by Jamie Knight
It wasn’t like the club wasn’t full of pretty faces. I was actually pleased with the amount of traffic we were getting, and everyone else seemed to be enjoying the club. I just didn’t find anyone particularly alluring. I didn’t know what was going on. Nothing like this had happened to me before.
I was beginning to suspect it had something to do with being back in Aspen. Typically, I only ever passed through, not really spending longer than a day or three in the area, but I’d been here for a few months by the time the club opened.
To be totally honest, the nostalgia hit me a lot harder than expected. I was able to push it to the side by focusing on construction and working towards opening night. But when the BDSM club was finally open, I was forced to confront what I’d pushed to the edge of my mind.
Reagan.
I’d pushed her memory away for such a long time. It was just easier that way. I hadn’t seen her in years. One day, we were together and in love, and the next, she was gone without a real goodbye. All I got was a stupid letter that sounded nothing like the girl I knew, but it was her handwriting and outlined how she never wanted to see me again. It broke my heart.
Some would say our relationship was a silly teenage romance that I should have gotten over quickly. But I loved Reagan. I would have given up everything for her, but she left me before I had the chance to let her know how deep my love for her was. Since then, I’ve kept my feelings to myself. I never wanted to go through something like that again.
All of this stupid nostalgia was getting in the way of me having a good night. Hopefully, once the club was fully up and running, and I got out of Aspen, I could shake off these strange pangs. Reagan needed to stay in the past where she left me.
I scanned the club, keeping a lookout for any bad behavior. Running clubs like this required a lot of due diligence. If we wanted our clientele to return, then they needed to feel both safe and secure. Privacy was respected, and we had a set of rules. Anyone who came to my club had to agree to a code of conduct, and if they broke a rule, that person was promptly kicked out and not allowed to return.
Opening night was always the most fraught night. I needed to drill the no-nonsense policy into people’s heads, and then it would be general smooth sailing.
Things were moving really well. Patrons were enjoying themselves. Whips were cracking. One woman was in cuffs on the center stage. The crowd was happy, and, oddly, I was starting to feel in the way. I was beginning to think it would be better for me to go hang out in my office.
Usually, I preferred to be on the floor of a BDSM club, but I was in a weird mood. Plus, I had a decent enough view of the club from up there. I was sure the security I had around the club would be enough to keep things civil. It was for the best that I head up there.
I was taking myself upstairs when something made me immediately stop. Well, someone to be accurate.
But it couldn’t be her! There's no way. I mean, it wasn't a crazy thought that she had stayed behind in Aspen. I guess I had always assumed she had left town, given the disappearing act she had pulled.
But there she was. Reagan White.
Reagan looked almost exactly the same. She was tall for a woman with the best pair of legs I had ever seen. Brown hair I used to run my fingers through was up in a long ponytail that somehow accentuated her sharp jaw and cheekbones. The woman was startling in her beauty, with blue eyes that one could see clearly across a room. It had been almost a decade since I’d seen my first love. That girlish cuteness had made way for womanly curves and mature sexiness.
I would have thought close to ten years of no contact would have toned down my feelings for Reagan, but I was immediately back to being that lovesick teenage boy who would do anything to make his girlfriend happy. Anything she asked for, I was ready to go to the ends of the earth to do, just so I could be with her.
I hadn’t felt like this in a very long time. And, truth be told, I’m not the biggest fan of it. Not in the slightest.
I needed to talk to her. If I didn’t, I’d regret it. I was just telling myself to leave all those feelings in the past, but seeing her changed the situation entirely. If I were to walk away, it would be the next thing I thought about for however many years until, for whatever reason, we bumped into one another again.
There was a considerable possibility this was the only chance I’d have. There was no way I’d be able to live with all that guilt, not knowing if I had done the right thing. I had so many questions for Reagan. A lot of them had been stewing in my brain on the backburner for years, ever since she had left me. Maybe suddenly confronting her wasn’t the most logical or most well thought out plan, but she was suddenly in front of me, and I wasn’t about to waste the opportunity.
I was definitely trying to tell myself that I wasn’t going to fold. What was going to happen after I confronted Reagan all depended on her answers to my inquiries, but deep down, I knew it didn’t. When I was a stupid teenager, I would have done anything for her. Literally anything. I hadn’t spoken about her with anyone since because I was kind of embarrassed with how obsessed with her I was. Mainly because, in the end, she wasn’t as into me given that she left without a goodbye.
Even with all of this in my head and my almost ten years of new knowledge and wisdom, I would still do anything for her. All Reagan needed to do was ask. Which is why I was so baffled when she disappeared from my life the way she did. If she had needed help or was in some kind of tight spot, I would have gotten her out of it.
Standing there, staring at her was getting me nowhere. I needed to go up to Reagan and speak actual words. I couldn’t believe I was getting nervous. Women didn’t make me nervous. That was something that never happened to me. But Reagan had always been a wild card in my life. I was never able to plan for her. Every day was a surprise.
