Submissive Seductions (2 page)

Looking away, I really did focus my attention on Connie and her friends then. There was something intense in that man’s gaze that unsettled me down to my very core. I didn’t like the butterflies that had decided to take up residence in my stomach, or how I knew he’d been the reason they were there.

Thankfully, it wasn’t much longer before Christian came back out on the stage. It was impressive how quickly he managed to work the crowd up. Over the break there’d been a bit of a shift of the crowd, some of the Doms had moved away to be replaced by people who I assumed to be subs. The competition was going to be fierce.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we are ready to rumble once more. This time, it’s Doms on parade!”

Shit. I took a deep breath and got ready.

Connie grabbed my arm and gave me a squeeze. “Okay, here we go.”

“I’m not sure how much to spend.” What the hell was it worth to spend a night figuring out fundamentally who you were? I don’t think you can actually put a price tag on something like that.

“I told you not to worry about the money. Plus, I have a plan.”

“Connie.” I know I was whining, but I’d been on the receiving end of her plans on more than one occasion. They usually ended up with stains on my clothing and several bruises.

“Shut up.” Connie grinned. “Don’t vote on this first one. Or even the second. I’m waiting for someone particular to come up.” Connie squeezed my bare arm, her blood red nails digging into the skin. “He’ll be worth every penny.”

“Had him before?” Taking my best friend’s castoff wasn’t something I’d had in mind when I’d agreed to come tonight.

“Well, kind of. He’s a friend of Stephen’s and we’ve hung out a lot over the past few months. I’ve done a scene with both of them once. Just trust me, okay. Gareth’s perfect for you.” Normally, trust wasn’t an issue between us, so I was willing to roll with it for the time being. God help her if he turned out to be some sort of weirdo.

I’m not sure what Connie’s definition of perfect was, but the three men who came ahead of the man she had in mind would have been pretty fucking amazing as far as I was concerned. They were fit and attractive and I had no doubt they could rock my world. So what if one of them had more piercings than me, the second looked like he belonged in a biker gang, and the third . . . were those vampire teeth?

Okay, I was going to trust her after all.

When Connie grabbed my arm again and bounced, a nervous rush pounded through me that set my skin tingling. Christ, I was really going to do this. With the man my best friend thought was perfect for me.

It was the man from behind the curtain.

I probably should have been paying attention to the announcer going on about Master Gareth’s specialties, his background as a Dom, that he worked at a university, had a PhD, blah, blah, blah. I normally have a great head for details and can pull them up at a moment’s notice. The only thing I could focus on was the intense look in his eyes as he scanned the crowd.

What the hell was I getting myself into?

Now that he was out in the open, I couldn’t help but further appreciate his appearance. He was tall, at least six feet, if not over, and his brown hair was long enough to look stylish, without falling into the messy category. He hadn’t shaved, so he had the sexy scruff look going on. The tight T-shirt he wore did little to hide the very fit body lurking beneath, and his leather pants looked sculpted to his legs.

Unlike the others, Master Gareth was someone I would feel comfortable going out to supper with, or bringing home to meet my mom. Hah! I could hear that conversation now.
Hi, this is Gareth. Yeah, we met at a BDSM club. Pass the potatoes, please?

Not that I had any plans beyond buying him for a night of fun.

Or even having a conversation.

I was still debating that last point.

I doubt he could actually see much of anything given how bright the spotlight was, but for a moment when his gaze swept past where I stood, I swear he hesitated. Maybe he was remembering where I’d been standing from before. Why the hell would he even care?

“Ladies, Master Gareth can promise you a night of passion, control, able to push you to your limits.” Christian pointed at the crowd. “Remember, all the proceeds go to the suicide hotline. We’ll start the bidding at one hundred dollars.”

I’m pretty sure Connie was the one who lifted my arm holding the bidding card. She held it up for several minutes until the competition started to fall to the wayside and my courage to keep going kicked in. Someone dimmed the stage lights and I knew the second his eyes adjusted and he could see me. Christ, we were so close to the front of the stage, me below him looking up, he felt like a giant or a god passing judgment over me.

My pussy clenched at the thought of what he could do if we were alone.

“The bid goes to number one thirty-nine for five hundred dollars.” Christian nodded at me and for the first time it looked like my dreams might actually come true.

“Six hundred!” A voice from the side of the room shouted, eliciting a soft
ooooh
from the crowd.

I’m not prone to violence, but I was ready to jump over and punch whoever that woman was. The bitch.

