“It’s beyond that. It is a hit. It’s beat the next-highest story on WNN by nearly double the number of hits in its first twenty-four hours.”
I was stunned. My piece?
“You’re speechless. It’s okay. I was, too. Your idea to play up your husband’s wealth was brilliant. People are all about rich, good-looking Dominants.” She took a hasty breath. “If you keep generating this much interest, we’re going to have to rethink your role. But, hell, we’ll talk about that later. Let’s celebrate! Free tonight?”
I could hardly keep up with her, the way she bounced from one topic to the next. “What?”
“Let’s go to a club. Me and you. Tonight!”
“Tonight?” My mind calculated all the things I’d need to do. “Let me call Nathaniel and arrange for someone to watch the kids. What time and where?”
We made arrangements for her to come by the penthouse and then I called Nathaniel.
“I think it’s a great idea for you to go out and celebrate,” he said. “We’ll spend the weekend in the city?”
I thought that would be perfect and we arranged a time to meet at the apartment so he could watch the kids. I buzzed around the house, packing a few things and walking around in a general daze. I still couldn’t believe my piece had generated so much attention.
“You’re the real deal, Abby,” Meagan had said before we hung up. “You’re the wife and submissive of one of the wealthiest men in the city. Who just happens to be one of the best-looking, too. Of course, your readers don’t know what he looks like, but still.”
“And you can write,” Nathaniel had added when we talked. “Don’t sell yourself short or think it’s just because you married me. It’s what you’re writing that people are responding to.”
Once Elizabeth made it home from preschool, I loaded everyone into the SUV and we took off to our penthouse. After arriving, I sent Nathaniel a text letting him know where we were and he sent one back saying he’d be getting home early.
I tried to keep my mind occupied. Elizabeth and I baked cookies, and after Henry’s nap, we all went for a walk in Central Park. We would pass people and I’d wonder if they’d read my article. Surely the odds were good at least some of them had. I hid a smile as we left the park; it was like I had a secret.
Nathaniel was home when we made it back. I gave him a quick kiss before heading to the bathroom to get ready. It’d been a long time since I’d been out to a club. I sorted through my closet, trying to decide what to wear. I finally settled on a short, black, one-sleeved lace dress. I loved the way I looked in it and it would be perfect for clubbing.
I pulled my hair into a loose knot, put on some makeup, and slipped into my heels. On my way out of the bedroom, I twisted in front of the full-length mirror.
Not bad, I thought. Not bad at all.
Nathaniel was in the living room with the kids and he gave a low whistle when I entered the room. “You look incredible.”
“Thank you.” I leaned over and kissed him. “Maybe you and I should hit the town soon.”
“Mmm.” He ran his hand over my ass. “It’s a date.”
“You’re missing a sleeve, Mommy,” Elizabeth said.
“Oh no, baby. It’s supposed to be like that.”
She wrinkled her nose. “That’s silly.”
“I suppose it is a little silly.” I gave her a hug and kiss and told her to be good for her father.
“We’ll be fine,” Nathaniel said, as I told Henry good-bye. “Elizabeth is going to invite Henry and me to a tea party. She promised I could wear her purple boa and that she’d serve the cookies you two made earlier.”
“Sounds like a great evening.” My phone vibrated with a text. “Meagan’s downstairs. I’ll see you guys later.”
Meagan was waiting for me in the lobby. I was a bit surprised to see her wearing a trench coat.
“Is it supposed to rain?” I asked, after she gave me a bone-crushing hug.
“No, I just didn’t want to show off my outfit.” She raised an eyebrow at my dress. “Ready?”
“Let’s go.”
She hailed a cab and once inside, I leaned back and took a deep breath while she gave the address to the driver.
“Ready to have some fun?” she asked.
“So ready.”
The drive took a bit longer than I thought it would and when we pulled out of the city, I turned to Meagan.
“Where are we going?” I asked.
“A new club. Well, the club’s not new, but the management is.”
I looked out the window again. “And it’s where?”
“Almost there.” She pulled out a compact and checked her reflection and patted her hair. Satisfied, she looked up and gave me a grin. “I’m going to buy you a drink when we get there. I had a meeting this afternoon with the execs and they are over the moon with you.”
I relaxed a little. “I’m so glad it was successful.”
She nodded. “Here we are.”
I got out of the taxi and looked around. It was nothing like I expected. There was no music, no lights, no people. What we had pulled up to looked like a warehouse and there wasn’t even a name posted out front. What the hell kind of place is this?
As we approached the building, the door opened and a massive bald guy stepped out.
