by Kitty Jones
“Yes.”
“Good. That’s what I like to hear.”
He walks around the car and gets into the driver’s side. He starts driving, but we’re both quiet on the ride. I’m completely caught up in my thoughts and it feels like it’s only a few second later that we arrive.
“Are you ready, little one?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be.”
A tiny, little wave of nervousness washes over me as we head into the club. It’s a place I’ve been a million times before, but somehow, tonight feels different.
Tonight feels like the first night of the rest of my life.
I’ve taken a chance on Aaron, and he’s taken a chance on me. Tonight everything between us is going to change.
Tonight is the night that I walk into the club on the arm of a Dom for the very first time.
I wonder what everyone’s going to say.
As it turns out, I don’t have to wait very long at all because Taylor, Hank, Belinda, Fiona, and Dax are all right inside the club when we enter. They turn to look at me, and none of them says a single thing at first. Their eyes go from my dress to Aaron and then back to the dress, and finally, they all look at me.
Fiona is the first to approach.
“Hello,” she says, speaking to Aaron and not to me. Smart subbie. Some Doms don’t like people talking to their submissive without their express permission. Even though Fiona is my friend, and even though she knows me perhaps better than Aaron does, she understands that he’s a new guy in my life.
“Hi,” Aaron says politely. “I’m Aaron.”
“Fiona,” she says, and she holds her hand out. Aaron shakes it and smiles at Fiona. “I’m friends with your submissive.”
“Ah, that’s lovely,” he looks at me and smiles. “It’s nice to know that Mallory has so many friends here.”
“May I have permission to speak with her?” Fiona asks.
“Of course,” Aaron says. Taylor catches his eye, indicating that he wants to have a word with Aaron. “Actually, on second thought, why don’t all of you submissives stay here,” Aaron says. “And I’ll be right back.” He gives me a kiss on the cheek, squeezes my hand, and then steps aside with Taylor. The two of them start speaking, and I can’t hear what they’re saying, but I’m almost instantly overwhelmed with hugs and acceptance and questions from the other submissives.
“What does this mean?”
“What’s with the dress?”
“Are you two exclusive?”
“Are you playing with anyone tonight?”
“Why didn’t you tell us?”
“When did this happen?”
“Okay, okay,” I say, laughing and shaking my hand. “First things first: it happened last weekend. No, we haven’t slept together. I don’t know if we’re exclusive and I don’t know what we’re doing tonight or if he wants to scene. The dress...well, tonight’s the first night with the dress.”
“You look incredible,” Belinda tells me.
“Truly beautiful,” Dax agrees.
“Thank you,” I blush, not really used to getting compliments or comments from other people. In the past, I’ve always sort of tried to just blend in.
Well, I can’t exactly do that in my current get-up, can I?
“He’s cute,” Belinda says.
“Really cute. Does he swing both ways?” Dax raises an eyebrow.
“Um, I’m not really sure,” I admit.
“I’m guessing you wouldn’t be into sharing,” Dax winks at me, and I shake my head, blushing.
“Is it horrible that I kind of want him all to myself right now?”
“It’s not horrible, sweetie.”
“I’m happy for you,” Hank says. He reaches out and takes my hand, squeezing it.“Although I guess this means that Taylor won’t be able to give you a spanking tonight,” he laughs.
“I don’t know about that,” I look over where Taylor and Aaron are talking. Their heads are close together. It almost looks like they’re scheming. “It kind of looks like they’re plotting.”
“So it does,” Fiona agrees. “But about what?”
“Maybe they want to top you together in a scene,” Dax suggests.
“A double topping? I’m not sure.”
“Have you been a bad girl?” Belinda laughs.
“Nope. Perfectly well-behaved,” I squeak out.
“It’s all right,” Hank says. “My doctor says that next week, he’s probably going to approve me for playtime.”
“Really? Hank, that’s great!” He’s been out of the game for a long time, and I know it’s been taking a toll on him emotionally. It would take a toll on anyone. Not being able to do your favorite activities, especially when you’ve sort of planned your life around them, can’t be easy.
“Yeah,” he smiles. “I haven’t told Taylor yet. He’s going to be so happy.”
“I’m happy for you.”
“Thank you.”
“So I take it that you two talked,” Belinda says, gesturing to Aaron.
“Yeah. A lot. As it turns out, I was being really hard on myself. He kind of helped me to see that.”
“Good. He accomplished what we couldn’t,” Belinda tells me. “We’ve known for awhile that you were struggling with something. I know you don’t like to talk about it, but it’s nice to see that you’ve found someone you can connect with, Mallory. Not everyone finds that. It’s a really beautiful thing.”
“For real,” Fiona agrees. “Having someone you can trust and count on. Having someone you can play with? Those are incredible things.”
“Yup,” Dax agrees.
Taylor and Aaron shake hands and turn, heading back.
“Uh oh,” Dax mutters under his breath. “The big one looks like he’s in the mood to spank someone.”
“Why do you all look so guilty?” Taylor asks when they reach us, laughing.
