Indulgence (Taking Chances #1)

by Jeanne McDonald

  “I get that.”

  “I’m afraid you don’t. No one usually does until they’ve seen it first hand.”

  We walked deeper into the bowels of this place. The air grew heavier and the sounds darker. Moans and cries mingled like blood and water. I felt both turned on and horrified by the images that invaded my senses.

  Bodies in the most compromised positions lay out before me. A woman with her legs spread wide open wiggled and squirmed as she submitted to the man who was holding a vibrator to her clit. Every time she moved, trying to get away from the intrusive device, he’d smack her thigh with the palm of his hand. I could barely make out his low growls to her and her whimpers of obedience. A flood of wetness glistened down her legs, dripping to the floor. Her face was red from exhaustion, yet no matter how much she begged for him to stop, he still pushed her.

  “Why do they torture themselves like this?” I wondered.

  Luke pulled me forward, nestling me into the crook of his side. Wrapping his arm around my shoulders, he leaned his head down to meet my ear. “It’s not torture, Red. It's all about learning your body’s limits. Giving into your deepest fears and darkest desires.

  “Dominant and submissive, sadism and masochism, bondage and discipline go beyond the physical. It reaches deep into your psyche and makes you face your inner truths. What you see here are people who understand that sex isn’t only pleasure. It carries our deepest, darkest secrets. Our hidden-most desires. This realm is for those who want to explore the bodies and minds beyond sex, beyond love. To explore the art of passion and pain, and understand the full range of human emotion and physical contentment.”

  I rested my head against his chest, gauging my breathing with his heartbeat. Every sound, every facet of this room left me feeling lost and confused. My body was heightened with want and desire. In the corner of the room, a man had a woman bound to the bed, feeding her his thick cock. When she couldn’t take him completely in her mouth, he smacked her ass hard, and then tried again. Tears followed down her cheeks. A look of disappointment darkened her eyes every time she realized she was about to gag on this dick.

  “How is that supposed to be pleasurable?” I pointed toward the couple. “He’s choking her.”

  “He’s training her.”

  “That’s not training, that’s…” my words trailed off. In the distance, I saw something that stopped me cold.

  So many times, Amber tried to explain to me the joy she took in training a new sub. The way she talked about it sounded fun, even pleasurable to an extent, but I never took her seriously. She ragged on me about my books, and I teased her about never having a real relationship because she enjoyed beating men instead of loving them. It was a joke to us, or so I thought.

  Yet, in the corner of the room, every joke turned to reality. There stood Amber, circling David, who was bound, gagged, and suspended from the ceiling. His dark hair hung over his mask, covering his eyes. Amber entwined her fingers into his tresses and yanked hard, forcing David’s head to pull back. He groaned from behind the gag. A devious smirk appeared on Amber’s face as she released his hair and reared back, swatting his ass with her bare hand.

  I chewed on my fingernail, unable to take my eyes off of the scene that unfolded before me. I knew what Amber did—she never sugarcoated anything about who or what she was—but seeing it left me hot and cold.

  Amber rubbed her palm over David’s ass, saying something to him that I couldn’t make out. Next thing I knew, she was hauling off and swatting his backside. Over and over again she whipped him with her hand, relentless. David pulled against his restraints, his moans deep and dark with each crack of their skin meeting.

  Her body taut and rigid, Amber moved in front of David. She took his thick, long length between both of her hands and began stroking him. An array of expressions crossed her face. She licked her lips and placed a kiss to his bound mouth.

  I gasped when Amber dropped to her knees in front of David. She smacked his cock three or four times, back and forth, watching as he squirmed against his restraints. Pleased with his response, she rewarded him by wrapping her lips around his length. Amber sucked and licked, forcing David to the brink of his release. Just as he was about to come, she stopped. She stood up, her lips meeting his ear. I wished I could hear what she was saying because David’s reaction was swift, and the nod of his head was certain.

