by Golden Angel
Would he want to tie her up? That was bondage. So what about the other stuff? Domination, Sadism, Masochism... Okay, domination sounded like it might be kind of fun. And she had to admit, she went all weak in the knees when he was pressing her up against walls and going all alpha male. That was hot. But she didn't know anything about any of this, how much more would be expected of her?
Nebulous images of various fetishes she'd heard about ran through her head... and seriously, sado-masochism? Maria was pretty sure she didn't like to hurt people or the idea of being hurt by someone. If other people wanted to party like that, well that wasn't any of her business, but she didn't need to try it to know that it wasn't her cup of tea. Just the idea made her shudder, and not in a good way.
Still, how was she going to discover what Rick liked, what Rick wanted to do with her, what she and Rick might be able to become, if she didn't learn a little bit more?
All she had to do was step out of this bathroom and tell him to take her to one of the other floors, or to take her home. Decisions, decisions.
Chapter 8
Once Maria had gone into the bathroom, Rick turned around and started the long walk towards the table at the bar where he could see his friends waiting. Maybe it was a good thing that she obviously needed a moment to collect herself, before he introduced her to all of his friends.
Because literally all of them except Olivia had shown up tonight and apparently none of them were playing right now. He doubted that any of them would leave to play until they met the woman that he’d just brought to the club. At least he'd already gotten Maria past Jared and Lexie.
Nosy bastards.
He really wished they weren’t here tonight, he was having enough trouble keeping his cool around Maria. The image of her at his door, in nothing but an open trench coat, was practically burned into his brain. The dark coat had framed her gorgeous curves perfectly, her tanned skin had glowed against her lighter skin that was the exact shape of her bikinis, letting him know exactly what small expanses he hadn’t seen before. Those heavy, curving breasts with brown-tipped nipples that had been puckered and eagerly pointing at him. The small landing strip of closely cropped hair that didn’t at all cover her pussy.
It was an image that had haunted him, even though he’d only seen her exposed body for a few moments before he’d been able to cover her up. A few more moments and he would have dragged her back to his bedroom, fuck the consequences. It had taken all his control not to anyway. And now he was going to have his control tested in front of all his nosy friends.
Although it wasn’t just the guys, Jessica and Hilary were both craning their necks towards the girls’ bathroom and he was pretty sure that if Adam hadn’t had a firm grip on Angel, the friendly brunette would already be heading after Maria. She looked about ready to pop right out of his lap given the opportunity. Well, this is what he got for making his desire for a relationship so plain and then bringing a complete unknown into the club. If he'd just spent the night playing with another sub, it would have never garnered this level of interest.
"Hi Rick!"
"Hi Rick!"
"Hi Rick!"
It was like being greeted by a chirpy Greek chorus, but he couldn't help the smile that spread across his face as the three women beamed up at him. Angel was practically bouncing against Adam, which was probably at least part of the reason for the man's long-suffering expression. He was a pretty self-contained person, but he'd admitted to Rick that he enjoyed Angel's exuberance even when it tried his own sense of dignity.
"Hey," he said, gesturing to Vickie, one of the submissives serving drinks to the tables scattered around the bar. Since Andrew was apparently off for the evening and hanging at the table, she was the one who knew his usual order best.
Settling into his seat, making sure that he had a clear view of the door to the women's room, he remained deliberately quiet while everyone exchanged looks with each other. Too bad he didn't have anyone to lay bets with on who would speak up first. Angel opened her mouth only to close it again when Adam's arm tightened around her. He couldn't see the look she shot at her boyfriend over her shoulder, but he did see the quelling glare that Adam gave her. And the pout on her lips when she turned back around.
Hiding his smile and pretending that he hadn't noticed, he accepted his beer from Vickie and took a sip. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Jessica straighten up and then subside again, no need for either of her Doms to settle her down. She would argue with herself in her head about whether or not to be nosy.
