Contents
Title
Copyright
Author’s Biography
Acknowledgements:
Table of Contents
Chapter 1 Erin Goes Out
Chapter 2 Jayden’s on the Prowl
Chapter 3 Catherine Has a Cane Reaction
Chapter 4 My Card, M’lady
Chapter 5 Erin Makes the Call
Chapter 6 Sir and Catherine Explore
Chapter 7 Catherine Finds Her Place
Chapter 8 The Morning After
Chapter 9 She Wore a Pearl Necklace
Chapter 10 Dr. Jayden, Not So Much
Chapter 11 Jayden’s Multiple Partners
Chapter 12 Doctor’s Orders
Chapter 13 Date Night with Master Jayden – and Micah?
Chapter 14 Blurring Lines
Chapter 15 Of Swiffers and Canes
Chapter 16 Distance Makes the Heart Grow Fonder
Chapter 17 Playdate
Chapter 18 Catherine Serves Another
Chapter 19 For the Birthday Boy
Chapter 20 Days Go By
Chapter 21 Demon Night Introductions
Epilogue The Proposition
Excerpt from Chapter 1 Catherine’s Anticipation
To Serve Is Divine
Author:
R.E. Hargrave
Kindle Edition
*****
Published by
Sensual Awakenings,
an imprint line of
Renaissance Romance Publishing
Copyright © R.E. Hargrave 2013
The right of R.E. Hargrave to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her under the Copyright Amendment (Moral Rights) Act 2000
License Notes
This novel is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This print may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to www.amazon.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.
This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the
Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced, copied, scanned, stored in a retrieval system, recorded or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
Renaissance Romance Publishing
PO Box 22 Clarendon, TX 79226
ISBN-13: 978-0615750842
ISBN-10: 0615750842
Cover art: © Sophieso - Dreamstime.com,
© Pzaxe - Dreamstime.com
© Irisangel - Dreamstime.com
© Emily2k - Dreamstime.com
© JC Clarke
Cover design by: JC Clarke
Author’s Biography
R.E. Hargrave is a fledgling author who has always been a lover of books and now looks forward to the chance to give something back to the literary community. She lives on the outskirts of Dallas, Tx with her husband and three children.
Her titles include:
Sugarplum Dreams Anthology
Sugar and Spice
Acknowledgements:
So many people to thank from the bottom of my heart for helping make my dream a reality:
To my husband and children ~ You’re continued support of my writing knows no bounds.
To all the texasbella fans ~ Thank you, I’m here because of y’all, and I truly hope I don’t disappoint.
To Holly, Nicole, and Massy ~ You’ve been with me from the beginning pre-reading and offering encouragement, and I cherish that more than you know.
To the ladies of RenRom ~ Thank You
Chel for being a whiptastic editor ensuring I've not intentionally offended any Lifestylers.
Laura for the task of formatting and dealing with my requests for special fonts.
Lisa for always being level-headed and keeping me on track.
Serenity and Mavvy for final editing.
To Malin and Kelly ~ Next to me, y’all have to be the most excited about seeing this happen, and I can't thank you enough for your continued enthusiasm.
To kroseph ~ In times of frustration and doubt, your motto of “Just keep dancing” has been inspirational.
And last, but certainly not least, a very special thank you goes out to JC Clarke ~ Babe, you pre-read, helped me with all my social media graphics, brought my cover ideas to life better than I imagined, and no matter what you had going on you always had time to listen to my frantic ramblings and calm me down. An ocean may separate us physically, but know that you are forever in my heart. Pinky swear.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1 ..………………………. 8
Chapter 2 …………..……..…... 18
Chapter 3 ………….…………... 28
Chapter 4 ……………..……….. 38
Chapter 5 ………………..…….. 46
Chapter 6 …………………..….. 58
Chapter 7 …………………..….. 70
Chapter 8 ………………..…….. 82
Chapter 9 …………………….... 92
Chapter 10 …………………... 102
Chapter 11 ………………..…. 110
Chapter 12 ………..…………. 116
Chapter 13 …………………... 128
Chapter 14 …………………... 136
Chapter 15 …………………... 146
Chapter 16 …………………... 158
Chapter 17 …………………... 164
Chapter 18 …………………… 176
Chapter 19 …………………... 186
Chapter 20 …………………... 196
Chapter 21 …………..…….... 204
Excerpt ……………………..… 220
~~~Chapter 1~~~
Erin Goes Out
The evening breeze was cool, and getting colder the longer the reserved red-head stood in line. Erin was thankful she’d decided to wear the black, wool-blend top coat which hung below her knees. Hard to believe the temperature that day had peaked in the nineties. It had since dropped into the sixties, and there she stood shivering. Typical, crazy Texas weather for you, she thought. She’d be able to coat-check the outer layer once inside, but for now, it warmed her legs, arms, and back, which were left bare by the slip of a dress she’d worn.
