Secluded Nature

by Lindsey Brewster

  Mason huffs at this point, "Can we PLEASE go eat?" I glance at Brayden, "I'll race you, Uncle Mason!!" Mason takes off running after him and I follow suit. We all sit down to eat and catch up on all the gossip.

  Luke opens up about his life as an architect over dinner, explaining that he has his own firm. That explains his attention to detail. He’s here for vacation, but also to help Mason with building his house. He’s going to draw up the plans and work with the construction company when the building starts.

  By the end of the dinner, Luke and Brayden are inseparable. We get up to leave close to eight o'clock and Brayden is begging Luke to stay. I wouldn’t mind, I’m not exactly looking forward to the club visit, but I’m convinced it won’t be that bad, either.

  Chapter 5

  I let Mason drive to the club while I give Luke a rundown of what to expect. “Don’t let anyone take that bracelet off of you. Women will approach you and probably even some couples. You should tell them that you’re here with a friend and just checking things out. If you want to participate in anything, at least come give me a heads up so I don’t go looking for you and find you naked in a room. The club is meant to be fun for everyone, even those not participating in everything. I’m sure there will be something to watch tonight.”

  Mason laughs, “There’s always something to watch.”

  Luke listens to my spiel intently, nodding. “I think I’ve got it. It sounds like it will be a good time.”

  Mason parks in the back lot so we will have an easier time getting out. We make our way around the building and find a line outside the door. Luke heads for the back of the line and I catch his wrist. “We don’t have to go back there and wait.”

  I walk up to the security guard, "Sorry, honey, even with two men, you're going to have to wait."

  I simply stick my wrist under the blacklight to reveal my tattoo. It’s a heart with an infinity symbol going through the top of the heart.

  He looks at it, then looks more closely at me. “We weren’t told to expect you tonight.”

  “Does that change anything?”

  “No ma’am, you just aren’t one to drop in.”

  I smile at him, “Well, tonight I am.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  He holds the door open for us and we hear grumbling from the line about us being let in before them.

  I grab Luke's hand and head straight to the counter to grab a neon pink bracelet. As I put it around his wrist, I point to different things around the room, "That is the bar. Those doors over there lead to "dungeons," which are separate rooms. That to your right is all of the different equipment you can rent, and right in the center is the stage. Tonight is a called a profit-oriented night: all money used to enter the club goes to a charity. This is a theme free night, which is why we’re dressed this way. Let's go check out the stage.”

  I take a deep breath and look up at Luke, his eyes wide. The poor guy looks like a deer in the headlights. I touch his arm, "Are you okay?

  He shakes his head, "I'm fine. It's just a lot to take in."

  I sigh,"Alright. You two go find yourselves a seat, I'm going to get us some water."

  I grab the waters and head over to the guys, glancing at the stage as I pass it. I cannot believe what I see. I veer my path closer to the stage as I make my way back to the guys with their waters.

  Mason is the first to speak as we stare at the stage. “This is… unexpected.”

  “Yeah, tell me about it. I didn’t expect Leah to be on the stage being the main attraction for the night.”

  Everyone’s attention is on Leah. She’s bound and gagged with some man hitting her with a whip. Mason and I flinch at the harsh sound of the whip cracking against bare skin. Luke can’t seem to take his eyes off the stage. “And she’s okay with that? That sounds painful.”

  “Well, her safeword is a certain gesture that she can make at anytime and he’ll stop. But it doesn’t seem like she wants him to, and this is pretty much par for the course here.”

  This time, it’s Luke’s turn to flinch when the whip cracks sharply in the air. After a few minutes I get up, wanting to explore and see how the club has been doing in my absence. Luke follows behind me, but Mason stays seated, seeming to be enthralled with the show. I decide to go over to the equipment and do a quick inventory to be sure there are still enough and they are in good condition.

  As I’m looking over the collection of belts for wear, Luke holds up a collar and leash. “Is this really used?”

