Crossing the Lines (34 page)

A louder voice came from the raised platform. Henry tipped her against his shoulder. They’d have an excellent viewing angle.

The girl with her head moving in William’s lap seemed to pay more attention to the low murmur of his voice. Instructions or praise, maybe. A microphone amplified the voice from the platform, overpowering other sounds.

A small man in loose yoga pants introduced himself as Neil and his nude female partner as Danielle. He’d demonstrate some basic ties and some more advanced decorative patterns. Alice got that much from his opening speech, picking out meaning around the unfamiliar jargon and foreign words.

Jay knelt patiently beside Henry, facing them rather than the stage. Henry didn’t suggest he move, other than to pull him closer so Jay’s head and shoulders lay on his thigh. Jay nuzzled her knee. Henry stroked his hair and bid him close his eyes and rest.

Being here had to be more mentally exhausting for Jay than it was for her. But he wouldn’t want to leave, either. He’d want to prove his readiness to handle it to Henry the way he had the first night Henry had taken the flogger to her.

Henry murmured something about speaking to Neil later to suggest he start off more slowly for a crowd of novices. Alice settled her hand on Jay’s shoulder, and he burrowed against her leg in reply.

The girl on stage bore a beautiful pattern of bright purple rope against mocha skin, an X crossing between her breasts and multiple stripes around her upper arms.

“The rope is so thin,” Alice whispered. “Sir,” she added in a belated rush.

A slow turn showed off the girl’s arms. Rope immobilized them behind her back at her waist, her forearms pinned.

“But quite strong, my sweet girl.” Henry pressed his cheek against her head. “And soft, when it’s been worked properly, stretched and oiled and cared for. Not unlike my pretty pets, hmm?”

She wiggled happily. Henry’s friend must’ve been pleased with his pet, too. He’d draped her across his lap, facedown, and his hand moved between her legs. Had she been commanded to silence? Was this her reward for pleasing him? Had she chosen it or had William ordered her obedience?

Alice wanted to know. Not merely those things, but everything. In this place, in Henry’s arms, she was a toddler discovering the word “why” for the first time. Seductive. Full of promise.

The rope demo bound her in intricate detail. The efficient, almost knotless ties perfected with speed. The warnings about proper positioning, blood flow, nerve damage. The body as machine and sculpture both, the surface pinned in place while the function continued unseen beneath, lungs expanding and blood flowing and muscles clenching. The decorative ties with precision knots spaced for maximum effect, rope sliding between wet lips and knots pressing sensitive skin as the model bent and turned at the ropemaster’s command.

Henry’s intermittent questions never mentioned the model. Only her. Would she enjoy. Would she feel. Would she submit. Christ, his hands running over her as he made her body match his own image of her. Sly man, with his pointed questions and his offhand remarks. The rope could be hidden under clothing, he said. Worn all day without anyone the wiser. Shivering, she bit back a moan.

“Only you and I and Jay would know, dearest. We might wander though galleries and concert halls with you bearing my designs in rope on your skin. Would you like that?”

Would she
like
that? She verged on coming right now, and might yet if Jay shifted his head and exhaled or she closed her legs for a few seconds. She gripped Henry’s shirt convulsively.

“Yes, sir,” she whispered, her throat bone-dry.

The performance ended with the woman in an elaborate pattern of rope crisscrossing her torso from neck to crotch, until it seemed…

“Like a honeycomb,” Alice murmured.

Henry growled in her ear. “And when I wrap the ropes around you, sweet girl, will you be dripping with honey for me?”

Oh sweet fuck. Her hips jerked.

Jay lifted his head, a hound scenting his dinner, and Henry pushed her panties to the side. “Ninety seconds, my boy. Savor the opportunity.”

The groups around the demonstration broke up with polite applause and a rising conversation level, but Jay’s tongue diverted her attention. Pressing between her lips, he sucked hard at her clit.

Henry kissed her, a deep kiss that made her forget she might be ashamed to be so wanton in a crowd.

She’d been incapable of counting, but she’d have bet, after Henry swallowed her moans and Jay repositioned her panties and her legs stopped shaking, that it hadn’t taken ninety seconds for them to make her come.

Maybe no one had noticed. They’d been quiet. The club didn’t lack for other sights.

“Was that the appetizer, Henry?” William. Of course he’d noticed. “You’ve certainly whetted my appetite for the main course. The boy must have excellent technique to bring her off so quickly. Learned it from you, I suppose?”

“Mmm. Months of practice, Will. The benefits of having them at my fingertips so frequently. They’re attuned to each other’s responses.”

William’s chuckle might have hidden a yearning for the same sort of arrangement himself. “Next you’ll tell me you’ve trained them to play piano four hands.”

“Now there’s a thought.” Henry caressed her back. “All right, Alice?”

“Yes, sir.” Her voice shook. She didn’t want to give Henry the wrong impression. She wasn’t afraid. Not even embarrassed, exactly. “Thank you, sir.” So what if William had seen her? He’d gotten blown in front of her. He’d been kind and friendly. Henry wouldn’t have sat and chatted with him if he wasn’t. “I’m still feeling it, sir.”

The “sir” rolled out with awkward uncertainty. She might be overdoing the respect by ending every sentence with it. The girl with William seemed to, but they were strangers, and maybe using the word codified and reinforced their temporary relationship.

She added frequency-of-sir to her mental list of questions to ask Henry before their next visit. Next visit. Getting ahead of herself, was she?

No. Not if she’d pleased Henry and he planned to study the Japanese rope thing.