The patent-leather, open-toed heels were beginning to hurt Erin’s feet and her nipples were becoming numb from their adornments. She sighed and glanced at her watch to find that she’d been standing in line for forty-five minutes. The wait was due to the surprising size of the crowd vying for their turn to get in; although if she were honest with herself, Erin shouldn’t have been surprised. It was the most exclusive club of the BDSM kind in the immediate area, and it held ‘no membership needed’ nights just once a month. She shifted between her feet and tried to be discreet when she brushed her arms across her chest. A small gasp rushed out when the numbness gave way to a flash of delectable, searing heat.
It had been eight months since she’d moved to the area just four months after gaining her freedom. She’d attempted to live a normal life back in California, but Erin soon realized there were too many reminders to continue existing with any sense of normality, and she decided a fresh start was in order.
To carry out that decision Erin had done what any newly-single, young bure with a secret w
ould do: opened the road atlas showing the map of the country, closed her green eyes, wiggled her finger around in circles, and dropped it. The next morning found her packing the few belongings that mattered, taking a last glance around to assure herself that the choice was all right – he wasn’t going to stop her – then heading to the bus station where she paid cash for her ticket, left without a trace, and bound for Dallas.
Erin had spent the last six months researching clubs in her spare time whenever she could work up the nerve. The more time that passed, the more Erin came to realize she just couldn’t ignore the kinky side of herself any longer. She was scared out of her mind, yet knew she needed to get back into the lifestyle – craved it even. Anxiety became her constant companion, she wasn’t sleeping, and she couldn’t focus on work. The few times she’d attempted to pleasure herself had been failures. Anytime she would get close, visions of him flashed through her mind halting all progress. Yet she needed to serve – to submit. She was pretty sure it was in the chemical make-up of her brain to be a submissive.
Another chill wracked Erin’s petite body causing her to question the intelligence of standing in the cold night air much longer. At least the movement gave her some relief when her breasts brushed against the satin lining of her coat. Ready to give up and go home, she reconsidered when the ladies in line around her began murmuring with excitement. A whiff of something intoxicating wafted up her nose, and she risked a shy glance up to see a retreating backside. A man of respectable height with thick, wavy, dark-brown hair, maybe black – it was hard to tell in the dim street lights – was walking to the front of the line. He stopped to talk with the bouncer, and she couldn’t resist hoping that he would turn around so she could get a gander at his face.
He chose that moment to look her way. A mere fifteen feet separated them, but it felt like everyone and everything disappeared. The man was either tanned or darker due to his genes, Greek heritage perhaps? She found herself caught in his piercing sienna stare and couldn’t breathe. A moment later she remembered her place and lowered her gaze, but not before Erin thought she saw an amused grin form on his ruggedly handsome face.
Erin now contemplated whether it had been a bad choice to have foregone her panties. Arousal built inside her, uncurling and stretching like a cat waking from a nap. The electricity that crackled around her confirmed she’d made the right choice in coming tonight.
A tap on the shoulder startled Erin. She looked up into the smiling face of the bouncer. He seemed harmless enough with his preppy-cut, light-brown hair and mischievous, blue eyes, but his height and clear muscle tone suggested that he wasn’t a person you wanted to anger.
“Ma’am, would you like to come inside?”
Erin nodded her head, which was too fuzzy to form coherent words, and followed him to the front of the line. He unclipped the rope barrier, gesturing for her to pass to a cacophony of dissatisfied groans from the women whom she had just been escorted ahead of.
“Have a pleasant evening, pretty lady.” He winked at her.
Erin found herself standing up even straighter at his compliment, a little of the weight she’d carried rolling off her back. She took a tentative step forward into the dim entryway, stopping to let her eyes adjust, and appreciate the warmth that wrapped around her. Her ears couldn’t hear the music, but she could feel the bass reverberating through the floor, up her legs, and ending by pulsing in her tender nipples.
“Good evening. Welcome to Dungeons and Dreams,” a smoky voice drew her attention to the corner.
Erin pivoted and took a couple of steps forward. Soon her eyes adjusted, allowing her to make out a stout woman dressed in what could best be described as gypsy fare: a gauzy blouse paired with an overabundance of jingling bracelets and a brightly-colored scarf wrapped around her head. The woman stood behind a counter to the right of the door.
“Thank you,” Erin gave a polite reply with a slight catch to her voice. She seemed to still be under the effect of the stranger from outside.
