by Anya Summers
"I'll let you ladies have your fun. It was very nice to finally meet you, Lucy. Oh, and Zoey, I will see you tonight." His voice carried the hint of a promise that made Zoey's blush deepen.
"It was nice meeting you, too," Lucy replied as he left them.
Setting her wine glass on the table, she dove into the heated water. Lucy took a few laps in the pool, sprinting a bit, her muscles remembering her stint as an all-state swimmer in high school and college. Being in the water, notching her pace up to a sprint, gave her time to collect herself after the influx of new information that she needed to assimilate into her brain.
They opted to have dinner delivered to the pool area. Apparently, the chef of Kara's company, Bridal Dreams, had whipped up treats for them in the kitchen. Lucy had to admit the beef wellington melted in her mouth, it was so expertly crafted. He'd also created some finger food appetizers to accompany the main course. There were these crab and cheese puff pastry bites that made her think she'd died and gone to heaven. It also made her know she'd have to come down to the pool in the morning and do laps if she wanted to not gain a gazillion pounds. Especially since those delicacies were accompanied by bacon wrapped dates, stuffed with goat's cheese, and these mini bite-sized cheesecakes that had been dipped in chocolate ganache. Zoey had Jared bring another few bottles of wine from the cellar, since they had finished off the first two.
When the three of them decided they were finished with the pool area, they decided to take the party up to Lucy's room—at her urging, of course. She was still too keyed up from the day, and even with the long travel and three glasses of wine she'd had, she couldn't resign herself to being alone in her room yet. Then she'd have no choice but to face the depressing loneliness currently making a nest inside her chest. They were all wrapped in fluffy white microfiber robes, sipping wine, eating the mini chocolate cheesecake bites Zeke had made, and lounging on the leather couch loveseat and chaise near the fire.
"Declan is gorgeous, Zoey. God, I'm going to miss you. You have to promise me that you will come visit as often as possible. Jesus, between you and your sister, I'm not going to have any girlfriends left to hit the clubs with anymore," Lucy exclaimed, bemoaning her fate out loud for the first time.
"He is, isn't he? And you've only seen him with his clothes on! God, Luce, he makes me weak-kneed. And the sex is just…" Zoey fanned herself, giggling, with a cheesy grin on her face.
Lucy chuckled. "He is a prime piece of hunk, I will give you that, and I am horribly jealous. Too bad really that you found him first. What about the butler, Jared? He seems to be quite the fine specimen of manhood himself. Even though I think his attitude is abominable, I think I could work around it for a roll in the sack, as my dance card has been rather small of late."
"Actually," Zoey's eyes flashed with jealousy before she carefully choose her next words, "he's sort of involved."
Lucy cocked a quizzical glance her way and studied her best friend. She knew there had been something off with their relationship, but she couldn't figure out what. What wasn't Zoey telling her? "Really, I figured out here in the middle of nowhere, it would be hard for him to find company. Who with?"
Zoey's face cracked into a wide smile as she snorted and snickered, the wine humming in her veins loosening her tongue. She admitted, "With me."
Well, hell. Her best friend had finally grown a pair. Lucy didn't know if she should applaud Zoey or lecture her. Shock covered Lucy's features for a minute before she howled with laughter. "You, Miss Prim and Proper, have a man on the side? What about Declan? Does he know you're boffing the help?"
"Oh, he's there." Kara snickered and Zoey grinned unrepentantly.
"If you must know, Luce, Declan is a Dominant and partakes in BDSM. As I'm his fiancée and submissive, upon occasion, in the club and other places, Jared joins us," Zoey informed Lucy with a superior grin.
"It's really hot, too. There was this scene she did with them. Let's just say Zeke and Chase took full advantage of it." Kara was fanning herself. So not only was Lucy's best friend getting it on with some threesomes, but she was also being a submissive. Even though Lucy could totally see that about Zoey, she'd just never imagined she'd ever have the guts to explore her inner workings that way.
