Blush

by Lauren Jameson

  His tone was light, though she could hear the danger behind the words. Rather than scampering away in terror as many would have done, Julien threw his head back and laughed.

  “Heard, understood, acknowledged, el capitaine.” Still chuckling, Julien waved them forward. “Go, go. I have work to do.”

  Maddy looked up at Alex in alarm. If someone else spoke to him like that, she suspected they’d have found themselves out of a job.

  Instead, Alex was grinning, like he was in the company of an old friend.

  “Come on, Maddy, before Julien makes a bigger play for you.” He was half joking. Maddy was puzzled by the interaction she had just witnessed. The Alex she was seeing right now was more relaxed than she had ever seen him.

  Alex pushed the heavy mahogany door, ushering Maddy ahead of him. She blinked at the change from the bright presunset light of outside to the dim, candlelit-enhanced interior.

  “Welcome to In Vino Veritas.”

  “In Vino What?”

  • • •

  While she was distracted, Alex placed his hands at her shoulders, pulling the suit jacket away.

  She clutched at it. “Alex, we’re in public!” She hissed as his insistent fingers brushed hers aside and, to her obvious horror, peeled the jacket off of her.

  “No!” Her hands fluttered up, then down, then back up again, trying to cover everything all at once. “Give that back!”

  “Maddy.” His fingertips never leaving her, Alex circled around until he was standing in front of her, blocking her view of anything but him.

  She was new to this, but she needed to understand. When they were in his club—when they were in any club, or in any kind of sexual situation—he was in control.

  If he wanted to share her beauty in an outfit he’d chosen for her, that was his decision, not hers. And he’d gone very, very easy on her in regards to the clothing he’d chosen.

  “What you wear tonight is not your decision; it is mine. If I choose for you to strip naked and continue the evening in your skin, then that is what you will do. And you will not protest, because this is what pleases me.” Maddy opened her mouth, then closed it again, glaring instead of speaking.

  Her expression told him that no way was he stripping her naked in public.

  She was going to be upset.

  “What is your safe word, Maddy?” He caught the merest glimpse of a scowl from her. She looked so cute and sexy when she was mad.

  “Blackjack,” she muttered and fisted her hands at her sides. She was quite clearly not happy with him.

  “You are free to use it.” His voice was mild, his expression neutral as Maddy’s head whipped up to look at him with wide eyes. His meaning came through loud and clear.

  He watched as she battled with herself.

  When she lifted her chin slowly and returned Alex’s stare, she was clearly still not feeling too friendly toward him.

  He was proud that she’d won out over her insecurities, but she still needed to understand that, in this situation, she needed to respect him.

  “Watch it, Maddy.” Although his voice was mild, Maddy’s eyes widened slightly with frustration, but he didn’t give.

  It wasn’t enough for her to simply be here. She needed to give it her all.

  Maddy forced her lips into a stiff semblance of a smile. Alex nodded, pleased, and ran his knuckles over her cheek.

  “Trust me, babe. Remember?” He heard her sigh as he turned and walked down the long hallway, leaving her to follow.

  She had to trust him, but it was a process.

  “This way.” Alex gestured them through a door to the left. Maddy still seemed preoccupied, and it took a moment for her to look up at her surroundings.

  “What is this?”

  Alex tried to see the room through the eyes of someone seeing it for the first time. At first glance, the room appeared to be an upscale restaurant or bar of some sort. It oozed opulence. An ornate assortment of tables and chairs were placed in what seemed to be a haphazard manner around the room, though they looked too good where they were placed for it to have been anything but intentional. The tables were draped in black, and the chairs were midnight and gold, which matched the great swooping strings of gold lights that adorned the ceiling.

  A massive bar of polished black wood stretched along one side of the room. Above it, gold-tinted wineglasses hung upside down from black racks, all neatly ordered and shiny.

  The wall behind the bar—in fact, every wall in the entire room—was glass tinted the palest gray. If a person squinted, they could see that the glass was in fact floor-to-ceiling cabinets, displaying as well as organizing their contents.

