Aryn's Desire: A BOLD Security Novel (Finding Submission Book 1) (16 page)

The plus side to my dues, I don’t have to pay them until after I’ve come to the club a few times and feel it’s really where I want to be.
 

As we stand in line to check-in, Derek tells me, “All members are required to check-in, this is so that they know who is here for the night and to keep track for capacity rules. There are nights that people are left waiting to get in because it’s full. Or they haven’t opened up the other side of the dungeon. Tonight is invitation only and responses were required.”
 

“I didn’t get an invite,” I tell him.
 

“No, you didn’t, but Master Orik is a dear friend of mine and knows that you’re my guest tonight, so you’re perfectly fine. The responses were required because they used those to determine how many more invites they could send out until they reached about thirty below capacity.”
 

I raise an eyebrow. “Why is capacity so important?”
 

Derek gives me a pointed look like I should know and understand the answer to my own question but I’m honestly baffled by it.
 

He sighs. “Sorry, I guess capacity is for two reasons. One, we don’t need the police showing up here. Master Orik goes through a great deal to keep this place off the radar. For all the cops really know, this is some type of exclusive bar.”
 

“Oh.” I nod for him to go on.

“The second reason is that fetish balls are open to anyone to play as they wish and there are going to be a few demonstrations. If the capacity is reached or exceeded, crowd control can be a problem as well as giving people enough room to work. Tonight, Mistress Aria is going to be doing a whip demo. She needs a lot of room because she wields two single tails simultaneously.”

“Good god,” Dex and I say together.
 

“It’s quite the sight to see.” Derek smiles wide and we move closer toward the podium to get checked in.
 

Derek and Dex lapse into conversation and the closer we get to the podium the more nervous I get about what’s beyond the velvet curtain. The more I stare and try to see beyond it with each person who pushes through it, the more excited I get. Each time someone enters the club, I try to catch glimpses of what’s happening inside, but I can’t see much more than bodies standing around.
 

Just as we’re about to reach the podium, I catch a good glimpse beyond the curtains of a couple of crosses spotlighted from above. No one is on them and they’re imposing and intimidating while being inviting all at the same time.
 

“Master Orion, Cotah, and guest Aryn,” Derek checks us in.
 

The girl standing behind the podium eyes me up and down before giving me a playful smile. “Welcome to The Box, Aryn.” Her voice is sweet and seductive at the same time. She has a mane of tight curly dark brown or black hair. Her skin is pale and she is wearing soft make-up. It’s too dark in here to determine her eye color but they sparkle in the low light. My heart pounds a little in my chest.
 

“Thank you.” I give her a teasing smile in return and she blushes slightly as she finishes checking the three of us in.
 

When she’s done, she moves on to Dex and Raine. Once they’re checked in, Cotah and Raine check their coats off to the side of the entrance and I catch the girl who checked us in looking at me again and I smile.
 

If I were anywhere else but here, I’d be pouncing on her so fast, but not here, not tonight. Her demeanor is exactly that of a submissive and I can’t help being turned on by the idea that maybe there is someone inside this club for me. Who knows, maybe even her.
 

“We ready?” Derek asks us before spreading the curtains at the entrance. Cotah steps through with me right behind her. My breathing hitches the moment I step inside The Box.

TWENTY~TWO

STEPPING INSIDE THE Box is almost indescribable. There are a lot of people hanging around, talking, watching various things going on throughout the room. There are a lot of bottoms sitting at the feet of their Tops and while I see several others not kneeling, they are easy to tell apart.
 

The room is lit mostly by black lights and then various spotlights over different apparatuses. Everything from St. Andrew’s Crosses to spanking benches to something that looks like parallel bars used in gymnastics, only they’re much taller and made of solid metal with various rings hanging at different intervals along the bars. I’m not sure what it is, but I imagine it has something to do with suspension.
 

