The crowd began to disperse into separate rooms off the foyer. A bar set against the wide staircase was laden with food and drinks, which explained why so many had started here. Ethan led me to the bar and ordered champagne for the two of us from the attendant. No money was exchanged and I raised my eyebrows.
Ethan handed me a flute and we clinked glasses, “The evening is taken care of. Secret has a set price for any of its events. Everything you see has been included.”
“Should I ask how much it was, sir?”
“No, you shouldn’t, and that will be the last I hear from you about money this evening, Ms. Delaware.”
“Yes, sir.” But I tucked away the thought for later.
We wandered across the marble-tiled foyer and into one of the other rooms. It was as different from the golden anteroom as night from day. Long crimson curtains were hung along the walls, blocking out the windows, and there was no furniture except in the very center of the room, where a raised stage had been erected. Upon this was a Saint Andrew’s cross made of a deep, dark wood and fixed with manacles.
A woman was being led onto the stage. She, like me, wore a long formal gown, and a collar at her throat. Hers was simple leather. She had red hair and pale green eyes, and a look of anticipation on her round, sweet-looking face.
Ethan leaned over so he could speak into my ear. “This is one of the floor shows. Each room will have a different theme or group. Do you want to watch this?”
I nodded, “Yes, sir, for a little while at least.”
We watched the woman get chained so that her back was to the gathering crowd. There were a dozen of us in the room watching the woman get bound by her dominant, a short man with a broad back and a close-shaven head.
They spoke to one another for a while and then the man stepped back and rummaged around in a bag until he came up with a riding crop. I winced. Ethan had used the crop on me for punishment once, and we were still working up to using it for pleasure. It was quite intense.
I tried to imagine what it would be like to be up there, bound in front of so many watching eyes and felt a shiver run through me. Ethan noticed and snaked an arm around my waist, pulling me in close. “Would you like having me set to you in front of all these people?” He asked.
I shook my head. “I don’t know, sir.”
He chuckled. “Good answer. Let’s watch a little more.”
The man was running the end of the crop over the woman’s back and shoulders. I could see her limbs shaking even from where we stood near the doorway. She shook even though the cloth separated the crop from her flesh.
Her dominant rectified that in a minute. Taking the crop away, he grabbed a fistful of her dress and ripped it down the back. He tugged twice more until the woman was bare from her neck almost to her ass. The crowd moved forward a little, murmuring. I saw lips wet, eyes shining. The woman cried out when the crop touched her again, even though it was a gentle one.
Then the first blow landed. Crack.
I jumped, and Ethan’s grip on me tightened. We watched several more blows land. The woman moaned or cried out with each one. The crowd murmured. The man said nothing. He stood there dispensing pain upon the woman, pausing on occasion to rub a hand down her red-crossed back. I saw some members of the crowd begin to touch one another, hands moving down and lingering.
I backed up as the crowd and the woman cried out in tandem. Ethan held my elbow and steered me out of the room. “You’re blushing,” he whispered.
“I just never thought—I didn’t know people did this, sir.”
“There have been clubs for our type for many centuries,” he said. “Secret has its roots as far back as the Enlightenment. Byron and his family have been in this trade for generations.”
I blinked. We passed by two other open doorways. Through one of them, I saw a tangle of bodies, most naked, and it was hard to tell where one person ended and another began. Condoms were arrayed on a nearby table along with a selection of toys and props. The second room held a collection of cages and dungeon horses. I shivered as I saw a woman bound in a similar manner as what Ethan had done with me before. Some people were in cages, looking up through the bars to those they would title their ‘masters.’ In another room, someone was giving a fire play demonstration. The room was dim and the firelight made it appear as though something primal were happening within.
“Do you want to see another room, or do you need a moment?”
“A moment, please, sir.”
