by Poppy Flynn
It was a talent he was doing his best to impart to other Doms with a certain degree of success. The most notable of his protégés being Micah Flynn, whom they had made the manager of the new East Coast club, and who totally understood his ethos.
Not that he didn't like to up the ante, as well. Jake loved nothing more than to see the marks of his possession on the skin of a sub as long as they weren't too harsh, and that was where his real problem lay, in that very possession and the transience of it. Jake desperately wanted something more permanent and not just in the sense of having a long term submissive. He was ready to settle down, had been for a long time. He was tired of the succession of jump on, jump off again, merry-go-round of women who passed in and out of his life. Casual hook-ups no longer held any appeal. But he didn't want to give up the lifestyle; he just wanted someone to share it with. Someone with whom he could play and scene, but who could also leave it behind and just enjoy being part of a regular couple, doing regular things, with a regular home and a couple of kids. Sadly, that scenario didn't seem to be customary.
Charlotte had sorely tempted him, but Jake knew better than to try and impose the lifestyle on someone without the inclination to try it for themselves. He had done that once before, while he'd been at University, when he'd shown his supposed girlfriend the side of him that no one outside the lifestyle ever saw. It had damn near brought him, his family, and the entire Blackwood empire to its knees when the woman turned out to be a reporter posing as a student in order to get a scoop to further her career. The consequences of that mistake remained with him to this day. Gossip and innuendo tagged him as some kind of abusive pervert who liked to beat on defenceless women, it followed him and plagued his personal relationships, perpetuated by the likes of Joel's ex fiancée, Anita Howard. Although their engagement had been mercifully brief, Anita had been one of his Uncle Joe's 'perfect wife material' darlings. Until she'd shown her true colours recently, once again at Jake's expense, dredging up old rumours that refused to be buried. The society clique had long memories when it came to any type of scandal. Jake had no inclination to find himself a 'society' wife but, as much as he'd like to, that social scene was one he couldn't entirely avoid.
Never mind that he had been groomed to take up the position of Chief Finance Officer, a role that had been snatched from him because of the gutter press incident. No matter the family history, the board had overruled that move, and the position, when it became available, went to the man sitting across from him; Connor held the CFO title to this day.
Instead, Jake had been side-lined into the improvised status of 'Trouble-shooter' and had become a jack of all trades. Still, it had served the company remarkably well, and after a decade, Jake could turn his hand to any senior position within the entire company with confidence and ease. It was an ability that had pulled them out of the proverbial shit on several occasions. Enough that he had earned back the respect that had been lost. Enough for him to have taken any number of senior management roles within the organisation, but it was widely accepted, now, that he was of much more value continuing where he was. And after all was said and done, that suited Jake, too. It gave him variety and kept things from becoming stagnant. He liked his job, probably more than if he'd taken on the role of CFO, which was why he'd never begrudged his friend the role.
Still, Jake nursed his drink and frowned at Connor. "Don't you ever crave some consistency or get bored of the constant carousel of different women?" he queried.
Connor laughed a deep belly laugh that shook his big frame. "I live for that constant carousel of different women. 'So many women, so little time', as they say. Why would I want to tie myself to just one?"
Jake sighed and shook his head. "Do you not want to build something a little more enduring, maybe settle down into a committed relationship or start a family?"
Connor just laughed harder and a few patrons turned to look at the commotion. Jake raised a quizzical eyebrow, but his friend just shook his head. "Jake, you slay me," he boomed. "You're talking like an old man!"
Jake rolled his eyes but smiled all the same. For all his imposing looks and the gruff exterior he showed the world, Connor was really just an overgrown kid.
"Anyway," Connor sobered for a moment. "Neither of us has managed to find a woman who could contain us, never mind tolerate all our idiosyncrasies." But it seemed to Jake that, just for a moment, there was an odd expression in Connor's eyes that maybe hinted otherwise.
Whatever it was, it was fleeting. The next moment, Connor grinned rakishly, bouncing the ball of his foot on the floor in apparent excitement.