"Alright Rick," Chris said, leaning forward on the table with his elbows. "I give. Who's the chick?"
Damn. He would have lost money on that one, he'd been sure it was Patrick who would ask first, considering that he owned the club. "Her name's Maria. Be nice. This is her first time in a club. She's a complete newbie."
That got some raised eyebrows.
"So why bring her?" Patrick asked, a frown settling on his face. As a rule, Patrick didn't approve of newbies coming into Stronghold without going through some kind of screening by him.
It wasn't a requirement, as long as the newbie had a sponsor for the evening, but not too many people went around it. The only reason Rick did was because he knew they weren't going to be playing, he was just going to be showing Maria around. Waiting to see her reaction.
"I like her."
"And?" That was from Justin, who knew Rick too well to think that he would bring a newbie to Stronghold just because he liked her. Especially after he and Adam had already tried to pump Rick for information about her.
He took another swallow of beer to fortify himself. "It didn't scare her off when I told her I wanted to spank her."
There was a wealth of information admitted in that one sentence. The fact that he'd tried to resist, the fact that she'd been chasing him, that he wasn't completely in charge of their relationship so far, and that she might be open to what he wanted. He could tell that Justin and Adam were definitely amused at his expense, probably already plotting questions for the next time he ate lunch with them.
"That's a bit of a risk," Andrew said quietly. His somber expression wasn't at all usual for him, but considering what they were talking about, Rick couldn't blame him. Andrew's last relationship had crashed and burned as Andrew had discovered his needs and his girlfriend's inability to handle them.
"I figure she'll either run scared or be curious," Rick said, a bit grimly. Part of him wasn't sure whether he was hoping to scare her off. But why? He'd been looking for someone to become involved with, but he’d wanted someone already in the scene. He’d been resisting her for so long. So why had he set her up like this? His dick had taken over when he’d seen her naked, and now that they were here and he was talking to his friends, he was already second guessing himself.
Unfortunately it was too late. He'd been glancing at the door to the women's room every couple of seconds, waiting for her to appear; so he happened to be looking straight at the door when she finally did, looking calmer, and determined, with her chin raised. Something in his chest tightened even as the blood surged to his cock. This wasn’t just sexual attraction; she got to him on an emotional level as well. Which shouldn’t be too surprising, considering how much time they’d been spending together.
He was so screwed.
She stood out, in her sexy but - compared to most of the people in the room - modest outfit. All that glorious hair framing her face and shoulders. She obviously wasn't a Domme, but her strong stance made her appear a challenge. More than one dominant in the lounge area was already looking her over, mostly the ones who enjoyed a bratty submissive that needed to be taken in hand.
Immediately Rick got to his feet and walked to meet her, feeling incredibly possessive as he noticed the dominants looking at her. He wanted to claim her in front of them. She came straight at him, not looking to the left or right, her entire focus completely on him. It was strangely intimate and incredibly sexy.
Stopping in front of her
, so close they were almost touching but not quite, Rick brushed the back of his hand over her cheek. Subtly, so subtly he wasn't even sure she was aware she was doing it, she pressed her cheek into his hand as it passed. He wondered if she realized what that kind of connection revealed to the people who were watching, that they would all understand that she was with him for tonight. They would all think she was his submissive. Even if it wasn’t quite true, he couldn’t help but feel quietly triumphant.
"Okay then?" he asked softly, suddenly worried that she was going to ask to leave. His emotions clashed. For some reason part of him wanted her to not be able to handle this, but another part of him was nervous with hope.
"Yeah... I think so," she said, giving him a tremulous smile that was at odds with the defiant tilt of her chin. "Who are the people you were talking with? Your friends?"
"Yeah," he said, dropping his hand to slide it down her arm. Immediately he felt a tremor go through her body as her lips parted in reaction to his touch, eyes widening a bit. The kind of response that made his sense come alert, wanting to explore that. He wrestled the impulse down. "Come on, I'll introduce you."