  “About as much as anything else, but most people bring their own. This stuff is just here to use if they forget something or if they see something that would be better for their enjoyment. Once they’re done with whatever they are using, they wipe it down and take it to the bar where we clean everything at the end of the night. It’s kept as sanitary as possible. There are bigger pieces of equipment in different rooms. They’re given based on a first come, first serve policy. It’s a Sunday night, so I’m sure some rooms are open. It’s not ridiculously busy like it is on Fridays. You want to see one?”

  “Sure.”

  “We’ll see if my favorite room is being used,” I grin.

  We head down a long hallway, and I stop at the last door on the right. “So, since this light out here isn’t switched on, that means it’s not occupied. It’s not the most popular room since there’s no bed in it, but it’s my favorite.”

  We walk inside. On the right side of the room is a couch, but in the middle is a purple and black St. Andrews Cross. Along the walls are different items that can be attached to the cross, from cuffs to chains. There are two long benches that line the walls, so people can be hitched to them.

  “So this is what most rooms are like, although a majority of them have beds. This one is just dedicated to the cross.”

  He nods and does a 360 in the room, taking everything in. “So the cross is why you like this room so much?”

  “Yep. It was one of my favorite things to use, probably still is.”

  “It looks like fun, but what makes it your favorite?”

  I turn around and face him, my back to the cross.

  “Hmm, I like the fact that the cross has no give like a bed does. It’s unforgiving; if you pull against it or get pushed against it, it just holds you in place for someone to do as they please. And Luke, I think you know more about this stuff than you let on, but I won’t press that.”

  He looks over at me and cracks a smile, “I know some, but some of this is new to me. The cross, however, is not.”

  I look at him, furrowing my brows. “Well, then what do you like about it?”

  “What do I like about it?”

  “Mhmm” I murmur.

  He walks towards me, but it would be more accurate to say he stalks towards me, like I’m prey. I back up in response. My back knocks into the cross, bringing me to an abrupt stop, the distance between us now miniscule. He takes my wrist, lifting it up to one side of the cross and pushes my hand back against it like he wants me to keep it there.

  “What I like about it is that it’s unforgiving in all aspects.” He murmurs, using my own words against me while picking up the other hand and doing the same thing on the opposite side. “I like that the person against it doesn’t sink into it and hide.” He slides his foot between my feet, spreading them to where they are even with the cross. “I like that someone gives up their control to me.” His hands are lightly on my hips now, playing with the fabric of my dress.

  “I especially like when they’re shorter than me, like you, and they have to stand on their tiptoes to make everything fit properly without pulling.” With that he picks me up a little so I’m on tiptoes and my wrists are level with the openings. I gasp. “And I like to blindfold said person, so they can’t see what’s coming.” He leans down close to my ear. “And then, Abbey... then I like to whip her, because it helps heighten the senses.” He runs his hands down my sides. Taking a shaky breath in, I try to sink further back onto the cross. His chest rumb
les with a chuckle, “See… unforgiving.” I tilt my head up to look at him. His eyes are dilated, dark with arousal. He leans in towards me, and I push up on my feet to meet him.

  There’s a loud bang on the door, breaking our spell.

  “Abbey, I know you’re in there! If you don’t come make Mason chill out, I’m going to kick his ass.”

  I rub my hands over my face, letting out a frustrated groan. What has Mason done to piss Leah off?

  “Well that was…” Luke trails off, running his hands through his hair

  “Yeah...”

  I straighten my dress and head for the door to figure out what the hell is going on. I open up the door to find Mason backed against a wall with his hands up in defense and Leah yelling at him. Half of the club is standing at the other end of the hallway watching their stand-off.

  “It’s none of your business what happens! You are not me!”

  “I was just worried about you. I wanted to check on you.”

  “You ruined the whole thing! You know what it’s like when you’re in a scene and someone interrupts you, asshole!”

  Leah is pissed… this is going to be fun.

