by Diane Leyne
She envied Cindy when she watched them lead her away, teasing her about the different things they expected from her in return for their cooperation. One of them looked back and winked at Abby. She smiled. She’d never seen Cindy so happy or so relaxed. Those men were good for her and made her happy. She sighed. Maybe getting a membership here was a good idea. She’d resigned herself to never experience a ménage relationship, but she’d only ever been dating in the vanilla world, which had probably reduced her chance of success to pretty much zero. Just because she couldn’t have Dex and Pat didn’t mean that she couldn’t be happy.
Maybe she should agree to be trained. She would have a safe word and the ability to stop it at any time. It wouldn’t be a romantic relationship, but it would let her, in a safe environment, find out if reality lived up to fantasy, and if it did, then she would go forward from there, and if it didn’t, at least she would know and be able to move on. Turning to Lindy, she quickly, before she could change her mind, informed Lindy of her decision. Her friend hugged her and promised to get on it right away.
Needing some more liquid courage, Abby lifted her glass and took a sip of champagne just as Jake stepped back to allow Cindy and her men to pass. She nearly dropped her glass when she locked eyes with the man at the other side of the room. She did drop it when she saw the man beside him. Luckily it was plastic and just bounced rather than shattering like her composure.
* * * *
Dex watched Abby flee and turned, unsure if he should follow. He took a step after her, but then he felt Pat’s hand on his arm and stopped.
“We should go after her.”
“Maybe not, Dex. Maybe we should give her some space. We’ll see her at work on Friday.”
“Not Friday. Remember, big departmental meeting. We told her not to bother coming in.”
“We are idiots, aren’t we? Fine, we’ll talk to her when she comes in next Tuesday, then. Damn, that’s almost a week.”
“Yeah, it’s a long time. I’m sure she’ll be wearing one of her usual outfits and covering up all the hotness instead of that skimpy tank top and miniskirt, but that’s okay. We’ve had a glimpse now of what’s underneath, and it is just as spectacular as I imagined. Dex, I’m not stopping my pursuit until and unless she explicitly tells me no.”
“But she ran out of here. She looked upset.”
“Yes, she did. Upset. But not angry.” Dex heard Pat’s sigh of annoyance. “She probably didn’t expect to see anyone she knew here.”
“Pat, I know…”
“Look, Dex. I think the smartest thing to do is to go over and talk to Jake and Lindy. I think it is pretty clear that Abby was their guest.”
Dex watched Pat turn and walk away and rushed to follow him. His mind was churning a mile a minute. Could Abby really be into BDSM, too? Maybe sometimes dreams did come true. But he wouldn’t get ahead of himself.
He arrived at the little knot of people to find the subs were still chatting eagerly away about having met their favorite author. He looked at Jake, who motioned him and Pat over to a quieter area.
“What the heck’s going on, Jake?”
Dex looked over at the subs that were chattering away together and ignoring their Doms. It took a few minutes for the Tops to regain control. There were clearly going to be a lot of red bottoms very soon.
“It seems that my fiancée’s best friend is also a famous BDSM writer. The subs were thrilled to meet her and were begging her to come and do a reading.” Jake looked over at Lindy and smiled. “Her books are damned hot and well written. But most of them are about ménages, so I don’t let Lindy read them alone. Abby’s quite creative. We’ve had a lot of fun acting out some of Lindy’s favorite scenes. I just don’t want her to get it into her head that we need a third person in this relationship. No ménages for us. I may have to spank her and remind her that I’m the only Dom in her life and bed.” He looked around.
“Jake. What on earth are you talking about? That was Abby Smith with Lindy right? She’s our research assistant. She reads books. She doesn’t write them.” Dex’s voice was insistent. Sweet innocent Abby couldn’t be a writer of erotica, could she?