Meagan trotted up to him. “Derek.”
The bald guy nodded. “I’ll take the coat.”
“Thank you, Sir.” She slipped out of her raincoat and I couldn’t stop the gasp I made. Under the coat, Meagan wore only a tiny pair of underwear and a black leather corset.
The doorman gave a grunt of approval. “I’m working the front for another half hour, but I’ll reserve us a room for later if you’d like.” He glanced up at me. “Your friend can join us if she loses the dress.”
“We’ll see,” Meagan replied. “And no, she can’t.”
“Meagan,” I said, as understanding dawned. “What kind of club is this?”
“A BDSM club,” she answered without so much as blinking. “What did you think it was?”
Now that we were closer, I heard the rhythmic thump, thump, thump of a bass inside the club—and it matched the thumping of my head. I spun around to face Meagan.
“What the hell?” I asked.
“What?”
“You’re a sub?”
She lifted a perfectly shaped eyebrow. “Actually, I only sub for men. I top women.”
Her matter-of-fact confirmation of being in the lifestyle didn’t surprise me. I couldn’t say the same for her role. “You’re a switch?”
“I suppose. If you have to put a name to it.”
“That’s awesome. I don’t know many switches.” I wondered if she’d let me interview her sometime. “Let’s get a drink.”
“I can arrange that.” She snapped her fingers at a scantily dressed waitress. “Michelle, bring my friend here a cosmopolitan.”
The waitress bowed. “Yes, Mistress M.”
I shook my head and looked around the club for the first time. It was dingy for lack of a better word and smelled like sharp arousal mixed with sweat. Everything was gray and had a general run-down look. Paint peeled off several walls and the concrete floor was stained. Red and blue strobe lights flashed in a corner serving as a dance floor. In the opposite corner, two men were setting up a demo.
Michelle returned with my drink and I finished it in four swallows. It burned going down my throat, but I found I rather enjoyed the sensation.
“Damn, Abby,” Meagan said.
I motioned for Michelle to bring me another. “I’m celebrating.”
“I wasn’t being critical. I’ll join you.”
Michelle quickly returned with our drinks and we toasted the blog.
We didn’t order anything else after the second drink. Not long after our glasses were cleared, the man from the door came by and asked Meagan to dance.
He lifted his eyebrow my way before taking off with her, but I shook my head. Nathaniel wou
ld be mad as hell if I danced with someone at a BDSM club. Nathaniel. Shit. I didn’t want to think about what he’d have to say about Meagan’s idea of “clubbing.” I mean, he’d thought I’d gone out for an innocent night of dancing with my new boss. This was hardly the scene he’d expected either.
Nathaniel and I had been to a few clubs in the city before. We hadn’t been to any since Henry was born, though. Looking around at the crowd made me want to plan a night out with him soon. I enjoyed being out in public as my Master’s submissive. And I had really enjoyed the few times we’d played publicly.
The male couple in the corner had started their scene. In another time and place, I might have drifted closer to watch, but I really didn’t feel like it. For some reason it didn’t seem right without Nathaniel. I thought about calling him, but there was no point. I was already here. I turned back to the dance floor, but couldn’t see Meagan or the guy she was dancing with.
Michelle walked by with a tray of drinks, so I flagged her down.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Have you seen the lady I came in with?” I asked, not wanting to use her real name and not comfortable calling my boss “Mistress M.”
“Yes, ma’am. She went into one of the private rooms with Master V.”
Well, wasn’t that fantastic? She left me alone in a BDSM club where I knew no one and had no clue as to protocol. It really wasn’t like her and she probably had a good reason, but I was slightly pissed. “Can you bring me another drink?” I asked.
The drinks must have been stronger than I thought, because when I hopped down from my stool midway through the third, the room swayed a bit. Or maybe it was me. I squinted at my watch. Meagan had been gone for over an hour. The male couple had finished some time ago and had left the demo corner empty. I watched as a group of people went down a hallway, probably to a private room.
During the time Meagan had been gone, several male Dominants had approached me. I’d turned them all down, of course. When Nathaniel and I went to a club together, I had to get his permission before talking to another Dom. Under the circumstances, however, I felt it acceptable. After all, I was turning them down.
Surely Meagan and her guy were finished now or at least in the middle of some aftercare. I’d just walk down the hallways to see if I could find them. I thought about calling a cab, but I didn’t want to leave my new boss alone, even though it appeared she may have done that to me.
I wobbled a bit more than I expected. Maybe two drinks would be my limit in the future. I looked down the first hallway, but found only closed doors. I might not know this particular club’s protocol, but I knew it would be frowned upon to open a closed door at any club.
