B is for… (16 page)

Solomon’s steps slowed. He set his glass down on a table they passed.

“Excuse me, Ms. Block?” The sponsor representative raised his voice to get her attention.

She turned, and Solomon found himself face to face with the woman he loved.

“Thank you for waiting.” The slim young man was smiling in a way that meant the donation had been very large indeed.

“Oh, I’ve never been good at waiting.” Her lips were glossy cherry, catching the light as she smiled. Solomon’s mouth went dry.

Their gazes met, and nothing else signified. Every reservation he had—about committing to someone when his job was both dangerous and taxing, about mixing his life as a Dom with what he did outside a dungeon—melted away. How stupid of him not to realize until that moment that none of it meant more than her. She was the only thing that really mattered.

“Oh, well uh, Ms. Block, this is Dr. Solomon Xavier. Dr. Xavier, this is Ms. Maven Block.”

She held out her hand—not to be shaken, but with her palm facing the floor. Xavier took it, bowing slightly. For the first time in a week he felt whole. For a moment her gaze dipped and her fingers trembled in his. He squeezed her hand and she looked at him through her lashes.

“Ms. Block.”

“Dr. Xavier.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” He kept the words formal and polite while inside he ached to kiss her.

“And you.”

“Would you care to dance?”

“I’d like that.”

“My friends and companions in debauchery.” There was a hint of amusement in Master Mikel’s voice. “Prepare yourselves.” He pulled off the cloth.

Four neat rows of silver letters were revealed—the alphabet, A to Z. Anna looked from the board to the overseers and back. She didn’t understand.

“When you joined us you completed a sex, kink and fetish checklist. Some of you have updated it as your tastes evolved, others have only one on file.” Master Mikel dropped the drape to the floor.

“Of all the hundreds of delicious sexual things on that list, many of you have only tried a few,” Mistress Faith scolded. “We will no longer allow that.”

Anna swallowed. What did that mean?

“Each of you has been assigned to a letter, and with it, every kink and fetish in that part of the alphabet.”

Now even the subs were shifting nervously. Anna couldn’t remember much about the checklist except that reading it had made her crave a Dom’s touch.

“You have one month to try your letter’s items.”

“Wait a minute, you can’t expect us—” A Dom in the hayloft started to protest, but it was cut short when Master Leo held up a hand.

“We’ve also become complacent in our playmates. Those subs who are bound to a Master will be assigned to their Master’s letter. Those of you who aren’t formally bound or whose file says that you are willing to share or be shared, may be partnered with someone new. Possibly more than one someone.”

Anna’s stomach twisted. She was tempted to look around and find the tall, strong form of Master Jensen, but she obediently kept her gaze on the overseers.

“Not every pair or group will be able to complete all items under their letter.” Master Mikel started wandering between the subs, touching heads and shoulders as he passed. “Masters will be limited by the sub’s checklist. The game does not give anyone the right to override a sub’s limits. You may not do anything the sub has not indicated a desire or willingness to try.”

He picked up a lock of Anna’s hair and let it slither between his fingers as he passed. She shivered as he walked away. His footsteps stopped and he let out a little laugh. “Don’t worry, most of these pretty little things were quite liberal with their limits.”

“Masters! Come pick up your envelopes.” Master Leo motioned and Gabriela, a pretty Hispanic sub, rose and disappeared into the tack room. She returned holding a box, the tops of the envelopes within scraping against the bottoms of her naked breasts. “Each of you will receive your letter, the names of your assigned partner or partners, the list of associated activities, kinks and tools, and your partner’s checklist. Those of you who have reserved space in the mansion for this weekend are expected to begin your checklist activities tonight. The rest of you should begin planning and make reservations.”

Do you know your
A
,
B
,
C
s?

The overseers of LA’s most exclusive BDSM club have a sexy new game that all members must play, and experienced sub Anna has no choice but to participate, despite the fact that she is only months away from being bonded.

Master Jensen knows who, and what, he wants—Anna—but when he’s assigned the first letter of the alphabet he must prove to himself, and the lovely submissive, that he’s willing to push them both to their limits, and maybe beyond.

When Anna and Jensen are forced to face the depth of their desires, and the painful origins of their relationship, they’ll learn that the worst pain comes not from a whip, but from the heart.

“A darkly sensual look into the BDSM lifestyle that melted my e-reader and my heart. I’m thankful there are twenty-five more letters in the alphabet.”

—
New York Times
bestselling author, Jayne Rylon

When amateur fetish model and rockabilly princess Adelita “Addie” Sanchez is asked to model for an instructional BDSM book, she turns the offer down—she’s not a porn star. Then she meets the three male Dominants behind the project, including Lane Therres, who convinces her the book is more art than porn, and she’ll be safe in his hands. The rules of the photo sessions are clear—there’s no sex, and Addie can call a halt to anything she’s uncomfortable with. But self-reliant, strong-willed Addie doesn’t count on liking what the powerful Doms do to her body with their ropes, chains and toys. Enjoying Emory’s touch after falling for Lane, Addie turns away from both men, scared of what they’re making her feel. She’s worried that a relationship built on a BDSM contract can never be anything but whips and chains. Lane will exchange Dom leather for shining armor to prove to his rockabilly princess that even the most gallant knights sometimes prefer dungeons.