Ethan pulled me into a shaded alcove. It had a single chair, but we ignored it. Ethan pulled the glass of champagne from my fingers and set it alongside his on the built-in shelf. His eyes found mine in the dimness and I smiled up at him. He grasped both sides of my face and leaned in, thumbs brushing against the corners of my mouth. “You were excited by that, weren’t you?”
I shook my head as much as the pressure of his hands would allow. “I don’t know, sir.”
“Really?”
He removed one of his hands and trailed it down my body, and then began gathering fistfuls of my skirt. He bunched the fabric around my waist and I gasped, my eyes darting out to the foyer.
“Don’t worry,” he said. “We’re doing nothing wrong.”
His fingers touched the edge of my lace underwear and I started. He chuckled and moved the fabric aside, his fingers sliding into my warm crevice. His fingers slipped over my clit and I gasped.
“Did you know you were this wet?” He asked. His voice was so low that it vibrated through me as his fingers continued to rub me in soft circles.
I could feel the heat rising up my neck to my cheeks. “No, sir,” I whispered.
He pressed me up against the wall, his body blocking mine from any voyeurs. “One day I will have you up there,” he murmured against my ear, his lips brushing against my skin. “With everyone watching and wanting you. Would you like that?”
I nodded and his free hand rose to grasp my hair in its complicated knot. He pulled my head back, forcing my eyes to his. His fingers continued to assault my sensitive bud, and my breath came up short as I felt the pressure build in my body.
“I asked you a question, Ms. Delaware. Would you like it if I did this, and more, on a platform, where everyone would see and desire you as much as I do?”
I swallowed hard, my neck bowed. “Yes, sir.”
He smiled and brought his mouth down on mine in a crushing kiss. My lips parted at the insistence of his tongue and I groaned against him, body shaking as he continued to circle my clit. His body pressed against mine and I could feel him hard and ready. He moved his fingers so that they plunged inside of me, and I heard small, helpless noises begin in my throat.
He broke our kiss and tightened his grip on my hair. “Do you want to come now, Veronica?”
I nodded and whimpered, “Yes, sir.”
His smile was wicked.
He plunged his fingers deeper into me, curving them to hit that perfect spot. I pressed against him, his cock hard against my hip.
And then he withdrew, leaving an emptiness that I only ever felt when his presence was denied. I whimpered.
Ethan straightened my skirt and remove his hand from my hair. “Not yet,” he said. “I won’t touch you like that anymore tonight. When we get home, if you’ve remembered the rules, I will allow you your release.”
I sagged against the wall, chest heaving. Ethan touched my cheek and I raised my gaze to him. He traced one of my lips with his finger. “But first,” he said. “You’re going to clean me off.”
I took his fingers into my mouth and sucked them clean, tasting and smelling my arousal on his skin. The heat between my legs intensified and I moaned. His eyes darkened, catching and holding my own. His other hand traced over the top of my breast.
“You are amazing, Ms. Delaware,” he said, his voice soft and almost tender. He pulled his fingers from my mouth. “I—”
He was interrupted by a cold, familiar voice.
“Why, if it isn’t the wor
ld’s biggest slut?”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Ethan
I turned, still shielding Veronica, and saw Jason standing nearby, closer than I would have wanted or expected.
I’m slipping. I should have noticed someone’s approach.
He had his arm around the waist of a short, curvaceous brunette with deep, soulful eyes and a pert nose, but his attention was all on us.
I faced him, fingers curling into fists at my side. “What are you doing here?”
Jason shrugged. His jaw still held the mark of my fist. The bruise must have been terrible. Now, over a month later, half of his face was a sickly yellow. “I received an invitation, of course.”
He moved so that he could see Veronica. Her hand found mine and I squeezed it, drawing her behind me.
“I was under the impression that you found the acts within these walls reprehensible,” I said. “What changed your mind?”
“And who is that?” Veronica asked, coming to stand at my side. I wish she hadn’t. If he attacked, I wanted to make sure she was clear of any damage. “That’s not Fanny.”