What would I even say to her? A simple hi wouldn’t suffice. Coming out of the gate with accusations concerning why she abandoned me wasn’t going to get us anywhere good either. I needed to approach the situation with tact. I had spent years building this cold exterior. All I needed to do was keep it up with Reagan.
What I was feeling was just residual emotions from years ago. I never gave myself the chance to process them. This was just my brain seeking closure. Maybe if I got her out of my system, I could be the one to walk away. This time, I’d have the upper hand. All that talk about never letting her go, that was teenage Aiden Harris. He was naïve. Now, I knew better than to go all head over heels, goo-goo, gaga over a woman. Especially one who left me like that.
I was going to approach her and not let a single thing slide about my feelings. And then the plan was to bury them even deeper so Reagan White would never cross my mind again.
Chapter Two - Reagan
I wasn’t sure if coming to this new club called Club Taboo was the greatest idea. It was one of my rare nights out. My mother was watching my son, Bobby, and I didn’t have any obligations for the next day. So many circumstances came together so I could have a fun night all to myself. Something that came along barely even once a year. I could get as crazy as I wanted to and recover tomorrow.
This particular night off was just in time for the opening of this BDSM club. A few had popped up in Aspen before, but this one was the most sophisticated. Plus, I had heard horror stories from those other clubs. The security wasn’t always the tightest, and some not so above the board things had gone on there. Which is why I never found myself inside any of them. Sure, I liked the kinkier side of things, but only if I felt safe with my partner. I had heard good things about this place, though. The next thing to do was see if it held up to the hype.
I felt self-conscious the second I walked in the club. I hadn’t worn a dress this short and revealing since I turned twenty, that was seven years ago. In fact, I had never gone through a club phase. Going from a serious relationship in high school to being a single mom didn’t leave a lot of room for a party phase. I wasn’t sad or anything. I’d rather have my s
on than stories from my youth anyway. And it wasn’t like there wasn’t any time for me to still have fun.
I was out at a kinky club in a dress that wasn’t even mine. I had to borrow something from my best friend because my closet was severely lacking. It was all scrubs from my work as a nurse and sweatpants with the stray pair of jeans. Marnie thought it was a travesty that there was nothing sexy.
My hands kept migrating to the bottom of the little black dress, so I could pull the fabric down, but all that did was expose more cleavage. It was a game that I could only lose. I took a deep breath and told myself to calm down. It really wasn’t a big deal. I was at the club for a fun night out. The whole point was to let loose and to be someone else for the night. Someone without too many responsibilities, who could have a night out like this without worrying.
I was going to have some fun if I had to force myself to.
My first stop was at the bar. I needed to get some liquor in me. The plan wasn’t to get drunk, but a little liquid courage would help quite a bit. I was so far outside of my comfort zone, I needed to loosen up. I ordered a Dirty Shirley. I preferred my alcohol almost impossible to taste when drinking my cocktails, and a Shirley Temple was a great place to hide some vodka.
While I sipped my drink, I leaned against the bar and gave the club a once over. Some people were already getting into the spirit of the night. There was a woman all strung up in a harness that was hanging from the ceiling. A man was circling around her, letting a riding crop brush along her skin. Every so often, he would smack her with it, and she’d flinch. There was a crowd of people around them watching. It looked absolutely titillating.
All sorts of scenes like it were playing out around the club. People were in handcuffs, blindfolds, being paddled, spanked, etc. I came here to potentially find someone to dominate me, but all I could think about were the times Aiden, my high school boyfriend, used to tie me up, throw me across his knee and spank me. We never got into exhibitionism, but we did a whole lot with and to one another. After almost a decade, I was starting to worry that I’d never connect with someone as deeply as I connect with Aiden.
But I didn’t come to this club to reminisce about my ex. I hadn’t seen him for almost ten years. Aiden should have been out of my system. It shouldn’t matter that he broke my heart. I was technically the one who left him, but I only did it to protect myself. If I hadn’t left, then it only would have been more heartbreak.
But tonight wasn’t about the past. I just wanted a man to pull me into a corner and make me forget about all of my responsibilities.
“Hello.” A deep voice crept into my ear. Looking over, I saw a handsome man was looking back at me.
“Hi.”
I wasn’t sure what to say outside of that. I was sure he came over to flirt with me, but flirting was not my forte.
“Are you here alone?” he asked. I nodded. “Would you like to spend some time with me?”
“What do you want to do?” I asked, shifting my weight from one foot to the other.
I was a bag of nerves almost instantly. I had no idea how to interact with this man, but that wasn’t going to stop me from going along with the situation. The first step to having an adventure was saying yes.
“Why don’t you follow me?”
He motioned with his head in the direction of the crowd. I couldn’t tell where he wanted to go. Maybe just going with him wasn’t the smartest idea, but the club was supposed to be safe. Security guards were posted everywhere. What was the worst thing that could happen? This was a great place to try something new and different.
“Okay,” I shrugged.