“Dex, your little researcher, under the pen name of Angelica Adams, has written scenes so hot and imaginative that I’ve been shocked with what she’s come up with. Then, of course, I immediately try it out on Lindy. It can be a challenge since I refuse to share my sub, but I’m a man who rises to a challenge. Now where’s Lindy? I have an urge to act out my favorite seen from The Domination of Emily.” He rubbed his hands and grinned evilly. “Lindy won’t be sitting down for days, which serves her right. Look at the uproar all the subs are in. It’s all her fault.”
He turned to walk away, paused, and turned around.
“You two might be interested in knowing that Abby’s coming by for the Saturday afternoon sub book club. She’s going to be doing a reading from her new book. She’s also taking out a membership, and she’s considering undergoing training. I’ve been mulling over who the best team would be to introduce her to submission. Seems that all those sexy books she’s written came from her imagination and now she’s ready to experience the real thing.”
“Team?” Dex’s palms were damp, and his heart was racing in his chest.
“Yeah. Apparently she’s interested in ménage. I can’t think why. You two know anyone who would be suitable? I’m taking applications from all interested Doms.”
Jake laughed as he walked over the Lindy and gave her a hard swat on the ass before tossing her over his shoulder and striding toward the hallway where the private rooms were located.
* * * *
Pat turned to Dex.
“Time to go, I think.”
“But it’s early.”
“Do you really want to play with one of those other subs, or do you want to help me to map out Abby’s training plan?”
Pat waited patiently as Dex scanned the room as he formulated his response. He saw him pause to watch Cindy and her two Doms laughing at something and Michelle lying across both Mac and Sean’s knees as Mac spanked her bare ass while Sean teased her nipples.
And then Pat saw him look over at Serena kneeling beside Zack as they both gazed up adoringly at Lucas. Pat had no doubt what his answer would be.
“I’ve never trained a novice before, not formally.”
Pat shrugged. “You know Jake. I’m sure there’s a bunch of rules and regulations about training a sub we’ll have to study. The owners of Club Libertine take the safety and security of newbies very seriously. Let’s go tell him we’ll do it and start preparing.”
“Pat, he’s in a private room with Lindy. Do you really want to interrupt?”
Pat thought for a second, picturing the six foot five Dom with the muscles on top of muscles who was now playing with his submissive.
“Maybe I’ll send him a text.”
* * * *
The next morning Dex walked into the kitchen. After a year, he and Pat were still sharing a home. When they’d moved to Seattle, they’d sublet a house from a friend of Pat’s who also happened to be a Dom. Pat’s friend had extended his sabbatical for a second year, and they stayed where they were. They got along well and had never bothered finding their own place. And it was always unspoken that if they did find a sub to share, they would be living together permanently, so they never bothered to look for separate places. Besides, it had one heck of a playroom that they’d made good use of.
Pat surprised him this morning by already being at the kitchen table, sipping a cup of coffee, and poring over a bunch of papers that he’d spread out on the table with Josh’s book open in front of him.
“What’s going on? You looking for tips in The Dominant’s Guide?” Dex chuckled as Pat glared up at him.
“No, Dr. Smarty-pants. I’m doing homework.”
“Excuse me?”
“That damned Jake. He doesn’t just have formal training rules for us to follow, but he expects us to develop a plan for Abby and
submit it in advance. And provide him with weekly status reports!”
“Sure he isn’t just jerking your chain?”
Pat handed him a printout of an e-mail and a form.
“Jake did a preliminary comparison between Abby’s questionnaire and the one we filled in when we joined and thinks our desires are compatible and he’s willing to consider assigning us to Abby, but he had to follow the rules. He’s sent us her kink profile, and he wants us to get back to him with a one-month training plan outline. Obviously, we don’t need a ton of detail and we would have the ability to adapt as we went along and learned more about Abby, but without it, he won’t assign us.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah. Looks like word got out that not only is Abby doing a reading on Saturday but she’s also looking for training, and every unattached Dom who is a member and some who are not have called, texted, and e-mailed Jake about her. Even some with a male sub with switch tendencies have offered to train her.”