“Us?” Fiona clasps a hand to her chest playfully. “We would never!”
“Just for that, I’d like to spank your bottom, subbie. Are you with anyone tonight?”
“Nope,” Fiona says. “And I would be more than happy to come along for a spanking.” She laughs and waves to me as she takes off with Taylor and Hank. A feeling of relief washes over me. Okay, good. They aren’t upset that I won’t be playing with them tonight. I’m not at all jealous. In fact, I’m happy that Fiona is going to get to be played with. Sometimes being a single submissive at the club is a lot of fun.
Sometimes it’s lonely.
Tonight I’m just happy all around to be here. My friends have accepted me, and they’ve accepted my new Dom, and they’ve accepted the fact that this is all new to me. I love that they’re going to be patient with me.
“Mallory?”
It’s Aaron.
I look over, and he slides his hand into mine.
“Might I steal you away?” He asks.
I find myself nodding, and my friends let out a couple of cheers and hollers as we walk away. I giggle, unable to help myself.
“They’re a fun bunch,” he says.
“They are. What did Taylor want to talk to you about?” I look up at him, curious. Is he going to tell me what the score is?
He doesn’t have to.
He could very well decide to tell me that it’s not any of my concern. He could tell me that it doesn’t matter what Taylor wanted, but he doesn’t.
“He’s concerned about you.”
“About me?”
“Yes. You’ve been playmates for awhile.”
“Not too long.”
“Long enough that he knows you and he respects you.”
“That’s true. Taylor’s a good person.”
“He wanted to make sure that I’m going to take care of you,” Aaron says.
“And what did you say to that?” I laugh nervously. Aaron is definitely the kind of Dom who provides attentive care. He’s also the kind of Dom who isn’t afraid to spank me when I’m naughty or mouthy.
So what d
id he tell Taylor?
Chapter Sixteen
Aaron
“The truth.”
“And what’s the truth?”
“I told him that I care about you very much and that I’m going to do everything in my power to keep you safe and happy.”
“Is that true?” I whisper.
No one has ever been quite so blunt with me before, and I have a feeling that if I’m not careful, I’m going to find myself getting swept away by Aaron and these wonderful promises.
I want that.
I want to be cared for, protected.
“It’s true.”
He pulls my hand, tugging me through the crowds. We walk past a stage where someone is being spanked. There are a couple of scenes happening randomly throughout the room. There are people playing in front of others, and there are couples caught up in their own little worlds. That’s probably the most wonderful thing about Club Shadows.
There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to kink here.
Not at this place.
Here, you can be who you want to be.
Who you need to be.
You can be who you are, no matter what that looks like.
“Where are we going?”
“To the private rooms.”
“What?”
“The private rooms.”
“But you have to make a reservation for those.”
“I made one.”
“What are we going to do in a private room?” I ask, forcing the words out.
A private play room?
Okay, now I’m a little bit nervous, and a lot excited. I’ve never been in the private play areas.I’ve always kind of wanted to know what secrets they hold and it seems as though I’m about to find out.
I can’t decide whether I’m more surprised that Aaron is taking me to one or that he planned ahead for this. Okay, so he’s not exactly a fly-by-the-seat-of-his-pants kind of Dom.
Nope.
He’s a planner.
Planner Dom.
I get the feeling that Aaron has to plan things out, though. Matthew was the same way. It’s part of the reason they were such good roommates. Neither one of them minded scheduling things days or even weeks in advance. They were both hyper-organized and totally on top of just about everything in their lives.
“Whatever we like,” he says.
“Are we going to do a scene?”
“That’s up to you. We’ll talk when we get there.”
He leads me through the club and to a private hallway. When we reach the hallway, I can see the security guy with a list.
“I’m down for room three,” Aaron tells him. “The name is Master Aaron.”
The security man checks his list and then nods, jerking his head toward the hallway. Aaron and I make our way down the hall, find room three, and push the door open.
“You don’t need a key or anything? Like a hotel?”
“Nope. None of these doors lock.”
“Really?”
“It’s a safety thing,” he says. “The rooms are also each monitored on a private security feed.” He points to a corner. I can see a blinking camera there, and somehow, knowing that someone is watching makes me feel safe: not annoyed or scared.
“So if someone needs to make a quick getaway, they can.”
“Pretty much,” he shrugs. “I’m sure the goal and the hope is that no one will ever need to run away from their partner, but people make mistakes, especially when their emotions are running high.”
“So this way, nobody is going to be locked in a room.”
“Exactly. People can come in, people can go out. The biggest thing to remember is that even though there’s no lock, no one will interrupt us unless it’s a true emergency. Does that make sense?”
“Yes, it does.”
“What do you think of the room?”
I turn for the first time, looking at the space around us.
“It looks like a nursery,” I say. There’s a big bed in the center of the room, but the space is surrounded with toys, dolls, and...spanking implements.
Interesting.
“It’s a play nursery,” he chuckles. “Take a look while I get set up.”
