by Alice Raine
Realising I was about to be unceremoniously dumped back on the pavement I knew I needed to speak again, and fast. ‘Sexually,’ I blurted, in what almost sounded like a groan of frustration. ‘I want to explore sexually … I was told this was the place to come to .’ Ground, please swallow me up. I was cursing bloody Kenny for his stupid suggestion to come here and regretting my even stupider decision to follow up on it.
Stopping just short of the doors with a huge grin spreading across the barman’s face I decided it was distinctly possible that he had known all along what I wanted, and had just been playing with me to get his own kicks. Utter bastard. Obviously, he liked to make new visitors squirm a little. I grimaced in annoyance, but thankfully managed to keep my sarcastic remarks at bay. After all, I wanted something, and apparently, this man could help me get it.
‘Well then, why didn’t you just say that in the first place, sweetheart? Looks like you are in the right place after all. Come on in and let’s have a chat.’ As we walked back towards the bar his hand predictably slipped lower again until he was having a rather good fondle of my bottom. Cheeky sod. Rolling my eyes, I slapped his arm away with a raised eyebrow which made him grin and shrug in a ‘can’t blame a guy for trying’ kind of way. I could have taken his actions as sleazy, but actually he seemed pretty harmless and his playful look made me smile and helped relax my nerves a little.
Once we were seated on tall leather stools, each with a vodka and Coke in front of us, the man finally introduced himself. ‘I’m David Halton, the owner of Club Twist, or Dave, whichever you prefer.’ Even looking a bit knackered he was fairly attractive in a rough around the edges kind of way, with one of those faces that was difficult to put an age to, tanned and young-looking but with creases on his forehead and at the corners of his eyes which told me he’d lived more years than I initially thought. If the streaks of grey flecking his stubble and the hair at his temples were anything to go by David Halton was probably in his mid-50s, I decided, but his cocksure manner was definitely more suited to a 20-something stud.
‘I also own the bar next door for people who want a quieter night, but the entrance is around the corner so you probably missed it.’ With another arrogant grin, he held out a hand to me. ‘Anyway, back to you, I didn’t catch your name, sweetheart.’
I grimaced, that’s because I’d deliberately not given it. God this was so out of my comfort zone. What the hell had I been thinking coming here? I was going to kill Kenny tonight, I decided, after I’d made him go out and buy me an entire shelf of chocolate to get me over my humiliation, that was.
Finally deciding that walking through the doors had probably been the hardest part I bit the bullet and answered confidently. ‘I’m Stella.’ I extended my arm and returned his strong handshake with an equally firm grip of my own. ‘I’d prefer to keep it as first names only if that’s OK with you.’
In response, David grinned again, a not entirely unattractive sight. ‘Not a problem, I’m sure you won’t be surprised to know you’re not the first visitor to the club who wants to keep their privacy.’ He paused and tilted his head thoughtfully. ‘In fact, I bet that’s not even your real name, is it, sweetheart?’
‘It is, actually,’ I replied curtly with a small frown as I mentally kicked myself for not using a false name. What an amateur mistake! ‘And I’d rather you didn’t call me sweetheart,’ I added petulantly. Taking a breath, I tried to control myself, my tumbling nerves were making me act with the grace of a fractious 10-year-old, not a woman who was well on her way towards 30.
Luckily, David ignored my little strop. ‘So you want to explore sexually. Good on you, too many people these days get caught up in boring relationships and forget to live,’ he stated passionately. ‘There’s so much out there to explore,’ he added wistfully. I gave an amused shake of my head. Clearly, this man loved his job, or perhaps his whole lifestyle. ‘OK, Stella. Tell me what you’re thinking of and I’ll tell you if it’s something we cater for at my club.’
I felt the blood leave my face as a bout of nerves seemed to briefly stop my heart. Was I really going to have to explain what I wanted out loud and in gory detail? I could hardly just say “I want a bad boy like Mr Darcy” could I? I’d sound completely mental; besides, I actually wanted a bit more than Mr Darcy’s level of badness.