"Wait, there's a club in this place, a club here, and we are acting like a bunch of old biddies, partying in our robes?" Lucy exclaimed, her mind finally catching on. "Let's get dressed and go down there!" That way she wouldn't have to worry about the walls closing in around her. Maybe even she could find some solace tonight.
"You heard her say that it's a BDSM club, right?" Kara interjected a bit defensively.
"Your point being what? I've been to a BDSM club before and I'm not a virgin, so what gives?" Lucy responded casually, attempting to contain her excitement. It had been five years since she had been to a BDSM club. Five years since she'd indulged her sensibilities in the pleasure that came from making a man bow to her bidding. And over here, she wouldn't have to worry about any busybodies who might report her extra-curricular activities to her boss.
"Well, subs aren't allowed to enter the Dungeon Fantasy Club without a Dom. Club rules. If we did, we would be punished by our Doms," Zoey informed her with a shiver. Lucy hid her smile. She liked rules like that. She could actually imagine taking a paddle or flogger to Jared's ass while clamping his balls in a humbler. She practically licked her lips at the imagery.
"And you'd be fair game to the unattached Doms," Kara told her, chewing on her lip.
Lucy knew she was different from most women. She couldn't be a sub if she tried. Not after everything she'd been through as a child. She'd vowed by the time she was ten that no man would control her ever again. Being in control, having the utter surety that her wishes would be followed without question, was the only way she had ever achieved full physical satisfaction. She and Zoey had been at different colleges when Lucy had started visiting the BDSM scene. It had been something she'd needed to explore for herself. And maybe she would have been more forthcoming if a sub she'd met in her last year of college, and been in a committed D/s relationship with, hadn't threatened to expose her at the first accounting firm she'd worked at.
After that happened, Lucy had changed jobs, changed phone numbers, and made sure she was unlisted, then proceeded to hide away her needs. She tried finding what was considered an ordinary partner but none of them ever fully satisfied her. Which was most likely why she was still single; she just couldn't commit to someone when the sex was a snooze-fest.
"Who said anything about me being a sub? Zoey, do you really think I am sub material?" Lucy cocked an eyebrow at her friend. After all these years, if her best friend thought she could be a sub, then she had hidden her needs away really well.
"Well, no, but…" Zoey stammered.
"Sweetie pie, I have handcuffed my fair share of partners, I think I can act the part of Domme, and no harm, no foul. A Domme will accompany the two of you into the Dungeon. How apropos!"
If I have to drag them kicking and screaming, we are going to this club, period. I need it more than I need another cheesecake bite.
Kara eyed Zoey and a look passed between them. Lucy tapped her fingers against her wine glass. The anticipation pumped in her blood as she wondered if the club had any male subs.
"I'm in," Kara replied, her voice a mite shaky. Lucy hid her grin. Was the little sub worried her Doms would paddle her ass? That was rich. God, she hadn't taken a paddle to a sub's tender rear in ages.
"Screw it, I'm in too," Zoey conceded, cheerily toasting with her wine glass.
"Let's get ready and we'll wow the Doms." And any male subs. Lucy left that unsaid, spurred into action at the thought of going to a club. And what she didn't mention was that she prayed there was a male sub she could take full advantage of, for then she'd not only find solace, but possibly the most satisfaction she'd had in years. Tingles of anticipation heightened her excitement.
Zoey broke out her new sub wear collection, gifted to her by De
clan on the advent of their engagement, and Lucy had to admit they were some damn fine pieces. The girls raided her collection, with Zoey's blessing, borrowing pieces that would allow them to blend in with the rest of the clubgoers. Zoey choose a short leather mini skirt that barely covered her rear, and a leather halter-top with peek-a-boo lace. Lucy selected a black body suit that fit her mood and her kink to dominate a male. It fit like a glove. Little Kara selected a French maid costume that made Lucy shake her head; predictable little sub.
Lucy used the time as they styled each other's hair and make-up to unlock the Domme she'd buried inside her all those years ago. For tonight, she was going to be who she was at her core, instead of always having to pretend she was someone else. Their primping process took a little over an hour. Lucy liked her efforts. It had been far too long since she'd been able to play this way.
