Get Off Easy (Noble House, #1) (8 page)

His genuine smile widened. “First time?” She nodded, her heart giving a hard jolt. “Just need to see some identification.” He pulled out a tablet as she handed over her driver’s license. The beefy bouncer’s eyebrows rose almost immediately after he typed her name on a screen that looked like a child’s toy in his wide hands. “Well, well. Someone must have done something really special.” He handed her the card back before picking up the rope blocking her path. “Third floor. They’re expecting you.”

Third floor—but that was...no, surely she’d heard him incorrectly. “Sorry, I’m a little rattled from all the travel. What did you say?”

“Top floor is expecting you.”

“But that’s—”

His grin widened impossibly. “Yep. Lucky girl. Not too many first-time visitors get invited up to the Keep. Must’ve done something to catch their eyes.”

“Their...as in plural?” A sudden heat flushed her cheeks. Damn it, they told her they were out of town this weekend. They’d even sent her pictures of the beautiful rows of grapes used to make the wine. And two hours ago, Saint had e-mailed her a gorgeous picture of the sunset off a craggy side of a cliff. They were both crafty as hell, but even they couldn’t be
that
good. Then again, Saint had said he owned a computer security business. If there was anyone who knew how to fake or hack something, he would be the one.

And she thought she was the artist.

“You all right?”

“Yeah.” She swallowed, shaking out her hands to stop the trembling. “I’m good.”

She did her best to smother her trepidation as she stepped through the entrance. Turning back now would just be foolish. May as well make the most of the trip. After all, she was making wild assumptions.

She’d seen Kochran at the club earlier in the week. She was a member. He could have easily put two and two together. And knowing she was a friend of Saint and Boyce, two of the most sought after Doms at the club...well, it was easy to see why getting a ticket to the first class floor of bondage wasn’t out of the question.

“Well, go on or get out of the way, girlie. Other people want to play.” Grae yelped when the guard slapped her ass. “Oh, yeah. You’re going to be a fun one. Go on.”

Grae followed the ornate signage directing her up a ramp. As she stepped inside, she saw the nude black and white photographs that lined the walls. The large floor-to-ceiling images showcased submissives in various stages of vulnerability.

Predicament bondage.

Steel cages.

Tanks full of water.

The anxiety that had been snaking its way up her spine altered, as though a switch had been flipped. The familiarity made her feel as though she’d been here before. Though the website had many pictures detailing the building’s spaces, the artwork hadn’t been part of the collection.

Given Kochran’s comment to Boyce about changing out artwork, Grae had a sneaking suspicion she knew the photographer. If Boyce was the artist...
wow
. He had certainly cultivated his talent since college.

She was familiar with the basic layout of the club, thanks to the plans loaded onto the website. It was probably a way for those members who only visited the club virtually to feel as though they were familiar with where events were taking place.

A long hallway stretched out in front of her, softly lit by pocket lighting tucked into the ceiling. The ominous atmosphere didn’t deter Grae despite her nervousness walking up to the Keep by herself.

She shouldn’t go.

Especially because she didn’t know what was going to greet her when she got there.

She needed to turn around, get back in her car, and go home. Not the hotel. Not to Saint and Boyce’s. Home. Do not pass GO. Do not collect two hundred dollars.

There was a long standing rumor about just what went on in the Keep. It was the one room at Noble House that wasn’t filled with cameras, mics, and recording equipment. And it wasn’t the kind of place a member could enter on a whim.

Or without permission.

As she inched forward, wondering if she should continue, she came upon a row of large windows. Pausing at the first one, she realized it was a viewing area available for members to see what was going on in the many semi-private rooms at the club.

She’d seen a few sessions carried out on the feeds, though she had never watched them live since Saint and Boyce tended to play out their scenes where the whole world could see in the very public Court area.

This first window was set up to resemble a doctor’s room, complete with a nice, comfy padded examination table. Some of the pieces of equipment hanging neatly on the wall caused Grae to shiver. Though she wasn’t certain if it was from aversion or excitement. She’d never participated in a medical scene.