“Over my dead body!”
“Then get writing. We have to submit the plan by noon Friday, which is tomorrow. The book club meets from two to four on Saturday. It’ll probably run late, maybe to five because so many subs will be showing up to meet Abby. And Jake wants to sit down with Abby and the successful candidates and finalize things, and then Lindy wants to grill them over dinner. Or maybe for dinner if she doesn’t like Jake’s choices.”
“She’s his sub. Is that allowed?”
“It is if Jake says it is.”
Chapter Five
Abby agonized over what to wear. Lindy had taken her shopping, but she didn’t know if she’d be able to wear what Lindy had picked out. She’d worn the low-necked blue tank top to the book signing on Wednesday, along with the miniskirt, but this was different.
She held the blue corset up in front of her and looked over at Lindy, who gave her sternest librarian glare. Capitulating, Abby stepped into it and pulled it up before removing her bra and settling the corset into place. Then she turned her back to Lindy, who went about the business of lacing it up and tugging it tight. When she was done, she pushed Abby over to the mirror.
She looked kind of sexy in it. She turned sideways and admired how it pulled in her tummy, but it did make her breasts look huge.
“Damn, Lindy. If I breathe deeply, I’m worried I’ll pop out of the cup. They are at least a size too small.”
Lindy laughed.
“You’ve signed up for sub training. Popping out of your corset cups, well, let’s just say that you’ll be doing more than that. Subs are expected to show skin. Lots of skin. There will be times you will be naked at the club. If you want to be trained as a sub, that is something you’ll have to learn to be comfortable with.” She laughed at Abby’s shocked expression.
“Hey, honey. It’s all part of being a sub. I think most will be a bit covered up for the book club, but when we head back after dinner, everyone will be showing a lot of skin.”
“Even you?”
“Yup.”
“Fine. I’ll wear it. What about the skirt? Same one I wore before.”
“Yup. Just skip the panties.”
“Holy crap. Sure I can’t wear a thong? That’s revealing, right?”
“You can try, but don’t say I didn’t warn you. Your Doms will definitely not want you at the club wearing panties. And, yes, I’m banned from wearing panties unless I’m going to work. You can wear the heels for the book club, but then they have to go. Subs go barefoot.”
“Why did I agree to this again?”
“Because you are dying to experience what you’ve only written about.”
“But what if no one wants to train me?”
Lindy gave an unladylike snort. “Jake’s been inundated with requests from every unattached Dom from Club Libertine and most of the other clubs in the greater Seattle area. If he’s grumpy today, it’s because he’s been wading through applications trying to figure out who will be the best match for you. He takes his job very seriously, and he wants you to have a good experience.”
“Oh my god. What if I’m a disappointment? They’ll have read my books and be expecting some kind of sexual… I can’t do it, Lindy!”
“Yes, you can. If you back out now, you’ll always regret it. Just take a deep breath. Scratch that. Just take whatever kind of breath you can in that corset, and I’ll help you with your skirt. And if you must wear panties, at least wear a thong. We have to get going, or you’ll be late for the book club.”
* * * *
They arrived with fifteen minutes to spare. Abby realized that Lindy had hurried her to take her mind of her worries. They went into the change room, and Lindy showed Abby how to work the automated lockers and choose a security code so she could lock up her purse, coat, and shoes. Lindy had laughed when Abby had insisted on wearing a coat over the corset, but now it was showtime and Abby was determined to face it like a woman and not the fraidycat she was acting like.
Walking into the main area, she saw that a single chair had been set up in front of the main stage but on the floor level, and it faced thirty plus chairs which were already filled, mostly with women, but a few males subs as well. The seating area was ringed by Doms who were trying to look casual but were clearly just as eager as their subs to get a look at their favorite author.
She could see Jake and another man carrying out more chairs and setting them up, and as she watched, these were filled, too. Just how many people were coming?