"We look hot," Lucy exclaimed, taking one final appraising glance at her appearance in the bathroom mirror.
"Let's do this." Zoey giggled, her own excitement shining through.
They left her room. On the elevator, Zoey dialed an access code.
The three of them exited the elevator and instantly Lucy felt the thrumming exhilaration of the hunt. She could feel eyes on her as they threaded their way through the crowd. The sounds of grunts and moans were a sweet symphony. She approved of the sleek glass walls, black curtains, and low mood lighting in the hall. The hall opened in the center and Lucy damn near purred in her excitement. A nice crowd in leather and spandex filled the room. Music thumped a Dave Navarro number that added to the ambience of dark pleasure. She approved of the black streamlined furniture and bar.
"What do we have here?" A devilishly attractive man with dark hair corralled Kara from their group. He and a blond guy escorted her to one of the scene areas. There was a medical scene in progress, and Lucy reveled in feeling like her world had been restored to her. Declan gave her a slight nod of acknowledgement as he caught up with Zoey. He crooked his hands under Zoey's elbow and was pulling her into the center of the room to a black leather spanking bench on a raised dais for what was sure to be a loud and public spanking.
Lucy in a sea of clubgoers was suddenly alone in the crowd. Her shoulders straight, she dared any man, any Dom, to try to cart her off to one of the scene areas to be disciplined. She'd have their balls in a vice grip before they could even utter a command. Many of the Doms present recognized her authority and command as an equal, cutting a wide berth around her as she prowled up to the bar.
The butler, Jared, was behind the bar and she almost hooted at the shocked look on his face.
"What can I get ya?" he bit out, clearly not over his snit from earlier, and he neither conceded defeat nor backed down. She had to respect the attitude. Like always recognized like, so instead of blustering, she gave him a slight nod of recognition; one Domme to another. He understood the gesture and, hell, was that respect gleaming in his yummy eyes?
"Glass of chardonnay."
She noticed that he grabbed a bottle of the stuff she and the girls had been drinking earlier, raising him up a few notches in her esteem.
"How did you get down here, anyway?" he asked as he set a glass of wine in front of her.
"Zoey," she replied, studying his reaction as she lifted her glass. His face traveled from surprise, to joy, to pissed off Dom in all of two seconds.
"I'm going to tan her hide," she heard him snarl.
"Afraid Declan already beat you to the punch, J-man." On every front, she thought, watching his reaction as he located Zoey bent over the spanking horse. There was love and affection hidden under the hard Dom exterior. Lucy could only hope that his feelings for Zoey would diminish.
"I should tan yours as well, for being here uninvited," Jared threatened, in what he must consider his big bad Dom tone of voice. Probably made most subs quake in their boots; problem was, she wasn't a sub. Far from it.
"Oh honey, I'd have your balls twisted in a clamp before you laid a finger on me, but you're welcome to try," she dared as she leaned into the bar and continued, "And I have a killer ass."
Deep, scruffy male laughter guffawed from a barstool to her left. "She's got you there, Jared, on both accounts."
Then Jared, looking for all the world like he wanted nothing more than to lay into her behind with a switch, stepped away from the bar. He had a singular destination in mind stamped across his features; her best friend. God, she hoped she'd done the right thing there, egging him on that way. Maybe they could have a successful polyamorous relationship and Zoey and Declan could still be a married couple.
"Nice. I haven't seen Jared worked up like that in a long time. Thanks for livening the place up a bit."
"Anytime." She swiveled her head with an unrepentant smile plastered to her face and almost choked on her sip of wine.
Wowzers! What have we here?
Chapter Four
Jesus Christ on a stick, she was a looker. Jesse Noble cast his gaze at the sultry redhead who had slid onto a barstool two over from him and crossed wits with Jared. Dressed in a form-fitting leather catsuit and sky-high black heels, she had a riot of blazing red curls framing her finely boned, golden-skinned face. In her cornflower blue eyes he noticed blatant desire simmering as she returned his stare.
