GhostlyPersuasion

by Dena Garson

  “Okay,” Katie said, unsure what she was really agreeing to. As soon as they were alone again, she had every intention of asking Seamus though.

  “Do you have any questions?”

  “Um, no, not right now.”

  “An attendant will always be available to serve you.”

  “Okay. Thank you.”

  The woman bowed her head then backed away.

  Katie took a moment to memorize the door they had come through in case she needed to find it again. From the corner of her mouth she whispered to Seamus, “What the hell have you gotten me into?”

  “Just exploring your darker side.”

  She walked along the outer edge of the large, central room, looking at the furnishings and the people milling about. “What dark side? I’m not aware that I have one.”

  “Everyone does. Some are just darker than others,” Seamus replied. “I’m curious about yours.”

  “I suspect you’re going to be disappointed.”

  “I doubt it, Little Katie.”

  Katie turned to look at him. Even with the lower lighting she could see the sincerity and even a touch of admiration in his expression.

  Heat warmed her cheeks. “Thank you.” She continued her stroll along the perimeter. When she passed one of the doorways she slowed her pace and looked down the darkened passage.

  She could hear voices but not well enough to know what they were saying. A crack echoed in the small area, startling Katie. Her gaze flew to Seamus. “What was that?”

  “What did it sound like?” he asked.

  “A whip,” she whispered harshly.

  “It probably was.”

  “Seriously?” Katie’s voice squeaked.

  “Hard to say. I’d have to look to be sure.”

  “I’d say that was a very noticeable sound, wouldn’t you?” she asked, somewhat offended.

  “Normally, yes, but that sound could have also been a leather-encased hand making contact with a bare arse.”

  Katie’s mouth fell open. She blinked to clear the image from her mind. “What?”

  “It’s very possible down here.”

  She put one hand on her hip and held up the other one in a “stop” gesture. “Okay. Where exactly is here?”

  “The Dungeon,” he said without inflection.

  “And what exactly is the Dungeon?”

  He smiled that smile that made Katie think he knew something she probably needed to know.

  “It’s a place for people with similar interests to get together in a safe environment.”

  Katie had the feeling there was more to what he was telling her.

  “The woman who led us in here said something about engaging in play. What did she mean by play?” she asked.

  “She meant sexual play.”

  “Sex?” Her eyes nearly bugged out of her head.

  “No. Sexual play.”

  “There’s a difference?” she asked.

  “In here? Absolutely.”

  “I’m still confused,” Katie admitted.

  With a jerk of his head, he said, “Come on. It’ll be easier to show you than to explain.”

  “I think a drink is in order first,” she said.

  “As you wish.”

  Katie found the bar and ordered her favorite mixed drink. The familiar warmth in her stomach helped settle her nerves. She was a little out of her element and had no idea what to expect. The only thing keeping her from running out of the room was the necklace the woman said would keep anyone from approaching her.

  “Are you okay?” Seamus asked.

  “Um, yeah. I think.”

  “You don’t have to stay if you’re not comfortable. But I promise you are perfectly safe here. They do not tolerate harassment of guests or violation of any rules.”

  She took a deep breath. “Okay.”

  “If you get uncomfortable, just tell me and I will show you the fastest way out.”

  “Thanks,” she said with a smile. “That helps.”

  “Come. There’s something I think you’ll find interesting.”

  Seamus led her to one of the hallways on the far side of the room. She passed a few couples but no one stopped her or asked what she was doing there. She doubted anyone even noticed her.

  Thank God.

  The warmth from her drink spread and helped her relax.

  “We’re going to start with something easy,” Seamus said as he stopped just before they reached an open door.

  “All right.” She smiled, touched that he sensed her unease.

  “Most of the rooms in this part of the Dungeon are set up for some kind of bondage.”

  “You mean where people tie each other up?”

  “That’s right.”

  She shrugged. “I’ve heard of people doing that. I even had a couple of friends in college who talked about doing it with boyfriends. That shouldn’t be too bad.”

  “Keep in mind, you can take anything to an extreme.”

  “True.” She made shooing motions at Seamus. “So, come on already. Let’s see what they’ve got around here.”

  He stepped to the side. “How about if I follow you, then?”

  She took one step then paused. “It’s really okay to watch these people doing whatever they’re doing?”

  “They wouldn’t be here with the door open if they didn’t want someone to watch,” he reassured her.

  “Good point.”

  Katie glanced into a couple of rooms as they passed. Just being nosy, she told herself. She saw a wide variety of tools being used and people being put into all kinds of positions. Some were a little bit scary.

  Finally one of the rooms induced her to stop.

  The room was painted crimson-red and had a couple of pieces of black lacquer furniture. In the center of the room was a swing made of narrow straps suspended from the ceiling.

  A voluptuous, dark-headed woman reclined in the swing. She wore nothing except a bright-red satin blindfold across her eyes. Each of her limbs was secured in the swing by zebra-striped fur cuffs.

  The woman had a male partner but instead of doling out some kind of punishment, this one was running a peacock feather across the woman’s breasts and belly. If the smile on the woman’s face and her squirming were any indication, she was a bit ticklish.

