Heart of Stone

by Dakota Willink

  “What about me? I haven’t gone through any sort of screening process.”

  “You’re with me. That’s all the screening they need,” I said, not bothering to disguise any arrogance in the matter. I flashed her a cocky grin and circled the car around a long and winding bend.

  When the massive stone building that housed Club O came into view, Krystina gasped in astonishment.

  “Wow!” she said in awe. “From the view of the street, I would never have thought that this would be hidden here. You weren’t kidding when you said that a person couldn’t accidentally stumble into one of these places.”

  I pulled into a parking spot and stepped out of the car. I surveyed the lot as I walked around to the passenger side of the car, and took note of the long line of expensive cars that filled the parking spaces.

  It’s a full house tonight.

  It wasn’t unusual for the club to busy on a Saturday night, but the number of cars in the lot was well above the norm. It had been a while since I had last visited the place, and I wracked my brain trying to think of a particular event that may be going on. Considering that it was nearing late October, there was a good chance that the club was hosting its annual Halloween party. Uneasiness seeped into my bones when I thought over the potential risks with that.

  I stretched my neck from side to side in an attempt to shake off my apprehension.

  Krystina’s nerves must be wearing off on me.

  I opened the car door and made room for Krystina to step out.

  “You ready?” I asked, extending my elbow to her.

  “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

  She took hold of my elbow, and we made our way up the stone walkway to the mansion. Pushing through the massive wooden double doors, I motioned Krystina inside.

  Here goes nothing.

  CHAPTER 43

  Alexander stepped aside so that I could enter into an elegantly decorated vestibule, complete with a breathtaking rock garden and tranquil waterfall. It was not at all what I was expecting. I had envisioned pulsing neon lights for a place like this – certainly not the aristocratic interior that was before me.

  The walls were covered with varying shades of blue and green mosaic tiles, giving the entire entryway an almost underwater effect. Next to the waterfall, there was a marble statue that looked as if it had been transported in time from two thousand years ago. The statue was of a woman wrapped in a loosely draped cloth, with one breast revealed. Her sculptor was able to capture an alluring expression of mystery, presenting a certain degree of erotic beauty.

  “That’s a beautiful statue, Alex.”

  “It’s a rendition of Venus, the goddess of sexuality,” he told me.

  “I thought that Aphrodite was the goddess of sexuality.”

  “Aphrodite is a Greek. Venus is Roman, even though some people consider them to be virtually the same. I prefer Venus because I find her attributes slightly more appealing – beauty, persuasion, seduction, and sex,” he explained.

  “That’s interesting. I didn’t know that,” I mused, reaching up run my fingers over the cool marble arm of the statue.

  He chuckled at my fascination and took hold of my elbow.

  “This way, angel.”

  He ushered me ahead into another room, where the old world feel flowed seamlessly from the entryway. Except in here, it looked like a Halloween cocktail party was taking place. Everyone was stylishly dressed in costume, conversing casually and sipping fancy colored drinks.

  “It looks like a Halloween party in here.”

  “That’s because it is. I had forgotten that tonight is Club O’s Annual Halloween Masquerade,” he paused and frowned. “But even if I had remembered, I’m not into the costume thing. Come on. Let’s go get a drink.”

  Alexander led the way over to a long mahogany bar at the far side of the room. While he worked on getting the attention of the bartender, I surveyed all the people that were present. Every last one of them was in a costume of some sort. It made me feel self-conscious about my very normal, yet extremely provocative attire.

  “Are you sure that we won’t stand out? I mean, look at everyone,” I whispered.

  “Grey Goose with a splash of cranberry and a glass of Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling. I’ll also need a red bracelet.” Alexander told the bartender before turning back to me. “Don’t worry about it, Krystina. This is only a small part of the club. I’m sure that there are people without a costume downstairs.”

  “Downstairs?” I asked.

  “Yes. Now here, put this on your wrist,” he told me, handing me a red silicone wristband that the bartender had passed to him.

  “What’s this for?” I asked.

  “The red signifies that you are strictly here for observation and that you are not available.”

  “Available for what?” I asked in confusion.

  “For another Dom. The club utilizes a color system as protocol for their guests. Red means that you are only available to me, and will prevent any unwanted advances,” he explained. “If you were wearing blue, it would mean that you were available with my permission. Those wearing green send the message that they are free to any Dom.”

  I considered his words as he handed me the drink that he had ordered.

  “Would you ever have me wear another color?” I asked in honest curiosity.

  “Let’s just get through tonight, shall we? I know you have questions, but be quiet for a few minutes. Right now, I just want you to just watch.”

  “What am I watching?”

  “The people.”

  I scanned the room. There was a soft, almost whimsical, sort of music playing overhead. Some people were standing and talking, others mingled together on various settees and chairs.

  My gaze moved to the right and settled on three people sitting on a leather couch. There were two women dressed as sexy felines and they sat on either side of a man dressed as a vampire.