  My mouth dropped wide open in shock at the sight of Amber pressing her ass against his erection. Heat radiated through my body. I closed my eyes, allowing the images of my friend to be replaced with myself. In David’s place was Luke, tied up and subjected to my will. I wanted to feel his hard cock rubbing against me, slipping between my wet sex, only to fill me to my depths.

  “Are you okay?” Luke rubbed his hand over my arm. Chills raked through my skin, leaving me feeling warm and clammy.

  I opened my eyes and looked up at my escort. He was gorgeous, even covered by the mask and hat. “I’m fine.”

  “That’s your friend, isn’t it?”

  I nodded, returning my focus on Amber. She’d started to release David from his bounds. David wasted no time dropping to his knees, waiting for her instructions. Amber ran her fingers through David’s hair and unbuckled the gag from his mouth. It dropped to the ground in front of him. Her face had lost the hard edge it’d had during David’s internment. Now, she petted him, caressed him. She pointed to the bed behind them. David bounced on the balls of his toes, standing up and moving to the bed. He lay down on his back and Amber moved to straddle him.

  “Did you know?”

  An inappropriate laugh blossomed in my throat. “Yes,” I snorted.

  Luke looked at me, suspicion in his eye. “It’s different seeing it in action, I take it.”

  Again, I nodded. What was I supposed to say? My friend got off on pain. Talk about taking a friendship to a whole new level.

  “Wanna get out of here?”

  “Please,” I gurgled.

  Luke pulled me along side of him until we found the exit. We left that confusing place, but the images, sights, and smells would forever be burned into my memory.

  Chapter Ten

  “Are you okay?”

  The answer to Luke’s question was no. I wasn’t okay. But not for the reasons he suspected. Sure, I might’ve been scarred for life thanks to my newfound knowledge of Amber’s extracurricular activities, but that only gave me shit to rag on her about. What really had a hold on me was Luke, himself.

  His palm rested on the small of my back, mere inches from my bare ass. Each stolen touch not only reminded me of my nakedness, but left me hungry, wanting more. The ache between my legs was unbearable. Wetness coated my thighs. Longing weighed heavily on me. An emotional war waged inside me. One I was losing rather fast.

  I took a few deep, calming breaths before responding. “I’m fine. Really.”

  He bowed his head and a deep sigh poured from his lips. “Maybe we should stop in one of the rest lounges. You could get a drink and recoup,” Luke suggested.

  Mid-stride, I stopped and turned to him. Luke stood on the step below, looking up at me. The amount of worry in his eyes shook me to my very soul. Who was this man? In a matter of hours he’d consumed me. I was awakened, enlightened. The world felt renewed, different somehow. Luke opened a door, both literally and figuratively speaking, and introduced me to things I’d only read about in books. No one, not even Jacoby, had ever made me feel this way.

  I lifted my hand and placed it on his cheek, brushing my thumb along the bottom of his mask. He closed his eyes, leaning into my touch. “I’m not upset or bothered by what I just saw in there, Luke.” My thumb swept over his parted lips. His warm breath caressed the pad of my finger. He opened his eyes, meeting my heated gaze. A single nod brushed his skin along the palm of my hand. “You know what would make me feel better?”

  He shook his head. I sensed he feared speaking, but for what reason I was unsure. All night he’d tortured me with his light touches,
never crossing the line. Not once did he allow himself to break the rules. He bent them, but never broke them. I’d wondered if that was because he was afraid of losing his job, or if it was possible he didn’t trust himself with me.

  Questions, decisions, the dark underlining of want and need that rose deep inside me, struggled against my chest. I wanted to affect him the same way he did me. The need to know I could make him nervous raced down my arms, my fingertips bold against his sensual lips.

  My mind tried to rationalize what I felt. It was this house. Everywhere I turned, the sounds and smells of sex overwhelmed me. The atmosphere over stimulated my senses. My heart tried to convince me there was something between Luke and me. His touch, the way he spoke to me, were not figments of my imagination. Our connection was real.

  Luke’s chest rose and fell, locked in my gaze.

  “If you show me your favorite room. Take me to the one place that reaches you…here.” I placed my hand on his chest. The beat of his heart pounded against his ribs in rapid succession.