The woman smiled a little, but Jason answered. “Fanny understands that a man is going to have certain needs outside the bridal chamber,” he said, smiling. I wanted to punch that smile off his face. “Did you hear the happy news, Delly? I got myself hitched.”
Veronica’s face set into hard lines, “Yes,” she said, her voice clipped. “I heard.”
“Still want me, do you?” Jason said, moving forward, his arm sliding free of the woman’s side. “I bet your man here can’t do what I did to you. And you like that, don’t you? Like to be forced. Like to be debased.”
Veronica stilled and I felt my blood run hot. “Back away now, Sanders. She’s mine.”
“Is that so?” He said, a horrible sing-song lilt to his voice. “What do you say, Veronica? Do you want to replace little Mary here? I bet I could get you to scream.”
“Don’t touch me,” Veronica spat. “You’re disgusting.”
The man’s face purpled, so sudden that for a half-second I wondered if he was having a stroke or a heart attack. “Disgusting?” He yelled, his voice echoing in the foyer. “You made me this way! Isn’t this what you wanted?”
I noted movement at the top of the curving staircase but did not take my eyes from the irate singer. “The lady does not belong to you anymore,” I said, trying to keep my voice calm.
I wanted to punch him for calling her a slut, and for insinuating that he could do better than me. From the way that he talked, the man had turned sadist. It had its place, but not with Veronica. And not while abusing something as Jason obviously was.
“And I didn’t make you into anything,” she said, her voice just as calm as my own. She loosened her grip on me. She knew that if things went south, I would want my hands and body free. “You made yourself into...whatever this is.”
Jason snarled, baring his teeth, “I could have you back. You’ll spread your legs for anyone who shows you a rope and whip.”
I stepped forward, but a voice interrupted whatever I was about to do. Byron stepped into sight, “Gentleman,” he said. “Is there a problem here? Plenty of ladies to go around, I think.”
I glanced at my friend. That was a mistake.
Jason surged forward, head down. I think he meant to knock into my middle, but two things happened at once. I raised my arms to pull him forward and into the wall, using his own momentum against him, and Byron released his retractable baton and lay it down across the man’s back. Jason’s movements thus disrupted, he only grazed me before I hurtled him into the wall. He hit back first and crumbled to the floor, expression dazed.
I looked at Byron, “Thank you.”
He twirled the baton, “Not at all. I knew this would come in handy.”
I smiled, “I hope you do not need to use it often, my friend.”
Jason’s girl, Mary, ran to his side and knelt, asking after him. He backhanded her and she gasped, falling to her rear and cradling her cheek. She didn’t look shocked. Her lips parted and her breath heaved. She had enjoyed it.
Jason stood and pointed a finger at Byron. “How dare you? Is this how you treat your guests?”
“No,” the man said, expression mild. “It is how I treat trespassers and rule-breakers. Your invitation covered the rules, I expect?” He smiled and bowed just a little. “We do not attack one another, and we do not lay claim to another’s pet, slave, or submissive. It is our way.”
Jason’s face glowed a brilliant tomato red, his eyes shining. “You’ll hear from my lawyer.”
“Then you will hear from mine, for breaching Secret’s nondisclosure agreement,” Bryon stated, tone still polite and even. “But now, I must ask you to leave.” He snapped his fingers and two well-dressed men that screamed ‘security’ came forward from their posts on either side of the door.
Veronica inclined her head toward Byron. “Thank you,” she said.
“Of course, my dear.”
I took Veronica’s arm as the security guards grasped Jason by the shoulders and steered him out. He stared at Veronica and me, not saying a word until he was almost out of the door. “You just wait,” he called. “You just fucking wait, you slut. I’ll get you back.”
I felt her shiver a little, but her expression remained steely as she watched him be ejected from the property, his woman trailing in their wake.
“I apologize for this,” Byron said. “Would you like to come to my office for a drink?”
I shook my head, “Some other time, Byron.”
I looked at Veronica. She was holding it together, but the altercation had shaken her. She looked up at me. “I want to go home.”