I let my hand drop.

“What are you doing?” Connie hissed and jerked my arm back up. “Six hundred and ten!”

“I can’t afford that.” Well, I could, but things would be tight for the next while. No extra lattes for me.

“I told you I’d help.”

“Six hundred and twenty.” The woman sounded far too chipper.

I looked up once more at Master Gareth and couldn’t hold back a sigh. This was crazy. There were better ways to explore one’s sexuality without skipping groceries for the next month. I would have turned to Connie then and, good cause or no, bowed out. I would have if Master Gareth hadn’t taken that moment to look into my eyes and cock an eyebrow.

Shocking how much a person could say without speaking a word.

I shrugged. What the hell did he expect? I couldn’t afford to let things go too far.

Could I?

Master Gareth smirked.

Shit.

“The bid is six hundred and twenty-five to you, miss.” With Christian’s proclamation, every eye in the room turned to me. I shivered at the attention. Master Gareth snorted loud enough for me to hear him.

Bastard.

“Seven hundred.” The words left my mouth before I gave my brain a chance to process them. Holy crap, I’d gone insane. Absolutely stark raving mad.

I managed to hold Master Gareth’s gaze long enough to hear Christian shout, “Sold!” before I let it fall to the floor. That was the right thing, wasn’t it? No eye contact? What the hell was I doing?
Gah!
At least the hotline would have a good month.

“Come here.” I jumped when I realized it was
him
talking to me and not Christian.

To me.

Tall, strong Master Gareth.

I didn’t need Connie’s shove to get moving, though it did help to point me in the right direction. She’d shoved a handful of bills into my pocket, but I was too freaked out to look at that point. Somehow I made it onto the stage and stumbled across the black floor until I was beside him. The lights were bright and even a bit hot once I’d stood still. His cologne was musky, and yet there was a hint of something very male behind it.

It didn’t seem right to lead him away, so I stood there and waited. The other subs had taken the lead, but right then my brain was misfiring and it was all I could do not to fall over on my face.

“Time to pay.” His words were spoken softly but held the authority I’d secretly been craving.

Looking up at him, I was stunned to see there was a lot of humor lurking in those brown eyes of his. It would be easy to lose myself in them, stare until I forgot myself. When he reached out and squeezed my hand, I jumped. “They’re waiting over here.”

“I hope they take credit.” I muttered the words, barely loud enough for myself to hear. Master Gareth chuckled and I melted even more.

His hand wrapped around my wrist and I was tugged offstage, the cheers and catcalls of the crowd chasing behind me. Master Gareth led me toward a desk off the stage along the side wall close to the bar. Some birdlike woman shoved a number of forms under my nose and instantly launched into a monologue of dos and don’ts.

I briefly remember seeing a waiver, something resembling a release form, and other bits to ensure I wouldn’t come back and sue them if things didn’t go the way I wanted. I did my best to focus on the sheets and make sure I knew what I was signing. Not that I was impulsive by nature, but given what I’d gotten myself into tonight, God only knew what would happen.

“How will you be paying for tonight, dear?” The woman’s too-large eyes blinked at me like she was expecting me to run away any second.

I hated that my hand shook as I reached into my pocket and pulled out what Connie had shoved in there.

Then I gasped.

There were five one-hundred-dollar bills with a Post-It note attached:
Love Connie and Stephen.
I handed the money over, trying to think of a way I could possibly repay them, and pulled out the single blank check I’d shoved into my jean’s front pocket. “I can postdate this, right?”

“Oh yes, darlin’. I suspect you won’t be alone.”

I couldn’t imagine why Connie and Stephen would go through all this to give me a night with a Dom. I mean, we’re good friends and all, but five hundred dollars is a shit-ton of cash for anything. But if they also knew Master Gareth, then there might be something more going on than I knew.

As I filled out the information, along with another sheet promising them my firstborn if the check bounced, I was aware of Master Gareth standing to my side. I could feel his gaze traveling down my body, the weight of it pausing on my ass. He was even more attractive up close and personal than he’d been half shrouded behind the stage.

I shifted my stance, thrusting my hip to the side. Not that I was preening. No, I wouldn’t do that. If he was an ass-man and was taking the time to look in the first place, then who was I to deny him a quick gander? I wasn’t sure if I imagined the soft hum of pleasure coming from him. Maybe it was simply wishful thinking that he had a thing for asses that had a bit of extra padding on them.