"Besides, Joel and Desi are off on their honeymoon next week and I'm going to be steering the boat at Universal for the month Desi's gone." He winked good-humouredly. "That means I get to play with some new honeys at the new club and partake of the many talents of the East Coast."
Since they hadn't wanted to wait to get married, Joel and Desi had delayed their honeymoon indefinitely. Not only because of the merger process between their two companies, but also to finalise the purchase and revamp of Perversions into the newest Club Risqué. Both were on a fairly even keel now, at least enough that the two of them could take some extended time away to cement their marriage.
Connor waggled his eyebrows incorrigibly. "Perhaps if the scenery is a bit uninspiring down here, you should try doing the same!"
Chapter 6
Six weeks. Charlotte could hardly believe how quickly the time had flown by. Two more weeks, and her tutelage would be finished and she could attend Club Risqué as a bona fide trained submissive. The thought brought mixed feelings.
On the one hand, Charlotte couldn't believe how freeing and fulfilling she had found the entire process. On the other hand, the thought of running solo without Micah's careful guidance had her completely unnerved. She really didn't know if she had what it took to participate in the club scene for real, to negotiate scenes with Doms she didn't know.
She had become comfortable with Micah and everything they had done together, but no matter how arousing she found training nights, Charlotte still couldn't quite bring herself to relax the no penetration restriction she'd included on her limit list…well, that wasn't quite true. She might make an exception for Micah now that they had spent so much time together, in such intimate situations, over the past month and a half. She had developed a bond with him, much like a regular couple developed a relationship before they consummated it. But even with Micah, Charlotte wasn't sure she'd ever be able to do 'casual'. So just where did that leave her? She couldn't help but wonder.
She really wished that Desi was around to use as her sounding board. She knew her friend would give her some sensible advice. But Desi and Joel had finally gone on their drastically deferred honeymoon and wouldn't be back for almost a month.
Thankfully, the next two weeks' instruction would all take place 'in house', so to speak, with the submissives and their training partners taking part in as many club nights as they were both available to participate in. Charlotte wanted to be involved in as many as possible, but she knew that Micah wouldn't be able to take that much time away from his role as club manager. She wondered if he would be willing to extend the two-week period to make up for her own perceived shortfall, since she was not allowed to attend without her training chaperone.
As awkward as she felt about it, even with Micah, Charlotte steeled herself to talk to him. This kind of negotiation was something she was going to have to get used to, anyway, if she was to have any hope of pursuing this lifestyle. And she wanted to, she really did. She just had a few deeply ingrained barriers to overcome, which she was pretty sure had more to do with her upbringing at the hands of the cult, rather than any truly moral principles.
This evening was not only a designated training night but, also, the first time the group would attend at the club along with all the regular members. Charlotte was nervous and had taken particular care with this evening's outfit. She'd opted for comfort in recent weeks, but h
er club debut called for something special and she had gone shopping specifically for the outfit she currently wore.
Now, checking the full-length mirror in the changing room, she wondered if she had made the right choice. In the shop, the pristine white burlesque style corset with its long lace ruffles that hung almost like a skirt had seemed appropriate, in her whimsical mind, for her public initiation from the vanilla to the erotic. She had paired it with sheer white hold up stockings and, since she planned on asking Micah to introduce her to the whip, she had braided her long, straight hair with a white, satin ribbon and coiled it around her crown to keep it out of the way. She had also found some beautiful underwear, since she wasn't comfortable being completely naked in public yet.
As she stood in the utilitarian space, readying herself to walk out into the stark, industrial style interior, she felt more like a chaste bride on her wedding night…not quite the image she'd been striving for. Oh, well! Too late to do anything about it now, so she might as well go out and perform the role of the sacrificial virgin like she meant it.
Checking the laces on her Victorian styled, white lace up boots that disguised a sensible heel and realising that all the other trainees had already left, Charlotte took a deep, fortifying breath, squared her shoulders and walked out into the club proper.