I took a few more sips of my drink before placing it down on the bar. I didn’t want to bring it to wherever I was going with this guy. We weaved through the crowd before reaching a door. He knocked a few times and opened it, not even waiting for a response. Inside, there was a group of men. I wasn’t expecting a group of men or a private room. This whole thing was moving way too quickly for my liking.
“Oh, I don’t know,” I started shaking my head, backing away. I felt like if I went into that room, something terrible might happen.
“Just come say hi to my friends.”
“I didn’t know you had friends.” I continued to slowly back away.
“Yeah? I mean, a nice guy like me always has friends.”
I quickly realized I didn't want to be there. I should have just spent my night off at home, then I wouldn't have been there dealing with this stupid man.
Talking clearly wasn't working, so I decided to just leave. As I turned to walk away, I felt a hand on my wrist. Looking behind me, I saw that it was the guy.
“Where are you going?”
“I thought maybe I should go back to the bar. I don't think this is really for me.”
“Shouldn't you at least give us a try before passing judgment? We would love to take you for a spin.”
I couldn't see how I was going to easily get out of the situation. I hated causing scenes, and what if the guy hurt me before anyone reached us. There were so many doomsday-like scenarios going through my head.
Before I could think of what to do next, a big hulking man was standing between the bad man and me. This muscular stranger had come out of nowhere. Relief passed through me when the aggressive man’s hand was no longer aggressively circling my wrist.
“I don't think she wants to go with you. And you all are going to have to leave my club.”
I wasn't really looking at this new guy. I wanted to get away. Yeah, it would be nice to thank the stranger, but I was more concerned with myself. So, I skedaddled.
I got myself far away from those guys and took a deep breath. I was still pretty tense, but that feeling in the pit of my stomach had gone away. It was back almost immediately when someone grabbed my shoulder and spun me around. My first thought was that that guy who tried to help me got beat up by that horrible man and his horrible friends. They were here for me, which meant I was royally fucked.
I did a full one-eighty ready to attack this guy with all the might I could muster, but to my surprise, Aiden Harris was standing before me. I quickly realized that he was the muscular man who saved me before.
I hadn't seen him in close to ten years, but my former high school boyfriend could still take my breath away. Aiden looked… better somehow. The boyish charm and good looks I fell for as a teenager had morphed into a more mature hotness. His face had hardened, his muscles were more defined, but his hazel eyes still rang clear. He may have grown up, but he was still Aiden.
I wanted to run away and wrap my whole body around him at the same time. Aiden's intense gaze rendered me incapable of doing anything except weakly saying his name.
“Aiden?”
Chapter Three - Reagan
I had no idea how long we'd been staring at one another. It could have two seconds or two years. Being with Aiden had always made time feel different.
“Reagan,” he whispered. He said my name with such reverence, it was akin to being worshipped. But this higher plane of feeling didn't stop me from remembering the past. There was no way for me to leave either way, not when he was looking at me like that.
And I wasn't sure if I wanted to go.
Neither one of us was saying much of anything. We were both so in awe of the other. My curiosity did start to creep in, however. I wondered what Aiden wanted to do with me.
“Aiden, I —”
My ex didn't let me finish my sentence, grabbing my wrist and pulling me into a quieter part of the club. He wasted no time, placing his hands on either side of my face, bringing me into a kiss. There was no mercy in his hold. Aiden was here to take from me, and I was more than willing to give.
Aiden continued to kiss me, but his big hands moved to explore my body. His left hovered over my breast, softly massaging it. His right hand was on my thighs, his fingers kneading the soft flesh down there.
With his knee, Aiden forced my legs apart.
My back was up against a wall, literally. In this position, he had near total control over me.
“Do you remember this feeling?”
Looking into his eyes, I saw the passion that he used to throw my way. One look from Aiden could melt me. He dominated me so completely. Not much had really changed. I was barely holding myself up. Aiden was the main thing keeping me from turning into a puddle on the floor.
I didn't get much of a chance to answer before Aiden pulled my panties to the side and then slid one of his thick fingers inside of me. I tightened my hold on him, an almost painful spike of pleasure shooting up through my body.
“Aiden,” I moaned as my eyes rolled back into my head.
His mouth moved to my neck, teeth pulling at my sensitive skin.
“You’re so wet,” he grumbled.
Of course, I was. His whole muscular body was on mine. Sensations were running through me at a mile a minute. My brain could barely handle all the input. My thighs were covered in the wetness dripping from my pussy.
Aiden’s fingers easily slipped in and out of me. I couldn’t hold on any longer and started to shake. His knuckle rubbed against my clit, stimulating a violent orgasm inside of me. It was enough to make me scream.
As my body calmed down, I heard Aiden let out a soft chuckle. He pulled his head back to look at me, a lopsided smile on his lips.
“I can still make you cum in less than three minutes.”
I blushed immediately after he said that. He looked so damn proud of himself, just like he used to. And it wasn’t a lie. Aiden always was able to tie my insides up in knots, whether or not he was touching me. And when he did touch me, it was explosive. I was sure that no matter the amount of time that passed, Aiden would always be able to push just the right buttons on my body.