  The man walked to the cabinet on the side of the room and set the feather on the top. He reached into a bucket that was inside the cabinet and pulled something out. Katie couldn’t tell what it was right away, but as soon as he touched the woman’s nipple with it, she figured out he was holding a piece of ice. The trail of melted water glistened on the woman’s skin.

  The woman sucked in a breath when he ran the ice over the other nipple then let a few drops of water fall onto her chest. With the ice still in his hand, the man moved around to the front and stood between her legs.

  Katie was enthralled by their actions. It was erotic enough to see a couple engaged in some kind of sexual activity, but for some reason, many of the sensations she knew the woman was probably feeling, Katie was sensing in her own body. The fur cuffs around her wrists. The cold of the ice. The rough texture of her lover’s hand on her thigh.

  Katie’s own nipples beaded into hard pebbles inside her bra and her breasts ached to be touched. A tremor rippled through her body as she imagined what it must feel like to be bound, completely naked, while her partner controlled what sensations she was exposed to. All while incapable of seeing what might happen next.

  The anticipation was probably delicious.

  Lost in her haze of sensual overload, Katie wondered what Seamus must be thinking. When she looked at him, he was watching her instead of the couple or the swing.

  Their eyes met. The longing she saw was unmistakable. A frisson of need spiraled through her and set her soul on fire. She swallowed. Hard. Then forced herself to turn back to the couple in the room and forget about the things she and Seamus couldn’t do together.

  If she dwelled on the things she wan
ted with Seamus, she would drive herself mad.

  Even though she was physically looking back into the room, it didn’t register what she was seeing for a moment. The man was kneeling between the woman’s legs, playing with her pussy. If Katie had to guess, she would have said he still had a piece of ice in his hand.

  The woman squirmed in the swing, but since she was suspended with nothing to push against, she was pretty much at her partner’s mercy. From what Katie could tell, it wasn’t necessarily a bad position to be in.

  The ice was probably a contrast against the heat of her crotch.

  As Katie contemplated the allure of the situation, she watched the woman arch her back. “Oooo,” the woman cooed.

  It occurred to Katie that the man’s hand was free of the ice. She didn’t notice anything falling to the floor, so she guessed that he had pushed the piece into the woman’s pussy.

  Suddenly the man grabbed the woman by her hips and buried his face in her crotch. The woman’s mouth fell open and she sucked in a loud gulp of air then moaned. Even though Katie could only see the back of the man’s head, it looked, and sounded, as if he was being rather enthusiastic with his attentions.

  “I’ve heard that if you do the alphabet with your tongue, it provides the woman a wide variety of sensations,” Seamus said as he floated next to Katie and watched the couple.

  “The alphabet?” Katie asked then forced herself to blink away the image his comment created in her mind.

  “I haven’t been able to test that theory myself, but I could see where it might work.”

  “I doubt that’s what he’s doing,” Katie said with a tilt of her head in the direction of the couple.

  “If he is, those are some of the sloppiest letters I’ve ever seen.”

  Katie had to slap a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing out loud. She certainly didn’t want to interrupt the couple or make them think she was laughing at them. When she regained control, she whispered, “Stop that. You’re going to make me embarrass myself.”

  “Before I interrupted, you seemed to be enjoying yourself. What about this,” he pointed to the couple in the swing, “appeals to you where the previous rooms or couples didn’t?” Seamus asked.

  Keeping her voice low, she admitted, “I was just wondering the same thing. In most of the other rooms, the woman was bound and the man was in charge, if you will.”

  “True,” he agreed.

  “I suppose the most obvious difference is the punishment versus teasing or tantalizing.”

  “So being tied up doesn’t bother you then.” It sounded as if he was making a statement more than asking a question.

  “No,” she drew out the O. “The idea of being tied up by someone I trust is not offensive. I wouldn’t do something like that with just anyone though. Certainly not a stranger.”

  “So if you had a longtime lover or husband, would the idea of being subjected to his every whim turn you on?”

  Katie’s cheeks warmed rapidly. “Yes, a little.”

  “Does anything else about what you’ve seen in here,” Seamus pointed to the couple in the room, “appeal to you?”

  “The swing,” she said without hesitation.

  Seamus looked back at the couple as if he hadn’t even noticed what the woman was sitting on. “You like the swing? What about it?”

  Katie motioned for him to step away from the doorway with her. She was afraid she’d disturb the couple even though she kept her voice low.

  “There are a couple of interesting things about the swing.”

  Seamus nodded for her to continue.

  “First, the positioning it puts the woman into. It looks as if her lover has access to pretty much every part of her. And it doesn’t look uncomfortable. Second, the furry cuffs.” Even though they stood in the hallway, she could still see the couple and the swing. “Seems to me those would add a sensation on her skin and yet that is what is binding her too.”

  “You’re probably right.”

  “The other thing is…” She bit her lip, wondering if she was telling him too much.

  “Go on,” Seamus encouraged her.

  “Well, I just got to thinking that having sex in the swing would probably be a unique feeling. Kind of like floating in the water. And the guy would be able to control the motion a lot better, I should think.”

