Bound to be Tamed: Emergence, Book 2 (34 page)

Oh, that sexy ass. I can’t wait to train her to open up for us.

When Deidrick returned, he held a thin black cape. “This’ll cover up your bits and pieces on the way.” He hooked the cape around her neck, settling the material over her shoulders. “There.”

Stephanie glanced down and seemed to relax. At least her shoulders lowered.

“Let’s go.” Dane took her hand and led her down from the platform and toward the front of the store where Aiden stopped to pay the bill. “How are the shoes?”

“Okay, I guess.” She glanced down. “Hope I don’t fall.”

“You won’t. You’ll never be far enough from either of us to fall.” Dane squeezed her hand.

“Promise?” She looked up at him with huge eyes.

“Of course.” Dane took her chin in his hand. “We aren’t going to drop you off at the door and abandon you, baby.”

Her smile didn’t reach her eyes. She was right to be cautious. Though not about being left somewhere. They’d never do that.

Dane swallowed around his guilt as they left the store. She trusted them. Implicitly. And they were keeping a huge secret from her. It didn’t matter that their reasons were good. He felt awful every time she looked at him with those big eyes and put her faith in his decisions.

Chapter Twenty

Stephanie squeezed Aiden’s hand so tight she surely left marks from her nails digging into his skin. As they entered the club, Stephanie peered up at the sign.
Emergence
. She shivered. The name of the place made her think of coming out. She was coming out all right, right out of her skin.

“Good evening. Nice to see you, Dane, Aiden.” The deep voice was unknown to Stephanie and she kept her face lowered. He didn’t address her directly anyway. “I’ll need your submissive to read a few documents and sign them. Basically the same ones you both signed the other day when she wasn’t with you.”

“Of course.” Aiden unhooked the cape Stephanie wore and handed it to the man. Was he a bouncer?

“Please,” the man continued, “follow me.”

Stephanie walked between Aiden and Dane, thankful for their huge bodies surrounding her and making her feel less naked, less alone and less likely to fall on her ass in those killer shoes.

She stared at her feet. The black straps wrapped around her ankles were so delicate she could hardly feel them. No matter what, they were sexy as hell and boosted her confidence.

“Here you go. Take all the time you need.” The gentleman from the front door left her with her Doms in an office and shut the door.

“Sit.” Aiden pointed at a small round table to one side of the room and Stephanie stepped toward the seat with the papers stacked neatly in front of it.

She lowered herself onto the leather, carefully lifting the back of her skirt. It was hardly necessary since the tulle had a mind of its own and didn’t want to lie down over her ass anyway.

Dane took the chair across from her. “Read through the document before you sign. You should always be completely informed when you enter a club.”

Stephanie picked up the pages, glad there were only three. She was so nervous about entering the proper part of the club it was difficult to concentrate.

She read through the rules. Nothing stood out as unusual. No smoking inside the building. No fire play. No drugs. No alcohol. No touching someone else’s property, both inanimate and human. No heckling. No disrupting other scenes. And the list went on.

She turned to the second page and continued until she felt confident there was nothing untoward mentioned. There was a section about safe words and another about being consensual. She signed at the bottom of the third page and initialed the first two.

When she slid the sheets across the table toward her Doms, she felt ready.

Why she was so stressed about tonight, she had no idea. She’d been to a club with them last week. How was this week different?

It’s real this time. Not a performance. This time these two men mean a lot more to you and you want to please them for far deeper reasons than a simple exchange of needs.

With Dane’s assistance, Stephanie stood. She followed him back to the front desk, and he handed the papers to the tall man when he finished greeting the next guest.

“Perfect.” He turned toward Stephanie. “I’m Carlton.” He extended a hand. She took it, not lifting her gaze to his, confused to be addressed directly when it was obvious to her she would not be spoken to often by other men who were not her own Doms.

Aiden stuck a finger under her chin and lifted her face. “Look at him, hon.”

She tipped her neck up to find a jovial expression that didn’t match the harsh voice she’d heard. It warmed her. He even winked.

“I run the front door here,” he said. “No one gets by me and no one leaves without me knowing. You’re safe here. And should you ever have any problems with anyone in the club, you’ll come to me. Understood?”

“Yes, Sir.”
Why wouldn’t I go to Aiden or Dane?

“That may sound odd to you now, but occasionally it’s necessary for a sub to go around her own Doms if they get too rough or out of hand. Not often, but it happens.”

She nodded.

“I have men throughout the club that will keep an eye on you, especially on your first visits. We don’t want anyone here to be treated in a manner that isn’t strictly in accordance with the rules. You have a safe word here. It’s
red
. No matter what you may have arranged with your Doms outside of the club, you can always use the word
red
inside Emergence and get immediate results. Understood?”

“Yes, Sir.” She nodded again.

He swept his arm toward the door behind him. “All right then. Go on in. Enjoy.”

Dane whispered as they passed through the door, “Keep your gaze down now, baby. No one will address you directly besides Carlton. You don’t have permission to look around right now.”

She tucked her chin deeper and concentrated on her feet. It was a task in and of itself anyway. Her shoes clicked on the floor with each step, reminding her she was entering deeper into the unknown.

Aiden set a hand on the small of her back. Goose bumps rose on her chest and arms when he did so. He stroked the skin along her bare spine with his thumb until she trembled.

The lighting was dim, but not so dark she couldn’t see—at least whatever was in her visual line within a few feet of the ground.

“Good evening.” Another unknown voice penetrated her.

Aiden and Dane stopped walking at the address.

