The Game (5 page)

Chapter Five

Cade and Amy took a half day from work the following Friday and drove to Atlanta from
Nashville. Amy worked for The Rockwood Group. Cade owned it. They were still living
in the condo Riley had purchased several years ago. When the dust settled after Riley
broke up with Christine, and Amy and Cade reconciled their issues, Riley and Cade
had agreed to swap homes and cities and jobs. It was a win-win for both parties. Amy
wasn’t willing to leave her new job in Nashville, and Riley needed to get as far away
from Christine as possible.

When Amy explained all of this to me months ago, the story had been so convoluted
it was difficult to follow, but I assumed I had the gist of it correct.

Cade and Riley jointly owned three technology companies with their third partner,
Parker, in Charlotte. I had only met Parker briefly the night of the engagement party.
He’d arrived later, and Riley and I had already hit it off and were several beers
into the party.

To say the last week had been long and informative would be an understatement. I did
spend a lot of time in the evenings reading everything I could get my hands on about
BDSM. I was still extremely leery about Amy’s lifestyle choice, but at least I no
longer feared for her safety. Apparently most people practiced a very consenting form
of dominance and submission.

I did find myself squirming a few times as I read, especially when I saw pictures
of people tied up and submitting to the hands of their Dom or Domme. It was titillating.
I couldn’t deny that much.

I was grateful Riley left me alone. He didn’t call or text once.

I knew Amy had spoken to him and asked him to give me some time.

The layers of issues I had with Riley piled up until the mountain was too high to
climb. Nothing had changed about my feelings for him in the sense that I still had
the hots for him on a purely base level. Now I had to add bondage and dominance to
the list of things he enjoyed.

My hand shook as I tried to apply mascara. I kept smudging it and having to wipe it
off my eyelid.

Amy and Cade were going to arrive any minute, and I wasn’t ready. I wasn’t sure I
would ever be ready.

When the doorbell rang, I jumped.

“Jesus, Cheyenne, get a grip,” I muttered under my breath.

I made my way to the front of the apartment and opened the door.

Amy burst through, dropped her bag, and pulled me into her embrace. “Missed you.”

Cade stepped in behind her, an indulgent grin on his face.

I loved the way he looked at her—like he was the luckiest man alive. There was no
way in hell Cade was abusing Amy in any way. I didn’t believe it. On the other hand,
I tried not to ponder what the two of them did together behind closed doors. It was
their business, and it gave me the heebie jeebies.

My entire body relaxed as Cade shut the door. I didn’t realize how nervous I’d been
until I set my eyes on my friend and her fiancé and reassured myself she was happy
and adored.

Amy grabbed my hand and tugged. “Come on.” She picked up the large bag she’d carried
in and lured me toward my hall. “Let’s get dressed. I’m going to rock your world.”

I glanced down at my outfit. “I
am
dressed.”

Amy rolled her eyes. “Not for where we’re going.”

Whoa. I glanced back at Cade, who rolled his eyes and shook his head. “I’ve created
a monster.”

When we got to my bedroom and shut the door, Amy dropped her bag on my bed and unzipped
it.

“Where exactly are we going?”

“To a party. It’s actually a private party. I know I said we’d go to a club, but friends
of Cade are having a fetish party at their house tonight, so even better.” She beamed
as she unzipped her jeans and tugged them off her body, giggling. “Cade hates it when
I wear jeans.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. That’s why I do it.” She winked at me. Who was this friend of mine? I stood
rooted to my spot, watching her pull her T-shirt over her head and grab things from
the bag.

I hadn’t changed clothes with Amy since college. She hadn’t owned any underwear as
sexy as what she wore now. “Damn, girl. That’s seriously sexy lingerie you have on.”

She lifted her brows.

“Cade.” I stated. Of course. “So…holy shit.” I lost track of my line of thinking when
Amy pulled a miniscule piece of material out of the bag and slinked into it. It was
a dress, sort of. But it left nothing to the imagination.

“You like it?” She glanced down as she smoothed the material over her hips. It was
black, thin, short, and revealing.

I stepped closer. “You look gorgeous. But damn. That’s a lot of skin.” The front hung
low enough to expose the cleavage created by the lace bra she wore. The back crisscrossed
over her skin, hugged her perfect ass, and landed barely below the globes.

Amy pulled out another dress. “This one’s for you.”

I held up my hands. “Wait. No way.” I was dressed in a skirt and blouse and my fuck-me
heels. That was bad enough for a night out with people I didn’t know at a fetish party.
I didn’t need to make it worse.

“Yep. Come on. I bought it for you the other day. It’ll fit you perfectly, and you’ll
make heads turn.”