  When Katie looked up at Seamus, he had a pained expression on his face.

  “Did I say something wrong? Too much information?” She probably shouldn’t have told him everything.

  “No,” he reassured her. “You didn’t say anything wrong. I want to know what you think.” He ran his hand through his hair. “I just, uh… I had a vision of what I would do to you if I had even five minutes with you on that swing.”

  Not only did that vision creep into her head but she saw the raw desire in his eyes. Katie’s pussy clenched in response and her panties dampened.

  A sound behind her alerted her that another couple was headed in their direction. Not wanting anyone to think she was talking to herself, she motioned Seamus to follow her. As they made their way to the main salon, she didn’t even glance in the other doorways. She was already on sensory overload.

  Once they were back in the salon, she debated getting another drink. With all the ideas and visions spinning around in her head, it was probably best to go easy on the alcohol. Otherwise she might really end up telling Seamus something she shouldn’t.

  Katie found an unoccupied pair of chairs that were tucked into a shadowed corner of the salon. Before she could even take a seat, one of the highly efficient Dungeon staff stopped to ask if she needed anything, but Katie shook her head and waved her on.

  “What do you think of the Dungeon so far?” Seamus asked as he settled into the other chair.

  “Let me put it this way. Even if I found a club similar to the Dungeon back home, I don’t see myself hanging out in a place like this.”

  “I wouldn’t expect you to. I meant, what do you think about the things you’ve seen?”

  “Ah. Well, it’s been interesting. And, yes, I admit to being turned-on by a few things, but it’s a lot to take in.”

  “I’m sure it is if you’ve never been around this lifestyle,” he agreed.

  “I assume you found out about this place as a result of your problem?”

  His eyebrow raised in question. “My problem?”

  “Your bad habit of spying on people.”

  He chuckled. “You say problem. I say form of amusement.”

  “Harrumph.” Katie turned her head to visually follow an odd-looking couple as they passed through the salon. The woman was quite large and rather stocky with long blonde hair. She reminded Katie of the Viking wife in that cartoon, Hägar the Horrible. However the man she was accompanying was average height and skinny as a rail. The woman probably outweighed him by more than a hundred pounds.

  She was partially curious and partially horrified to know what the two of them would be doing in the one of the rooms.

  “That does put me in mind of something,” Katie said.

  “In mind of what?” Seamus asked.

  “Why haven’t I seen any men getting tied up by a woman?”

  “Because they tend to stay in that hallway.” He pointed across the salon in the opposite direction.

  “Oh.” Katie perked up. “What else do they do over there?”

  “I’m not certain. I haven’t spent much time there.”

  “Why not? Don’t like the idea of being tied up?” she teased.

  “Not really.” He leveled his gaze on her. “Although, like you, with the right woman, I would do it if she wanted.”

  Katie fought to control a shudder that rippled through her when she thought of Seamus tied up, maybe even blindfolded, and hers to do with as she pleased. There was nothing she could do about the heat pooling in her pussy though.

  “Does that interest you, Little Katie?”

  Seamus’ voice sounded like a sexy purr. Goose bumps popped up
on her arms.

  “Maybe,” she said coyly.

  “I think it does,” he said and leaned closer. “Your breathing changed and even in this light I can see that you’ve turned pink. Your panties are probably wet too.”

  Katie squirmed in her seat. She looked across the salon to avoid looking him in the eye. He just saw too damn much of what she was thinking.

  She was surprised to spot a familiar face. “Isn’t that the woman we saw a few days ago making out with the ghost in the lobby?” Katie tried to discreetly point the woman out to Seamus. Now that Katie could see all of her, she wished she hadn’t. The woman was wearing a formfitting knit dress that showed all her curves to her advantage.

  Katie felt seriously underdressed in her jeans and sweater.

  “I believe it is,” Seamus agreed. “Didn’t you say you ran into her in the lift?”

  “Yeah. Shanna was her name, I think. She was looking for her ghost boyfriend, but I didn’t want to tell her I could see him.”

  When Shanna turned to navigate around a couch, Katie saw the bare-chested ghost the woman had been making out with walking beside her. “Apparently she found him. I wonder what they’re doing down here.”

  Seamus turned to look at Katie, one eyebrow raised in question. “I should think they are down here for the same reason we are.”

  “Well, yeah. I mean…” Katie rolled her eyes. “Oh shut up. I know it’s a stupid question.”

  Seamus chuckled. “So long as you know it too.”

  “Whatever,” she said as she folded her arms across her chest then pretended to pout.

  Katie kept an eye on the ghost couple, just out of curiosity.

  “They’re going the way we came in.” She smiled at Seamus. “Think they’re into something heavier than the swing?”

  “I’m not sure,” Seamus said, though he looked distracted. He was watching the ghost couple also. When the couple disappeared from their sight Seamus hopped up and said, “I’ll be right back. Don’t go anywhere without me.”

  He didn’t give her a chance to agree or disagree, just floated to the same hallway the ghost couple had taken. She had been kidding when she said she wondered what the other couple was doing. It was surprising that Seamus took her seriously.