Jay laid his hand on Henry’s shoulder. Henry patted the waiting hand immediately. “Yes, Jay?”

He climbed to his knees, and Henry leaned in. Jay spoke in his ear, his voice too quiet amid the chatter around them as people questioned the rope expert.

Henry raised his eyebrows. “You’re certain you wish to do that, my boy?”

More whispered words. Henry cupped Jay’s chin and studied his face. He kissed him, possessive but tender. If anyone watching doubted Henry’s devotion to his subs, they wouldn’t anymore. Henry whispered in Jay’s ear before he pulled back.

“Go on, then. Stay close and don’t dawdle, Jay. We might find an open room and give William and some others a more thorough demonstration of how well you and Alice play together when you return, hmm?”

“Yes, sir. Thank you, sir.” Jay grinned as he stood. He grasped her hand and tugged.

Henry gave her a gentle push off his lap. “Go with Jay, Alice. Mind your manners.”

Bewildered, she allowed Jay to lead her through the crowd. “Where are we going?”

“Bathroom.”

“But I don’t—”

“Yes, you do. Trust me. You’ve been here a few hours, you’ve been distracted and aroused, and you’re not thinking about it. You get five minutes to relax and your bladder’s gonna remember how nervous you were when you got here.”

“That’s…” Oh. Not a bad idea. And she’d have been embarrassed to ask. “Thanks, Jay.”

“Hey, we subs gotta stick together. It’s not like I can’t be trusted to get you to the bathroom and back safely. I can do it.”

He was testing himself. Proving himself to Henry. And Henry would reward him with some time with her when they got back. For overcoming his fears.

“I know you can, Jay,” she said, nothing but confidence in her voice.

He flashed her a smile. She would’ve kissed him if they’d been at home, but here…rules.

“Besides, Henry would’ve taken us himself, but then he wouldn’t have time to talk to William.” They passed out of the central room and walked down a wide hall lined with benches, some occupied, some not, and rooms open for viewing. “They’ve been friends for years.”

“A long time?”

“Since prep school, I think. William’s wife doesn’t like Henry, though.” Jay wrinkled his nose. “We had dinner at their house once last year, and she totally lost her shit. Accused William of bringing ‘those people’ into her home, even though we were playing the just-roommates card.”

Jay ducked into a smaller hallway on the left before the stairs at the end of the hall. It held two doors, both closed, and red lights glowed over the top of each. Jay swore.

“What, they’re occupied? So we wait.”

He shook his head. “The lights are linked to the showers. If they’re on, it’ll be a while.” He blew out a breath. “There’s another set upstairs.”

“Henry said to stay close.”

“He’d also want us ready for anything. We won’t be if we’re distracted by other urges, right? He wanted us to hurry back.”

Needing to pee, she conceded the point.

“C’mon.” Jay took her hand in his.

They joined the steady flow of people on the staircase. She was growing accustomed to the wide range of dress. Stylish suits like Henry’s and corsetry like her own. Leather and buckles in infinite variation. Nothing at all. Well, nothing beyond a house ribbon, sandals, and, sometimes, a collar.

At the top of the stairs, Jay’s hand tightened around hers.

She squeezed back. “You okay?”

“I, uh, I don’t like this floor.”

She eyed the corridor ahead. Unlike the floor below, the space wasn’t open and bright. Down the narrow hall, under dim lights, closed doors and muffled sounds beckoned.

Jay cleared his throat. “Besides, Henry said not to leave you alone.” He tugged her down the short hall to the right and into a spacious restroom.

“Jesus. It’s like a four-star hotel in here.” A basket of folded cloths and an array of miniature toiletries flanked a double sink on the counter. A toilet tucked behind a half wall, an oversize shower behind glass block, and a stack of towels on a wall rack with a hamper beneath filled out the rest.

“Benefits of a private club. The membership fee for doms is pretty high.” Jay flipped the lock on the door. “It’s supposed to keep out the riffraff. Doesn’t always.”

He made a shooing motion. “Go on. You first.”

“You’re staying?” She would not share a bathroom. Even one as nicely appointed as this one. “Uhn-uh. Nope. Outside.”

“No can do. I’m supposed to stick with you.” Jay shifted his weight from side to side.

He’d follow Henry’s instructions, but this was something more. Standing outside the door would’ve stayed true to the spirit of the command.

He didn’t like this floor. He didn’t want to be alone in the hall. Only one conclusion made sense. This was where it had happened. Down that hall somewhere, some jackass had hurt him.

Her chest ached. Bringing the memory up would make him more uncomfortable. She feigned a deep sigh of exasperation. “Turn on the water. And hum something. And don’t peek.”

“You have more rules than Henry,” Jay grumbled.

But he smiled as he turned on the faucet and faced the wall. He hummed the
Jeopardy!
theme song. She rolled her eyes.

She used the toilet quickly and washed her hands while Jay took his turn. He met her gaze in the mirror as he washed his own hands.

“What?” Asking was a formality. His intense stare and the beginnings of a smirk made the answer obvious.

“We need to expand the bathroom at home.”

“Oh?”

“You deserve to be fucked on a counter in front of mirrors. Don’t worry.” He shut off the water and waved his hand in an airy gesture. “I’ll mention it to Henry. He’ll have contractors in by the end of next week.”

She snorted. “He would. But only if
he
wanted to.”

“As if he doesn’t. Trust me, two words—’Alice. Mirrors.’ If he doesn’t have a vision for a scene within thirty seconds, I’ll spend the next three hours licking your pussy.”

“That’s supposed to be a punishment?”