Stopping to allow her eyes to adjust to the dimmer light in the new lounge area, she was startled when a huge cheer went up around her and somewhat relieved when she saw Micah. Striking in soft faded jeans that moulded his muscular legs and a black silk shirt with laces at the collar, he reminded her of a pirate with his unruly mop of longish blond curls. Her relief quickly changed to mortification as the realisation dawned that the commotion was all for her and the crowd was waiting expectantly to be introduced to the newest batch of trained submissives. Her late arrival had done nothing but call attention to herself.
That, and the unusual fact that Micah had taken on the role as her training Dom, had all eyes on her and Charlotte felt her pale skin redden colossally and hoped to the goddesses that she didn't resemble a beetroot.
Micah strode towards her, mirth dancing in his eyes as he watched each and every reaction slide across the beautiful face that was oh so easy to read. He grinned uncontrollably as Charlotte clearly struggled to maintain a suitably passive expression and not to glare at him inappropriately in front of their audience.
Understanding Charlotte's need to make a good first impression, he took pity on her, and as he approached, he gave her the hand signal to kneel, followed by the number of fingers that corresponded to which position he wished her to display. Not all couples liked or wanted to use the system, but Micah found it invaluable, especially at times like these when distance or circumstance made talking awkward or inappropriate. He had coached Charlotte in the gestures, even though it wasn't part of the basic submissive training, since it had helped in giving her commands while he had been instructing the rest of the class and not able to be at her side. The subtle communication could be used to spectacular effect at times like these and allowed a couple to appear completely in sync with each other, even after a relatively short amount of time.
Charlotte latched onto his signal like it was a lifeline and gracefully slid to her knees, bowing her head and resting her upraised palms on her parted thighs.
A murmur of approval slid around the room as Micah reached Charlotte and stroked her head soothingly, all the while allowing her to regain her composure. He smiled fondly at the woman-girl at his feet and wondered if she realised just how much of an impression she had made all dressed in white, the ribbon braided around her head catching the ultraviolet lights to give the effect of a halo, like some kind of angel that had fallen into the netherworld.
The analogy was one that he knew many others would recognise and appreciate. He surmised that the unsuspecting Charlotte Chapman was set to cause quite a stir, but as he offered his hand to help her to her feet, Micah doubted she was ready for the repercussions. The problem was that Charlotte truly was just like an angel in Hades, and Micah knew that very image would appeal to many of the Doms at the club and their attention would overwhelm her. Despite all her training, Charlotte portrayed an air of innocence that was astounding in this type of environment and that would provide an irresistible allure to those men who would seek to possess her because of it.
It all stacked up to make Micah's job a whole lot more difficult, and as he led her onto the main stage to make the introductions, he wondered what he was going to be able to do about it when her guidance period ended and she was no longer under his training protection.
While he had already considered the idea of making her his permanent submissive, that step would have serious repercussions for his position as manager and the role he was expected to fulfil at the club, so it was a step he was hesitant to take.
He found Charlotte attractive and desirable, and more than that, he liked her as a person and felt a certain protectiveness towards her which, he was willing to acknowledge, was new to him. But he was also honest enough with himself to admit that any liaison between them—even a long term one—would only ever be that of Dominant and submissive, and Micah was pretty damn certain he knew Charlotte well enough to understand that she wouldn't be able to separate her deeper feelings from any D/s relationship, and she would eventually want more than he was able to give her. In the end, that wouldn't be fair to either of them.
What he really needed to do was find her a permanent Dom who was open to the idea of a D/s relationship that would bleed over the edges into a 'regular couple' relationship.
Micah sighed as the enormity of that task hit him. The simple truth was that the men who came to play at the club were here to fulfil their desire to dominate, not to find a girlfriend!
Charlotte stepped out onto the main staging area of the club, profoundly grateful to Micah for redeeming the awkward situation she'd found herself in. She couldn't bear to look out into the swarming sea of unfamiliar faces that surrounded the podium and was eternally grateful that her submissive role meant she could fix her gaze on her pretty white boots without anyone thinking she was being the least bit impolite or discourteous. Keeping her head down, Charlotte nevertheless kept her attention on Micah's hands, settled in the knowledge that he would signal his commands in a kind of shorthand BDSM sign language that he had taught her. Sometimes, he made the signals even while he was talking to her, almost as if it was such second nature to him that he didn't even realise he was doing it.
