Welcome to Serpent's Kiss (Serpent's Kiss #0.5) (4 page)

By the time she shut down her computer, it was almost four in the morning. She’d slept like the dead and would have probably slept longer if not for the ringing of her phone. “Hello?”

“Oh. Sorry. Did I wake you?”

The fog of sleep cleared a little more when she realized her caller was Nicole. “You did, but it’s okay. I should probably get up anyway. What can I do for you?”

“I was wondering if maybe you’d want to join me for lunch,” Nicole said.

“Sure. Where and when?”

She hesitated. “Beth’s Café. In about an hour.”

Nicole was Beth’s best friend. Katrina knew Beth hadn’t been in a good place lately, but she had hoped things were getting better. Although Katrina considered Beth a friend, they weren’t all that close. If something was wrong, Nicole would know about it. “Sure. Is everything all right?”

“I hope so.”

That didn’t sound promising. “I’ll see you at one, then.”

Katrina hung up the phone and padded into the kitchen to turn on the coffeemaker. Then she headed toward the bathroom. She needed to wake up, and nothing could do that faster than a shower and some freshly brewed coffee.

***

A few minutes before one o’clock, she was standing in front of Beth’s Café, waiting for Nicole. It had been a while since she’d been there. More often than not, she would whip up something simple at home whenever she got hungry. Since it was only her, the meal didn’t always have to be anything fancy, and it usually wasn’t. The day before, her lunch had consisted of a taco salad she made with leftover meat, some lettuce, and tortilla chips.

Another five minutes passed before Katrina spotted Nicole rushing toward her. “Sorry I’m late. Jeff accidentally locked his keys in his car, and I had to run him the spare.”

“No problem. I don’t have anywhere I need to be until later. One of the perks to being semi-retired,” Katrina said.

Nicole gave her a sly smile. “I bet.”

Katrina followed Nicole into the café. It looked the same as she remembered, down to the young man who worked behind the counter.

“Hi, Nicole,” he greeted her companion. Then, he turned to Katrina. “Sorry. I know you’ve been in before, but I can’t remember your name.”

“That’s okay. It’s been a while. I’m Katrina.”

“Tommy.” The man extended his hand to her.

She shook his hand and grinned. “It’s nice to officially meet you, Tommy.”

“Are you here for lunch?” he asked.

“We are,” Nicole answered. “I’ll take my usual.”

Katrina stuck to a simple ham and cheese croissant. She hadn’t been up long and wasn’t sure if her stomach was ready for anything more adventurous. 

They found a seat near the front of the café. “Not that I’m not grateful for the lunch invitation, but I noticed you and Jeff weren’t at the club last night. Is something wrong?”

“Let’s just say I think Beth needs a little encouragement from someone other than me.”

“Ben?” she asked, referring to Beth’s ex-boyfriend.

Nicole nodded. “He really did a number on her self-confidence.”

“What can I do?” Katrina asked.

“Honestly, I just think she needs to get out of her rut. She comes here, works, and then goes straight home. She has no life anymore outside of this place.”

Katrina narrowed her eyes. “I knew I should have taken my whip to him when I had the chance.”

“I’m not sure Beth would disagree with you on that one.”

A few moments later, Beth emerged from the kitchen, carrying their sandwiches. Her long dark hair was pulled back into a ponytail to keep it out of her face. It wasn’t unusual for Beth to wear her hair up, but today it accented the dark circles under her eyes. She wore a small smile on her face, but Katrina could tell it was only there for show. There was a solemn look in Beth’s eyes that betrayed her.

When Beth noticed the two of them near the window, she hesitated. Katrina grinned, hoping to ease her worry. The last thing she wanted was for Beth to think this was an ambush. “It’s been a while. How have you been?”

Beth glanced over at Nicole. She may have glared a little at her friend before setting the sandwiches down and answering Katrina. “I’m fine. Just been busy.”

Nicole snorted.

This time there was no question about the glare Beth sent Nicole’s way. “Well, I’ve missed seeing you. Maybe you and I can meet for lunch on one of your days off,” Katrina said.