  What they were displaying was wine. Racks of it, rows of it. The entire room was floor-to-ceiling bottles of wine.

  Alex approved of the music that was playing, recognized the song “Vampires” by Godsmack. The music combined with the unique atmosphere lent the entire scene a sexy, Gothic feel.

  He and his partners had worked hard to make it stunning.

  “Let’s have a drink.” Maddy resisted. He turned, raised an eyebrow at her, and she cooperated by walking forward with him.

  He knew that she was embarrassed, but he was about to show her something that would hopefully put her mind at ease.

  “Maddy, look.” He placed a hand at the small of her back, then urged her forward, gesturing around the room with his hand.

  This early in the evening, there weren’t many patrons. He saw three couples, one threesome, and one man sitting alone. All had golden glasses and wine bottles, and one table had a plate of grapes and cheese as well.

  “Huh.” He heard Maddy inhale sharply as she finally clued in to what he wanted her to look at.

  He bit back a smile.

  Two of the couples were made up of one man and one woman, all regulars. In each the man wore black leather. One of the women was clad in a bustier almost identical to Maddy’s, but when she shifted position it was easy to see that she was naked below the waist except for a thong. The other woman was clad in a baby-doll nightgown made of sheer pink.

  It was entirely see-through, and she was wearing nothing underneath.

  Alex had been in BDSM clubs often enough that he didn’t see the choice of attire as shocking. To Maddy, however, it was probably mind-blowing.

  The third couple was comprised of a woman dressed in a three-piece suit. Her companion was a slender young man wearing red vinyl pants and a black collar.

  The threesome had two men, holding hands and dressed similarly and simply in black leather pants and tight black T-shirts. The woman with them wore a black hobble skirt that reached to midcalf and was so snug that she couldn’t possibly have walked in it. It was made of shiny black and had laces that were pulled tight.

  In comparison, Maddy was almost overdressed.

  “See? I went easy on you.” He watched her visibly squelch the urge to narrow her eyes at him when he waved to Elijah, the only other person in the bar, who stood to greet them.

  As always, his friend was dressed impeccably, expensively, and uniquely. He wore a suit of charcoal gray, but his shirt was an eye-searing blue that accentuated the hue of his eyes. His tie was black with a print of white skulls, and the golden waves of his short hair shone in the matching light inside of the bar.

  “Alex.”

  Alex urged Maddy forward to where the man stood. The others in the bar eyed them curiously, probably wondering who the new sub with the owners was.

  “Elijah. Great to see you, man.” They hugged briefly, a couple of back slaps thrown in.

  When Elijah turned his stare to Maddy, she looked terrified. “What have you brought to Veritas, Alex?”

  Alex could easily see the Dom in Elijah’s bearing and wondered if Maddy would see it, too. From the way she stiffened, she did.

  “This is a BDSM club?” Maddy looked up at him with wide eyes.

  He smiled at her encouragingly, then gestured back to Elijah with his head. “Maddy, this is E
lijah Masterson. He’s one of the owners of In Vino Veritas.” Alex decided not to tell her that he was one of the owners as well, at least not yet. One bombshell at a time.

  She let Elijah take her hand, let him kiss it as Julien had outside. “You’re one of the owners, too.”

  Alex nodded slightly. He loved how quickly her mind worked. Pulling out a chair for her, he got her settled, and then he and Elijah sat. Maddy furrowed her brow slightly.

  Elijah caught her puzzled expression, as did Alex. “The typical protocol between subs and Doms is only enforced in the club. In the wine bar, you need to concern yourself only with the limits set by your own Dom, in your personal relationship.”

  “Protocol?” She narrowed her eyes, showing her irritation.

  Alex reached for her hand and gave it a warning squeeze before reaching for the bottle of wine that was sitting in a bucket of ice on the table. “Let’s have a drink. Don’t worry yourself about anything beyond what I tell you tonight.”

  She eyed him suspiciously as he filled a glass and handed it to her.

  “Château Cheval Blanc. Nice choice, E.”