“Of course,” I said. She hadn’t said ‘sir’, but I no longer cared. The incident took precedence. I looked at Byron, “We will be back some other time. I’m sorry if our personal issues ruined your opening night.”
He shook his head and waved a hand in dismissal, “Of course not, my friend. Do not worry. Next time you come with the lovely Ms. Delaware, it will be on the house.”
“Thank you,” I said. “From what I’ve seen, you’ve outdone yourself yet again.”
He bowed, “It is I who should be thanking you. I will see you soon, my friend.”
I nodded to him and lead Veronica through the foyer to the front doors. There were new attendants outside, and I asked if one of them could fetch our driver. We waited in silence for a moment. Veronica shivered against the chill night air and I pulled her to me. She slid her arms around my waist and pressed her cheek against my chest.
“I’m sorry,” she murmured, almost too low for me to pick up.
“For what? You did nothing wrong.”
She sighed, “I dated a complete jackass, and it ruined our evening.”
I grinned, even though she couldn’t see it, and ran a hand down her back. “Some would say you still are.”
She let out another deep breath. “You’re not an asshole, Ethan, at least not when you’re outside of work.” She broke away a little so that she could look up at me. “Shit, are we still doing playroom rules?” She covered her mouth, “Ah, hell.”
I shook my head, laughing and raised my hand to caress her cheek. “Not anymore.”
She nodded, “Good.” She raised herself up and kissed me, her mouth hot and sweet against mine. I felt her melt into it, giving me all of her. I held her tight and tried to show her how I felt with my lips and tongue against hers. I was not good at words, not when it came to expressing the deeper emotion within me.
I hope she understood that she had nothing to forgive, that I would move the world for her if I could. I poured everything into that kiss until someone cleared their throat to alert us that the driver had returned.
I wondered if she felt it.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Veronica
You just wait. I’ll get you back.
The last words Jason spoke haunted me. Even when Ethan tried to distra
ct me with kisses and sweet touches, I could not shake the tone, the implied threat. It wasn’t until he had had me strip and began to lay gentle kisses all over my body that the thoughts flew out of my head.
Ethan tied a wrist to each post of his bed and made love to me while I was bound. I do not think anyone outside of the lifestyle could have understood how good it felt to release control to someone you trusted. I felt safe when Ethan tied me up. I knew he would never hurt me, not in anger. I knew that he would give me what I wanted. It felt, underneath the waves of mind-shattering pleasure... peaceful.
Later, after our pillow talk had tapered out, I began to reflect on Jason’s words yet again. I stared up at the blackened ceiling, Ethan’s back to me like a warm, safe presence, and shivered.
“What if it was him?”
He rolled toward me, his hand coming to rest on my bare stomach. “What is it?” He asked, his voice thick with sleep.
“What if Jason was the one who... what would it be? Contracted, or paid? Paid the thugs to attack me outside of the restaurant, and then set fire to my place? What if he is the reason behind everything bad that’s happened?”
Ethan propped himself up on an elbow. I could see the gleam in his eyes even in the dim light of the bedroom. “You told the police about him during your interview, didn’t you?”
I nodded, “Yes, I did, but I didn’t realize how crazy he’s gotten.” I scooted up the bed so that I was propped against the headboard. “I mean, when we were dating he was always a tad eccentric, but he was never crazy.”
“You’re saying that each time I’ve met him, he’s acted out of character?”
“Yes and no.” I sighed. The room still smelled of our lovemaking, and the scent was comforting. Almost homey. The thought made me laugh, and I shook my head. “He was just so fixated on that video. On what it would mean to his music career if it got out. And—” I stopped, thinking of the gleam in his eyes and the mood swings. Had he had them before? I had buried so many memories of when we were together. Did I even love him, or was it just the rose-tinted glasses of nostalgia? “We all know that the music world is chock full of drug use. What if he’s on something? Wouldn’t that make everything worse?”
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