Beth sighed and pulled up a chair. “Look, I appreciate what you’re trying to do. Both of you. But I’m just not ready yet. Things are too. . . fresh.”

“It’s been two months.”

“And I was with him for three years,” Beth snapped at Nicole.

Katrina placed a hand on Beth’s forearm, redirecting her attention. “No one is saying you have to jump back into anything, Beth, but you have friends—friends who haven’t seen you in months. We worry.”

Beth nodded. “I’ll think about it, okay?”

“That’s all I ask.”

“I should probably get back,” she said. “I have a lot left to do before we close.”

Katrina released her hold on Beth when she stood.

“I’ll peek in on you before I leave,” Nicole said.

Beth didn’t react in any way as she headed back to the kitchen.

“I can understand your concern. She hasn’t been sleeping, has she?” Katrina asked.

“Not much, no.”

***

Over the next few days, Katrina couldn’t get Beth off her mind. She didn’t know the details of what had happened with Ben, Beth’s former boyfriend and submissive. Although Katrina didn’t know the details, she knew enough. Unbeknownst to anyone in St. Louis, including Beth, Ben was married. It had come as an obvious shock to everyone—Beth, most of all. Katrina wished she could somehow make things better, but unless Ben showed up at her club again, there wasn’t much she could do.

On Wednesday, the call came in from Peter with Drew Parker’s information. “Everything on this guy is pretty cut and dry. I emailed you the file, but there was nothing that stood out to me.”

“Thanks, Peter. I appreciate it.”

“No problem. Call me if you have any questions,” he said.

Deciding this was as good a time as any, Katrina logged on to her computer and brought up Peter’s email. He was correct. There wasn’t anything spectacular about Drew’s background check. Although there were a few more details, everything matched up with what he’d put on his application. It looked as though they would have a new member at Serpent’s Kiss soon.

Picking up the phone, she dialed the contact number Drew had listed on his application. After three rings, he picked up. “Parker.”

“Hello, Drew. This is Katrina Mayer with Serpent’s Kiss.”

“Oh. Hi. Um . . . can you hold on for a minute?” he asked.

She heard some movement and more than a couple of voices before the sound of a door closing registered.

“Sorry about that. I needed to get somewhere I wouldn’t be overheard.”

“Is this a bad time?” she asked.

“No. Not really. I’m at work, but I can spare a few minutes.”

Given her late husband’s affiliation with the police department, Katrina knew the kind of weird schedules the St. Louis Fire Department had. “I’ll keep it brief, then. I was wondering when you could come in for an interview.”

He didn’t answer right away, and she wondered what was going through his mind. Because Serpent’s Kiss was a private club, she liked to interview each applicant personally.

“I could come in tomorrow afternoon.”

Katrina made a note in her day planner. “Great. How about three o’clock at the club?”

“Three o’clock sounds fine.” He paused. “Do I need to bring anything with me?”

“Just your driver’s license and the results of your blood work. The interview is quite simple. It’s more of a get-to-know-you than anything else.”

“Sounds good.”

She grinned. “I’ll meet you outside of the club at three o’clock, then.”

“Thanks.”

Drew Parker sounded a little unsure, but she supposed that was to be expected. He was requesting an individual membership. His application said he was single and interested in women. Being a heterosexual male sub wasn’t easy. Society tended to view them as weak, when they were anything but. It took tremendous courage to submit to another person. To do so when you knew that physically you could overpower your partner—yet choose not to—took deep strength of character. It was something Katrina greatly admired and respected.

Thinking about male subs brought Ryan to mind. She’d been playing with him a lot lately. Too much, really. In the last month, she hadn’t played with anyone else. She needed to take a break before either of them became too attached.

The decision made, she turned to the other paperwork on her desk. There was a slight feeling of loss knowing she wouldn’t be playing with Ryan again anytime soon, but it was for the best. Her life was the way she wanted it. She was happy and content, even if she didn’t have a significant other.

***

Thursday morning, Katrina arranged for Brandon to meet her at the club at two thirty. Although Drew had passed the background check, Katrina refused to meet perspective new members at the club by herself. Brandon would remain in the main room while she spoke with Drew in her office. They’d done this song and dance many times over the last five years.