  His costume was fitting for him because he looked as though he wanted to take a bite out of one or both of the women. I watched him place a hand on the side of one women’s neck, while the other woman ran a hand suggestively up his thigh. She didn’t quite reach the mark, before moving her hand back down towards his knee. I felt myself blush, suddenly realizing why Alexander told me to watch. The scene that played out before me was one of seduction.

  I brought the glass of wine to my lips and took a long swallow.

  I could feel Alexander’s eyes on me as I watched them. After a moment longer, the three people got up and left through a side door.

  “Where are they going?” I asked.

  “Either upstairs to the common room and private suits or down to the dungeon.”

  “The dungeon!” I exclaimed. I had read about what went on in BDSM dungeons. Images of women and men dressed in skintight vinyl, all tied up and gagged in cages popped into my head.

  “Shhh, Krystina! Lower your voice. It’s not what you think.”

  “Well then, what is it?” I hissed.

  “It’s like a dance club down there. Sort of. Come on, I’ll show you,” he said, taking hold of my hand.

  He led me to the door that the three people went through, taking me down a long narrow corridor. The lighting was dim, but I thought it was meant to give a cozy and inviting feel to the hallway. I knew that the sinister feel was strictly conjured up in my own head.

  We rounded a corner and I stiffened in my tracks. The hallway had split. To the left, there was a staircase that I could only assume led up to the private suites that Alexander had mentioned. Several people were traveling up and down the wide set of steps. To the right, there was a black door with a massive gargoyle head above it. A sign that read “The Dungeon” hung over the monster’s head.

  I was seriously starting to get creeped out.

  “Do you want to go down, or do you want to go back to the lounge?” Alexander asked.

  “What about the common room that you mentioned?”

  “Oh, no. You’re
not ready to go up there,” he paused and looked thoughtful. “Actually, I don’t think you’ll ever be ready for that.”

  “Why not?”

  “Trust me on this one. Unless you have a sudden interest in orgies, I don’t think you’d like it.”

  “Ah, no…um, we can go on ahead…to the Dungeon I mean,” I stumbled in my attempt to mask the hesitation that I felt. I didn’t want him to think that I was a chicken. After all, I was the one that pushed to come here in the first place.

  “You’re awfully skittish tonight, but there’s nothing to worry about. I’m here with you,” he said reassuringly, rubbing my shoulders. “But I have to warn you, just about anything goes down there. I’m not sure what we’ll find here tonight.”

  “I’m good. Let’s go.”

  He opened the black door and a set of long winding stairs came into view. The pulsing base of house music assaulted my ears. It was shocking loud actually, as I hadn’t heard a single trace of it when we were in the hallway or back in the subdued lounge area.

  When we reached the bottom of the staircase, an entire new world opened up before me, revealing a twisting sea of dancing bodies. Some were in costumes and, just as Alexander had predicted, some were wearing normal attire. I saw a few individuals dressed in leather and studs, but I knew enough now to know that those people were not dressed for Halloween fun, but for the lifestyle.

  My gaze traveled up from the dance floor to the high vaulted ceilings. The ceilings were extremely high for a basement, easily eighteen feet tall. Around the edges of the room, there was a caged platform that was filled with more dancing men and women. My foot started tapping in time to the pulsing music. The urge to dance swelled in me and I reached for Alexander’s hand.

  “Let’s go dance,” I said, urging him towards the dance floor.

  “Definitely not. You are not going out on that floor to dance.”

  “Why not?”

  “A girl like you won’t be doing much dancing out there,” he said dryly, nodding towards the dance floor. I pinched up my face in confusion.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Never mind. We can go up there instead,” he said, pointing to the caged platforms.

  We made our way up the short metal staircase that led to the platform. Alexander elbowed his way through the crowd of dancing people until we reached a place that was a little more secluded. He turned me around, and pulled my back close to his chest. I thought he wanted to dance with me from behind, but when I started to grind myself against him, he made me be still.

  “Hang on. I want you to see something first.” I could barely hear him over the music and I reached a hand up to my ear, gesturing for him to talk louder. He leaned down closer and said, “Look down there. Do you see why I didn’t want you to dance there?”

  I looked to see where his finger was pointing. I couldn’t stop the gasp that escaped me. Down below, in the middle of the dance floor, there was an elevated stage of sorts that I hadn’t noticed before. A naked woman was being strapped to a St. Andrew’s Cross by two men.

  Once she was secured, one of the men leaned in to say something to her. Whatever it was, she nodded, and the man stepped back to speak with the other man. They moved out of my line of sight for only a second or two before the crowd separated to create a large circle around stage and the woman on display. The music was suddenly lowered to a dull background noise, and replaced by a booming male voice.

  “Ladies and gentlemen! In honor of the Halloween festivities, Kendra’s Master has decided to grant her wish of a public flogging!”

  What? Is this actually for real?

  The crowd cheered, while I stood there feeling like I had just gone back in time to Colonial America. I scanned the room, half expecting to see stocks and pillory at the ready.

  “Alex, this is really messed –,”

  SMACK!

  I jumped mid-sentence, as the first lash of the flogger reined down on the woman.

  “It’s all just part of the show, Krystina.”