* * * *
Dex and Pat watched from the security control room as Jake and Zack finished setting up the chairs. Zack stayed out front, going to kneel beside Lucas, his Dom, and Serena, their sub, but Jake went back to join Dex and Pat.
“Well, what do you think?” His voice was amused as he took in the twin bulges in their pants. “Like what you see? Lindy took her shopping.”
“Lindy is a goddess.”
“My goddess and don’t you forget it!”
“Your goddess, Jake. And I’ll be forever grateful to her for that corset.”
“You’ll be even happier, Pat, when I tell you that the cups of the corset are held in place with Velcro.”
“They’re removable?” Dex’s voice went up two octaves, and he had to clear his throat before continuing, trying to sound casual. “Removable, you say?”
Pat hadn’t removed his eyes from the screen as Abby walked to the front of the room and sat down, carefully crossing her legs.
“I wonder if she’s wearing panties.”
“Black thong.”
“How the hell do you know, Jake!” Pat turned to look at Jake, fire in his eyes.
“Calm down, Pat. Lindy helped her get ready and then told me. I have no personal knowledge of the thong in question.”
“Oh, well. That’s okay then.” He turned back to the screen.
“Thank you, Pat. I’m happy to hear that.”
Dex smiled at Jake’s dry tone, but Pat didn’t so much as look away from the screen.
“You know, we are really grateful that you chose us, Jake. We’ll do a good job,” Dex assured Jake. “We won’t let you down. We won’t let her down.”
“You guys really care for her?”
Dex sighed.
“Yes. She’s the one.” Dex thought about all the things he wanted to say, how he had known from the moment he saw her on the Skype screen that she was someone special. He wanted to add how no other woman, no sub, had held his interest since he’d first laid eyes on Abby, but it all seemed superfluous. She was the one. He’d finally said it, finally admitted it to himself. He just hoped and prayed she would feel the same way, too.
“What he said.” Pat’s voice was tense. “But she still has to accept us as her trainers. Once she signs the training contract, we’ll be able to breathe easier because we’ll have a month to build that side of our relationship and get her to see us as her Doms. Until then, I’m not taking anything for granted, such as the number of unattached Doms who have come to hear her speak
. I thought this book club was for subs.”
“What are you talking about?” Dex walked over to the monitor and looked down to where Pat indicated. “What the fuck. Jake, those men are staring at our woman as if they were starving and she was a roast beef dinner.”
“Feeling a little possessive, are we?” Jake’s voice was more serious than his words.
“Yes.” Dex didn’t feel the need to expand. In fact, he wasn’t sure he could. Pat had been busting his chops about asking Abby out, and he’d given his friend one excuse after another why they shouldn’t, but watching her now and feeling like a voyeur, he finally admitted to himself the real reason he kept shooting down Pat’s suggestions. He was terrified that she’d say no and quit her job with them and he wouldn’t get to spend two days a week sitting with her, working with her, enjoying the closeness and the rest of the week fantasizing about her as he jerked off in the shower.
He’d had it all planned out in his head. He hadn’t even had the guts to admit it to Pat, who was much more up front about his desire for Abby. Dex had hoped that he could get close to her slowly, showing her what stand-up guys he and Pat were. He had a whole campaign mapped out in his head. They were already having coffee together and lunch, on the days she came in. He figured they’d progress to long, leisurely lunches at a romantic restaurant and then move on to dinner.
Of course, then he’d invite her back to their place and dazzle her with his culinary skills. Pat would, well, be Pat. He was a silver-tongued devil when he wanted to be, and the three of them would talk and laugh. Depending on where the energy went, one of them would kiss her, and if she was receptive, the other would, too.
They would move extremely slowly. As far as they knew, she was vanilla, so they’d draw her in carefully. First they’d get her used to the idea that they both wanted her and were okay with that. Then they’d make love to her, and then they’d introduce BDSM a little at a time.