The thought brought a slight smile to Charlotte's lips. She liked the hand signals. They made her feel secure and helped with her confidence. She didn't have to worry that she hadn't heard properly in the roar of the crowd and she had her own signals to use if she was unsure or confused about a situation, without calling attention to herself.
The serene smile stayed on her lips as Micah signalled Charlotte to step forward and present herself to the gathering.
A murmur rippled through the onlookers as the spotlight picked her out. Micah heard the word 'angel' on the lips of many and glanced back to see what they saw. Slender and willowy, her outfit taking on an ethereal glow under the specialist lighting, she was quite breathtaking.
"And this is my own trainee submissive, Cha-Cha." Micah introduced her to the crowd, deliberately possessive in his declaration as he attempted to convey some measure of protection over her, if only in the short term.
Charlotte prayed she didn't trip or stumble as she moved forward like the others in her class had already done. They'd all managed not to make fools of themselves and Charlotte dreaded she'd be the one to do so. She took a quick glance at her boots. Laces still secured—check. At least she wouldn't trip over those. Moving her gaze to her bustline, she assured herself she was still covered up. No wardrobe malfunctions—check. Not that she had much to spill out. Of course, she wasn't at an awards ceremony. Charlotte imagined that flaunting a nipple, accidentally or not, would be received rather differently in this particular v
enue. The idea made her want to snigger and she bit her lip in an effort to stop herself, while a completely mischievous look stole over her expressive features.
A collective groan undulated around the room as the Doms appreciated the naughty visage combined with the angelic air. The noise startled Charlotte into releasing her lip from between her teeth and licking at the abused flesh as her eyes widened and the groans gave way to growls.
Flustered, Charlotte wondered nervously when show and tell—or maybe she should call it parade and flaunt—was going to be over and she could stop feeling like some kind of bug under a microscope.
Micah shook his head. Jeez, he was going to have his work cut out keeping some of this mob from hassling her. It wasn't just the 'fresh meat' mind set, it was her whole aura. Walking over to where she stood, he deliberately wound his arm around her tiny waist and pulled her forcefully against him before claiming her lips in a possessive kiss that left them both a little breathless and hopefully left no doubt in the mind of any Dom that, for now, at least, she was very much off limits, before he swiftly made his way to grab a few specialist items that he'd asked to be brought to him.
As Charlotte followed the rest of her training class and made her way towards the steps at the side of the stage she was inundated with people—Doms—calling her name. She was sure it was just her overwound nerves, but it almost seemed that the clamour was louder and more insistent for her than it was for the others.
Startled, she paused before descending, fretfully looking around for Micah, her anxiety only increasing when she couldn't find him anywhere close by. She could feel the panic beginning to well inside her. Where was her Dom? Did she continue without him? What about all these people; how was she supposed to greet them?
Apprehension swirled through her, adding to her distress and agitation. Charlotte was further surprised when Micah finally came running up, caught hold of her hand and pulled her swiftly to face him just as several members of the crowd started towards her, trying to invade her personal space. Before she could speak, he deftly placed a small ball gag between her teeth and fastened it. Alarm joined the nerves that already held her in its grip and Charlotte desperately gestured the question mark hand signal while Micah continued to snap what looked, for all the world, like a dog lead to the D-ring on her training collar before pulling her arms behind her back and attaching a pair of wide, white leather cuffs to her wrists and fastening them together with a short chain. Pulling her into his embrace as he slipped his finger inside the velvet lined cuffs to check they weren't too tight, Micah whispered in her ear, "Don't panic, sweet pea. I know this is all a bit overwhelming, but you've made quite an impression and I need to keep you on a tight leash—literally—or you're going to be swamped with Doms wanting to meet you and proposition you. I can provide all the protection you need since you're still within your training phase, but we do need to sit down and talk about exactly what you want, going forward."