Bugger, I’d sort of hoped there might be a questionnaire to fill in, or at the very least a tick box list I could use … anything that would have allowed me to avoid stating my sexual preferences out loud in front of a complete stranger. A complete stranger who was grinning as if thoroughly enjoying every second of my discomfort. Narrowing my eyes at him, I confirmed my earlier beliefs. He was definitely an utter bastard.
Picking up on my hesitancy David finally spoke again. ‘It’s fine to be nervous, sweetheart,’ he started, ignoring my earlier request not to call me by the nickname. ‘Let me tell you what we offer here at Club Twist and you see if anything sounds good.’
Releasing a breath of relief, I nodded gratefully and decided that after his thoughtful gesture I was willing to give David Halton another chance, maybe he wasn’t so bad after all.
‘So basically we’re a sex club, you can come here for a drink, a partner, or just to watch our shows. As such we make sure most preferences are catered for, if you’re interested in sex with strangers, bondage, domination, voyeurism, multiple partners, or girl on girl action then we can help you out.’ I’d read as much on the business card, but hearing it brashly stated out loud had caused my eyes to widen like saucers Wow, it was a veritable menu of sexual deviancy, and apparently I was at the buffet.
David sat back looking so proud of his business that I very nearly laughed out loud. ‘Or if there’s something even more specific you’re after I can probably find someone to accommodate your preferences,’ he added. Then, after a lengthy pause, David raised his eyebrows expectantly obviously hoping for a response from me.
‘Well … I …’ I paused nervously again, since my break-up from my ex, Aidan, I’d spent months considering the direction of my life and had decided focusing on my career was the path I wanted to go down for the time being. But I was a woman, I had certain needs … needs that Aidan had brought to the surface … God, why was it so hard to say out loud? ‘My last partner introduced me to the idea of domination …’ I finally said weakly. ‘I’d like to explore that some more.’ Yep, after several vodkas last night, I’d decided that a dominant guy would surely be the ultimate bad boy. Wouldn’t he? Well hell, if I was going to do this I wanted to do it properly.
‘OK, and in this relationship were you the dominant partner or the submissive one?’ David asked without so much as pausing for breath or blinking an eye. I snorted an embarrassed breath as I briefly wondered how many times in his life David had asked that very same question and almost giggled hysterically, what completely different circles we travelled in!
‘Submissive,’ I whispered, twirling my thumb ring frantically and still unable to believe I was voicing these things out loud to a complete stranger.
‘Really?’ David seemed genuinely surprised. ‘With your temperament so far I’d have had you down as the one in charge,’ he said with a wiggle of his eyebrows. ‘I hope you don’t mind but I need to ask why you’re not still with your ex.’
‘We just wanted different things,’ I said vaguely, not wanting to explain that while I’d enjoyed being in the bedroom with Aidan, he had been as dull as dishwater outside of the sheets. Once he’d started to hint at getting engaged, I’d made a speedy exit from the relationship. ‘But I enjoyed the domination stuff … I’d like to try it with someone who’s a bit more experienced.’
Nodding David took another hearty swig of his drink before smiling at me broadly. ‘I’m sure that can be arranged, sweetheart.’
‘Another thing,’ I added quickly, ‘I know from research that there are various different types of dom/sub relationships and I was kind of hoping for a fairly “no strings attached” set up.’ Seeing
David’s inquisitive glance I swallowed and elaborated. ‘I have a really stressful job, my focus is on my career for now, but I think this could be a perfect way to release some of the control I use all day, I want to settle down and have kids eventually but not yet, there’s too much going on at work so I’m not looking for a long-term commitment, maybe just six months or so to start with.’
David’s eyes lit up at my statement. ‘I think I may just know the perfect guy,’ he said standing up and heading behind the bar in search of something before pausing and lifting his head with a frown. ‘That is assuming you want a male partner?’
