“Rowan! Is that you? Oh, my god. Master Jack, look. It’s Rowan and Trainer Eric.”
Rowan turned toward the female British accent, her face creasing into a smile at the sight of Cleo, the service slave who had been so kind to her during her brief, disastrous stay at the Masters Club.
“Cleo,” Rowan cried happily.
Cleo opened her arms wide, and Rowan stepped into the petite woman’s embrace. She was naked, save for a beautiful blue leather slave collar, exactly the color of her eyes, and a pair of delicate jeweled hoops hanging from her pierced nipples.
Beside Cleo was the tall, blond Jack Hartford, the guy who had shared in their scene that first day. “Rowan,” he said, beaming down at her. “You’re looking well. And Eric—great to see you, man.” The guys clapped each other heartily on the back.
“I’d heard through the grapevine you and Eric are an item now,” Cleo said to Rowan, her large blue eyes sparkling. “I have to tell you, I was so very worried about you when we first met. I’m thrilled things have worked out as they have. I want to hear every single detail of how you got from there to here as soon as possible.”
“It’s a deal,” Rowan said with a laugh. She had never really had girlfriends who were active in the scene. She had resisted John’s insistent efforts to bring another sub into their household, not because she didn’t want the company of a sister sub, but because she didn’t want to feel relegated to second best, tossed over for the latest shiny new toy.
But this was different. Cleo was someone she could genuinely imagine befriending, and she liked what little she knew of Jack as well. Used to being a loner for so long, she was entering a whole new world of possibilities. Anything was possible with Eric by her side.
“When did you guys get back to the States?” Eric was asking the couple. “I’d heard you were abroad.”
“We just got back last week, actually,” Jack said. “As I guess you know, we went back to London briefly to, uh”—he flashed a conspiratorial grin at Cleo—“tie up a few loose ends. We had thought to head straight back to New York, but decided a little honeymoon tour of the Continent might be fun, first.”
“Honeymoon,” both Eric and Rowan exclaimed in unison.
“Congrats, man,” Eric added enthusiastically, this time pulling Jack into a hug.
“Cleo,” Rowan cried. “I’m so happy for you.” It was then she noticed the gold ring on Cleo’s finger, a large opal bracketed on either side by a sparkling diamond. She took Cleo’s small hand in her own. “It’s so beautiful,” she said as she admired it.
“Thank you,” Cleo beamed. “I still stare at it like a hundred times a day,” she added with a small laugh.
Rowan frowned, recalling, “But weren’t you owned by Master Grayson and Mistress Dominique? You and Brandon, both.”
“I was,” Cleo agreed with a smile. “But I’ve always been in love with Master Jack. When he came back into my life”—she shrugged helplessly, though she was still beaming—“he stole my heart again and that was that. They released me from my contract without hesitation. And don’t worry about Brandon,” she added with a chuckle. “He’s enjoying his status as sole slave right now, though I did hear they’ve started looking for a second service slave to spice things up a bit.”
As if their speaking of him had brought Brandon to their side, he appeared suddenly, his eyes lighting at the sight of Rowan. Another mini reunion took place, and then Brandon said, “I almost forgot why I came over. The submersion tank is free, Master Jack. You’d asked me to let you know when it was available. I just signed you up for the next half hour, if you still want to use it.”
Jack glanced at Cleo, who gave an eager nod. He looked to Eric. “Hey, what about you guys? As I recall”—he glanced toward Rowan with a friendly smile, his eyes kind—“that last scene we shared didn’t go so well. Maybe we can make tonight a do-over?”
Eric put his arm around Rowan, giving her a comforting squeeze. “What do you say?” he asked quietly. “It’s totally up to you. We can do that, or pick a different scene station, or take one of the private rooms. Your call.”
Rowan bit her lip, fighting the impulse to refuse out of hand. She had always found the idea of water bondage thrilling in the abstract. But the thought of actually doing it, of giving yourself so completely into the hands of another was quite another thing. Not to mention, the thought of fucking up again in front of these two did not appeal.
But again, while her rational mind started to list the reasons it was not a good idea, her body was already tingling with desire. Her nipples had hardened beneath the sheer fabric of her gown, a gush of moisture dampening her inner thighs.