  I walk up and stand in between them.

  “Can we please take this into the office and quit making a scene in front of everyone?”

  I motion to the people behind us. Leah’s face flushes crimson when she notices the gathered crowd, and she storms off towards the office.

  Mason turns his attention towards me. “What were you two doing in there?”

  “Nuh-uh, buddy. You’re not trying to switch the focus off of whatever you did. Follow her to the office.”

  He huffs out “Fine” and follows behind Leah. Luke trails Mason, and I’m behind him. It appears everyone in the club has returned to their respective activities. Thank goodness.

  Closing the door behind me, I glance at Leah and Mason. “Does anyone want to calmly tell me what the hell is going on? Emphasis on calm.”

  Leah takes a deep breath and steps towards me. “Mason interrupted what I was doing on the stage, because he’s a controlling jerk and couldn’t handle the fact that I was enjoying doing what I wanted.”

  Mason pipes up. “Right, because him beating the hell out of you is what you wanted. You’re going to be covered in bruises.”

  “What the hell does it matter? I wanted pain tonight, and I was getting it. So what about the bruises? I would have taken care of them afterwards, and I still will. It’s not up to you to decide what would be best for me in these situations. I know when I need to stop something, and I know how to stop them. I was in control.”

  Mason doesn’t say anything, he just glares at her. Leah returns the glare, seething with rage.

  I sigh, knowing there is no way that both of them come out of this happy. “Mason, you know that what you did is wrong. The only time we actually stop things is if there is a steady stream of blood dripping. She asked for pain tonight. And yes, you might not have known that, but it was still none of your business. You know this. This isn’t your first time here.”

  Mason’s arms are crossed tightly. “Whatever,” he glares.

  “And Leah, while he may have interrupted things, and he was wrong for that, you did not need to behave the way you did tonight, either. You don’t just corner someone in a hallway and yell at them because you’re mad. That’s not how things are handled here, and you could have easily gotten suspended from the club.”

  Now she’s also glaring at me, but with her hands on her hips. “Fine.”

  “Look, you two can be as mad at me as you want. You both acted wrongly, and you’re both adults. I shouldn’t be moderating this. There shouldn’t even be a problem. Go out there and act your age. Finish enjoying what you can for the night.” Hopefully, I can too.

  Leah exits the office and Mason gets up and walks over towards me. “When do you want to leave? I’m over tonight.”

  “I’m getting a drink first, and then we can leave. You can finish showing Luke around.”

  I run my hands through my hair and head out of the office, leaving them to their own devices. I head to the bar and order myself a margarita and sit there, trying to salvage a bit of the night and enjoy it.

  Leah comes up and joins me. “Hey, I’m sorry for earlier. He’s just so frustrating, and what he did pissed me off.”

  “I’m sure it did piss you off and it would have upset me too, but yelling at him in front of everyone wasn’t exactly the way to handle it. Just like him getting up on the stage to interrupt your scene wasn’t the way to handle it.”

  “Yeah, I know. I just wanted to say I’m sorry.”

  “It’s alright. Go enjoy what’s left of your night.”

  She smiles wickedly at me, “Oh, I will.”

  Chapter 6

  It’s late when we get back, and we all head to our rooms. Mason has to go into Nashville tomorrow, and Luke says he has work to do on some designs. I am enjoying the mellow feeling of the five margaritas I had before Mason finally drove us back.

  I change into pajamas, just an oversized t-shirt, and lay on the bed. My mind drifts back to the almost kiss again. I spent most of the drive back thinking about it, wondering if he had really wanted to kiss me as much as I had wanted that kiss to happen, or if he was simply caught up in the moment. That’s the question of the night. The interruption couldn’t have come at a worse time.

  Sighing, I roll over on the bed, restless. After a small eternity of failing to sleep, I get up and pace my room. Maybe a glass of water will help. Heading to the kitchen, I run into something warm and solid. Hands shoot out to steady me.

  “Careful, don’t fall.”