And she wouldn’t get to see one either as the room was empty.

She moved on to the next window.

The interior was shadowed, with walls comprised of large, dark stone blocks. Oversized sconces hung from elaborate hooks embedded in the stone, the flickering candles in the red globes casting interesting shadows on the wall.

This room was not vacant.

A naked submissive stood in the center of the room, her wrists suspended in the air by chains affixed to sleeves of red leather that laced her arms from wrist to shoulder. More red leather encased her legs, from hip to ankle, where another pair of chains had been shackled to large eye-bolts embedded in the floor.

If her bindings weren’t statement enough, she also teetered on glossy red platform stilettoes. Her long dark brown hair had been arranged in soft waves that swept away from her face in a style taken straight from the 1940’s. Her flawless makeup clearly reflected the same era and showed the sub had a flair for the dramatic.

Bright red welts stood out on her breasts and abdomen, showing that the scene had been going on for quite some time. From the glazed looked in the sub’s eyes, she was nestled far, far into subspace.

A tall, well-muscled Dom with closely cropped dark hair paced around the submissive in slow circles. As though he was calculating his next move. He was fully clothed in a very well-tailored suit and highly polished shoes. He also wielded a single tail whip. Every so often, he would skim his free hand over her waist, her hip, or even dip between her legs.

Grae caught the Dom’s faint smile as he rubbed together two fingers that he’d just removed from the sub’s pussy. His smile widened as he touched the tip of his tongue, savoring the flavor of his lover. After stepping back, he rewarded the sub with a caress of his whip.

The woman unleashed a wail laced with ecstasy. The Dom stepped back further, moving the whip in a smooth, sensual motion that caused the tail to snake across the stone floor. He struck unexpectedly, the leather cracking as it broke the sound barrier.

The sub didn’t move or even flinch as the Dom snapped the whip so it split the air, but didn’t touch her skin. With complete trust, she accepted the careful, patient care and attention the Dom was lavishing her with.

When the Dom arced his arm, and the single fall finally connected with her skin, the sub moaned loudly. The air was immediately filled with the sound of her begging for more. The harder he struck her, the louder the woman begged.

Grae watched in fascination when the Dom walked away from the sub, denying her. As he approached one of the tall columns, he unfastened the buttons on his jacket. He looped the whip several times and hung the coiled item from a hook. His suit jacket followed, a shock of light gray against the dark column.

As he paced back to the submissive, he carefully folded back his shirt cuffs. Grae’s eyes grew wide as she spied a black leather sheath strapped to the Dom’s left wrist. Light glinted on the silver blade the man extracted from the protective case.

The submissive went limp in the bindings as he touched the metal to her side.

They were exquisite together.

Grae was tempted to stay and watch because she’d never seen an edge play scene like this, but she was expected at the Keep. Instead of checking out what treasures the hallway possessed, she bypassed the rest of the windows and turned the corner at the end of the hall. Another beefy bouncer guarded a flight of stairs.

Stairs that Grae needed to ascend in order to locate the Keep.

When she approached, instead of asking to see her card again, he simply stepped out of the way and allowed her to pass. Either they had lax security this far into the club, or Kochran had employed some kind of facial recognition software that signaled to the guard that she was allowed access to the special area.

At least, that was what she would have done if she’d been in charge of the security system.

Given Saint’s computer knowledge, she bet her membership he was responsible for the entire computer and video set up at Noble House. Hopefully, that didn’t mean he had access to the member profiles as well.

As she approached a set of elaborately carved double doors, a scream pierced the air.

“Sounds like Joslynn finally got her Dom’s permission to come.” A petite woman came to stand beside Grae. Glancing over, Grae saw she was swinging a royal-blue sack. A toy bag, perhaps? The woman’s long blonde hair had been plaited into elaborate braids. She wore a white shirt that ended below her breasts and a pink-and-gray plaid skirt that wrapped low over her abs and barely covered her ass. Though she was beautiful, a pout marred her glossy red lips. “Master Enver is going to give my date for the night too many ideas. You coming?”

Familiarity finally clicked.

