Slapping Leather (2 page)

Chapter
Two

“I’m telling you, I’m about ready to hang myself.”

Liz was having lunch in San Antonio on the
Riverwalk with Katie Halliday, her friend Reece Halliday’s wife. Reece had been
one of the first ranchers to welcome her into the community when she first came
to the Lucky L. She knew her acceptance as the new owner of the facility was
due in large part to his efforts. Especially after two of the longtime
employees had actually tried to break the will. They were gone, she was still
there. And over the past year, she and Katie had become close.

Liz loved the ambience of the Riverwalk, a
complete change from her daily work surroundings. Restaurants and shops lined
the stone pathways on either side of the very narrow San Antonio River. Throngs
of people, both locals and tourists, strolled along, and the signature river
barges floated up and down filled with sightseers. It was a casual, colorful,
relaxed environment.

Katie laughed. “Come on. It can’t be that bad.”

Liz took a swallow of her frozen margarita and
made a face. “Worse. Lordy, Katie, you just don’t know what it’s like always
having to act like ‘one of the boys’ only more so. They’re all just waiting for
me to make one misstep.”

“Oh, honey, I know it’s tough, but Reece says you’re
doing one damn fine job.”

“Would you think I was terrible if I said just
between us chickens here that it’s been far too long since I had something
between my legs besides a horse?”

Katie leaned across the table. “I know it’s not
funny. I’d hate it if I was in your position. But surely there are guys you’ve
met outside the ranch. I mean, you go to a lot of the same events we do, and I
see lots of single men there from all over the Hill Country and South Texas.”

Liz picked a tortilla chip out of the basket,
dipped it in the queso, and chewed while she tried to figure out how to answer
her friend. Could she spill the details to Katie about her sexual needs? Would
the woman look at her with distaste? With disgust? Curiosity?

Damn it, she had to have someone to talk to. No
matter how friendly she and Reece were, this wasn’t exactly something you
discussed with a man. She’d made friends with some of the women in town,
especially those who brought their horses to the Lucky L for training. But not
anyone she could really open up to.

She washed the chip down with a sip of her drink.
Well, if she trusted anyone, she trusted the Hallidays. What was the worst that
could happen? Katie would tell her to either change her sexual preferences or
take a long vacation and find a hot hunk to tangle the sheets with.

“My problem,” she began slowly, “isn’t just that
I don’t want to go trolling in the waters where I work. It’s partly…my sexual
preferences.”

Katie’s eyes widened fractionally. “Surely you’re
not telling me that women are your thing.”

Liz giggled. “Oh, my lord. No. That’s not it at
all.”

“Well, then, what? Come on, girl. How bad can it
be?”

Liz helped herself to another chip, dipping it
carefully, giving her time to frame her words. “Do you know what a sexual
submissive is?”

The other woman stared at her for what seemed
like an endless moment, then she leaned back in her chair and laughed. Actually
laughed until tears rolled down her cheeks.

Anger streaked up from inside Liz, burning hot.
This was the last thing she’d expected from her friend. “I’m sorry you find
this so outrageous,” she said in a carefully controlled voice.

Katie patted her face with her napkin and took a
long swallow of her water, then shook her head. “Honey, I’m not laughing at
you. I promise.” More water. “Here’s the thing.” She took a deep breath and
looked intently at Liz. “I have my own secrets, girl friend.
I’m
a
sexual submissive.”

Liz stared at her friend as if she’d been
speaking in alien tongues. Surely she’d misheard her.

“Are you just saying that?” She narrowed her eyes
in suspicion. “Because if you are, I don’t appreciate it.”

“Liz, Liz, Liz.” This time Katie picked up her margarita,
sipped at it, and set the glass back down. “Let me tell you a little story.”

“A story.”

“Uh huh.” Another sip. “Eleven years ago I was
sitting in my apartment in Atlanta with a fresh college diploma and no job
prospects. At least none that paid a living wage. Then a friend of mine told me
she knew some people who owned three social clubs. They were looking for a
bookkeeper.”

Liz lifted one eyebrow. “Social clubs?”

“So to speak.” She smiled. “After the interview,
he told me what kind of clubs they were and said I’d need to see them before I
could agree to take the job. If I turned it down, he’d completely understand.
Imagine my shock when I walked into the first place and discovered it was a
fetish club.”

Now it was Liz’s turn to laugh as she visualized
the shock on her friend’s face. “You took the job, right?”

“Oh, yeah. I hadn’t planned to use my degree to
be a bookkeeper, but the salary they were offering was too good to bypass. I
wasn’t stupid enough to turn it down. And benefits they were great.”

“So what happened after that?”

“Well, it’s hard to be around places like that
and ignore what’s going on. The various activities began to fascinate me, and I
found myself being drawn to what happened in the voyeur rooms. Then…” She
looked away for a moment, and something flitted across her face. “I met a guy.
I was incredibly attracted to him. He was the one who trained me as a sub.
Meanwhile, I ended up managing one of the clubs.”

“So you’ve been in the life all this time?”

“Uh huh.” Katie looked up at the waiter. “Give us
another few minutes, okay? We haven’t really looked at the rest of the menu.”
Then she turned back to Liz. “But about a year and a half ago, I had a
relationship that ended badly. I wanted out of Atlanta. And lucky for me, there
was someone looking to hire a new manager. In San Antonio.”

Liz nearly choked on her chip. “Are you kidding
me?”

“Not in the least. He owns a fetish club called
Rawhide, with a silent partner. At the far north end of the city.”

“That is just so unbelievable. Who are these
guys? Do I even know them?”

Katie gave her a sly smile. “You know one of
them. His name’s Reece Halliday.”