  Elijah watched, waiting for Maddy to try it.

  Her hands trembled as she sipped. “It’s lovely. Thank you.”

  Elijah smiled at her obvious pleasure in the wine.

  Alex smirked. “Maddy prefers the Mouton Rothschild Bordeaux.” Maddy’s face flushed instantly, and he rubbed his thumb over her wrist, easing her discomfort. He couldn’t resist teasing her when she had such a lovely reaction.

  “This one is lovely.” She didn’t glare at Alex, but he noted that she ignored him to smile at Elijah. “Really. Thank you.”

  “Eager to please, this one.” Maddy’s lips parted slightly as Elijah fixed her with his brilliant blue stare. “And so pretty. Look at that blush.”

  “Mine.” The claim was knee-jerk, but he’d seen too many women fall prey to his friend’s charm.

  He didn’t think his friend would make a move, not unless he was invited to, but Alex found that he’d needed to put it in words.

  Both Elijah’s and Maddy’s faces reflected surprise, and Alex struggled to keep his expression neutral. He wasn’t sure yet of what was happening between Maddy and himself, but his attraction to her had grown deeper.

  As if trying to break through the thick silence, Maddy spoke quickly. “You said you’re an owner?”

  “Elijah, our friend Luca Santangelo, and I started the club five years ago. We were business acquaintances who became friends because of our common interest in the BDSM lifestyle.”

  Maddy nodded and sipped at her wine, and he could see other questions swimming in her eyes.

  They would get to them in due time. He didn’t think it would be beneficial for him to tell her right now that he and his partners had created In Vino Veritas with themselves in mind, a place where they could indulge their own desires and yet feel comfortable.

  “None of us cared for the clubs that already existed in Vegas. They’re all open to the public, without enough safeguards in place. There’s no privacy, little security. And they’re filled with people who dabble in the lifestyle on the weekend without any actual intention to dominate or submit.” Elijah’s expression was serious, and Alex sighed as his friend spoke what he’d decided to hold back.

  “So . . . you all come here often, then?” Maddy’s voice was clipped.

  “Elijah and Luca come here more than I do, since they’re more involved in the day-to-day running of it.” Alex reached a hand up to Maddy’s shoulder and casually trailed it down to her wrist. He needed her to understand that, yes, he’d had relationships with submissives in the past, but she was special.

  “I’ve had two exclusive Dominant/submissive relationships, Maddy. I consider them strictly to be ex-girlfriends.” When she looked into his eyes, Alex nearly forgot that Elijah was there. All that mattered were the two of them.

  “I do come to the club on occasion, sometimes because I want to, and more often because the owners need to show their faces from time to time. I brought you here tonight to show you a wide spectrum of things that my lifestyle includes. It doesn’t mean I’m interested in them all.”

  Maddy squirmed in her chair, then masked her discomfiture with a sip of her wine.

  “Did you bring the cuffs?” Alex glanced over as Elijah reached into his pants pocket. He withdrew a pair of ice-white leather cuffs and a small key, which he handed to Alex.

  “Had to order these specially. We don’t use them very often.” Grinning at Alex, he stood to go, then turned a more sober face to Maddy. “We rarely allow someone to visit the club and simply observe, Maddy. Participation is what creates the environment here.”

  “Thank you?” Clearly Maddy didn’t know how to respond.

  “Enjoy.” With a last nod, Elijah turned and left the table, stopping to talk to Theo, Matt, and Allison, the party of three who were still seated across the room.

  Maddy turned to Alex warily, eyeing the cuffs.

  He caught up a wrist and wrapped the strip of leather around it. The sight of the cuffs against her skin aroused him beyond measure. “The white means that you’re new and that no one is to touch you without express permission from one of the owners.”

  “You mean, if I weren’t wearing the cuffs, someone could? Even if I said no?”

  Alex locked one cuff into place. They didn’t attach together, but there were metal loops where any number of things could be hooked.

  As the second lock clicked into place, Alex noted a tremor of excitement that worked through her frame. He curved his lips in a small smile of promise.