I stared at the item she held up with both hands to display it more precisely. The
top was halter style, the material so thin it would barely conceal my breasts. “I
don’t think I want to make any heads turn at a fetish party. Shit. You can’t even
wear a bra with that.”

“Nope.” She held it out. “Come on. I can’t wait to see you in it.”

I reached for the dress tentatively, figuring if I at least tried it on, I could prove
she was crazy and get us one step closer to “hell no.” “Fine. But I’m not leaving
the house in that.”

I laid it on the bed and undressed. When I popped my bra off, I shivered. This was
insane.

Amy was right. It was exactly my size. It fell luxuriously over my skin. The material
was so soft, I hardly noticed I was wearing anything.

Amy circled behind me and tied the top at the neck.

I inched over to my full-length mirror. It was a deep midnight blue, almost black.
The silky material covered the parts that mattered most, barely. My breasts felt completely
exposed. My nipples rubbed against the dress with every step. It hugged my slender
stomach and then ended with a full skirt that hung obscenely short over my ass.

“There is no way I’m wearing this.”

“Of course you are. It’s fantastic. I’m jealous actually.” Amy rounded me and stepped
between me and the mirror. She held up a thong with two fingers. “Change into this.
It matches the dress. Most female subs don’t wear panties, but I knew you’d balk at
the idea.”

I scrunched up my nose. “I’m not super fond of thongs, Amy.”

“Yeah, but do it this time. Trust me. You’ll love the feeling. It’s not like you’re
wearing jeans or something that will push the strap up in your ass. It’s a dress.
Trust me. You’ll feel incredibly sexy with your ass bare. Just knowing what you don’t
have on under a dress can raise your arousal.”

“And why would I want to be aroused?”

Amy shrugged. “Never know. Just being prepared.” She grinned.

I slipped out of my normal bikini panties and stepped into the thong. It was little
more than a few pieces of lace with a triangle that covered my most intimate parts.

And then I stared at myself in the mirror, taking deep breaths. “This is crazy, Amy.
I don’t belong in the fetish world.”

“That’s what Riley thinks. Let’s prove him wrong.”

My face flushed. “But he’s
not
wrong.” My hands shook as I adjusted the front of the dress. Every single movement
brushed against my nipples. They stood at attention, sensitive and tight.

Through the mirror, I glanced at Amy. She was still smiling. “Just give it a try.
I’m only asking you to go with us and watch. What’s the worst that can happen?”

Chapter Six

My entire body trembled as I followed Amy and Cade through the front door of their
friend’s house. A man greeted us. He shook hands with Cade. Amy stood demurely next
to her fiancé with her head bowed.

My trembling turned into a shudder as Cade set a hand on the bare small of my back
and ushered me forward. “Cheyenne, this is Master Dillon. This is his house.”

“Welcome.” Dillon smiled broadly. “I’m sure Cade gave you the rundown, but it’s pretty
simple. House rules are easy. Safe, sane, and consensual is number one. Whatever safe
word you choose is fine, but
red
trumps in my home. No piss play. No scat play. No blood. No permanent marks. Other
than that, have fun, look around, enjoy.”

He swiped a hand farther into the foyer.

I held my breath. My head spun from that ridiculous list. Piss? Feces? Blood? Was
he kidding?

“Amelia. Gaze on the floor. I’ll handle Cheyenne from here.”

I swallowed as Amy nodded. She’d gone by Amy for as long as I’d known her, but I’d
heard Cade call her by her full name on many occasions. Apparently he liked it.

Cade took my elbow and led me farther into the house. Voices grew louder as we stepped
into a giant great room filled with about two dozen people. Except for the unusual
attire of many of the guests, it looked like any other party—people standing around
talking in groups, drinking, snacking.

Cade leaned in to speak to me again. “You’ll notice most of the submissives keep their
heads bowed. It’s normal if they’re playing. Some of them may not speak much either.
No one expects that of you tonight. Take everything in. I know it can be overwhelming
at first, but watch.”

I let my gaze travel around the room. Many of the women were dressed in similar revealing
clothing. A few wore less. Two of them wore corsets that left their nipples exposed.

I swallowed hard. My heart beat fast.

Why was I here?

No way in hell was I going to date a man who wanted to control me. No matter what
I’d read on Google, I couldn’t see myself turning my will over to anyone—not even
Riley.

My stomach clenched at the thought of Riley as a Dom. I closed my eyes for a moment
and pictured him standing over me, his gaze boring into mine, his mouth a firm line.
This is what he does?

