My Obsession (3 page)

“Hmm?” he said without opening those sensual lips.

“The basement dungeons seem to be a bit higher on the kink scale than the one on the main level—the one where I was watching while waiting for Jake. Is that to ease people in as they adjust to the higher levels of kink?”

He nodded, amusement dancing in his gaze. “The dungeon on the main level is mostly used for Dom training, sub training, people trying out new low-level kinks, or attending a munch to see if they’re interested in the lifestyle. Or if they are interested in joining Club Desire. It’s distinctly different from the other levels. Most of the more edgy kink goes on in Basement 2, and the extreme in Basement 4. My office, where we met, is on level 4, not to be confused with Basement 4.” He grinned. “Also on level 4 are my personal suite of rooms, the public dining areas, and the pool and spa.”

Sandra tried to picture where everything was and frowned as her picture came up with a flaw. “Don’t you have members frequently walking into your office off the elevator? Doesn’t that get distracting?”

His sensual lips curved and he met her gaze. “My office and my personal suite are reached by two separate elevators that aren’t for public use. They require special access, so I have complete privacy in both of those areas if I want it.”

The last four words burned along her skin like an erotic promise. With the timbre of his voice and insinuation of his words, her nipples hardened and the sensitive flesh brushed against the silky material of her bra, which now felt like sandpaper.

“How often do you want it?” She froze, her muscles suddenly tight as her brain registered the words that had poured from her mouth. Embarrassment flared and she had a sudden urge to run, but then common sense caught up, reminding her she was in an elevator and had nowhere to run to, so she locked her knees and purposely raised her gaze to see Master Brent’s reaction.

His eyes flashed fire, and electricity arced between them, tingling along Sandra’s skin, igniting every nerve ending and making her stare down at his straining erection. At the sound of him sucking in a breath she bit her tongue to keep from licking her lips, or shamelessly plastering herself against him.

Master Brent cleared his throat, which only seemed to amp up the electrical current zinging between them, but did help her tear her gaze away from that very hard cock so she could look up into his eyes again.

“It’s been a while since I’ve wanted to…have my privacy invaded. But I might need to rethink that.”

It was Sandra’s turn to suck in a breath as she drowned in the fiery promise blazing in Master Brent’s eyes.

The elevator doors whooshed open on Basement 2, startling Sandra. She raised her chin and clenched her fists, firming her resolve as if she were going into battle. This was the start of her new life here in Phoenix, and it
would
go well. She chanted that silent mantra as she followed Master Brent out onto the brightly lit floor.

Out here she did hear the sound of floggers, paddles, and even flesh hitting flesh, and she couldn’t help but flinch as long-ago memories tried to rise up to haunt her.

When would she be able to get past this? It had been ten years, and even now Sandra could feel the stinging sensation burning across her cheek and the fiery stab of betrayal slicing her heart.

Master Brent took her hand, distracting her and pulling her back from the past. “Why don’t I introduce you around first? The locker room is this way.” His speculative look told her he hadn’t missed her reactions, and that he was concerned.

Damn. She wanted to fit in, not stand out.

Master Brent led her into a large room that looked like a gathering hall rather than a locker room. There were couches, tables, televisions, vending machines, a refrigerator, and even a microwave. He guided her inside and the soft sound of ’80s rock music washed over her, making her smile. She wondered briefly if it had been playing out on the dungeon floor too. But then she hadn’t been aware of any sounds out there except the crack of different toys, and even hands, hitting flesh.

She startled when Master Brent took her chin between his fingers and raised her face just enough so he could capture her gaze.

“Why don’t we sit awhile, and then we can resume our tour?”

She shook her head, almost desperately. She didn’t want to sit. Didn’t want to talk about this. Didn’t want to see his sympathy or his pity about Diego, and definitely didn’t want him curious about her past and her many fears that past had caused. “I’d rather we keep going, if you don’t mind.” She sucked in a quick breath. “This doesn’t look like a locker room,” she countered, trying to change the subject.

Master Brent continued to watch her, those blue eyes seeming to take in everything around him for future study. “The locker room is through that door.” He gestured toward the back of the room and she turned to see the door he meant. “Aftercare is there.” He nodded to the right, and she obediently followed his gaze to a door with a large window in the top half showing a darkened room with several mysterious shapes she assumed were couches and chairs.

“We’ll go into each in a minute. This main room is something of a staging area. People can meet each other here before or after scenes, or hang out and be social. We do have a very social atmosphere at Club Desire.”

He pointed to a door off to their left. “There’s a full list of the official meet-ups posted there by the door, and there are a few that may interest you.” He guided her over to the list and scanned one large finger down the page past munches, membership information tours, and several things that made her smile, including “Switches for Sushi.”

She reached out to tap that one and sent Master Brent a questioning look.

His expression turned mischievous and he took his time answering her. “They actually do meet up at a local sushi restaurant and talk about the ins and outs of being a switch.” He chuckled. “Get your mind out of the gutter, woman. Where do you think we are, a kinky sex club?”

His mirth was infectious and she couldn’t help but laugh with him. She shrugged. “I really hope so—otherwise this is the weirdest karaoke bar I’ve ever been to.”

