d be an interesting addition to the mix.”

  She almost laughed out loud, but it came out as just a huff of breath. “Interesting?”

  Her?

  “Absolutely. You’re into service submission, right? And humiliation? I know you did the watersports thing towards the end of last year with that blond guy, and at the Halloween Masque you were at one of the blowjob stations.” Terry said the words so casually, but she felt the tickle of shame again. Too many people talked trash about her kinks for it not to faze her.

  “Yes, I am, and I did that.” It had taken years for her to be able to admit to her kinks aloud, and even feeling dizzy from the strain of saying it to him, she wasn’t going to be shamed inside the club. “But, really, it’s fine. I barely have enough free time to come here, and I –”

  “Look, this new club is exclusive. Super private, very expensive, but they’ve got an event coming up and they’re short on the roster for submissives so you’d get in free. I think you’d be a fun wrench to throw in their gears.”

  “Why?” Sienna asked, looking up at him as he chuckled and rolled his shoulders, making his pecs do a little dance, and his washboard abs rise and fall.

  “Because you’re real, and a lot of the people there have forgotten what real people are like. The guy who owns the place asked me to see who I could find here, and I’m pretty sure that’s why.” He tilted his head at her. “Interested?”

  “Maybe,” she admitted. A new club with new people might be nice. Especially since she knew most of the people here, and she’d somehow developed a reputation as the sub who was a ‘use-at-club-and-leave’ type. No one had asked her out after play in a long time.

  A year at least, which was a depressing realization.

  “Okay, let me give you my email address and I’ll send you the details, along with the website for the application. It just opened so I’m sure you’ll get in.”

  “Wait, an application?” Sienna took another drink of her wine before she set it on the bar as Terry reached over the top to snag a napkin, waving at T-Baby to get her attention.

  “Yeah, they’re crazy about security.” Terry smiled as T-Baby walked over and he got a pen from her, scratching out something on the napkin in front of him. When he finished he held it out to her, leaning down slightly to meet her eyes easier. “Just send me an email so I can get you the link, and then apply. Do it as a favor to me, alright?”

  “A favor?” she asked as she took the napkin, craning her neck to look back up at him as he stood upright.

  “I always look out for you.” He shrugged like it was obvious. “And I’ll be there that night to look out for you too.”

  “What night?”

  Terry smiled, tapping the bar as he turned away from her. “Valentine’s.”

  “Wait – what kind of event is this?” Sienna raised her voice as he walked away, a nervous tension making her heart race.

  He turned around, walking backwards for a few steps. “A fun one. Sign-up, Sienna. I think you’ll thank me later.”

  Watching as Terry ‘Muscles’ the dungeon monitor walked away to take up his usual post near the St. Andrew’s Cross, Sienna sighed and stared down at the napkin. His handwriting was terrible, but she was able to make out the email address.

  A Valentine’s Day event?

  When she looked up at the club, her eyes passed over the various members in attendance, ticking them off one by one and categorizing them appropriately: taken and unavailable, taken and played with as a couple, unattached and played with. There were maybe a few people she didn’t immediately recognize, but it was a serious comment on how long she’d been playing at Overtime – and how many people she’d played with.

  Having a second club to go to wouldn’t be a bad idea, and if Terry thought she was a good fit – she probably was. Hell, it was a compliment that he’d even cared enough to approach her. Short, and small, with dull brown hair, and boring brown eyes – Sienna was someone that got overlooked a lot. At work, on the street, and at Overtime.

  With a steadying breath, she stared at the email address for a long minute, adjusting her skirt and blouse as she toyed with the edge of the paper. The decision to sign up and at least try to get a space at the event seemed to be unavoidable, as if it were destiny. Or at least, she would have thought it was destiny if she believed in that stuff.

  As long as this isn’t some BDSM version of speed-dating.

  Finding a dry, clean space on the bar she set the napkin down, turning to watch T-Baby giggle and flirt her way through another drink pour. When she glanced towards her, Sienna raised a hand to ask her to come back, because if she was really going to do this – she needed another glass of wine before she asked for a ride home.

  Chapter 2

  February 14th – Black Light

  Alexander walked slowly behind a couple through the chilly tunnel from the psychic shop, tugging his coat tighter around him. The man and woman were dressed well, and clearly heading to watch the Valentine Roulette event that Jaxson Davidson had put together. Watch, not participate, which made Alexander slow his steps even further so he wouldn’t catch up.