  “Yeah, but…” I trailed off as another thought occurred to me. “Have you ever participated in something like this?”

  “Me? No,” he said with a shake of his head. “I told you – I’m not an extremist. Some people get off on public displays. To each his own, I guess. But that’s not my style.”

  “Then why do you come here?” I asked.

  “I come for the social aspect of meeting like minded individuals. Dramatic scenes of this magnitude don’t happen that regularly. The club usually reserves them for special occasions, like tonight for example. If I had realized that today was the Masquerade, I probably wouldn’t have brought you here. It can be a little intense, especially for a newcomer.”

  SMACK!

  The sound of another lashing forced me to look back at the bound woman. I was curious to learn why someone would want to be whipped like that in public. I tried to keep an open mind rather than view it as nothing more than a crude spectacle.

  After every few lashings, the man that I assumed to be her Dom would pause to massage oil over her reddened backside and limbs. She would thank him profusely, and then he would resume again with the flogger.

  SMACK!

  The woman threw her head back and let out what I had initially thought to be a cry of pain. However, after seeing her expression, I realized that the woman was actually crying out in pleasure. It was fantastically absurd, in a twisted sort of way, yet there was something unbelievably erotic about it as well. Eventually, I lost count of how many lashings she took, but by the way she writhed on the cross, it was apparent that she was desperate for release. I wondered how long the man would make her wait.

  “How long will this go on for?” I asked Alexander.

  “It depends. Only her Dom knows her limitations. Although, I expect that he’ll most likely push her close to her breaking point.”

  “And then what?”

  “If he thinks she’s earned it, he’ll either allow her to orgasm in front of the crowd, or he may choose to take care of her in a private suite,” he told me with a shrug. His indifference to the scene baffled me.

  Heat moved into my cheeks.

  “In front of everyone?” I asked incredulously.

  “You’re blushing, Krystina. Are you enjoying this?”

  “I don’t know…I mean, an orgasm is so personal and intimate. I can’t imagine having one in public,” I said honestly. “And I can’t say that a public display of dominance does anything for me either.”

  I heard the woman cry out again, and simple curiosity had me turning to see what was happening. She had been repositioned while I was talking to Alexander. She was no longer strapped to the cross, but bent over an elaborate spanking bench of sorts. Her ass was high in the air, exposing her sex for all to see. I should have felt embarrassed for the bared woman, but the reverence that her Dom showed her made me feel differently. It was if he were worshipping the sexuality of the female’s body.

  He ran the flogger up and down her back, slowing over her sweet spot to graze it softly. Occasionally he would lean down to whisper words that only she could hear, and her body would twitch in response. This went on for what seemed like eons, but it was probably only a few minutes before he finally showed her some mercy. For when he leaned down to her ear for the final time, he reached beneath her to pull at her erect nipples. That simple action sent the woman reeling.

  Her orgasm rocked her entire body, and the air seemed to hum. Every individual that was present in the Dungeon could feel the sheer magnitude of her pleasure. My surroundings seemed surreal. I looked back to Alexander only to see his eyes full of concern.

  “Are you okay, angel? You have a strange look on your face.”

  I wasn’t sure what to say, unable to find the words to describe what I was thinking. The scene that I had just witnessed left me feeling relatively stunned. Yet, I was turned on in the most indescribable way. The intimacy and trust shown between the couple on the platform
was at a level of epic proportions. She was the definition of the ultimate surrender, and had given complete charge of her body over to the man in ways that I had never given to Alexander. And for the first time, I realized what Alexander meant about trust being the root of BDSM.

  “Honestly, Alex? I think it’s just the environment that we’re in. It’s muddling my thoughts. The whole place reeks of sex.”

  He laughed and wrapped his arms tightly around me.

  “I was a little nervous, but you handled that better than I thought you would,” Alexander admitted. He pulled back to look at me, only a slight hint of concern still visible in his striking blues. “Why don’t we get down from up here and go grab another drink? You look like you could use one.”

  The loud music of the club returned, the sound almost deafening compared to moments before.

  “That sounds like a good idea. I think one show was enough for me.”

  We headed down the steps to the ground floor of The Dungeon and made our way over to the crowded bar. There was a wooden sign above the bar that read “Obsequious Cantina”. However, we bypassed that particular bar and went on to the next. This area was by far the more swank of the two, with plush furniture and mini tables that were cordoned off into more private sections with billowing black sheers. This bar had a metal sign that read “Sovereignty Cocktails”.

  I snickered after realizing the meaning behind the signs.

  “What’s so funny?” Alexander asked.

  “The names of the bars in this place,” I told him and laughed again. “They have one bar for the master, and another for the servant. I just find it funny.”

  “Don’t forget that one over there,” he said, pointing another bar across the way. I looked over and saw a sign that read “Queen’s Landing”. After looking at the patrons, it wasn’t hard to figure out why it was called that.

  “You don’t want to go over to that one?” I asked with a wink.

  Alexander mouth turned up in a crooked smile at my teasing.

  “Angel, there are just certain things that I don’t do. Now, go see if you can spot an open table while I try to track down a bartender.”