Not ready to give up, I walked back to the main room and down a different hallway. This one boasted closed doors as well, but at the far end, the very last room had an open door. Doubtful that would be the room Meagan was in, but I didn’t have anywhere else to look. I walked down the hall and poked my head inside.
“Hello, there, pretty,” the man inside said. “Why don’t you step inside for a minute?”
“No, thank you.” I stepped in the middle of the doorway so I could see who I was talking to. “I was looking for someone, but she’s not here.”
The man in the room stood up. He was heavyset and didn’t appear to have shaved for a day or two. He stepped close to me and I smelled the alcohol on his breath. I tried to back away, but he somehow managed to maneuver himself in a way that made me move to the side. When he stepped into my personal space again, I shifted and found myself inside the room.
“There we go,” he said blocking the doorway. “Now I have you inside by your own free will.”
My mind was still fuzzy about how I wound up inside, and I blurted out the first thing I could think of. “I’m drunk.”
His smile was evil. “Nah, you’re just relaxed. Works better that way, I think. Your body can take more.”
My heart sped up. One flick of his wrist and I’d be locked inside with him. The fuzzy edges around my mind started to hum. “I actually want to leave now,” I said.
“Why would you want to go? We haven’t even started yet.”
“Now. Move.”
He leered at me. “I don’t like the way you’re looking at me, little sub.” His hand moved to the doorknob. “I’m going to have to remind you how you’re supposed to talk to your Top.”
I swayed and shouted the one thing I could think of, “Red!”
“Bitch.” The leer left his face and he went to close the door, but at the last second, a booted foot kept it from shutting.
“I heard someone safeword,” the owner of the boot said, opening the door and looking inside. “Everything okay?”
We both answered at once.
“No.”
“Yes.”
The man at the door was tall and dark, and he wore a frown. He crossed his arms and looked from me to the other man. “What’s going on?”
“Just a little disagreement with my sub.”
“I am not your sub,” I said, but it probably would have had more impact if it wasn’t slurred when it came out.
“How much have you had to drink?” asked the stranger at the door.
“Three?”
He mumbled something under his breath that didn’t sound like it should be repeated in front of ladies or children and glared at the man who’d claimed I was his sub. “She safeworded and even if she hadn’t, she’s not sober enough to consent.”
The other guy wasn’t going to back down. “Who are you?”
“I’m a guest who’s here for the weekend. And from what I can tell, I won’t be back.” He turned back to me. “Are you alone or are you with someone?”
Before I could say anything, I was interrupted.
“She’s with me,” the man who had trapped me in the room said.
Moving faster than I would have thought possible for a man of his size, the dark guy shot his hand out and grabbed the other man by the throat. “She safeworded. You are no longer involved in this conversation. If you continue to act otherwise, I will call the police and file assault charges.”
The guy nodded, which was quite an accomplishment considering how tightly the dark man was holding him.
“Let’s go somewhere we can talk,” the dark man said to me.
I hesitated, suddenly uneasy. He was acting like my savior now, but who could tell? I might be trading one nightmare for another. He pressed his lips together.
“Of course,” he said. “You don’t know me. Let’s go into the main room.”
That sounded safer. I nodded and we made our way down the hall. Once back in the main room, I collapsed on a couch, suddenly exhausted. I realized all at once just how drunk I was and how close I’d come to being assaulted. I burst into tears.
“Hell,” dark man said. “It’s okay. You’re safe.”
He looked around as if he didn’t know what to do. He held out a hand, but then took it back. Finally, he grabbed a napkin from a nearby table and passed it to me.
I sobbed for a few more minutes and eventually calmed down to mere hiccups. “I . . . I . . . Thank you. The lady I came with left me and I was trying to find her. I. . . . I just want to go home.”
“I think that’d be for the best. I’d call you a cab, but I don’t think you should go by yourself.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Is there someone I can call to pick you up?”
I thought about having him call Nathaniel, but decided it’d be better to deal with this myself. I shook my head.
“My name’s Jeff Parks.” He pulled out his wallet and handed me a card. “I’m a security expert and work very closely with the Wilmington, Delaware, Police Department. That’s the number for the switchboard. Feel free to give them a call and ask about me. I can also provide you with the number of an attorney I’ve played with numerous times. It’s as much of a reference as I can give on short notice.”
I simply had no choice but to believe him.
He
sensed my hesitation. “Ma’am, if I’d wanted to take advantage of you, I wouldn’t be going through all this. I insist my subs be sober and provide consent.” The corner of his lip quirked