I squirmed, shocked by my reaction to the thought of him controlling me. My pussy
tightened and wetness leaked out to soak the tiny swatch of silk between my legs.
I wanted to cross my arms over my chest, but decided that would look absurd.

Instead I gripped my hands into fists at my sides.

“Would you like a glass of wine?” Cade asked. “I don’t let Amelia drink more than
one glass when we’re playing, but I’ll go grab you each a drink if you want.”

I nodded up at him. “Or the bottle,” I muttered. This was like a game. An orchestrated
game that consenting adults “played” in order to improve their sex?

He chuckled, kissed Amy on the forehead, and cupped her face. “At ease, baby. I’ll
be right back.”

As Cade wandered toward the kitchen area, Amy stepped closer to me. “What do you think?”

“I think I’m in shock.”

“When we get our drinks, we’ll go downstairs. That’s where the real action is. You
can watch a few scenes.”

“There’s more?”

She giggled. “Of course. The basement will have areas staged for playing.”

I could imagine what she meant. And it made me even more nervous. “How often do you
do this sort of thing?”

“Parties? Not that often. Once a month. Maybe twice. We practice D/s at home.”

I blew out a breath.
At home
. “How…exactly? If you don’t mind me asking.” I turned to face her more fully.

“I don’t mind. Most evenings I submit to Cade. He makes decisions. I don’t question
him.”

“Why?”

She smiled. “Because the sex is out of this world.”

I stiffened. I would be lying to myself if I couldn’t see that. Just being in this
room made me feel aroused.

“Does he spank you?”

“Sometimes. But not for punishment anymore.”

“Anymore?” What the…?

Amy giggled again. “He tried to discipline me with spankings early on, but I liked
it too much. Now he uses time outs when I’m disobedient.” She shrugged. “And realistically
that isn’t very effective either. I spend most of the time wiggling in my spot, needy.
The only thing unpleasant about it is being ignored. I hate being ignored.”

I shivered. My best friend of over six years was dropping one bomb after another at
my feet. I wondered if I ever knew her at all.

Her shoulders lowered. “I know this is a lot to take in, but just relax and look around.
Open your mind. You might find aspects of BDSM you enjoy more than you can imagine.”

I found that hard to believe, but on the other hand, I’d be lying to myself if I pretended
I wasn’t horny. In theory it was all well and good, but that didn’t mean I would let
anyone order me around.

Not even Riley.

****

I tried not to spill my wine while Cade led us downstairs. It was darker in the basement,
and the atmosphere was extremely different. The first thing I noticed was how much
quieter it was. People were standing around in groups on the edges of various scenes,
but they were almost reverent.

A St. Andrew’s Cross caught my attention. Cade left us to talk to someone he knew,
and Amy and I stood to the left of the scene and watched.

Amy whispered in my ear. “The man on the cross is a sub.”

“Oh.”
Of course
. There was no law that said submissives had to be female. Duh.

“The guy circling him is a Dom. Not his own Dom, but an experienced one who people
often request a scene with.”

“You can do that?”

“Yep. As long as all parties agree. Cade wouldn’t let another man lay his hands on
me in this lifetime, but not everyone’s Dom is as possessive.”

I could see that with Cade. Even though I hadn’t known he and Amy practiced BDSM,
I had known Cade was attentive and almost overpowering. Now that I knew more about
their relationship, it all made more sense.

Cade returned and threaded a hand into Amy’s hair. “Amelia, I reserved a spanking
bench for you.”

Amy’s expression sobered. “Yes, Sir.”

Cade lifted an eyebrow. “I thought it would be easier for Cheyenne if she watched
you participate. You okay with that?”

Amy nodded. “Yes, Sir.”

I cringed at the way she said
Sir
, but I also knew it was part of the role playing. I just wasn’t used to it—and certainly
not coming from Amy.

I wondered how much clothing she would wear. Some of the women in the room were completely
naked. It shocked me to picture Amy doing something like that in public. It was one
thing for her to submit to her man at home, but here? Naked? Exposed to everyone?
Yikes.

Cade led Amy away from the cross before I got a chance to see what the Dom had in
mind. I followed behind my friends, watching the way Cade led Amy by the neck, possessive
and loving at the same time.

Again, a rush of arousal spread through my body. Just watching Amy submit to Cade
made things happen to my body that were entirely unexpected.

As we entered another room, Cade nodded toward the wide open doorway and met my gaze.
“Stand wherever you’re comfortable.” He took my glass and set it on a high bar table
just inside the door, undoubtedly noticing how badly I was shaking.

I leaned against the frame of the door, gripping it with one hand so tightly my fingers
turned white. I needed to brace myself to avoid collapsing.

