by Livia Grant
“Everything okay?” Dani asked, stepping beside him.
“Yeah. They have it handled.” He checked his watch. “It’s ten thirty. Let’s get our station cleaned up, you in some decent clothes.” Grabbing her hand, he pulled her through the crowd to where they’d left their stuff.
Chapter 8
Dani stood in the bathroom with her sweater pulled up, admiring the red marks across her chest. She’d seen cane marks on women before, but she’d never understood why they loved them so much. She got it, now.
Every mark was a testament. She’d taken each of those strokes for Gray. They’d hurt when she took them, burned like a fire she’d never experienced before, but he put out the flames. He’d made her soar and guided her right back to him. Each stripe testified to their chemistry, and they were gorgeous.
Lowering her sweater over her body, she also felt the stiffness in all of her muscles. She’d be sore from head to toe for at least a day. Gray hadn’t held back; he’d put her through her paces on his terms.
What came next still worried her. They could mess everything up; they could end up hating each other. Still, that outcome had to be better than watching him with someone else because just the thought of that scenario sent her blood boiling.
She checked her eyeliner, making sure what little she’d worn hadn’t smeared all over her face then headed out to the main room.
Gray was waiting for her, his bag and her purse in hand.
“You didn’t lock this in a locker?” he scolded.
“Obviously not, since you’re holding it.” She smiled and grabbed it from him.
His eyes narrowed as he took stock of her outfit. Jeans and a sweater; how could he find fault with it? With an approving nod, he changed the topic.
“Do you have your car here?” he asked.
“No. I wasn’t sure about the parking, so I cabbed it.”
His eyes narrowed further. Pretty soon, he wouldn’t be able to see through them.
“There are a lot of things that are going to change for you, Dani.”
“What’s wrong with a cab?”
“You remember that little thing you were wearing before I had you strip for your spanking?”
“Yeah. The skirt? It was a skirt, Gray.” She slung her bag over her shoulder.
“Safety, Dani. How many times have we talked about safety?”
“Ugh. Too many!” She held her hands in the air. “I’m not a little girl, Gray.”
His eyes widened with her raised voice, and he stepped to her, wrapped his hand behind her neck and fisted her hair. She winced at the sting.
“Ah, a week ago I wouldn’t have been able to do anything about that snark of yours, but I can now. Turn around and put your hands on the wall.”
He couldn’t be serious.
“Gray, the night’s over,” she pointed out when he released her. He dropped the bag at his feet and reached for his belt. She watched with a dry mouth as he unbuckled it and yanked it from his jeans.
“Yep. Playtime’s over. But we begin, remember?” He repeated the words he’d spoken just before he’d devoured her heart with the panty-melting kiss. “Now, turn around, and hands on the wall.”
She swallowed the argument dancing on her tongue and obeyed.
As soon as her hands touched the wall, the belt struck.
“Fuck!” She jumped.
“Ass out,” he ordered with another lash against her denim-clad ass. She arched her spine, jutting out her bottom.
Another lash and another. Each licked her body, leaving a trace of heat behind. He gave her no time to recover from one before the next landed, and when she twisted away out of self-preservation, he wrapped his arm around her stomach and held her body in place.
“Think you can curtail your smart-ass remarks for a little while, now?” he asked, lashing her again. The jeans didn’t offer any protection from the belt.
“Yes!” she shouted, pressing her face against the wall. Her bottom burned, such a hot fire, worse than when he used the cane. How could that be? How could a belt over her jeans bring such a sinking feeling to her stomach.
Because she’d displeased him. She hadn’t irritated a friend, she had upset her man. She had disrespected him by raising her voice. And only moments into their new relationship.
“Good.” He punctuated the word with one more snap across her ass.
His hand went up to her hair again, fisting it close to the scalp, and maneuvered her entire body until she faced him again. “You aren’t a little girl, Dani. But you are my girl. And my girl doesn’t put herself in danger. Got me?” The dominance in his voice curled her toes. How had he held that from her for so long?
“I got you.” She nodded as best she could.
“This is going to be an adjustment. For both of us. But we’ll talk, and we’ll work through it. Every time. No more secrets. No more confessions years later. We’ll be open and honest. Got me?” He gave her a little shake.
“I got it, Gray.”
“Every time you step out of line, expect your ass to be lit up. And if that doesn’t work, I have plenty of things that will.” His lips curled up with his warning, and she decided she would think about what those other things could be later—when he didn’t still have one hand in her hair and his belt in the other.
“Got it,” she said again, reaching out to touch his chin. “I swear, Gray. No more smart-ass, well, at least not tonight. I want this. I want us to give us a real shot. I’ve wanted that for a long time.”
He let go of her hair, and held the belt up to her. “Put this back where it belongs.” He stepped away and lifted his arms up to give her room to work.
She worked the thick leather between her fingers. She loved leather, and if she wasn’t being punished with it, she would adore having this strap of leather on her skin. But that was for another day, another time.