Grae blinked slowly, taken aback by the sight of someone she’d watched play in scenes for the past year was now standing right in front of her. She was also the woman who’d been with Saint and Boyce in the scene last week. The one that had caused Grae so much concern. “You’re Asha.”

“In the flesh.” Asha’s gaze narrowed. “First time here?”

“Physically, yes. I’ve been a virtual member for three years.”

Asha tilted her head, giving Grae a curious look. “I meant on this floor. But that works too. Nice to meet you.”

Grae accepted her extended hand. “Grae Burrows.”

Another scream broke the air.

“And that’s my cue to get in there before Master Kochran gets pissed off. Which I’ve already done enough of lately.” Asha grabbed Grae’s hand. “Come on. I’ll show you the best seat in the house for a newbie. Unless you’re meeting someone?”

“Not that I’m aware of.” Before Grae could add more, Asha pulled her through the doors. The musky smell of sex grabbed Grae by the throat, tightened its grip, and nearly smothered her. Overwhelmed with the powerful and rich scent, her pussy nearly drenched her underwear. Her nipples hardened. Her skin heated. She’d gone from perfectly normal to fully, achingly aroused in two-point-four seconds.

“Holy shit.”

Asha leaned close, pressing her lips to Grae’s ear. “Can’t get that watching the video feeds.”

There was so much going on in the room, Grae didn’t know where to look first. Until her gaze landed on a Dom in the center of the room, standing naked and holding his cock in offering to two women who had been suspended by an intricate arrangement of brightly colored nylon ropes. The subs greedily sucked on the man, taking turns to swallow him whole, while they were each being fucked from behind.

“Those are the two newest trainees. Bracey and Dahlia. Master Enver, the Dom in the center, will decide if they graduate to full House Slaves tonight. That’s Master Kyle on the left, behind Bracey. And Master Parker on the right, behind Dahlia. The Doms are new as well. Still too fresh for the cameras. Master Kochran can keep an eye on them up here. Let them smooth out their rough edges. Or hone them.” Asha guided Grae to a corner farthest from the play area cordoned off with black velvet rope. “One of the other trainees will be by after the scene is over to see if you need anything to drink or snack on. I have to go or I’m really, really going to be in trouble. If you stick around, maybe we can hang out later?”

The idea of talking to someone Grae wouldn’t have to censor herself sounded perfect. “I’d like that.”

Asha bounced around, her braids dancing against her shoulders. “I just know we’re—”

“Sprite!”

As the deep bellow shook the room, Asha gasped. “I am in
so
much trouble. I was supposed to come right back after I fetched Master Kochran’s toy bag. I just know he’s going to make me pay for it. Talk to you later.”

Asha darted around the perimeter of the room, careful to not block the view of members watching the suspension scene. When she arrived in front of a surly-looking man sitting on an elaborate wood-carved chair, she dropped to her knees and bowed her head.

Grae’s gaze darted to the man Asha kneeled before.

Kochran Duke wore much different attire than when she’d seen him playing with Duality the other night. Then he’d been casual and relaxed in baggy jeans and a tee. Tonight he wore tight leather pants and an unbuttoned shirt that showcased the chiseled curves of his well-defined pecs and abs.

A clear sign he was in complete command of the room.

A king on his throne.

Grae realized it had been a long time since she’d been surrounded by the D/s environment. She’d been behind her computer for too damn long. The abrupt change was startling. One she was having trouble reconciling. As natural as it felt to be surrounded by a lifestyle she had embraced years ago, it was hard to believe she was actually here.

A submissive in the scene with the three Doms gave a piercing scream unmistakably saturated with lust. The other sub gave a cry as well. The group had a captive audience as every gaze in the room focused on them.

Except for Grae.

She was too busy noticing the newest arrivals. And wondering who she’d pissed off in a previous life. Saint and Boyce stood near the entrance, watching the culmination of the scene. Though she’d already spent a few days with them getting reacquainted, this situation was markedly different. The atmosphere was so saturated with sex, her body was reacting without any kind of encouragement. Not that she needed any when it came to these two.

She swallowed past the dryness in her throat.