A punch of adrenaline intermingled with unexpected lust that surged in his system and shook him at his core. When was the last time he'd experienced this type of rush? Except, this was no wallflower or sub, but a Domme in every sense of the word—she was his equal. Rather than just admire her beauty, and acknowledge her as an equal, his body was getting its wires crossed, and humming in sweet anticipation. He withstood her intense scrutiny and when her gaze traveled to his crotch, he flushed, feeling his dick awaken as if from a great slumber and come to life.
Down, boy! We don't play with Dommes.
He tried to convince his body of that fact as he finished off his one beer and switched to tonic water. It gave him the feeling of drinking. Although, apparently, his body didn't give a shit what he thought and chose not to listen as he held out a hand by way of introduction. "Jesse."
"Lucy." She stared him firmly in the eye as she responded with her sexy alto, which he felt clear into his toes.
After last night's unfulfilling debacle, it was refreshing to feel allure and excitement for a woman again. Considering his life had entered sucksville, and had been creeping along toward washed-up-ville, it was a welcome alteration to the crushing misery and guilt. How boring his existence had become of late; the fact that not a single sub had enticed him in the week he'd been there. And he'd had to force himself last night to finish with Darla. What kind of Dom did that make him? A limp, sad one, and he'd actually stared at the bottle of white pills he'd kept on hand for just in case before he'd ventured down here, considering popping one and staying in his room for the night.
After everything he had been through lately, he was allowed to say 'fuck it' every once in a while. Who cared if she was a Domme? Lucy was revving his engines, and that was what mattered. His body sure as hell didn't seem to mind.
"Not to sound like a pick up line, but I've never seen you here before. New around here?"
She chuckled, her voice rumbled in a heady laugh, her blue, sultry, goddess eyes twinkled with mischief. "Yes, as a matter of fact. I'll tell you a secret; I'm not even a club member."
"Naughty minx, tell me more." He wiggled his eyebrows at her as he moved closer.
"Well my best friend, Zoey, is engaged to Declan, who apparently is said owner of this place."
Why didn't she seem the least bit pleased about the engagement? Most women got all fluttery and started casting nets for any poor fool to ensnare as their potential mister. "Congrats. Declan's one of the best Doms I know. He's crazy about Zoey."
That earned him another smile from her full lips, lacquered in a blood red Bordeaux. What would they look like when she came?
"That's good to know. He'd better be, taking her away from all of us."
She turned from him, slightly scanning the crowd. It was a decent size tonight with plenty of offerings. There were a few pretty subs; new additions that he should go spend his time with. Except he'd rather suck on that pouty bottom lip of hers than go after one of the sex kittens in the arena just lusting for a Dom. Jesse mentally shook himself; two Doms couldn't mix in the sack, period. Neither one would be willing to submit to the other, and one or both would end up unsatisfied. He attempted to divert his ill-timed lust, and forcing himself to act the uninterested friend, he rather gruffly said, "See anything you like?"
"Yeah, in fact I do." The double entendre of her words vibrated through him, making his dick twitch in unrepentant glee. Then she hit him with a saucy grin that made his insides churn and sizzle in heady expectancy. He'd love nothing more than to suck on that pouty lower lip of hers.
Jesse had meant one of the male subs, not himself, but she was clearly sensing the mutual attraction between them. She was only a few inches shorter than he and the thought of being tangled up inside her long limbs, eye to eye as he buried himself inside her warm heat, caused his balls to tighten. She drained her wine glass, the lovely muscles in her gorgeous neck moving in a rhythm while she gazed into his eyes over the rim. What was going on inside that pretty head of hers? Because, from her look, he felt like she was sizing him up; deciding whether to make him her main course for dinner.
"Want to get out of here?" she challenged him, her grin had slipped, her gaze shifting into a blazing, simmering heat that pulsed with sensuality. She set her empty wine glass back on the bar and quirked a brow as she waited for his response.
Good God, her dare did a one two sucker punch to his system, between the blatant pick up line followed closely by his body's reaction to her tempting offer. His dick stood at attention, with a 'what the hell are you waiting for, you idiot?' kind of attitude.