Chapter 1
Odessa
“It’s you.”
The words sound hollow on my lips.
Mundane.
I sound boring and uninteresting and just flat, but it’s been a long fucking night and right now? Right now I’m just tired. I’m tired of relationships and tired of dating and tired of everything. I just want a break and sometimes it seems like I just can’t catch one.
Why is he here?
It was only a matter of time before this man walked back into my life. I hadn’t been holding my breath, but I’d been waiting for it, I suppose. I knew it was going to happen eventually, but I’m still not ready.
Not ready for him.
Not ready for any of this.
“And it’s you,” he says, sitting down next to me. He has a drink in his hand and when I glance at his wrist, I see that he’s wearing a bracelet. It’s a pink one: one that’s specific to this club. It means this guy isn’t drinking tonight. It means he’s not here to play.
June, the owner of Anchored, runs this place with an iron fist. If you’re going to have alcohol, then you aren’t going to be touching people. BDSM is hard enough when you’re sober. Why add alcohol to the mix? Even one drink means your inhibitions are lower, which might sound like a good thing. When it comes to safety, though, a good Dom needs to be on top of things. Always.
So why isn’t this guy playing tonight?
Isn’t that the entire point of belonging to a sex club?
Having fun?
If you aren’t coming here to get busy with someone, to get something out of it, why even bother coming?
I shake my head because that thought sounds stupid, even to me.
I know there’s more to Anchored than meets the eye.
I’ve been here for years, after all, and I’ve pretty much seen everything. Some couples come as a way to spice things up. Others just want to try something new. Sometimes people come here on their own or with friends because they want to try something they’ve never been brave enough to try before.
Some people just want to figure out if this is what it actually takes to get themselves off.
And then there’s Jasper.
But I don’t know why the hell he’s here.
Oh, I know why he’s at Anchored. He’s a Dom, after all, and he has his pick of the pretty submissives who hang around this place. Jasper can have any girl he wants, and he’s never had a hard time choosing. Selecting someone special has never been his problem. Jasper’s much too charming, much too good-looking for that.
I just don’t know why he’s here, sitting with me, looking at me like I’m suddenly something special.
And I don’t know why he’s here tonight, seeing as how he’s been gone for months.
I don’t want him here.
I don’t want to talk to him or even look at him because Jasper hurt me. Oh, it’s been awhile, and I should have moved on by now, but seeing him just makes the pain feel fresh.