Branded (The Club)

I saw her before she saw me, and my fingers tensed holding the steering wheel. Fuck. Dinner would definitely take too long tonight. She stood in front of the bank, a dress skimmed her honey-colored legs, and heeled shoes covered her feet with ribbon that wrapped around her ankles with jaunty chocolate bows that matched her dress. She looked good enough to eat, and my mouth watered thinking about how she might taste.

I parked on the street, throwing it into park, and hopped out too impatient to turn the truck off.

“Hello, Langley.” I watched her eyes dart away, feigning interest in the brightly painted fire hydrant, and I had to touch her. My hand skimmed her arm, and she sighed turning toward me.

“Hi,” she said, taking a step into my personal space. I welcomed it, seeing her eyes darken with what I assumed was a mutual desire.

“Ready?” I guided her to the truck and opened the door.

“As I’ll ever be.”

I chuckled at her response. She was perfect and had no idea. I shut the door, clenching my fist to get myself under control.

The five courses of dinner were an exercise in patience and denial for me, not Langley, whom I goaded into talking with two glasses of wine to ease her during the meal. The steak was a beautiful T-bone cut cooked medium rare of which I tasted nothing. I wanted to skip the crème brûlée, but when Langley shyly asked for it when the waiter asked for our preferences, I found it impossible to deny her polite request. It was a combination of luck, the taste of crisp burnt sugar on my lips, and the custard I choked down that Langley made it out of dinner still intact.

Intentionally, The Club was close by, so the drive was mere minutes when I parked in the lot behind the building. I wanted everything to be perfect and had my usual table was reserved. I looked forward to seeing how Langley viewed The Club through new eyes. My previous submissives were already familiar with the lifestyle and needed no introduction. Like Chelsea, they came for the thrill and to appease their curiosity. Most were established members engaged in the lifestyle and knew what they were getting into.

Langley was barely green-broke. It was easy to tell from the shy looks and timid behavior when I was in her personal space. I didn’t think she was unfamiliar with sex, but I seriously doubted this was familiar territory for her. Everyone had a varying level of kink; mine was primarily to feel in control. I didn’t want a brat, or a switch. I needed someone who was agreeable to giving in to me. I didn’t mind teaching, and a little feistiness was fine, but outright disrespect or demanding nagging wouldn’t work.

As I predicted, Langley’s eyes widened when we walked in. I nodded to Tally Fremanis who was speaking to another group of newbies. Tally acknowledged me, smiling when she saw my guest. She knew I could take things from here having been a long-standing member and a good friend of Jet’s.

“This place…” Her voice trailed off as I guided her to our waiting table. Couples engaged in touching and light play. Several women wore obvious collars, and I could see a man I knew outside The Club fingering his date under a table barely concealed.

I wet my lip ready to get her take on it. “Tell me what you think about it.”

“Well…it’s not a dance club.” She fussed in her seat.

“No. It’s a sex club,” I told her bluntly, addressing her unasked question.

“I’m sorry. D-did you say a sex club?” she whispered, scooting closer to me. Poor little lamb thought I would protect her, but I was the wolf in sheep’s clothing, waiting to debauch her if she would let me.

“It’s actually a club that engages in the BDSM lifestyle.”

Her hand covered her mouth, and her eyes grew big like saucers. “You mean like the movie?” Her whisper was louder this time, but there was no censure in her voice that I could tell.

“Not exactly.” I waved off the bartender, declining a drink offered from across the room. We had two glasses of wine at dinner and The Club’s limit was two, which I vehemently abided by even if I drank prior to coming. I felt we both needed clear minds to have this conversation. “I hope Hollywood isn’t your only frame of reference, darlin’.”

“I can’t say I’ve been to one before.”

“Is that good or bad?” My

plan was to take her around to see how she responded to all the things that interested me. So far she looked curious and I remained hopeful. I’m sure most first dates didn’t include a stop at a BDSM club, but I wasn’t a typical guy with vanilla needs. She was either on board or not, and if she wasn’t then I would take her home where she could curl up with her romantic comedies on Netflix and a pint of ice cream. However, if the night went well, I might engage my bright-eyed filly in a little bit of sane and consensual play.

“How does it work?” she asked, and I had no doubt before we left here tonight she would say yes to my offer, begging me please.

5

Sloan

Langley stepped inside the room where the darkness casted her in negative light, all dark with the glow coming from a single spot light blinding her shape from my view. Following her, I shut the door to the room, letting the lock slip with a low snick sound into place. I watched her walk to the center of the room. A couch filled the space, wide enough for two bodies to lie out on. It was velvet, a bitch to clean and a nightmare to replace, but I liked it newly decorated. I trusted Jet and the staff implicitly to keep the place spotless.

“This room, it’s amazing.” Langley trailed her hand down the curve of the couch. I came up behind her, letting my hands trace down her thin, almost boney shoulders under the fabric of her dress.

“I think there are better things to look at.” Leaning in, I spoke softly letting my voice drop on purpose, feeling her shudder under my hands. I clasped her wrist in my hand, counting her elevated heartbeat. She wasn’t scared, but her pulse fluttered under her skin in a rapid beat that was hard to count.

Bending her head upward, her neck looked elegant and long in the light. I wondered what thoughts were swirling inside her head. Soon I could demand she tell me, but for now I kept myself in check and waited for her to set the pace.

“What happens next?” She turned to me, chest heaving with labored breaths. I watched her breasts rise under the silk of her dark dress, and my skin tightened, holding back from touching her.