At His Mercy (Masters Club 1)

“Whoa,” she breathed, rapt.

“It’s something, all right,” Master Cameron agreed, smiling at what he must have viewed as her kid-in-a-candy-store expression. “As a pleasure sub, you’ll be spending a lot of your time in here. Your primary function will be to serve as a play partner to club Doms here and in the private playrooms, as needed. You’ll begin your evenings in the main dungeon, unless otherwise instructed.”

Thinking aloud, Jess mused, “So, I’m to scene with whoever requests me, even if they’ve never spoken a word to me before that moment?”

“That’s right. You serve at the pleasure of the members, not the other way around.”

“Okay,” Jess replied, deciding she could deal with that. Except for one thing. “What if the Dom is taking me too far, too fast, or doing something that sets off a trigger or something. What recourse do I have?”

“You can use the club safeword, red light, if you feel it’s absolutely necessary. But I would caution you to be very careful about that. Safewords aren’t a way to get out of something that might be pushing your envelope. They are only to be used when the Dom just isn’t getting your cues, and failure to stop the scene will result in harm to you. We have had the occasional case of a sub using her safeword just to get out of something she didn’t want to do. That behavior is grounds for punishment.”

Jess nodded, recognizing that this was a significant difference from her usual M.O. at the public clubs, when she frequently used her safeword just to get away from some obnoxious guy who was botching a scene.

“Of course, even without invoking the safeword, subs sometimes require discipline, especially at first. Infractions like missing your monthly attendance quota or topping from the bottom will result in some form of punishment. Depending on the infraction, you might expect something as mild as a time-out in a slave cage, or as extreme as a serious whipping—not the good kind,” he added with a smirk.

“That said,” Master Cameron continued, “Masters Club Doms aren’t your typical run-of-the-mill casual players. Every member is vetted and has to pass their own audition of sorts. I’ve been involved in the club for five years, and there have been only one or two occasions I can recall where a scene went haywire because the Dom didn’t know what he was doing.”

Jess nodded, comforted by this information. No more half-assed scenes with idiots who thought if they bought a plastic flogger and watched a few porn videos, they were good to go. How awesome it would be scene with real Doms.

“The private play rooms are open 24/7 to members, but the main dungeon is only open in the evenings, starting at eight. Naturally, weekend play is the busiest, and, given what I know of your work schedule, probably when you’ll be spending most of your time here.”

As Jess nodded her agreement, Master Cameron continued, “Before I let you loose in the dungeons, I’ll work with you on the slave positions and other requirements for pleasure subs.”

“About that,” Jess interjected, glad for the reminder. “Cleo had mentioned there was an online video I could access so I could practice?”

“Yes. I’ll make sure you get the link.” He waved a hand around the room. “Take a look around. Let me know if you have any specific questions.”

“This place is totally awesome,” she breathed, turning in a slow circle as she took it all in. The entire back wall was hung with dozens of coils of rope dyed in bright, rich colors. There were also paddles, canes, whips and floggers, each one neatly hung on its own hook, every tress smoothed straight.

“I can’t wait to play here,” Jess said eagerly.

With you, she almost added, fortunately catching herself in time.

He’s going to be your mentor, not your lover!

And that was the wise thing, to be sure. No way did she plan to fall in love, or even in lust, with an equity partner. It just wasn’t a smart move, no matter how you tried to compartmentalize it.

That said, she couldn’t deny there was something about Master Cameron that spoke to her inner sub. Something at once calming and thrilling that made her want to do her very best. Her mind flashed back to his sudden appearance beyond the mirror. His quiet strength and encouragement had given her the courage to continue. He wasn’t like any Dom she’d ever scened with.

And then there was Master Hayden. Though she didn’t feel the same soul-connecting pull she’d experienced so briefly with Master Cameron, Master Hayden was a hot, sexy Dom, no question about it. Master William had potential as well.

Her law career had been her primary focus for so long, but now, secure in her job, she was ready to pay a little more attention to her private life.