  “In a BDSM club, saying no is often part of the play. That’s why there’s a safe word. A commonly used one is red, and the club safe word is vino. Your Dom also must discuss any personal safe words with you before you start. Yours is blackjack. Use any of these three, and we’ll stop and talk.”

  “What if—and I’m not saying you will—but what if the person doesn’t stop?” Nerves made her voice tight.

  Alex’s mouth pinched in a tight, grim line. “Shouting red or vino will bring everyone in hearing range running. Even if you’re shouting a strange word, like blackjack, repeatedly, someone will come to check it out. We’ve tried hard to make this a safe place for those in the lifestyle, Maddy. A lot of people feel that it’s a family. Trust, remember?”

  She nodded jerkily and looked down at her bracelets. “Will—are we—will we do something tonight while other people watch?”

  The Dom in him saw that the idea both scared and aroused her. He filed it away as something to explore later. “No. Not tonight.” With firm fingers, Alex stroked through the strands of her hair that had fallen loose from her bun. “Not even if you get excited and decide you want to. You need time to digest what you’ve seen, and we’ll need to talk about it. No, we’re just here to watch.”

  Picking up her wineglass, he held it up to her lips and tilted it for her to drink. She sipped greedily, inhaling a deep breath when she was done.

  “One other thing, just to keep in your mind tonight.” He set the wineglass back on the table, then traced a finger over Maddy’s damp lips. She licked at his fingers, making blood surge into his already swelling cock.

  “I don’t do public scenes when I’m in an exclusive relationship.”

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  The inside of the In Vino Veritas club was far busier than the wine bar. The room smelled faintly of candle wax and lemon disinfectant.

  Maddy’s eyes went wide as she took her first quick glance around the room. Then Alex stepped into her line of vision.

  “Pay attention to me, Maddy.” As if she could do anything else when he looked at her like that. “You’re wearing the white cuffs, so no one is allowed to touch you tonight. That said, you need to demonstrate some of the appropriate behaviors, or you will upset people. Do you understand?”

  She licked a tongue over suddenly dry lips. “What—what do I have to do?”

  He
smiled, pleased at her question, she thought. He reached out to toy with her cuffs with one hand, and the other traced a pattern over her collarbone, making her heart thump in her chest.

  “Keep your eyes down around a Dom/Domme unless he or she speaks directly to you. Even then, try not to look them right in the eye. Some don’t mind, but some will take it as a serious sign of disrespect. Address all Doms/Dommes as Sir or Ma’am. If you speak with one.”

  Maddy focused on the beat of Alex’s pulse, right below his ear. “I don’t have to call them Master?”

  “Again, some clubs require that all Doms/Dommes are called by that title. You wouldn’t follow it with a name though, because that implies that you belong to the person you are addressing.” His hand dipped slightly, tickling the space between her breasts. She could feel her nipples pucker against the silk of her bustier. “For instance, you would call Elijah Master, but not Master Elijah. And it would be proper to call me Master Alex, but I prefer Sir.”

  “All right.” Maddy nodded faintly. “I can do this.”

  Alex raised an eyebrow, waiting.

  “I can do this . . . Sir.” He smiled, pleased.

  “I thought that the best way for you to get a taste of this life would be for you to act as a new submissive would here. I’ve arranged for you to serve drinks. You will do this in a timely and pleasant fashion. You will do what is asked of you by any Dom, bearing in mind that these cuffs mark you as mine.”

  Maddy could feel her breath starting to hitch as her mind caught up with the rest of her, the sure beginnings of a panic attack. It was one thing to be there while Alex could protect her. She didn’t like the idea of being sent off into the wilds of this unfamiliar club by herself.

  “Hey!” Alex caught her by her chin and forced her to look right into his eyes. “Breathe. Easy. One, two. In, out. Look at me, Maddy.”

  He breathed in time with her, and it felt as if he were breathing for both of them, forcing Maddy’s lungs to go through the motion. After a long moment, she could feel the suffocating dregs of panic recede.

  “Now, what about that scared you so badly?”