I ran my knuckles over her cheekbones. “Do you want to do the demos, regardless of why you’re fantasizing about it?”
“Yes.”
“Then we’ll do it.” I twisted a piece of loose hair around my fingers. “I’ll call the organizers tomorrow and get more information.”
“Do you know what they want us to demo?”
“Daniel said bullwhip was one. That’s why they called him first.”
Her excitement dwindled a bit at the mention of the bullwhip. “You’ve never used one on me.”
“True, but I have on
e and I know how to use it. I’ll just need some practice before I use it on you.” I tilted my head. “Does that make you not want to do the demo?”
“Oh no. I’m still very interested.”
“Even with the bullwhip?”
She leaned in for a kiss. “I trust you completely.”
That was what sometimes scared me. Not that she trusted me not to hurt her, but that she trusted me to fulfill all her desires and fantasies.
What if I failed?
I’d always enjoyed play parties. The way they vibrated with the sometimes subtle, sometimes blatant undercurrent of the power exchange we were all a part of. And I’d never stop enjoying the diversity of the participants. In one room you could happen across a Dom with two male submissives, and in another find a submissive being led by a leash. And there were those who looked as if they just finished shopping with the girls or had come straight from work.
Tonight, Abby and I were only observing to see if we noticed anything happening that was a concern. There were fewer people present than there had been at previous parties we’d attended with the group. Space wasn’t an issue, though. Daniel’s house was more than sufficient for the people in attendance. He and Julie weren’t doing a demo tonight, but when we arrived, he’d had her pressed against a wall, holding her hands above her head and saying something that had her eyes heavy with desire.
Jeff stood off by himself, watching Dena. The vivacious blonde was in the middle of a group of three women who’d come expressing interest in the lifestyle. She spoke animatedly, but with a smile and a demeanor that left the women looking calm and at ease. Not always an easy thing to do.
“You’re a lucky man,” I said to Jeff.
He smiled. “That I am. She’s something else.”
One of the women pointed to Dena’s collar, causing her to look over her shoulder to where we were. Jeff waved.
“Baby doing well?” I asked. At Abby’s request, I’d called him a few days ago and casually brought up playing during pregnancy.
“Yes,” he replied. “And thank you for the talk the other day. I spoke with Dena and we’re going to try a few things. I’m still nervous, but I feel better. And it made me realize that I was being unfair not only to her, but to our relationship as well.”
We stood quietly for a few minutes. Master Greene hurried past us with a brief “hello” and wave. He was the acting Dungeon Monitor and obviously on his way down to Daniel’s playroom. Several people followed in his wake. I thought again that the responsibility was too much for one person.
I scanned the room, looking for Abby, and found her at the living room’s entryway. We’d arrived together, but decided to split up for the first thirty minutes to observe separately. At her side was Sasha, looking paler than she had appeared days before. Papers were clutched in her hand.
“I hope it wasn’t a mistake letting her come tonight,” I said, inclining my head toward the pair.
“I wish you could have seen her before,” Jeff said. “She was always so full of life and, from what I’ve heard from those who played with her, borderline insolent.”
She certainly didn’t look insolent now. Her eyes were wide and she was nodding at whatever Abby was saying. Abby caught sight of me and, at the tilt of my head, crossed the room in our direction with Sasha following.
I slipped my hand up to the back of Abby’s neck when she made it to my side, fingering her collar. “Sasha, it’s good to see you.”
“Thank you, Master West.” She held out a wrinkled paper. “I filled out my checklist like you asked.”
I took the paper. “Very good. I’ll make sure it’s entered into the system.” Abby and I had talked when I got home from Daniel’s the day before and she’d suggested the idea of loading group member information into an electronic database. She’d mentioned it might be a good way to pair up unattached members based on interest. I wasn’t sure we wanted to do anything electronically, but she brought up listing everyone by a number instead of putting personal information in the computer. I told her I’d think about it. I did like the idea of matching people up.