There is also a high bar looking thing with two chains hanging down. I imagine it’s best used like the cross only without the hindrance of wood in front of or behind the person strapped to it. Though none of the equipment is being used at the moment, there are several people standing around a lot of it.
 

I follow my friends into the club. Derek leads us all to the bar, but there is no liquor behind it. It looks like a juice bar and I listen when Derek orders a coke for him and apple juice for Cotah. Dex does the same only ordering coke for both of them. Derek points to me and I say the same.
 

Derek proceeds to talk to a couple of people near the bar area and Dex joins in the conversation.Both Cotah and Raine stand in silence, waiting to be addressed and they both blossom when they’re introduced to the men Derek and Dex are talking to.
 

He introduces me and neither of them are people I recognize from the play party a couple weeks ago and while I try to commit their names to memory, it doesn’t last.
 

Eventually, with drinks in hand, we leave the bar. Dex turns to me and says, “Alcohol, while available tonight, is not served in the club. If you want a drink, you’re more than welcome to one, but you will be prevented from participating in any events.”
 

“Nah, coke is good.”
 

“Want to get frisky tonight, do you?” he chides.
 

I snort. “That would imply actually meeting someone.” I take a sip of my coke.
 

“The greeter sure made a visual meal out of you.”
 

I’d nearly forgotten about her until now. I shrug. “She’s probably got a Top.”
 

Dex laughs. “Hardly. I can’t imagine a single Dom or Domme that would allow that kind of behavior.”
 

I don’t know how to respond to that. It’s not something I’d thought about, actually. “Do you know who she is?”
 

Dex shakes his head. “I’ve not seen her before, though we’ve only been here a couple times. You could ask Derek.”
 

 
“I don’t want to force anything.” I suddenly feel inadequate. Sure, I can talk to her. I can flirt with her. I can do whatever when it comes to her, but she was very obvious about being a submissive and I’m barely capable of calling myself a Top.
 

Sure, I like rough sex. Sure, I like to take control during sex, and I most definitely enjoy it when a woman’s open and willing to do whatever it is that I ask of her, but that hardly qualifies as being a Dominant.
 

I’m going about this all wrong. Sure, I thought that I could just dive right in, but I have so much to learn about the lifestyle, about behavior, and not to mention I haven’t a clue what I want in a submissive. The realization sends me into a tailspin of disappointment that thankfully no one else notices.
 

*~* CADEN *~*
 

Well, well, well, that’s quite the surprise.
 

I knew Derek was bringing him tomorrow when the dungeon is open, but I had no clue that he would be here tonight and judging by the fact that he looks like a deer in the headlights, I imagine he’s not looking for anyone in particular tonight either.
 

“Who is that?” Cara asks me.
 

“Who is who?” I ask her back, unsure if she’s referring to Aryn or someone else.
 

“That guy, the one you’re looking at. Do you know him from somewhere?”
 

Shit, I didn’t invite Cara to Derek’s play party for good reason. I didn’t want her there, but how do I explain, I don’t. “No clue,” I tell her. “He’s with Master Orion and Sir Dex; I’d guess he’s a friend of theirs.”
 

I lied to her. I wouldn’t normally do something like that. After getting back to town from Derek’s and then Los Angeles, I’d called Cara and broken off our playing together. The only thing she was upset over was the fact that we’d committed to coming to the ball tonight. I agreed to take her tonight and I agreed to take her under my wing and look over her while she looks for another Dominant. It’s the least I can do for her.
 

She was a great sub, just lacked whatever it is that I’m seeking right now. We hadn’t made any commitments to each other and I’d never collared her officially. I did however give her my training collar and that is what I took back from her. At first she expected a full collar as a replacement, but in the end she seemed okay about not getting one.
 

Aryn disappears from my line of sight and I fight the urge to go after him. The urge is thwarted when Master Orik steps on the stage toward the far end of dungeon two and takes the microphone.
 