The urge to giggle clawed up my throat and threatened to explode. God, I didn’t want him to think I was some sort of crazy freak who lost it over paperwork. Sucking in a breath, I forced my attention back on the forms in front of me.

My back ached slightly as I stood and held out the sheaf of papers along with my payment to bird-lady. “There you go. Holler if I’ve forgotten anything.”

“I’m sure it’s fine, dear. Now, Master Gareth, if you want to use the Blue Room it’s available for you.”

I didn’t see him nod and yet, I could tell he had. It was the same way I knew he stepped away and expected me to follow him. I probably should have jumped right away, but something held my feet in place, preventing me from trailing behind him like a puppy.

Oh yeah, I knew that feeling. It was terror.

I’d forgotten how big a chicken I really was.

“We don’t have to, if you’d prefer something else.” I snapped my gaze up to his at the sound of that wonderfully deep voice. Like his eyes, I think it would be very easy to get lost in it. I knew then if I asked, I could arrange to meet him another night. We could do drinks over at the bar and then I’d have a chance to do some more reading. . . .

“There is a coffee shop—” He inclined his head toward the club’s front doors.

“No!” Wow, that came out a bit more forceful than I’d intended. I licked my lips, surprised at how dry my mouth had suddenly gotten. Master Gareth was smirking now and a small part of me hated him for it. “The Blue Room is fine.”

God have mercy on me.

CHAPTER 2

I had to take a moment to calm my nerves before I could even attempt to follow him. And while there wasn’t any rule stating anything had to happen tonight, I’d just bought an evening with him and it would be a shame not to take advantage.

Honestly, I’d done my fair share of research already. This wasn’t a new fantasy for me. And despite Connie’s moaning, I didn’t go on and on about wanting to find a guy to dominate me in the bedroom. I hadn’t peppered her with questions about what it felt like to be tied up, spanked, fucked with a dildo while you sucked your boyfriend off.

Okay, I might have asked a few questions once or twice.

Maybe a dozen . . .

Master Gareth stopped at the opening to a hallway. He didn’t turn back to face me, but I knew he was waiting. There would be no one to force me into this. The charity would happily take the money regardless of whether I took advantage of my purchase or not. And I’m sure Master Gareth would easily step back up onstage to find another bidder. No one cared if I didn’t take this golden opportunity to explore something that had been haunting me for years. This was all down to me.

I let out a huff, straightened my shoulders, and walked toward him.

When I reached him, Master Gareth turned his face so his profile was clear over his shoulder. “The Blue Room is this way.”

I knew he was giving me a chance to change my mind, to turn around and leave. Not surprising given my hesitation in coming even this far. I would have said it was sweet, but he didn’t come across as the sweet type. Plus I knew if I didn’t do this now and walk away, I’d regret it.

“I’m right behind you.”

“Sir.” There was something about the way he said that single syllable that made me shiver. It was that same feeling deep down that I’d experienced when I’d first caught sight of him behind the curtain. “From this point on you are to address me as Sir.”

“Yes, Sir.” Oh, shit. Shit, damn, holy hell.

He moved then and somehow I was able to follow, keeping a respectable distance behind. The gap gave me opportunity to ogle his ass, which was tight, muscular, and encased in leather. Maybe that was the appeal of the BDSM lifestyle. Leather. It smelled wonderful, primal, felt amazing when I’d run my hands along it.

No, there was more to it than that.

I nearly ran into him when he slowed to let another couple pass us in the hall. He turned his head, quirked his eyebrow once more, and I knew I’d been caught. Well, what did he expect? He had a nice ass.

It didn’t take us long to get where we were going. Master Gareth stopped in front of a door, his hand on the handle. He looked at me again, but this time there was no humor in his gaze. “When we go in, I want you to take the seat that you find inside and place it in the center of the room. Then we are going to have a little chat. Understand?”

A chat? Not exactly what I thought we’d be doing. And why the hell was the idea of having a
conversation
so fucking arousing? I must have been more hard up than I’d thought.

“Yes, Sir.” I wondered if he could hear the pounding of my heart in my chest. It shouldn’t be that difficult given how hard it was beating. God, I think it might have rivaled the dance music that I normally listened to.

His lips twitched into that smirk of his once more. Instead of being infuriating, it was starting to appeal to me. I wondered what else I could do to make him smile? Master Gareth opened the door with a quick twist of the handle and stepped aside to let me past.