“Come forward, dear. I am Angelique. You are?” She held her hand out toward Erin, who shook it without hesitation.
“Catherine, but I go by Erin. Unless . . . well, unless I’m in the playroom,” she responded with an unnatural murmur due to her nerves.
Angelique let out a deep, throaty laugh. “Well, Erin, welcome. May I take your coat?”
Erin nodded and slipped the coat off, feeling Angelique appraising her when she handed it to her.
“Mm, you are lovely, dear. Tell me, is this your first time? I don’t believe I’ve seen you here before, and I’m sure I would remember you.” She licked her lips.
“I’m pretty new to the area, so yes, this is my first time.”
“I see.” Angelique’s finger tapped against her lip as she thought for a moment. “Well, let’s get you checked in so you can start your evening, shall we?”
“Thank you.” Erin’s nerves began to settle with the friendliness of Angelique’s disposition.
“First thing, Erin, I need a current STD report dated within the last two weeks, a photo ID, and your seventy-five dollar cover charge.”
Once Erin had provided her with the requested report, along with her credit card and driver’s license, Angelique opened a large register and handed her a pen.
“Please sign your full name and status into our guest log.”
“Sorry, status?” Erin questioned.
“Yes, dear. We color code our guests. It lets everyone inside know in which way will be acceptable to approach you,” Angelique explained. “I need to know if you are a Domme or submissive, trained or not, available or not, that kind of thing.” She laughed again, and the sound caused a shiver to run down Erin’s spine.
“Oh, of course.”
Erin nodded taking the pen from Angelique’s outstretched hand.
She’d read about it on their website. It was part of why she’d chosen to come here in fact. The pen flowed seamlessly over the old-fashioned log when she signed in: Catherine O’Chancey, available, trained submissive. Taking a deep breath, Erin laid the pen back down. This was going to happen again for real.
“Can I ask why the old pen and paper way, Angelique?”
“Of course, dear. It is to protect your privacy from computer hackers, and to protect us from being accused of setting you up in an unclear position. No one but trusted staff has access to these records.”
The explanation made sense to Catherine so she nodded and smiled.
“Here you go, pretty Erin.” Angelique handed her a purple band, which she slipped onto her wrist. “This will let the people beyond those doors know that you are an experienced guest who is here looking to play. Normal rules of play are in effect. You may decline any advances without fear of consequence due to your guest status. The color safe-word system is in place if you do choose to play tonight. If they are club members, the Sirs and Ma’ams will be wearing green bands, yellow bands if they are a guest. They are aware of proper activity areas and club etiquette, and had to provide the same proof of cleanliness as you. If you should require assistance at any time this evening – for anything – you are free to ask any of the dungeon masters who wander the club. They’ll be in black pants and a white shirt with the club logo over the pocket – just like Warren was wearing outside. Do you have any questions?”
Erin thought for a moment and then replied, “No, ma’am. I think you have covered everything.” Her adrenaline began racing through her while her excitement spiked.
“Alright, just a little more paperwork, and then you can be on your way. I need your signature on this confidentiality form. It’s a basic agreement that states anything you see or hear beyond these doors will not be discussed in any way with the general public, media included.”
Skimming over the agreement, Erin ensured it was the same one she’d studied in detail on their website. Finding no discrepancies, she signed, her heart rate further accelerating in anticipation.
Angelique smiled, and Erin wonde
red if she could hear her heart trying to beat its way out of her chest.
“Relax, dear. We offer a warm atmosphere under the ‘Safe, Sane, Consensual’ motto. Nothing will happen tonight that you don’t want.” Angelique came around the counter and opened the interior door. “Pleasant dreams, Catherine.” She waved her arm, indicating Erin should step inside.
Erin straightened her back. The tender nipples she’d all but forgotten in the excitement of getting through the doors throbbed, reminding her of their presence. When she entered the club’s inner sanctum, it was with a slow sureness while the door closed behind her with a dull echo. The music was just loud enough to recognize the song without it being deafening. Conversation would be easy enough to manage with no need to lean into the other person and yell. Couples swayed on the dance floor, their bodies writhing in hypnotic tandem to the music. The feeling of the rhythm soaked into her limbs.
Private sitting areas were scattered around the room with one or two recliners and a table for drinks to each section. Most of those were occupied. Both males and females knelt next to their Masters with their heads resting against thighs. In the sitting area closest to Erin, a female submissive was pleasuring her Master with her mouth while he carried on a conversation with the Domme in the seat next to him. The soft slurping noises being emitted were ignored by both Masters.
To Serve Is Divine Page 1