For just a moment she looked like she might try to escape back into the ladies room, but as his fingers threaded through hers, she straightened her shoulders and nodded her head. "Okay."
Why he felt the need to hold her hand, he didn't know. It wasn't a customary way of leading a submissive through a club. Maybe he was sensing some need of hers, some kind of craving for normalcy in this strange world he'd led her into. Poor thing must feel a bit like Alice, fallen down the rabbit hole. As he led her back to the table, he could feel her fingers tightening around his, the only indication of nerves that he could see.
Of course, Patrick and Adam might see more. They tended to be particularly observant Doms, the best out of the group at reading body language. All of them were good at it, but Patrick and Adam sometimes picked up on things that the rest of them didn't.
All of them were smiling, except Andrew, but even he didn't look unwelcoming. Just like he was examining her, taking in every nuance of her movements. Rick didn't take offense to it, he knew that Andrew, like Jared, was just worried because of his own experiences. He didn't want Rick to get hurt. But neither of them would be unwelcoming to Maria, and she had obviously passed Jared's appraisal before he'd let them in the door.
Besides, like Lexie, the girls were more than making up for any unsmiling faces. Angel actually was bouncing now, and so was Jessica. Hilary was slightly more reserved, but the pretty blonde's face was lit up like it was Christmas. They were all so obviously thrilled to meet anyone that Rick brought to the club and he could only thank his lucky stars that they were there. Not that he didn't love his male friends, but as a group they were pretty intimidating. The girls provided the softer edges that were needed for a newbie like Maria.
He introduced Maria around, keeping a firm hold on her hand, mostly because she was clinging to it. None of her anxiety showed on her face or in the way she was answering Angel and Jessica's questions, but he felt her need for support through her fingers. So he didn't let go, even when more than one of his friends raised their eyebrows at the fact.
Not like any of them had room to talk. Liam rarely let Hilary out of arm's reach and preferred her tucked directly beneath his arm, either Justin or Chris were almost always touching Jessica in one way or another, and Angel's practically permanent seat had become Adam's lap. Then again, it wasn’t like Maria was his girlfriend.
"I've been there, I love that place!" Angel exclaimed as Rick tuned back into the conversation. "We'll have to come in and visit sometime!"
"Absolutely," Maria was saying, her fingers slowly relaxing in Rick's grip. He doubted anyone could be unaffected by the open friendliness that was coming at her from all sides. "I mostly work during the day but I'm usually there for happy hour too."
Crap, he should have been paying more attention. His focus was all over the place, comparing his friends’ relationships to him and Maria, thinking about showing Maria around the club, trying to act nonchalant about introducing her to his friends, all of it adding up to being distracted from the actual conversation going on around him. The girls were already making plans and he didn't even know if Maria was going to want to see his face after she got a good look at the rest of the club.
"Hey," he said, gently interrupting as he gave her fingers a squeeze. "Let's head upstairs so you can look around."
She looked up at him and for a moment he thought she was going to refuse, stay within the safety of the other women, but then she seemed to gather herself in and nod her head. While he was glad that the girls were all eager to welcome Maria, it probably would have been better if he'd taken her around the club first. See if she even wanted to be welcomed to the group.
******
The upstairs of Stronghold was an eye opener. Rick seemed much more focused on her now; when he'd first introduced her to his friends he'd seemed pretty distracted. She'd always thought she and her sisters had giving significant looks down to an art, but he and his friends had been having an entire conversation without saying a word. Fortunately the women had all been a lot more open. Maria had immediately liked all three of them, maybe because they'd been so obviously ready to like her too.
And whoo-boy... his friends! Probably the hottest congregation of male friends she'd ever seen gathered in one place. Most of them wearing at least one article of leather clothing, which really didn’t hurt when it came to the dangerous, bad-boy appeal. But it hadn't been so much their looks, although all of them were attractive, as the sheer amount of power that seemed to radiate from all of them. Maria hadn't felt so out of depth in her entire life. If it hadn't been for their much sweeter, much more approachable girlfriends, she probably have been too intimidated to speak a word.