Cade slipped his hand from Amy’s neck to her back, and then he settled his palms on
her hips and lifted her onto the bench. It was like a small padded picnic table. The
“table” portion was only about six inches wide. Her legs spread over the center and
landed on padded areas on both sides. Her elbows did the same next to her head. She
leaned on her right cheek, her hair falling over her face enough to curtain her from
the room.

Apparently Cade didn’t want her face covered, however, because he tucked the thick
brown locks behind her ear and then kissed her cheek. He said something into her ear
next. She smiled and nodded.

I melted a little more as Cade moved around her as if this were a performance.
A game
, I reminded myself.

My breaths were shallow as Cade stroked his palms up Amy’s thighs and drew her skirt
up over her ass. He set the loose material on her lower back, leaving her ass exposed
to the room.

I was both shocked and horny. Holy shit this was hot. Every move Cade made increased
my arousal. I squeezed my legs together, but nothing helped. It unnerved me that I
was so turned on by this lifestyle. Was everyone as aroused as me? Or was I some sort
of pervert?

The first time Cade’s hand landed on Amy’s skin, she flinched. So did I. And a rush
of wetness released from my pussy. The second spank drew a soft moan from my lips,
and I bit into the lower one to stifle the crazy reaction.

Several more spanks landed in succession across Amy’s thighs and ass. Her skin turned
pink. It looked warm. Cade stroked his palms down the backs of her legs and then up
to grasp her butt cheeks, caressing them, molding them with his hands.

Amy’s mouth hung open. Her eyes were closed. She looked like she could come at any
moment.

As the next spank made contact, a hand landed on my bare lower back. I nearly jumped
out of my skin, twisting to see who was behind me.

Riley.

His face was unreadable as his gaze met mine. In fact, I knew he was trying to read
me
. He pressed harder on my back and stepped into my space. He hesitated about two seconds,
and then his gaze darted to my mouth, and he leaned in and took my lips with his own.

The kiss was instantly deep and smoldering. I turned slightly to more fully face him,
and he crowded me against the wall. His legs straddled mine as he consumed me with
his mouth.

I grabbed his waist, angling my head to one side as he gripped my chin and directed
my face.

His tongue plunged into my mouth to dance with mine. When he sucked gently, my knees
buckled. That’s how powerful the kiss was.

Riley pressed his body into mine to hold me upright. His free hand landed on my waist,
spanning to cover the naked skin of my back with several fingers. All but his thumb.

His thumb landed just below my breast and stroked maddeningly against the lower swell.

I moaned, unable to stop the sound from escaping into his mouth.

His cock pressed into my belly, the huge length of it teasing me.

By the time he pulled back and released my mouth, I was a pile of goo. I had no muscle
mass. He set his forehead against mine and searched my eyes. “Jesus, Cheyenne.”

I sucked in a deep breath, licking my swollen lips. “What are you doing here?”

“I was about to ask you the same thing.”

“I came with Cade and Amy.”

“I see that.” He nodded subtly behind him where I assumed Amy was still getting spanked.
“They failed to mention you’d be with them.” He stroked his thumb over my bottom lip.
“You’re so fucking sexy.” His eyelids lowered, and he took a long deep breath. “Did
you know that every man in this room is staring at your hot body in that dress?” He
plucked at the material just over my breast.

I fisted my hands in his shirt at his waist. “I might kill Amy.”

“I’m betting she didn’t know I was coming either. Cade told me they were coming. Not
a word about you, however.” He searched my eyes again. “I assume you’ve never been
to one of these before.”

“Why would you assume that?”

He smirked. “You were gripping the doorframe as if it wouldn’t stand up on its own,
and your eyeballs were bugging out of your head.”

“How long have you been watching me?”

“Long enough.” His thumb grazed the underside of my breast again. “Long enough that
I couldn’t stop myself from taking your mouth.”

I inhaled deeply. My nipples puckered. My breasts felt heavier.

“Long enough to know I needed to claim you before anyone else moved in on you.” Riley
glanced down at my chest and moaned. He released my face and lowered his hand to grasp
my waist on the other side until both hands now held me firmly beneath my breasts.
“Hell, I can’t even manage to feel sorry for kissing you like that. You’re like a
drug. Potent.”

I arched into his touch. For so long I’d wanted him to touch me, kiss me, hold me.
And now that it was real, I wasn’t disappointed. His kisses were much better in person
than I’d even imagined when I masturbated.

“I’m sorry about last weekend. Christine’s a bitch.”

“Yeah.”

“I take it you called Amy and got the entire scoop.”