More than a Dare (Masters Club 4)

“So, the impossible has finally happened,” Jack quipped, a grin on his face. “Someone managed to claim the unattainable Hayden Pierce. I never thought I’d see that day.”

“Give me a break,” Hayden protested, though he, too, was grinning. He gave Dahlia’s hand a little squeeze. She squeezed back. “It was a hard sell, but I finally got her to commit.”

Amidst the ensuing laughter, Cameron said, “You’ve got a lot of nerve, Pierce, asking for a break.” His tone was playful, but Hayden knew he meant it. “You were right up there with the best of them, or should I say the worst, busting my balls.”

“Cam’s got a point,” Jack interjected. “I seem to recall you riffing about the mighty Master Lord finally falling at the feet of a sub girl, and how that would never happen to you.”

“Men,” Jess said to the women, rolling her eyes. “Can’t live with ’em, can’t take ’em out back and shoot ’em.”

Hayden laughed along with the rest of them. He’d never realized what he was missing, holding himself aloof for as long as he had. Being part of a couple had opened a lot of doors he hadn’t even realized had been closed, in both his vanilla and BDSM worlds.

Much more importantly, he could honestly say he’d never been happier in his life. Working insane hours by day and going to the Masters Club at night to unwind had satisfied him for a long time. But now that he understood what true love actually felt like, he couldn’t imagine returning to that lonely lifestyle.

“So, what happens now?” Cleo asked. “Are we going to lose our delicious sadistic club doctor?

“No,” Hayden replied, taking Dahlia’s other hand beneath the table. “I’ll still put our new recruits through their paces.”

“And I might join him in the exam process from time to time,” Dahlia added with a grin.

Jess laughed. “I’ve always said, beneath every submissive lurks a Dominatrix just waiting to get hold of a whip.”

“Ain’t that the truth,” Cameron retorted as the others laughed.

“What about playing with other pleasure subs?” Jack asked.

Hayden shook his head adamantly. “Not interested. Dahlia’s more than enough for me.”

“Though I reserve the right to check out what’s on offer from time to time,” Dahlia teased.

Hayden just smiled, certain that would never happen. Dahlia was a one-man woman all the way, and that suited him just fine.

He had once been certain he could only be happy with a full-time erotic slave as a life partner, but he’d been wrong. Dahlia had helped him see that they could share the intensity of a powerful D/s relationship without that 24/7 dynamic.

When they did slip into M/s mode, the scenes were just as intense and satisfying as any he’d ever experienced. More so because, for the first time, love was in the mix. It gave their D/s relationship the meaning and depth that had been lacking in his life until now.

Dahlia had blossomed into a full-fledged submissive, and he couldn’t be happier with her. She never ceased to impress him with her courage and willingness to try increasingly intense D/s. She could now take a full-on caning with utter grace, and she reveled in the lingering welts like any hard-core masochist. She adored bondage, the tighter the better. They had recently begun to experiment with suspension bondage combined with impact play. Invariably, with just a little push, he could send her soaring.

But, he, too, had grown as a Dom. He’d learned that being vulnerable with someone you loved wasn’t a sign of weakness, but of strength. He’d come to understand that true friendship was the best possible foundation for a deep, abiding love to flourish. He and Dahlia were more than just Dom and sub, more than just lovers—they were best friends.

The waitress appeared with the bill. The three men dropped their credit cards into the leather folder, and she whisked it away. Once she returned, they all pushed back from the table.

“Shall we?” Cameron asked.

~*~

The men and women separated on their arrival at the Masters Club. Dahlia, Cleo and Jess stepped into the sub changing room while the men headed to their changing area.

“I’m hoping the bondage wheel is available,” Dahlia said to the girls as they put their purses in lockers. “I really want to try it.”

“Oh, it’s brilliant,” Cleo assured her in her lovely British accent. “It can be kind of disorienting when the spinning starts, but I’m sure Hayden will have Brandon take it slowly, especially your first time out.”

“You know,” Dahlia said, turning to Jess. “That very first time I came to the Masters Club as Hayden’s guest, seeing you on the bondage wheel was what really captivated me. I’ll never forget that expression of pure, relaxed bliss on your face. I couldn’t understand it at the time but I sure get it now.”