Losing count of how many times I had flushed red in the last ten minutes I nodded sharply to which David smiled and continued with his search below the counter. ‘Great, the guy I’m thinking of is an experienced dom with a very good reputation, plus they don’t come more “strings-free” than Nathan. He’s not been into the bar for ages so let me see if he’s involved with anyone at the moment. You can fill in a quick membership form while I call him.’
David reappeared clutching an address book that he had obviously been searching for. Sliding a membership form across the bar to me, he flashed me a smile before dialling a number and disappearing to make his call leaving me sat nibbling on my lip and feeling slightly detached from the whole weird situation I’d managed to get myself into.
Chapter Two – Nathan
I frowned and ran a hand though my blond hair. It was a touch longer than I liked and needed a cut really, but that wasn’t my main issue tonight. The thing that was really bugging me was that I wasn’t entirely sure why I was pulling into the car park of Club Twist and that fact bothered me a great deal.
I was the master of my life, I controlled everything, planned every single little detail, and going out for a drink definitely had not been within my plans for the evening.
Once again, I asked myself what the fuck I was doing here but still found no suitable answer. Yes, I was currently unattached, but that was the way I’d wanted things; business was too brisk to bother with the shit that comes with personal relationships, and yet even with that fact in the forefront of my mind I still found myself here climbing from my car after the call from David Halton a few hours ago. In fact when I’d got the call from my old associate saying there was a submissive in the club looking for a new partner I’d actually stood straight up and headed immediately for a shower.
Pathetic . I made a low noise of disgust in the back of my throat. I should just turn the car around and go home, I didn’t need a submissive at the moment, and I sure as hell didn’t want David having a reason to be all smug around me and thinking that I owed him a favour.
Even as this last thought left my brain, I still found myself climbing from my car. What the hell was wrong with me? I wondered idly, as I locked my BMW, straightened my navy suit jacket and headed across the tarmac to the club’s back entrance. Did I just need to get laid perhaps? It had been a while since I’d had sex after all. Or maybe it was just curiosity, David had said the woman was a stunner but seemed innocent too, a combination that had instantly appealed to me. Nodding decisively I headed towards the back door of the club. Yes, that was probably it, I’d see her to ease my curiosity and then return to my well-ordered life. I could always call one of the many women in my address book for a quick fuck midweek to clear my mind if need be.
As if sensing my arrival I was practically knocked backwards by the overzealous welcome of David Halton. This guy was such an over the top dick. His beefy arms wrapped around me as if we were best fucking buddies and I suddenly found myself surrounded by his unwelcome smell which was predominantly tobacco, but with an underlying odour of stale mint and sweat mixed in. Jesus, he had no clue about the etiquette of personal space. Or personal hygiene for that matter.
Grimacing over his shoulder, I managed to disengage him from my body, and then stepped away and brushed my hands down my jacket to smooth it. Loosening off my neck, I counted down from five in my head to calm myself and then attempted a small tight smile.
Now at a safe distance, I looked over at my old friend who was chattering away at me, although being a sleazy womaniser David Halton wasn’t really a friend of mine as such, more of an acquaintance. An acquaintance that I always seemed to end up wanting to punch after a few minutes spent together, because as well as some serious issues with being way too tactile for a straight guy, he also never knew when to shut the hell up.
After knowing him for as long as I had, David really should know two key things about me by now: Firstly, I don’t do physical contact with someone unless I plan on fucking them, and secondly, I’m a quiet guy, I like my silence and can’t tolerate incessant babble for the sake of it.
In truth, I’d known David Halton since the day I’d stumbled into Club Twist as a confused teenager hoping that the people inside would be able to reassure me that the fact that I liked to control every aspect of my life, women included, wasn’t an abnormal trait. Yeah, obsessive-compulsive disorder doesn’t even go half way to describing my issues. To be honest, David’s immediate acceptance of me back then was the only thing that had stopped me hitting the arrogant arsehole over the years that had since passed.