The room was surprisingly empty of things that I would have suspected present in a BDSM club. There were rings positioned on the back wall and a small wall unit in the corner. Besides the chair he’d already mentioned, that was it. No large crosses, or swings, no contraptions of any kind. Not even a window or mirror for others to see in or for me to check out how red my skin would look.

I didn’t want to admit to being disappointed, but there was a small part of me that felt like a kid after the Christmas presents had all been opened. Master Gareth cleared his throat and I realized that I was still standing in the doorway. I quickly strode over to the chair, picked it up, and awkwardly carried it to the center of the room. The damn thing was heavy.

I sat down even though he hadn’t mentioned that being a part of the plan. I assumed, even though that tended to get me into trouble, the intent of the chair was for me to use it, not simply stand beside it. He appeared to be the logical type. Rubbing my hands along my jeans, I let out a shaky breath and waited for what was to come next.

Time ticked on for what felt like hours, when, in fact, it must have been only heartbeats. Master Gareth stared at me long enough for the hair on the back of my neck to prickle and a tingle to start somewhere in my toes. It was unnerving and unnatural to be under such intense scrutiny by one person. Me! I’d always been more of a fade into the background type than one to stand out in the spotlight. The way his gaze slipped over my body was almost too much.

He hummed softly before moving into the room and quietly closing the door. As far as I could tell there was no lock, which meant I could leave at any time. Reassuring. He slapped his hand against the side of his leg and looked at me long and hard. I don’t know what I was expecting him to do when he finally did move, but him coming to squat down in front of me, his forearms resting on his knees, wasn’t it.

God, he had sexy arms.

“Hi.” He had a great voice, too. It was deep the way I liked it, gravelly. I hoped he didn’t smoke. “Now, I know you paid for tonight, but there are a few things we need to discuss before I go any further. This is for my benefit as much as yours. Okay?”

Oh. I hadn’t thought he’d need any time to get ready to do something. Maybe my first instinct about taking it slow was correct after all and we were only going to make plans to do this another time, or not do anything at all and simply talk. I was okay with that.

I was.

Well, I’m sure I could work my way into it if I had to.

“Hi.” I smiled, though my cheeks twitched. They did that when I was nervous or had to pose for family photos. “I’m Liz.”

“You’re a friend of Connie’s.” It was a statement and not a question, so he’d clearly recognized her out in the crowd by me. He held out his hand for me to shake. It was a nice hand, large and warm. Everything about him seemed warm and inviting. Not exactly the image I’d had for a Dom. “I haven’t seen you at the club before.”

“No, this is my first time. Connie finally convinced me to come.” I really didn’t want to let go of him, but it would have been weird to keep the handshake going much longer. It was nice when, instead of returning his hand to dangle between his legs, he placed it on my knee.

“Is Liz short for Elizabeth?”

“No, actually. My mom figured everyone would call me Liz anyway so she said she saved me a step.” I laughed. Mom would die if she knew I’d mentioned her in a sex club. She’d die knowing I was even
in
a sex club. More things I’d have to keep to myself. “I always laugh when people call me Elizabeth.”

“So, why are you here, Liz?” He’d started rubbing small circles with his thumb on the inside of my knee. It felt like there was a direct line from that single spot connected to my cunt. Those most intimate of muscles clenched and I was shocked at how aroused I’d gotten in such a short time.

He’d asked me a question? Oh, right. I licked my lips once more and tried to smile again. My lips were still twitching.

“I’m here . . . because I’m curious.”

“About what?” he asked when I didn’t continue. He was perceptive, which I guess shouldn’t have surprised me. “There are many things you could be wondering about. If I don’t know specifically what they are, then I can’t help you.”

This time I couldn’t stop the giggle from escaping. “Sorry.”

“What do you have to be sorry for?” He squeezed my knee and for some reason that helped me relax.

“For being a bit freaked out. This isn’t what I expected tonight would be like.” He wasn’t at all like the Dom I’d pictured in my head. In so many ways he was much better.

“How so?” The glint was back in his eyes and I could tell he was at least seeing the humor in the situation as much as I was.

“First, a distinct lack of nudity.” I shifted in my chair, but not enough to break his touch. “Honestly, I didn’t think there would be this much talking. Connie never mentioned that there would be talking.” To be fair to her, she didn’t say much of anything. She’d always believed in experience being the best teacher.