  “How do you know it’s not as deviant as what we just saw? Maybe even worse? We’ve only scratched the surface of what goes on here,” he rattled.

  Empowered, I leaned forward, pressing my tits together. Unabashed by my nakedness in front of him, I made sure he had a clear view of my bare breasts. All night long my nipples had pointed out my desire. It was time for him to understand the ramifications of what he’d exposed me to.

  Long lashes fanned out over the pure black mask. Candlelight flickered, bringing to light the yellowish brown hue of his eyebrows. The hat might’ve covered his hair, but at least I could visualize what was underneath. I licked my lips, holding him captive with my stare. “I see it in your eyes—in the BDSM room and now. There’s nothing deviant about you, Luke. You’re intrigued by this world but not consumed by it. You’ve experienced things beyond my wildest imagination. I want to understand—to see things as you see them—and to do that, I have to see the one room that speaks to you.”

  “Why me? Why not Sebastian?”

  He posed an interesting quandary. In reality, I’d come here as an obsessed reader wanting to delve into the mind of my favorite author, but I never expected to find something or someone even more alluring than Sebastian’s written words.

  “Sebastian is an illusion. A fantasy. A fascination. But you,” I paused, taking in a deep breath, “you’re real.” My fingers pressed against his lips, slowly moving along his jaw and down his neck. The sight of his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down with each haggard breath he took was fuel to the flame. The facade of control slipped, giving me insight to the man behind the mask.

  “Addison,” he murmured. “I…”

  A group of people rustled up the stairs, bumping into us. “Excuse us,” one woman said, her inquiring eyes moving back and forth between Luke and me.

  “No problem,” Luke grumbled. He straightened up, moving from my grasp.

  And like that, the spell was broken. Luke had regained control, replacing the barrier that had disappeared for a brief moment. Disappointment riddled me. This was so unfair. Why was it the one person I wanted was the one I couldn’t have? Oh, the paradox of my situation.

  A step up put Luke on an even plane with me. I pulled in a deep breath, trying to chase away my chagrin. He placed his hand against the small of my back and started ascending the stairs again.

  “You know, you should’ve been a writer.”

  “I’m better with numbers,” I smarted off.

  From the corner of my eyes, I caught a glimpse of his nose wrinkling with a hint of amusement. “You sure you want to see my favorite room?” His voice was decadently smooth, but uncertainty lingered in his tone.

  “Absolutely.”

  We followed along behind the group that interrupted us. There were four of them. Two men and two women, all chatting animatedly.

  “Did you hear? Sebastian’s been sighted,” one of the men said. His deep voice didn’t match his scrawny ass at all. That man needed to do squats or something, because he had the flattest backside I’d ever seen on a man or woman.

  “No!” the two women squealed. “Where?”

  The other man leaned in, gracing me with a side profile. His long, straight nose was probably the only thin part of his body. His heavy gut hung low, but not low enough to cover his flaccid penis. I was stunned. I couldn’t recall seeing a single limp dick all night. “They said he was in the BDSM room. I’m not surprised. I bet he likes his conquests to be rough.”

  The girl closest to him with a jet-black pixie cut, smacked him on the shoulder. “You naughty boy.”

  “I’m just saying,” tubby continued, “he writes this shit. Why wouldn’t he play it out?”

  “Idiots,” Luke snorted. “If they only knew.”

  “Knew what?” I inquired, curious by his aggravation.

  “Nothing, Red.” He waved his hand in dismissal.

  Obviously he didn’t know me very well. I wasn’t the type to give up so easily. “You can’t say something like that and expect me to ignore it.”

  The conversation flowed between the foursome ahead of us. One made a comment about seeing Sebastian with a woman but didn’t elaborate further on his supposable companion. Had it been hours earlier, I would’ve claimed she was a lucky bitch, but now, I wasn’t so sure. Maybe I was the lucky bitch by having Luke at my side.