Aiden stroked his palm up her back and held her neck. He angled one finger up along the back of her head, pressing her face toward the floor in reminder. With his free hand, he reached out to shake the man’s offered palm.

“I’m Master Simon. Since Master Garwood isn’t here this evening, I’ll be around most of the night if you need anything. You’re free to wander as you please. Let me or Carlton know if you need anything.”

“Thank you. We appreciate it,” Dane said.

The name Garwood sounded familiar. Where had she heard it before?

Aiden spoke next. “This is our sub Stephanie.” He held her neck down.

“Lovely.” The man’s voice was genuine and softer as he spoke of her. “Ensure that you keep things safe and consensual inside Emergence.”

“You have our word, Sir,” Dane added. “Stephanie is safe in our care.”

“Okay. I’ll leave you to it. Just be sure you’re always cognizant of her needs above your own. I’ll have people watching should you need assistance.” The man paused for a moment. And then he walked away.

Aiden left his palm on her neck beneath her hair. She was grateful for the long curls that helped hide her face. Like a curtain, she used her thick locks to create her own little cocoon. The warmth of his hand guiding her through the club made her feel spoken for and adored.

They made their way toward a bar. When they stopped, Stephanie glanced both ways as discreetly as possible. To her left were several loveseats and other comfortable couches arranged in small groups. It had the feel of a Vegas lounge. To the right was a row of apparatuses typical of the BDSM world. She’d seen most of the wooden contraptions last week, though some were distinct.

Several crosses stood waiting for a submissive to be issued into their control.

There were benches arranged in a variety of heights, their tops and sides at all different angles. A few were already in use. One woman was on her belly, waiting for her Dom to swing at her with the length of leather he slapped against his palm as he circled her.

Stephanie cringed, remembering her spanking from Tuesday. Would Aiden and Dane want her to do a public scene like that?

The woman was naked. Her breasts hung down the sides of the center section of wood, swaying as she squirmed against the arm and knee rests. She moaned, although her voice was muffled. When she turned her head toward Stephanie, the reason for her muted tones became apparent. A strip of leather was stretched across her face, holding something inside her mouth. A gag.

Aiden gripped her neck tighter. He leaned into her ear. “You’re to keep your gaze lowered, little sub. It’s not time for show and tell. Worry about yourself and your behavior please.”

She jerked her gaze to the ground in front of her as Aiden released her neck and grabbed a bottle of water off the counter.

Dane did the same.

No one offered her a drink.

Visions of last Friday night made her shiver. She should be glad they didn’t hand her a beverage. The last thing she wanted was to need to use the restroom.

Dane led the way toward a group of beige sofas on the left. “Let’s sit for a bit. Just watch.”

He took a seat on one of the couches and grabbed Stephanie’s hand to pull her down toward the floor.

At first she was confused, prepared to lift her skirt and take a seat between him and Aiden. That wasn’t how he directed her though. Instead he spread his legs and pointed at the spot between them. “Kneel.” He grabbed a pillow off the couch and set it where he intended her to lower herself.

She wobbled as she knelt at his feet, unease creeping up her spine. Keeping her gaze lowered was one thing. But settling herself on the floor was a deeper level of submission.

You can do this.

Shocking herself, her pussy squeezed as she settled on her knees. She spread her legs as far as the edges of the pillow and locked her hands behind her back in first position.

“Not this time, little sub.” Dane reached behind her head, threaded his fingers in her hair and pulled her face into his lap.

Stephanie gasped. She released the clasp of her hands at the small of her back and braced herself against his calves. Her mouth landed on his hard length. Stunned, she turned her face to one side, resting her cheek on his thigh. Her gaze had no place to go but toward his crotch.

“That’s it.” He stroked her head through her hair, letting the wild curls fall around her face. He didn’t release her but kept a steady hold on her head. “Keep your face right there for a while.”

Stephanie sucked air in and out through her nose. She could smell Dane’s musk and licked her lips at the heady scent of him.

The stiff way she’d held her frame at the initial shock melted away. She was in a safe place. A warm and familiar location where she could relax. She didn’t have to look at anyone or engage. Her only responsibility was to nestle into Dane’s crotch and stay still. Perhaps that was his intention—to help her relax, focus.

“Stop squirming,” he admonished. “Keep still. My cock is hard enough as it is.” He thumped the back of her head gently as he spoke and then smoothed his fingers through her hair, stroking the locks down her back with each pass.

Stephanie’s breasts pressed into the cushion of the couch. Her nipples poked out the top of her corset from all the jostling and abraded against the smooth, cool leather. She felt the draft of air against her ass and knew anyone who looked close enough would get an eyeful.

You’re the most dressed of anyone you’ve seen in here so far. Relax.

Aiden sat next to Dane, his thigh in her line of vision. The two men chatted with each other and several other Doms that stopped to greet them. Some were people they clearly knew from other locations. Some were new to them. But everyone introduced themselves and welcomed them to the club.

The noise level in the club rose as more people arrived. She’d forced herself to concentrate on the plethora of footsteps as they went by—some hard and firm and farther apart, others soft and delicate and close to each other.

“Okay, we’re going to watch a scene now, Steph.” Dane lifted her face off his crotch and held her cheeks as he looked into her eyes. “You’ve been very good here. A well-behaved submissive.”

“Thank you, Sir.” She straightened upright onto her knees as Dane steadied her. Instinctively she reached up to adjust the bodice of her corset, tugging the top over her nipples.

Dane batted her hands away. He pulled the bodice obscenely down, making every effort to ensure she was exposed. “Did I give you permission to cover yourself?” He narrowed his gaze and she almost swallowed her tongue at the disappointment lurking behind the blue of his eyes.