Master Gareth cocked his head to the side and frowned for a moment. “You’re a stranger to me. I don’t know what your limits are, your likes or dislikes. I’m also a man with a certain amount of pride. I hate failing to live up to expectations.”

“I guess I can appreciate that.”

“I’m a stranger to you as well, Liz. One who will end up having you in some compromising positions. I think taking a few moments to have a conversation and get to know each other would be prudent. Don’t you?”

“Yeah, that makes sense.” Smart, sexy,
and
dominant.

I totally ignored the part of my girl brain that perked up and wanted to ask for his phone number. Because buying him for a night was all well and good, but starting to think about the possibility of having a relationship with him went well beyond what I should be considering just then. I could tell he was calm, where I tended to bounce through life. It would do me some good to find a person like him.

“Liz, can you look at me?”

I hadn’t even realized I’d broken eye contact. Connie always teased me that it was the biggest sign that I was a natural submissive. Get me in the room with a dominant man and I’m incapable of seeing higher than someone’s knees. I found it infuriating; she thought it hilarious.

Master Gareth had beautiful eyes, so why wouldn’t I want to look at them? They weren’t in the least bit feminine, but had a depth to them that I wouldn’t normally associate with a man. There wasn’t an ounce of fat anywhere on him from what I could see. I wouldn’t go so far to say his looks were perfect, but I couldn’t say that about most people. I wouldn’t want him to be either. Imperfections make for a far more interesting person.

I hugged my arms around my middle and hoped I wasn’t showing my muffin top.

“Why
did
you come here tonight?” There was no malice in those eyes. Gareth was curious, was taking the time to get to know me, even if it was only for one night. That was more than I could say about a lot of the men I’d been dating. Connie would, of course, argue that meant I was dating the wrong guys. I couldn’t disagree with her.

Why did I come here tonight? It was more than pressure from Connie to get out and explore my options. It was probably the first time I took a chance on something like this, reached for something that I didn’t simply want, but needed. This time I made sure to hold his gaze. I didn’t want him to have any false impressions.

“Because I needed to know.” And that was the God’s honest truth. Saying I was curious was all well and good, but there was a lot more to it than that. I had to know if this was really who I was, or if it was nothing more than a fantasy. If it was the latter, then I would go home and buy up every e-book I could find with BDSM as the theme. If it was the former . . . well, I’d have to figure that out as I went.

He gave my knee a final squeeze before letting his hand dangle once more. “Then I’ll help you.”

My head began to spin and I had to pull in a few deep breaths to settle my nerves. I’m not sure if it was relief or fear, but either way it was a rush.

“This is really going to happen.” Yes, I’d paid the money, but this whole night didn’t seem real yet. A wonderful dream with the perfect man cast as my Dom. A bevy of undiscovered pleasures stretched out before me.

“If you want it to. But only if you’re honest with me and yourself. I’m not a miracle worker, a psychologist, or a magician. We’ll be in this together tonight, taking things as far as you want them to go. But only if you’re honest with both of us.”

I nodded. Yeah, I got that and for once the idea of laying it all out there for someone to see didn’t freak me out. “I think I’m a submissive.”

“And you wanted to spend some time with a Dom to find out for certain?”

“Yeah.”

“Why the auction? I’m sure Connie could have put you in touch with some people if you had questions.”

“She’d tried, but I always wussed out. She was the one who suggested I come tonight. I wanted something . . .”

“Safe?”

“Contained. If things weren’t what I’d expected, I wanted to make sure it only lasted one night.”

“Why?”

Licking my lips, I tried to find the right words. “If things didn’t go the way I hoped they might, I knew I would be able to walk away. This is only for one night.”

Master Gareth nodded. He linked his fingers together and leaned a bit farther forward on his feet. “Why?”

I twisted in my seat. “I’ve had a few boyfriends in the past, but I never really felt satisfied with them. I was drifting along and none of them seemed able to anchor me.”

“Was there anything any of them did sexually that aroused you?”

Poor John. The memory of his face and the look he’d had on it when I’d asked him to spank me was forever burned there. “Spankings were good for me. None of them were willing to try anything more than that. I think I freaked a few of them out with even the suggestion of something more.”

Master Gareth got to his feet but didn’t move away. He towered over me, his groin just about at face level. The leather pants left little to the imagination, hugging his half-hard cock.

Oh my.

It would be so easy to lean forward and press my face against the hard ridge of his shaft. I would mouth at him until he pulled me away by my hair, yanked the button from its mooring, and shoved his cock in my mouth.