Liz had just taken a swallow of her drink. She
snorted some of it through her nose, choked on the rest, and did her best to
get control of herself.

“Damn, Katie,” she said when she could speak
again. “Reece owns a fetish club? And he hired you?”

“You bet.”

“But…but I thought you guys knew each other years
ago. Maybe even planned to get married. Then something happened.”

“The
something
was I discovered Reece was
an unrepentant Dom, and at that time, it scared the shit out of me.”

“But not anymore,” Liz guessed.

“No.” Katie chuckled. “Far from it.”

“Why did he open the club?”

Katie shrugged. “He got tired of flying around
the country for sex, and you know he couldn’t exactly be open about it around
here.” Her lips quirked up in a secret smile. “But I’m glad we found each other
again, and I have to say, our sex life is beyond wonderful.” She winked at Liz.
“Or is that too much information?”

Liz just shook her head. “I thought there wasn’t
anything that could surprise me. Shows you how wrong I was. But you don’t still
work at the club, right?”

“No. When we got married, we decided that would
complicate things too much. But I still wanted to use my skills and the ranch
manager was retiring so I just stepped into that slot.”

“Well. Well, well, well.”

“Uh huh.” Katie fished an ice cube out of her
glass and stuck it in her mouth.

“You know, I have to keep a tight rein on myself
twenty four/seven so none of those yahoos who work for me think I’m the least
bit weak. The bedroom is the only place I can really let myself go.” She
sighed. “And I miss it. Before John left me the ranch, I took long vacations
here and there and always found a club where I could play.”

“No long term relationship?”

Liz felt the chill starting deep inside herself
and forced it away. “Bad history. Nothing I can talk about.” She forced herself
to relax. “Anyway, now I’m under such scrutiny, and I’m afraid to go to the
store without an explanation.”

“You don’t think maybe you’re exaggerating just a
little?”

“Oh, no. You come over there sometime and then
ask me that question.”

“So. Maybe I can help you with your problem after
all.”

“You mean…No. I don’t think so.”

Go to Reece’s club? Where he and Katie would know
what she was doing? Oh, wait. They did the same things. She had to deliberately
shut her mind to images of Katie and Reece and D/s play. Much too much
information.

“Come on,” Katie urged. “You can go when Reece
and I are there. Sit around in the lounge and get a sense of things. See if it
feels comfortable to you.”

“You still go to the club to play?” Liz was
surprised.

“Well…they have a lot more equipment than we do.”
She grinned. “And it adds a little more spice. Anyway, how about if I call you
the next time we’re going? You can ride with us or follow so you have your own
wheels.”

Liz idly crumbled a tortilla chip. “I don’t know
if I could face Reece if he knew…you know…”

Katie reached across the table and squeezed her
hand. “He’s the least judgmental person I know. Besides, wouldn’t that be kind
of the pot calling the kettle black?” She leaned back. “Now, shall we order?
All this conversation has me starved. Not for food, but that will do.”

****

How the hell had she let herself be talked into
this? Reece had dropped Katie off so they could drive in together, and he’d
acted very normal, very nonchalant about the whole thing. It took the edge off
her nerves. Like minds and all that. She’d just known him for so long in
another context. Still, the two of them had gone out of their way to make her
feel as comfortable as possible.

She’d missed the intimacy of D/s play, the chance
to let go of everything, release control for a short time to someone she
trusted. But she’d never let it go beyond a few sessions with the same Dom.
Never again. She couldn’t risk it.

If she just focused on tonight and its
possibilities, she could forget her self-consciousness with the Hallidays as
well as the unpleasant memories she kept buried. Tonight would be a fresh
start. A private start. And she’d keep it that way.

She squirmed in her chair in a corner of the big
lounge area at Rawhide. From where she sat now she had a pretty good view of
the activity in the club. Down one hallway were the private rooms, and behind
her the voyeur rooms for public viewing. Before Reece guided her to her seat
she’d glanced into the first room. A curvy redhead was spread-eagled on a St.
Andrews Cross, the base of a large dildo just visible below her pussy. It was
obviously working as her body vibrated and shook. Beside her stood a muscular
man, who reminded Liz of a football player, wielding a flogger. Striping the
woman’s ass. The speakers in the room were turned on so the woman’s cries could
be heard throughout the lounge.

Liz immediately felt liquid soak the crotch of
her thong and her pulse throbbed with a racing heartbeat. She hadn’t been in a
club—or any part of the scene—for so long, and her starved senses were crying
for satisfaction. She crossed her legs and adjusted her skirt, squeezing her
thighs together against the sudden throbbing in her cunt.

“Here you go.” Katie sat down next to her and
handed her a glass of club soda.

The club had a full bar, but serious players
usually didn’t drink until after their sessions. Too easy to lose control and
fall into a dangerous situation. Even after that, there was a two drink limit.
And while Liz hadn’t really come tonight with the intention of hooking up, the
possibility was always there.

“You doing okay?” Katie looked at her over the
rim of her coffee cup.

“Yes. I feel strange and comfortable at the same
time. Does that make sense?”

“Of course. If you’ve been away from it for a
while, you need readjusting. That’s only natural.”

Liz drank some of the soda. “I can’t believe I
haven’t even heard of this place.”

“Reece and his partner are very good at keeping
it on the downlow. Reece has his own reputation to protect, you know,

sad as it is to say.”

The cries of the woman in the voyeur room had
changed to those of someone in the grip of approaching orgasm. Liz’s own cunt
pulsed in response.

“You don’t have to babysit me,” she told her
friend. “Go find Reece and enjoy yourself.”

“I have no intention of leaving you alone,” Katie
protested. “Not when you just got here.”