  “It’s frustrating how people buy into rumors so easily. That’s all.” He shoved his hands in his pockets, taking each step slow and steady. I matched his pace, running my hand along the smooth wood of the bannister. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but something the group said seemed to be eating at him.

  When we reached the fourth floor, the crowd went one way and Luke directed me another. “This is the final floor guests are allowed to visit,” Luke stated.

  Once again, we weaved in and out of hallways, leaving me to wonder who designed this funhouse. “How many floors are there?”

  “Five.”

  “What’s on the fifth floor?”

  “That’s Sebastian’s private quarters. You might call it his fortress of solitude,” he snickered.

  I tried not to laugh but failed miserably. “Seriously? A Superman reference?”

  “Seems fitting,” he observed.

  Luke twisted down a hall and came to a stop in front of a room with French doors guarding it. He popped his hat back slightly, rubbing his forehead as he stared at the doors.

  “What’s wrong?”

  In his eyes a storm brewed of epic proportions. “I just keep wondering when one of these rooms will finally pique your interest.”

  I reached out and touched his arm. “They’ve all intrigued me.”

  Patting the top of my hand, he studied me for an impregnated moment. “As they should,” he finally uttered, his sullen smile not matching the teasing timbre of his tone. “Let’s go inside.”

  Luke opened the doors and bowed slightly, giving me entrance into the room.

  In the corner, a roaring fire burned bright in an elaborate fireplace. Soft light illuminated the space. Long, sheer curtains sectioned off the room, providing a semblance of privacy. Shadows danced on the walls. Soft moans and delicate grunts ricocheted through the air.

  “Where are we?” I whispered.

  Luke stopped near the fireplace. The heat of the fire licked at my bare skin. “There’s really no name for this room.”

  I cut him a sideways glance. “Why? Because the kink factor is off the chart?” I knew that couldn’t possibly be true even before I suggested it as such. The atmosphere alone was testament to the sensual nature of this domain.

  “Does this look kinky to you?” In a slow motion, he brushed his knuckles down the length of my arm, allowing his hand to settle over mine.

  A small gasp expelled from my chest. My heart ached for this man. My body needed him. My mind, however, questioned everything. What did I know about him, other than his name? In the past few hours I’d spent with him,
I’d learned more about Sebastian Hawk than I had about Luke, and yet I felt as if I’d known Luke all my life.

  My eyes scanned the room. A crescendo of romance poured from behind the veils. “No.”

  Luke released my hand and slipped his behind my back. Soft as silk, he played with my hair, twirling the ends round his fingertip. I’d become hypnotized by his touch. The sounds and smell of passion invaded my senses.

  “Watch.” He directed my gaze to a couple to the left of us.

  A young, dark haired man hovered over a petite, brunette woman. His body contracted, muscles tensed with each thrust. There was no gritting of teeth or tears. No spectators watched their movements, besides Luke and me. There was a strong yearning between them. The quiet ebb and flow of desire. The man cupped the woman’s face in his hands, resting his weight on his elbows. Their lips met in a symphony of passion.

  “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Luke whispered.

  The swell of her breasts rose and fell. Her eyes fluttered and her fingers dug into his bare skin, leading him to where she needed him most. She was on the verge of finding her release, and he was pleased to give it to her.

  “They’re in love,” I gasped.

  Luke twisted a strand of my hair around his finger, pulling it down to its full length. His knuckles brushed along the top of my ass. I fought the shiver that flitted up my spine. “No, probably not. But there’s a definite connection between them.”

  The couple kissed with fervor. Their tongues moved with sweet want. Everything about them left me aching inside. How I missed this. The trueness to sex.

  I looked up at Luke, who was staring down at me. He raised his hand to stroke my cheek. His fingers toyed with the curve of my mask. I’d almost forgotten I’d been wearing it. “They see beyond the masks to the soul inside.”

  His lips parted. Luke inched closer to me. I pushed up on the tips of my toes, ready, waiting, willing to accept the forbidden kiss. I wanted him, needed him, and I would break all the rules in the world to feel his mouth pressed to mine.