She worked the belt through his loops, all the way around his waist until the buckle hung in front of him. “I’d rather be undoing this than buckling it up.” She smiled but kept her eyes lowered.
He snuck a kiss to her forehead and grunted his response.
“You’re not going full-on caveman, now, are you?” She laughed. Dani worked the buckle closed, sliding the last bit of leather through the denim loop of his jeans.
He hugged her to him, the scent of him, the security of him warming her through to her core. He pressed another kiss to her head. “Can’t help it. Your hands were too close to my cock for me to speak clearly.” Wrapping his arms around her shoulders, he pointed toward the exit. “Let’s go.”
“Sammy would be good with this. With us,” Dani said as they made their way into the chilled February air outside the club. Patrons from the club above Black Light, Runway, lined the street, coming out of their own Valentine’s Day bash. No one gave them a second glance as they emerged from the psychic shop and headed to Gray’s car.
“Yeah, I think so, too,” Gray agreed. Sammy loved Dani more than anything, and all he’d ever wanted was for her to be happy.
“One more confession.” She stopped at the car and turned to face him, her leather coat zipped up to her chin.
“Okay, go.” He shoved his hands into the pockets of his coat.
“Having you and Scott around these past years has made losing Sammy bearable,” she huffed, the words getting all mixed up in her mind. “But having you there, riding my ass about everything, it made me feel connected to someone. Not that it stopped me from doing whatever I wanted whenever I wanted, because— Well, maybe that look you got when you wanted to spank the shit outta me, but couldn’t, was a little fun to see.”
“Oh. So, you had a good time with it did you? Seeing me slowly lose my mind over the past five years?”
“Just a bit.” She grinned. She loved every second of it.
He pulled her to him. “Well, you won’t see that anymore. Any other confessions, other than you purposefully pissed me off all these years?”
She pretended to t
hink a moment. “No. I think that covers everything.”
He nodded and opened the door for her. “Okay, then get in.”
After she climbed in, and he shut the door, she watched him walk around the front of his Charger to his door.
“Except that I’m pretty sure I’m in love with you already, but we can talk about that in the morning,” she said inside the empty car.
The door opened, and he slid in, giving her hand a squeeze before firing up the ignition.
“What’s that look for?” he asked with a half grin.
“Huh? Oh, nothing.” She sank into her seat and watched out the window. She recognized some of the people from the Roulette game pouring onto the street. The Black Light party officially ended, but they had just stepped up to their starting line.
The End
About the Author
Measha Stone is an international bestselling author of erotic romance. She’s had #1 top-selling books in BDSM, and suspense. She lives in the western suburbs of Chicago with her husband and children, who are just as creative and crazy as her. Her vanilla writing has been published in numerous literary magazines, but she’s found her passion in erotic romance.
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Surrender
A Black Light: Roulette Redux Novella
By
Maggie Ryan
Chapter 1
Marty
It wasn’t like I hadn’t been inside before, but tonight, the moment I entered the psychic shop, I felt my skin break out in goosebumps. Shooting a glance around, I couldn’t help but wonder if perhaps the store held a bit of magic within its walls.
“Marty? Are you okay?”
Realizing I’d come to a rather abrupt stop before ever reaching the curtain that would begin this evening’s journey, I gave myself a mental shake. Smiling, I looked over to where Charlie stood next to Dillon, her eyes registering concern.
“Of course I’m okay,” I said with enthusiasm. “I just had the weirdest feeling.”
“Weird?”
Rolling my eyes, I couldn’t help but laugh as my best friend’s husband went from relaxed to on alert—his dark head swiveling as he scanned the room. “Relax, Dillon. It’s nothing to get your FBI panties in a wad. Not a bad ‘weird’. More like a ‘shiver down my spine’ type of vibe. Like something exciting is just waiting for me.”
Charlie’s smile lit up her entire face. “Considering I’ve heard last year’s Valentine Roulette party was a huge hit, I can understand that. I’m shivering just thinking about how it must feel to volunteer to be paired with some dom you don’t even know to have all sorts of…” She paused, glancing around as if expecting to find hordes of people straining to listen to her words.
“Naughty, delicious things done to me?” I provided with another smile. “And not just doms. This year, dommes are participating as well. Believe me, you’re going to witness things you’ve never even imagined.”
Dillon, an experienced dom in his own right, slid his arm around his wife’s waist and gave me a grin. “I’m not sure about that,” he said. “But if we don’t get a move on, I do know you’re going to be late.”
His comment got me moving. After passing through a curtain at the back of the store, we were met by Luis whom I considered as the ‘gatekeeper’—the man who opened the door to the magic. I smiled and handed over my invitation.
“Have a good evening,” he said once he’d checked our credentials and opened the door.
“I plan to,” I said, and I did. I hadn’t doled out a small fortune having nothing to do with actual admittance to Black Light. Nope, my signing up to participate as a submissive tonight hadn’t cost me anything. Not monetarily at least. I’d even receive a free month’s membership. While my body found enormous satisfaction in all the delectable possibilities found at the club, my little accountant heart found great pleasure in not having to shell out the $2,500 monthly fee for the privilege.