Alton is the ultimate Master. An expert Dom, he believes BDSM is a lifestyle and trains women to serve in every way. He recognizes Lulu’s submissive nature but his instant attraction is unexpected and unnerving. He vows to take and train her. Lulu has been curious about BDSM since her friend met and fell in love with a Dom. When Alton comes looking for her, Lulu indulges her greatest fantasy. In Alton’s BDSM training rooms she’s bound, disciplined and above all pleasured, experiences wilder than even her fantasies. But when she goes home at night, she dreams of Alton, not the whips. Alton’s whole life has been turned upside down. A Master must live by his rules, but with Lulu he’s breaking every one. The Dom who swore that romance had no place in BDSM has to take a crash course in wooing if he’s going to keep the sub who has got him in knots.

As an entertainment lawyer, Emory has his share of famous clients. But when A-lister Sasha Brazil is caught in a sex tape scandal it should have been a PR nightmare, not a legal matter. But Sasha is being blackmailed because her tape shows her bound and begging to be used, everything her hard action-star hero persona isn’t. If the tape gets out her image will be destroyed.

Emory takes Sasha on as a submissive, telling her that she’s safer subbing to him than to a man who might blackmail or betray her. Together they begin a passionate BDSM relationship centered on Emory’s specialty, role-play. The sexual relationship quickly morphs into something more, but Sasha has secrets, and when the man who turned Sasha into a submissive shows up even love may not be enough to save her.

Running into an old friend isn’t a big deal, unless you’re attending a BDSM mixer. When Liz, a woman who has it all—except a sex life—sees college pal Mark in the parking lot, she brushes off her embarrassment and agrees to go out for coffee to catch up.Mark assumes Liz is a Domme, but when she reveals her red ribbon—a ribbon identifying her as a sub—he has to have her. He makes her complete a sex checklist that lists every toy, kink, position and taboo he might do to her, on her or with her.Though desperate for this relationship to work, Liz cannot fully accept her desires or bring herself to submit passively. She wants Mark to master her, to dominate her. Mark is delighted by the way she challenges him, and with one touch, he knows she’s his perfect sexual match.Now they face their greatest challenge yet, that forbidden territory that lies outside the bedroom… Dating.

The Grand Master sat at his desk and studied the files. Three people. Three lives. Their destinies lay in his hands.

Leaning back in his leather chair, he let his gaze travel over the portraits on the walls—paintings of the men who’d served in this position before him. Men who had been called to lead one of the most powerful organizations in the world. They had taken their position seriously, understood the gravity of their choices. His decisions, like theirs, could influence the future and bring fate to its knees.

The Trinity Masters were a secret society, as old as the U.S. sect of the Masons, but unlike them, the Trinity Masters were still a secret. It had been started by some of America’s founding fathers as they sought to replicate the networks and relationships that drove European society in America, a country that was wild and new. Hundreds of years later, the Trinity Masters counted some of the most powerful people in politics, science, the arts and even religion among its members. It was credited, though only in secret, for developing the relationships that had driven much of America’s success.

Being a member meant access to people, money and power.

In exchange, you gave them your future. And that future was the Grand Master’s to decide.

He looked at the pictures again. A pretty, dark-haired woman. Brilliant, creative. An attractive, serious-looking scientist. Driven, powerful. And the final one, a soldier. Strong and courageous.

Yes, he decided. All the pieces were there. He sealed the letters and prepared them for the messenger. It was time. Together, they would make a powerful bond.

A perfect trinity.

She’d made a deal with the Devil, and now the Devil had called to collect.

Carly Kenan pulled her scarf up around her neck. At home in California, it was a sunny seventy degrees, but in Boston, early March still meant winter. The wind whipped down Boylston Street as she stood outside the imposing Boston Public Library.

Carly rubbed her cheek against the baby soft cashmere of her scarf. It cost more than her parents had made in a month when she was growing up. Those days were long gone, thanks to a deal she’d made nearly ten years ago. With her dark hair pulled up in an elegant chignon, a black wool coat, cream scarf and knee-high black boots, she looked exactly like what she was: a beautiful, successful woman.

Had it been worth it? Her success had surpassed even her wildest dreams, but it had come at a price. Now it was time to pay up. She wouldn’t know if it had been worth it until she walked inside.

The city moved around her, everyone with somewhere to go, something to do. Another minute ticked by, but Carly couldn’t bring herself to mount the steps and face the consequences of her achievements. Someone bumped her, forcing her forward a step, and she hitched her designer bag higher. The man who bumped her, chatting away on his phone, turned to glare. When he caught sight of her, he stopped mid-word, managed a smile, then slunk away.