“Hmm,” I say, walking around. I stare at...everything. I can’t look away from anything I’m seeing. I walk over to a wall that has a bookshelf with a variety of children’s books on it. Aaron is fiddling with something I can’t see. His body his blocking the view, so I don’t worry about it. Instead, I run my fingers over the many different books in front of me. I pick one up and look through the pages. Almost instantly, I realize that this isn’t a children’s book. It’s a picture book, yes, but it’s got pictures of very adult things in it.
“Did you find something you like?”
“This,” I hold the book out to Aaron, who takes it from me.
“Wow,” he says. “That’s unusual,” he chuckles, wrapping his arm around my side and pulling me close to himself.
“Right? I kind of like it, though.”
“Would you like me to read it to you?” He asks.
“Yes.”
I don’t even hesitate. I follow him over to the bed. He lifts me up and sets me down. I realize immediately that this bed is designed to be really tall. My legs dangle off the edge. I look over at him, and he smiles.
“Do you feel like a little yet?”
“I do.”
“Good. This room is designed just for that. It’s supposed to make you feel like the little princess that you are.”
“I think it’s working.”
“Now, let me read to you.”
“Okay.”
“Once upon a time,” he begins. I lean on his shoulder as he reads to me. I’m filled with a strange feeling that I haven’t felt before. It’s not something I usually experience when I’m playing with someone at the club.
Comfort.
I feel comfortable, and comforted. I feel like I’m being completely taken care of. It’s a strange sort of feeling, but damn, if it isn’t also completely wonderful.
“There was a little princess who lived in a castle in a far-away place.”
I look at the pictures as Aaron reads me a story about a princess who manages to escape from her evil stepmother. The stepmother happens to be the queen of the land, and she’s in charge of everything. The princess runs away and darts into the woods, but she finds something she isn’t expecting.
“A dragon,” I say. He turns the page and sure enough, there’s a picture of a big, wonderful dragon. Only, this dragon has a special power. It can turn into a man. Aaron reads me the story of the princess who experiences a sort of awakening. She realizes that she’s attracted to the dragon, and together, the two of them start to live.
Really live.
When Aaron gets to the part of the story where the princess and the dragon are about to have sex for the first time, he closes the book.
“No!” I cry out, and he looks at me sharply.
“Storytime is over, princess,” he says.
“But I want to know what happens.”
“We will finish the story another time,” he tells me firmly. Aaron raises an eyebrow, obviously wondering whether I’m going to give in to him or if I’m going to make him top me on this. I know he’s right. I mean, we don’t have all night, and we aren’t even halfway through the picture book, but I was really enjoying myself, and I’m a little irritated to have to stop.
“Fine,” I grumble, and then I squeal when he flicks me on the leg.
“Try again.”
“Fine, Daddy,” I snap, irritated.
His reaction is instant.
Aaron grabs me, pulling me over his knees. He pushes my skirt up and instantly starts smacking me on the bottom. This time, there’s no sweet talk. This time, he doesn’t go slow and he doesn’t tease me. There’s no working up to the this. He smacks me hard and fast and long, and it doesn’t take much before I’m crying over his lap. Shit. I hope this room is soundproof becau
se I’m embarrassed as fuck.
My cheeks flush with humiliation as he reigns spankings down on me. Over and over again, he spanks my bottom, punishing my ass, and by the time he finishes, I know that my makeup is gone and my mascara is smeared. I’m a mess, and I feel like a mess, but I know that I was being shitty to him.
That’s why he spanked me.
I was being terrible.
He stops spanking me.
“Mallory.”
I don’t say anything. I bite my tongue and shake my head. I’m not ready. I’m not ready to speak to him or to anyone. Not about this. Not yet.
He sighs, and he tries again.
“Mallory.”
Still nothing.
I won’t speak to him.
Not yet.
“Mallory, answer me or I’m going to have to spank you again.”
My ass hurts.
It like, really hurts. I don’t know if I can handle another spanking right now, but I also don’t want to apologize. I wanted him to finish the fucking book, and damn if I don’t think it’s such a big deal that I get what I want once in awhile.
I squeeze my lips closed, tensing my entire body because I know what’s coming next.
I just don’t care.
“Okay,” he says, his voice lower. He sounds almost...sad. “But I want you to remember that I gave you a chance to speak to me.”
“Fuck you,” I snap, irritated.
“Oh, sweetie.” I can practically hear him shaking his head. “Wrong choice.”
He spanks me again. This time, it’s even harder, faster. He’s more relentless than he was before, and I don’t get a moment of reprieve before I’m crying out and wiggling against his damn lap. Shit! This fucking hurts!
Harder and harder he smacks me until I’m trying to escape from him. I have a damn safe word. The safe word at the club is “red,” and I know I can use it at any time, but I don’t want to. I don’t want to need to. I don’t want to give him the satisfaction.
How messed up is that?
I don’t even think it would satisfy him. I just don’t want him to think that I can’t handle this.
So instead of being a big girl and telling him that I’m done, I cry instead.
I cry because he didn’t finish reading me the story I wanted him to read me.
I cry because he doesn’t know my secret.