  It was an interesting concept, one that had caught his attention enough to sign up, but as he listened to the couple laughing and chatting about what they might see that night – he felt a lot more like an actor about to step on stage than a Dom about to play with a new sub for the evening. He liked his kink, but he didn’t need to be the center of attention. Especially not with how he liked to play.

  Not sure this was your brightest idea, Alexander…

  Unfortunately, the man from the couple held the door into the security room for him as they got to it, and Alexander had to pick up his pace to avoid being rude. “Hey,” the man said, nodding at him as he stepped past.

  “Evening,” Alexander replied, avoiding a conversation by turning away once inside like he might be meeting someone.

  Meeting someone? Ha. That was a joke.

  He’d have to find someone able to handle him to have that.

  Fidgeting, he pulled off his coat and took out his wallet, waiting for a few of the couples that had been milling around to go ahead and enter Black Light. Daniel, the desk security in the locker room, was scanning people in as they lined up in front of him. Most had the membership cards, sleek white plastic with text only visible under black light, but one person scanned in with a tattoo on the inside of his forearm. Interesting. Alexander tried to get a good look at the man who had a lifetime membership to the club, but he wasn’t able to before it was his turn.

  “Evening, Daniel.”

  “Happy Valentine’s, Mr…” Daniel waited until the scanner read his name, and then he smiled at him. “Reed. I see you’re a participant, so I’ll just remind you of the one drink rule once you’re inside.”

  “Not a problem.” He smiled before taking the card back.

  “Good, you’ll be locker thirty-one tonight. All technology in, no exceptions.”

  “I know the routine.” Alexander chuckled internally at the confusion on the security guard’s face. He clearly didn’t remember him, but since Alexander had helped Jaxson Davidson review the security protocols, the security staff, and the non-disclosure agreement his law firm had drawn up for them – he was intimately familiar with all of the safeguards in place. Especially since he’d spent the end of January going over everything again after an issue with one of the guests had almost turned into a liability for the club and all its members.

  ‘Reporters,’ Alexander grumbled in his head as he tucked his phone in the locker and shut it tight. Wallet away, coat dropped off through the window, he followed a couple into Black Light.

  Walking into the club was like breat
hing fresh air, because it was the one place in his life he didn’t have to watch every word he said. Every move he made. Becoming partner at a law firm had been his goal in life, but while he loved almost everything about being a lawyer, it also meant curbing certain aspects of his personality.

  Not every aspect; being dominant had never been a weakness in a courtroom.

  An attractive young woman in a very tiny dress approached him carrying a tray of champagne, “Would you like a drink, sir?”

  “No, thank you.” He gave her a smile, and then stepped past to scan the small crowd. There were tables lining the edges of the main floor, and a tighter grouping of them up near the stage. Even near the entrance he could see the roulette wheels set up, and he took a slow breath.

  You’ve signed up, you’re here, you may as well have some fun with it.

  Just as he started to let his eyes roam again, he caught sight of Jaxson laughing at a table near the front. Alexander headed in the man’s direction, looking around to get a feel for the people in attendance. Who were the participants, and who were the couples? In some places the answer was obvious, in others… not so much.

  “Jaxson,” Alexander smiled when the man turned around, still mid-laugh at something the others at the table had said.

  “Alexander! I was starting to worry you might have had cold feet. You’re cutting it a little close.” There was a question in Jaxson’s voice that Alexander was not in the mood to answer so publically, so he simply shrugged.

  “I had work to wrap-up at the office. I do have other clients, you know.”

  “I’m guessing that’s why you’re dressed so well?” Jaxson asked.

  Straightening his suit jacket, Alexander grinned. “When do I not dress well, Jaxson?”

  “Cocky bastard,” Jaxson laughed before turning back to the table. “I don’t think you’ve met Cash Carter, and his new wife Samantha.”

  Raising his eyes to the rock star at the table, Alexander gave a small smile and nodded, but he spent his days around too many high-profile individuals to be star struck by the lead singer. “Nice to meet you, Cash, and it’s quite lovely to meet you, Samantha.” Reaching over he offered Samantha his hand and when she took it, he squeezed lightly. “You look beautiful. Marriage clearly suits you well.”