Looking at Sasha at that moment, I found it hard to believe she’d want to be matched up any time soon. Just as well. Since tonight was her first party in a long time, it was best she took things slowly. Once she had a few meetings and parties under her belt, maybe we’d think about pairing her with a Dom, if that was what she wanted.
Jeff looked at his watch. “Cole’s demo is starting in about five minutes. Dena and I aren’t going to watch, but you and Abby might want to.”
I raised an eyebrow at Abby. “Let’s go see Cole. Sasha, you can come with us.”
Sasha’s mouth opened, as if she was going to say something, but she only nodded. Abby must have sensed something. She put a hand on Sasha’s upper arm and gently asked her, “Are you sure?”
“Yes,” Sasha replied, and her voice shook a bit. “I’ll be fine.”
Abby would have picked up on the fact that I wanted Sasha with us. So her double check meant there was something going on with Sasha that I had missed.
We made our way down the stairs to Daniel’s playroom. I led the way and held the door open for the women. “Sasha,” I said when she walked by. “Is everything okay?”
She looked me in the eye. “Yes, Sir. I’m fine.”
There was a glimmer of something in her expression that hinted otherwise and she couldn’t hold my gaze for long. “If you don’t want to watch, Abby can sit with you upstairs.”
“I’m fine, Sir. Really.”
There wasn’t much else I could do. I’d asked if she was okay and I’d given her an out. If she wanted to stay in the playroom, I would let her. “Stay near Abby.”
She nodded and stood next to Abby. I kept my eyes on Sasha instead of paying attention to the setup for the demo. She spoke quietly to Abby, but when she turned to observe the middle of the room, she jerked in shock.
Curious, I followed her line of sight and saw Cole and the petite woman he’d brought to the guesthouse. She knelt at his feet while Cole waited for everyone to make it inside and close the door. Once the crowd settled down and he was satisfied, he began by introducing himself, the submissive, and what his plans were. I worried for just a bit when he told the crowd he’d be using a violet wand. While I knew Sasha had been hurt with a bullwhip, I wasn’t sure how she’d do watching an electrical scene. A quick glance showed her relaxed and calm, though.
Cole had the submissive move to the top of a table, and while she got into place, he went over safety information with the crowd. When he finished, he shifted so he faced both her and those of us watching. He looked over the people gathered, and it wasn’t my imagination when he did a brief double take at seeing Sasha.
Then he turned his attention to the woman before him, and I thought we all held our breath as he spoke quietly to her and turned the wand on. The lights were dim in the room, which served to showcase the bluish purple light of the wand and tiny spark of electricity that licked the submissive’s skin.
Cole’s face was a mask of concentration. He’d told us before he started he would only use a low setting tonight, but it was enough. The submissive he worked with held perfectly still, letting out only the slightest moans in pleasure.
He stopped for a second to check in with her after she’d been quiet for a few minutes, and it wasn’t until she nodded and he started again that it hit me how loud the room had been with the combination of wand and submissive. I shot a quick glance to Sasha, hoping she didn’t feel overwhelmed, but she appeared transfixed by the scene before her.
Her cheeks were flushed and her breathing rapid, but her lips parted in what looked like desire. I imagined she must be picturing herself in the submissive’s place, yet when I followed her line of sight, she wasn’t captivated by the submissive, but Cole. At the same moment I realized where her attention was, Cole did as well. He looked up briefly and caught Sasha’s gaze. The corner of his mouth uplifted just a bit in a smug half
smile.
Sasha gasped and I braced myself, waiting to see if she’d turn and leave the room. But she stood where she was, simply dropping her eyes to the glowing wand.
I looked over at Abby and saw she’d picked up on Sasha’s reaction, too.
Definitely a discussion for later.
Chapter Seven
ABBY
We had a leisurely breakfast the next morning, thanks to Linda taking the kids for the weekend. She’d picked them up yesterday before the play party, saying she’d missed them horribly since we moved.