  “Yeah, I’m trying not to.”

  I steady myself and look up at Luke who is running his hands up and down my arms, leaving a trail of fire in their place.

  “What’re you doing up? I thought you’d be passed out with all the drinking you did tonight.”

  “I’m restless, and I didn’t drink that much. I need a glass of water.”

  He drops his hands to his side and steps out of my way so I can make my way into the kitchen. He comes in behind me. Apparently he just wants to fuel my thoughts.

  “What has you restless?”

  I chug the glass of water and fill it up again to take it into my room.

  “Just different things.”

  That’s vague enough, I think. My head is still a little cloudy from drinking tonight. Turning on my heel, I head to my room, stumbling for a second and making me slow my pace a little. I’m almost in my room when I hear “Hey, Abbey?”

  I sigh. Why can’t he just leave me alone for tonight?

  “Yes?”

  I set the water down on my nightstand, turn on the lamp, and sit on the edge of the bed. He’s in my doorway, wearing shorts and a t-shirt. He looks all kinds of delicious.

  “I was wondering if you wanted to talk about it? Maybe that would help, and you can get some sleep.”

  “I don’t know. I’ll probably get more frustrated; it might make it worse.”

  “It’s not about me is it?”

  I glance away from him, not answering. Lying wouldn’t go over well-- I’m not the best at it.

  “Abbey, if something is wrong, then let’s talk about it.”

  “That’s the thing. Nothing is wrong persae, I’m just frustrated.”

  He’s stepped into my room now and is too near.

  “Why are you frustrated?”

  “Because I am.”

  “Abbey, just tell me. It can’t be that bad.”

  “Fine. I can’t stop thinking about that moment on the cross where we almost kissed and if you really wanted to kiss me, or if you were just caught up in the moment.” I ramble out in one breath.

  I glance up at him. He’s walking over to me. Okay, he’s stalking again. “Do you want the answer?”

  He’s standing right in front of me and cups my chin, forcing me to look up at him.

  “Yes, I guess I do want the
answer.” I wring my hands, nervously.

  “Yes to both. I was caught up in the moment and yes, I would really like to kiss you. May I kiss you?”

  I nod my head a little too quickly. His lips quirk and he runs his thumb over my lips, opening them a breath.

  “I’d like to hear the words, please.”

  “Yes, you can kiss me.”

  He leans down towards me, and I stretch up and put my arms around his neck as our lips meet. His lips are soft and warm as they massage mine. He deepens the kiss, causing me to moan as I part my lips and tighten my grip around his neck, pulling him closer. His hand snakes its way into my hair and holds my head in place as our tongues dance together. His other hand comes around to my hip and pulls me up to where I’m kneeling on the bed. He pulls me in even more once I’m closer to his height.

  He kisses me until I have to pull away gasping for air. “Jesus.”

  He smiles against my neck and I tilt my head back to give him more access. His hands are inching my shirt above my thighs up to my waist. He suddenly pushes me back down on the bed. I scoot back to the middle, and he crawls up after me. My arms go around his back and pull him to me, our bodies flush. He flips us over to where I am on top of him without breaking the kiss. His hands are under my shirt, running up and down my sides. He stops, his fingers teasing the top of my underwear. I moan against his lips, encouraging him to continue his exploration, but he doesn’t. I press myself down onto him and grind against him. His hands come down to my hips to hold me still and rolls us so we are both on our sides. He chuckles against my lips and pulls away.

  “We are not going any further than this tonight.”

  He peppers my face with kisses while I huff at him, frustrated at his stopping. “But why not?”

  “Because you’re not exactly sober, and I want your mind clear for all of this.” He runs his hand around my back and pulls me up so I’m closer against him, brushing his lips against mine.

  Rolling over on my back, I groan, “See? More frustrated.”

  He laughs at me and pulls me close so my head is on his chest. With one hand, he laces his fingers with mine while the other is tracing patterns on my back.