My dislike of David was mostly due to the man’s insatiable promiscuity and complete disregard for his lovers. I was no hearts and flowers man, but the women I slept with were always clearly told up front what to expect with me – sex, and sex only, nothing more. David on the other hand would promise, lie, and cajole his way into a woman’s knickers and not feel an ounce of guilt the following morning when he walked out their door promising to call when he so clearly never would.
I might not like the guy, but right now, I couldn’t help but feel a grudging thankfulness towards him as my eyes settled on the woman that David was now pointing out to me across the bar.
‘So I figured no one I know is more “no strings attached” than you, mate.’ He had that part right, commitments of the romantic type I did not do. Ever.
‘And you’ve got to agree she’s pretty hot, isn’t she?’ David bragged proudly, to which I merely grunted in response, my attention now too captivated by the woman at the bar to answer David’s questions. ‘If I wasn’t already set up to screw that Russian bird and her sister tonight I would have been tempted to take her home myself and teach her a thing or two about domination, if you know what I mean!’ David leered making my lips curl in annoyance as the urge to finally give in and punch him increased by several notches.
‘Come on, I’ll introduce you.’ David offered, stepping around a table in the direction of the bar.
Not a chance, I wasn’t giving David even the remotest opportunity to make a move on this woman – she was mine. Fuck, where the hell had that thought come from? I’d not even spoken to her yet, but apparently, my body was intent on ownership. Calm down, I briefly closed my eyes and took a breath to steady myself, then reached out a hand to stop David by trapping his wrist in a firm grip before finally finding my voice. ‘No, thank you, David; I’ll be fine from here.’ The last thing I wanted was David’s non-stop drivel to put the poor woman off. I’d be far better off introducing myself.
Once David had got the hint and reluctantly returned to work, I let my gaze wander back to the woman at the bar. Just one glance at her made me believe that David was a master of the understatement because she wasn’t stunning, as he had said, she was beautiful. Completely beautiful in a natural, innocent, and no doubt highly addictive way. No shovelled-on make-up or fake breasts here, no, she looked one hundred per cent real, and one hundred per cent delectably fuckable.
A strange feeling passed through my chest and as well as feeling slightly breathless I also found that I couldn’t seem to take my eyes off her. My cock also noted its approval by giving a little twitch in my boxers and I scowled, hating my uncharacteristic loss of control. I instantly made a mental note not to go so long without sex in future.
It was difficult to guess her height because of the bar stool she
was sitting on, but it did nothing to disguise the trim legs that flowed out from a fitted skirt and hung down to her delicate ankles and expensive high heels. I do love a woman in a good pair of heels, preferably naked and standing in my bedroom expectantly, or perhaps with just the addition of some shackles or suspenders. Blinking away my fantasy, I took note of her fine, long, blonde hair that flowed around her pretty face to her shoulders and curled attractively over what seemed to be an ample chest. All in all, she appeared to be a most tempting package and I was suddenly glad that I’d made the effort to come down to the bar tonight after all.
Once my raging libido calmed I saw past her looks and noticed that her posture radiated nervous discomfort, was she apprehensive about meeting me, I wondered briefly. She probably should be; a lovely thing like her should never get mixed up with damaged goods like me. But seeing her eyes dart to her left, widen, and then quickly return to her drink I smiled. Clearly, she wasn’t a regular patron of the Twist because it was the sexual dance that the two young men were performing on the pedestal to her left that appeared to be the cause of her discomfort, not her imminent meeting with me. Christ, her posture was immaculate. In fact she was currently sat in a position that I was finding quite appealing; submissive, sexy, and shy all at once.
Just about fucking perfect as far as I was concerned.
A dry laugh escaped my throat as I continued to watch her discomfort over the dancers, embarrassed by a fairly tame dance routine, was she? I smiled again at how innocent she seemed, sat there surrounded by a whole range of people from London’s most deviant community. She was like an angel fluttering helplessly in room packed full of demons.
As much as I knew I should walk away from an innocent like her I couldn’t help myself, I’d always loved the idea of breaking in a newbie. This could be even more fun than I’d first anticipated.