She was a bit curious about Jessica; Rick had mentioned her in the past, Maria had gotten the impression she was Justin's girlfriend from what he’d said. But, even though Justin had been sitting next to her, Chris had been stroking Jessica’s hair in a manner that seemed a lot more intimate than friendly. And Justin hadn't seemed to have a problem with it, which seemed a little strange.
Was that normal in a place like this?
Maria was all for live and let live, and Jessica hadn't seemed to have a problem with it, but Maria hoped that wasn't something that was just expected. Because she wasn't sure she'd want to be with a guy that wanted to share her... and she definitely didn't want to share. Right now she felt pretty out of her depth and she really didn’t know what Rick expected of her, which was pretty scary. Kind of exciting too, because her stupid body was really enjoying the way he was taking charge of her.
Stronghold's second floor was somewhat reassuring when it came to the sharing thing. Not all of the rooms had the shades open for people to look in, but quite a few of them did, and they were showing couples. Although being able to see them was still a bit unnerving.
"They know we're watching?" she whispered, her eyes glued to the sight of a couple in what looked like a high school locker room. The woman was wearing a cheerleading uniform and was laid out on the bench, her legs draped over the man's shoulders, skirt flipped up, and moaning as his head moved up and down between her thighs. Watching through the window seemed both kind of creepy and kind of hot in a forbidden way.
Rick's body seemed to lean closer to her, making all the hairs on her arm stand straight up as his lips practically pressed against her ear. "They wouldn't have left the window open if they didn't want people to watch. You know what exhibitionism and voyeurism are?"
"So they're getting off on the fact that people might be peeking in?"
"Yes. They’re not the only ones who are getting off on it; you like watching." His finger ran down the center of her back and Maria shivered, stepping away as she blushed deeply.
"How do you know that?" Her voice came out as a little squeak, fortunately no one else in the hallway seemed to be paying attention. It was
true but it definitely wasn't something she would have admitted. Even in the dim light of the hall she could see Rick's eyes glowing a bright blue as he stepped closer again, a little smile on his face. For some reason that slight curve of his lips made her shiver again as her head tilted back.
Fuck... he was crowding her into a wall again. He really liked to do that. And it was shameful how much she liked it when he did. If she'd been sitting, she would have been squirming in her wet panties. As it was, she pressed her thighs together hard, trying to dampen her reaction.
"Because," he said, his smile growing as he put his hands up on either side of her, trapping her with his body, but not touching her at all. Every inch of her skin seemed to ache for him to lean in and press against her. What was wrong with her? "Your breathing picked up, your cheeks turned a little bit pink, you licked your lower lip, and your nipples are hard as little diamonds." He watched her face, which was turning even redder and she could feel it even though she couldn't stop it. "Plus, now your pupils are dilating."
His breathing was getting a little ragged too. Maria felt like her throat had seized up. All she could do was stare back into his brilliant blue eyes, unable to move, waiting for whatever was going to happen next. Which had never happened to her with a guy before, and it was seriously the most exciting thing she'd ever experienced. It felt like her body was thrumming, completely on edge, and if he wanted to do something kinky to her in the hallway she knew she wouldn’t stop him. People could totally watch if they wanted.
Watching her expression for just a moment longer, Rick eased back and Maria found that she could breathe again. "Come on, let's look into some other rooms."
Maria glared at his back as he turned away. She was all hot and bothered and he wasn't even going to kiss her? What did a girl have to do to get some attention around here? Then again... she really did want to see what else the club had to offer. And she was secretly relieved, because now that her brain was working again, she was back to being unsure if she would really be okay with people watching them. Something about having Rick right there, taking over, made her just want to roll over and do whatever he wanted. Scary shit, even if it was exciting.