Just like it always did, the walk down the tunnel from the psychic shop towards the next check-in point, had my heart rate increasing. I hadn’t lied to Luis. I had high hopes for tonight. Hopes I hadn’t even shared with my best friend. I’d been thrilled when she’d wed Dillon, but with their marriage had come an entire set of complications I’d never anticipated. Not with Charlie, but with her husband. Dillon was the younger brother of Owen MacAllister, the one man I couldn’t seem to get out of my mind. It wasn’t as if the couple were totally ignorant of my attraction to Owen. As a foursome, we’d all enjoyed a few dinners together, lively conversations filled with teasing and innuendos, but despite all of that, and Charlie’s insistence I just had to be patient, positive her brother-in-law would soon see the light, I had given up hope.
It had been an entire year since the last Roulette party, and I’d still not managed to get Owen to truly notice me. Or, if I were to be honest, to notice me in the way I so desperately craved. The four of us were all members of the club. I’d watched Owen perform some of the most intricate work at the shibari station where he was not only a master, but a true artist… but I’d not yet felt his hands on me other than the occasional slap to my ass when he thought I was being snarky.
Well, Owen was not the only man or the only dom in D.C. This city was full of men who enjoyed a bit of kink. It was time to pull my big girl panties up and move on.
“What’s funny?” Dillon asked as we climbed down the well-lit steps leading to the next door.
Realizing I’d giggled aloud, I smiled. “Oh, nothing. Just excited.” I was not about to admit I wasn’t looking to pull my big girl panties up—I was wondering how long it would be before some man—some handsome and sexy as sin dom—pulled them down.
There were several people milling around the security area. The excitement was palpable, causing my nerves to jingle which actually surprised me a bit. You’d think I’d be used to it by now, but being a member of the hottest, most exclusive BDSM club in Washington, did not take away from the sense of anticipation. I shook my head. It wasn’t as if I expected to find my ‘one’ tonight. After all, I would be playing with someone I’d never even met before. Still, I could feel my nipples tightening beneath my dress. The party would last only three hours, but, oh, so many things could happen in those 180 minutes.
“Earth to Marty.”
The words and the deep chuckle had me coming to my senses to see Danny, holding out his hand, his fingers flexing as if expecting something.
“Oh, sorry,” I said, passing the sheet of paper over. It confirmed I was a participant tonight.
“No problem,” Danny said, giving me a smile as he scanned the code on the form. “It’s good to see you again.”
“You too. If this crowd is any indication, I’d bet the club is going to be full.”
Danny’s grin grew wider. “Yes. Word of mouth from last year’s party helped sell a lot of tickets. People are anxious to see what all the hubbub is about.”
“I’m sure they’ll get quite the show,” Dillon said as he passed his inner wrist beneath a black light.
It never failed to send a thrill through me to witness the magic. Where nothing had been visible before, now I could see the letters BL and a bar code denoting Dillon as a lifetime member of the club. You’d think as often as we’d been here the security would be a bit lax, but no. Without fail, Danny gave us the next spiel.
“Nothing electronic allowed. Everything—”
“In the lockers. Yeah, we know,” I said, thinking to tease.
His eyes darkened almost as much as Dillon’s did when they both turned their gaze on me. I’d not yet stepped foot into the club proper, but I felt as if I were being reminded I was a submissive.
“Sorry. I was just calculating
how many times you must have repeated the same line. Don’t you get sick of saying it all the time?” I asked.
“Not when every word is meant to assure your safety,” Danny said, his tone indicating he was totally serious.
I could feel my face heat and nodded, listening as if I’d never heard the instructions about placing cell phones, Fitbits, watches, anything at all techy in the locker. “Thank you,” I said when he’d finished, grateful when he smiled, silently forgiving my rudeness. I slid my purse into the locker alongside Charlie’s. Dillon placed his cell phone and watch in as well. I suddenly wanted to ask what if something happened and they were needed but were out of contact. Whereas my only possible emergency would be some client freaking out over an audit or numbers they couldn’t figure out, these two were active FBI agents. However, the moment Dillon opened the final door, everything except for tonight’s agenda flew out of my head. Sliding my hands over my hips, smoothing out non-existent wrinkles, I took a deep breath and stepped across the threshold.
“Wow, Danny wasn’t kidding,” I said, looking around the room. It was still early as I’d been instructed to be through security and at the stage a few minutes before 7:30, and yet there were crowds milling about. The thought of all those eyes on me when it was my turn to join my dom for the night had me smiling. The notion that at least some of these people would also witness a scene I’d be involved in caused my lady bits to spasm.
How it could be that my eyes would be drawn to one person when I was surrounded by so many was a mystery. My life outside this club revolved around statistics, never changing mathematical formulas and equations, things I could count on. And yet, here, only feet inside the door, my neatly ordered life was gone.