“All set?” Brandon asked when he peeked his head into her office at ten minutes before three.

“Yep. Just paying a few bills. Gotta keep the lights on, you know.”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. Some members might like roaming around in the dark for a change.”

Katrina laughed. “A free groping night. I know a few members on both sides of the whip who would have fun with that one.”

Brandon shook his head. “I’ll be stocking the bar if you need me.”

“Thanks.”

Before Drew’s arrival, Katrina placed his application, along with the remaining documents that he’d need to fill out to complete his membership, within easy reach on her desk. Unless she got a bad vibe from him in person, she’d need them in order to finish his application.

At two minutes until three, Katrina checked the security camera that monitored the front entrance of the club. A man in jeans and a long-sleeved shirt was standing there. Although the video was a bit grainy, Katrina could tell he was attractive. He was tall with dark hair, and it looked as if he had quite the body beneath the clothes he was wearing. Katrina couldn’t imagine he would have a hard time with the ladies. They would certainly eat him up.

With one final notation in her computer, she pushed her chair back and went to meet Drew Parker.

***

When she opened the front door, the man turned toward the noise. There was a flash of surprise before he got himself back under control.

She extended her hand. “Drew Parker, I presume?”

He took her outstretched hand and shook it. “Yes.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Katrina, the club mistress. Why don’t you come inside, and we can talk.”

He followed her into the small foyer. She always wondered what people thought when they first walked through the doors of the club and didn’t immediately see whips and chains hanging everywhere.

Katrina stepped up to the door opposite the one they’d just walked through and swiped her card. Anyone could walk through the outside doors, but after that, they had to have a card to get any farther.

Drew followed her through the second door and looked around. The lobby area was much larger than the foyer, but it was still modest and showed no signs of the club’s kinky nature. She pointed toward one end of the room. “We have a coat check area there so members don’t have to worry about coats and scarves getting lost or misplaced inside the club—or getting in the way.” She gave him a wink and thought she saw some color come to his cheeks. So he’s a blusher. Good to know.

She strolled over to the door next to the small alcove that housed the coat check, and led him into the club’s main room. 

Brandon lifted his head at their entrance.

Katrina nodded and then turned her attention back to Drew. “Follow me.”

Without another word, she led him to her office.

She took a seat behind her desk, and invited him to sit across from her. He did so without much reluctance, but she could tell he was nervous. Katrina leaned back in her chair, and crossed her legs. Since the club was closed on Thursdays, she wasn’t decked out in her usual club attire. That didn’t mean she wasn’t a formidable presence when she sat behind her large wooden desk in fitted jeans, blouse, and four-inch heels. “I’ve read over your application.”

Wanting to see how he would react, she left it at that.

Her patience was rewarded when she saw him shift slightly in his seat. It was minor—he was obviously used to being in uncomfortable situations and hiding his reactions. If she hadn’t been looking for it, she would have missed the movement.

“Was there a problem?” he asked.

Instead of answering his question, she asked one of her own. “Why do you want to become a member of Serpent’s Kiss?”

He took a deep breath, and she wondered whether he was trying to calm his nerves. “To learn, mostly. I’ve done some research online, but. . .” Drew paused. “Before I joined the fire department, I watched a lot of TV shows about firefighters and even checked out some videos online. When it came down to it, the shows were nothing like the real thing. There are just some things you have to experience in order to understand.”

“So you’re looking for some folks to play with?”

Drew cringed a little. “Not really. I mean, I’d like to play with someone, experience some things, but I don’t think I could do that with just anyone. I’ve done casual sex, and I want to move beyond that.”

If that was his position, then Katrina could cross him off her list as a possible play partner. “I heard that you’ve gone to a few local munches. Those are usually better places to form relationships than a kink club—even Serpent’s Kiss.”

“I know. John and Allison told me as much.”

“Why not just continue going to munches, then?” She stood and walked around to the front of her desk.

He watched as she moved, but when he realized he’d been caught staring, he averted his eyes. She had to press her lips together to keep from laughing.