“Good evening ladies, gentlemen, Dominants, Masters, Tops, submissives, slaves and bottoms. Welcome to the third annual Box Fetish Ball.” The entire crowd erupts in cheers and clapping. I can’t help but join in.
 

The Box has been a true safe haven to so many people for going on four years now and it is definitely something to be proud of. Orik beams with happiness as the crowd settles down.
 

“Tonight we celebrate not only the new year, but another year of amazing friends, family, and relationships. I’m proud to say that we welcomed twenty-three new members to the club this year, the latest one just last week.” That would be Aryn, I have no doubt. “And I am proud to say that we’ve been able to kick off some of the much needed renovations compliments of Master Orion, Master Caden, and the many wonderful members of this club, so thank you, Sirs.”
 

*~* ARYN *~*
 

When Master Orik mentions Master Caden’s name as one of the top donors for the renovations, my heart sinks. I hadn’t expected him to be here tonight for one, and for two, if he can throw money at this club the way that I know Derek is capable of, that puts Caden into a whole new category and it slides me right back down to the bottom of the depression pit.
 

One of the many things that has kept me to women in bars is the fact that I feel more equal to them. I’m not poor, but I’m not capable of doing a swan dive into a pool full of cash. It’s why opening up and spending time with Derek and Dacotah, despite being friends with Dex, has been so hard for me. I’ve always felt my place is with the help, not with the employers.
 

Master Orik continues with his speech, thanking a few other people and introducing some of the artisans that are in the building tonight. By the sounds of it, they specialize in either custom fetish wear or pervertables, and I’m curious to check some of these out. He also goes into the schedule for tonight with the various demonstrations being performed throughout the evening.
 

When he’s done, the crowd erupts with more cheers and excitement before dispersing and returning to their previous activities.
 

That’s when I feel it. The hair on the back of my neck stands on end and I know not far away from me is Master Caden.

TWENTY~THREE

*~* CADEN *~*

I stay away from Aryn despite my driving need to talk to him. I wonder if he knows I am here. I watch him most of the night as he makes his way around the room talking to people. I felt a huge twinge of disappointment when he met up with Ash, or Ashley, the greeter for tonight’s event. They’ve been chatting a good portion of the evening and she sticks to him like glue.
 

Ashley is attractive and she is a well-trained sub and would be a great fit with Aryn. That thought doesn’t help but drive the disappointment higher. I knew it was a long shot to try and capture Aryn’s attention. I know he’s not gay, but there was always that hope. You don’t have to be gay to be a man with a male Top. I see it all the time. In fact, there are a couple of them in the club currently. But I’m not sure if I could have that kind of submissive.
 

My disappointment spirals me further down when I watch Aryn and Ash talking by one of the benches. I finally turn to leave the room when Derek and Dex join them and Derek helps Aryn with some things while Ash bends over the bench.
 

“Where are you going?” Cara asks.
 

“I need some air,” I tell her and walk through the crowd toward one of the side doors.
 

When Orik bought this building, one of the many reasons he purchased it was because it had this odd kind of courtyard in the center of the building. I’d hardly call it a beautiful site. It’s concrete ground and steel walls, with some benches for seating and an awning that covers the “hole” in the building. This area is great because you can step outside in your fetish wear without fear of being seen by cars passing by. I step through the door and pull my smokes from my pocket and light one up. I slide my way past some people that are outside. There are a couple of them sitting on benches making out, some subbies sitting on the ground at the feet of their Masters while they smoke and chat with other Tops. I slide into the far dark corner. Literally dark enough to hide a human being and I lean against the wall.
 

I stay outside a little too long trying to wrap my head around why I am so drawn to Aryn, why it is that I can’t stop thinking about him. I have no clue. The crowd that was out here when I wandered out has dwindled to just a few people when the door opens and out steps Ash, followed immediately by Aryn and I freeze. I am pretty confident he can’t see me, but I have a very clear view of him and Ash as they sit on one of the benches. I can’t make out much of the conversation but their actions are enough for me.