Kingdom Come

When I’d finally been allowed inside the inner walls of the club, I actually felt safe given the level of security. I also wasn’t as weirded out as I thought I’d be. The music drowned out any crowd noise, and many of tonight’s guests lacked much in the way of clothing. Some only wore a mask to cover the upper part of their face.

I laughed to myself, imagining if Bailey had been with me. She would have been bright red from embarrassment. I had no such qualms as I moved deeper into the room.

Spaced out were small, short stages with various apparatuses. Only one was in use. In the center of the room was the largest stage, and a man I knew carnally stood upon it.

The man was ripped. How had I not noticed before? Shirtless and wearing only a pair of dark leather pants, he was breathtaking. What caught my eye was the long black whip in his hand and the woman intricately tied face down on a bench of some sort.

A crowd had gathered on all sides. Even I was drawn in. Though he didn’t speak, he was definitely a showman. I found myself at a spot with a clear view of the woman’s bare backside as he flicked his wrist. The whizzing sound in the air was unmistakable. As if choreographed, the music had softened, and the crowd was silent with anticipation.

The whip didn’t hit her bottom as I expected, from the pink marks on each of her cheeks. It landed between her legs. Instead of screaming, the woman moaned in pleasure. I found myself tightening my thighs in an unexpected reaction. For a second, I wanted to trade places with her.

At that moment, I met a pair of familiar eyes. Even wearing a mask, I would recognize him anywhere. I froze in my spot as he made no move toward me. It became a battle of wills, with me tilting my head in question.

When he glanced away, he walked over to the woman, whispered something in her ear, then nodded to someone off stage. A pair, a man and a woman dressed in black, appeared and went over to the woman. They spoke softly to her, stroking her back, before the man lifted her.I was so engrossed; I hadn’t seen where Striker had disappeared to. When I searched for him, I found him surrounded by a circle of women. One kneeled. He must have noticed me noticing them, because he straightened and walked in my direction without a single word to his groupies.

It wasn’t as if I couldn’t blame his fan club. I was considering submitting my application to be president of it. The man had a presence that made me want him to do all kinds of dirty things to me I would have never allowed another man to do.

“You came,” he said when he reached me.

“Not yet,” I said, though I was definitely wet from that show of his. I licked my lip while letting my eyes trail down his body and back up. I had to bite my lip when I met his eyes, unable to ignore that damn sexy smirk.

His chuckle was dark. The fact that I heard just went to show how damn close to me he was. “We can do something about that.”

The man hadn’t touched me, yet I had to hold in a shiver.

“Promises, promises,” I said, striding away with no real destination other than to make him chase me. If the man wanted me, I’d make him work for it.

“Going somewhere?” he said, catching up to me and placing a hand dead center, low on my back as we walked.

“Taking in the sights. Is this your thing? Whipping women?” I asked, stopping in front of what could only be described as a wooden cross. Nothing biblical. The planks were too wide. The telling restraints at each end made it clear what it was for.

“It can be,” he said, reminding me of my question.

I turned to face him. I wanted to see his eyes when he answered my next question. “Why here?”

He leaned down. “You didn’t seem to mind being tied up. I thought we’d test our boundaries.”

“Our boundaries or mine?” I countered.

The corner of his mouth curled up as he held out his hand for me to take. In that moment, we were the only two people in the room. I had to admit to curiosity as I took his hand.

That damn smile of his grew as he lifted my hand to his lips and brushed a soft kiss over my knuckles. Then he led me through the crowded room. There were people in absolutely nothing but masquerade masks and others fully covered literally from head to toe. I felt the freedom of choice as we continued forward.

I didn’t gawk, but I did take in the sights as we moved. When we got to a hallway, I saw picture windows showing rooms on either side. The rooms weren’t empty. From what I glimpsed, each had at least a bed and people engaged in various acts of sex. If he thought I was down for that, he would get a rude awakening. I wasn’t a prude, but I wasn’t an exhibitionist. Although I wouldn’t lie to myself and say the idea of getting caught didn’t thrill me at times when I’d engaged in sex in less-than-private locations.