He laughed again. She really loved his playful manner and could envision how that would insinuate itself into a scene with him.

“Master Mason said you enjoyed friendships with many of the subs in New York. Several of our subs have a regular meeting each Wednesday evening. I don’t think they have a Subs for Sushi meeting, but I do seem to recall them having a penchant for desserts during their meetings.”

An “mmm” sound escaped before Sandra could stop it, earning her another wide smile from Master Brent.

“I’ll definitely make a note of
that
meeting.” And she would. She wasn’t sure why she’d bonded so well with the subs back in New York even with all of her issues. Her roommate had told her that under all the fears she truly was a sub; she just needed to find her true self under all the “stuff” life had piled on top.

Sandra wondered if that was true. It would explain her strong reaction to a Dom like Master Brent, and her immediate draw of friendship to most of the subs she’d ever met.

She turned, not surprised to find him watching her again. He always seemed to be watching her. She just wasn’t sure why.

Sandra knew she was attractive. Since middle school when she’d started developing before all the other girls, men had always taken long looks at her, most often centering on her breasts or her ass. There was something about the intense way Master Brent watched her, though, often focusing on her face and not her body, that made this different. But that still didn’t explain why a man like Master Brent would continue watching her. Maybe he thought she was unstable? A laugh bubbled up before she could stop it.

Great
.
Now he’ll know I am
.
I’ve removed all doubt
.

He smiled at her in question and she shrugged, hoping he didn’t pursue it.

He didn’t, but he did continue watching her with that inscrutable gaze.

“Back here is the locker room,” he said as he led her to the other door past several people chatting, laughing, or flirting.

He must have noticed her gaze because he cleared his throat. “No sex play of any type is allowed here in the meeting area. There are plenty of areas for that, so this is a play-free and sex-free zone. It allows people to have somewhere to go to unwind, or to gear up before heading out to the floor.”

At the “pttthhhh” noise, Sandra turned to find an enormous Dom, with the smoothest brown sugar–colored skin she’d ever seen, rolling his eyes at Master Brent.

“Now Dexter, what kind of impression are you going to make on the new members?” Clear amusement and affection were in Master Brent’s voice.

“Oh, I don’t know, that you can be a pain in the ass?” From the warmth in the man’s manner, the affection was obviously returned.

“Rules are in place to help everyone feel more comfortable.”

Dexter smiled and shook his head. “Yeah, yeah, so that they can explore their inner kink in a safe and supportive atmosphere.” He snorted, showing that he’d heard this explanation several times already and had it memorized. He turned to Sandra, and she was pinned in place by his large, dark eyes.

“Don’t let me throw you off, sweetheart. I’m just messing with our boy here. Since he’s giving you the tour instead of Jake, I figured you could take a little teasing. He doesn’t do the tours for just anyone, so you must be special.” He winked and she felt a smile blossom, although she was sure Master Brent was only giving her this tour because of her connection with Master Mason’s dungeon.

“Don’t let either one of them fool you,” a squeaky female voice broke in.

Sandra turned to see a perky brunette with wide, green eyes watching the byplay between Master Brent and Dexter.

“They are all sunshine and roses in here and in aftercare, but they’ll both kick your ass out there.” She gestured with her chin to indicate the dungeon floor.

A shudder ran through Sandra before the woman continued.

“Of course they both do the ass-kicking so very nicely that none of us complain. We scream, yes, but in a good way.” The woman turned to point toward a redhead dressed in a leather thong and nipple pasties. “Don’t you think, Min?”

Min nodded enthusiastically. “I definitely agree. I’ll chat later—gotta run! I can’t be late or Master Cameron might paddle me.” Although the wide smile she flashed showed erotic anticipation and not chagrin or fear.

“Sandra,” Master Brent began. “This lummox here is Master Dex. He’s one of our main Doms, although he can be a pain in the ass.” From the tone of his voice it was obvious that there was a great deal of respect between the two men. “If you ever have any issues, you can always go to him if you can’t find me or one of the dungeon managers. Master Dex was the first Dom who joined us when Club Desire opened, so he knows nearly as much about this place as I do.”

Master Dex stood and Sandra tipped back her head as she had to look up, and up, and up to meet his gaze. He had gorgeous dark eyes, and his steady gaze left her no doubt he was a Dom, but it also told her that he was highly protective of those he considered his or under his protection, and that she had now joined that group.

A comforting warmth coiled inside her as she started to think she could feel safe here.

Master Dex wore leathers that reminded Sandra of those worn by bikers, and a sleeveless leather vest that showed off bulging muscles and several tattoos, centered around red roses, which contrasted beautifully with his smooth, brown skin.

“Hi, Sandra. It’s nice to meet you.” He looked down at her as if trying to accentuate their height difference.

“Wow.” Sandra found herself liking him immediately. He seemed to engender trust and safety, almost like a big brother. She couldn’t see herself playing a scene with him, but she could see him becoming a confidant and maybe even a friend.

He smiled. “I’m not that tall, only six-eight or so.” He waved his unusual height away. “But Master Brent’s right. If you ever need anything, my door is always open. Even if I’m mid-scene, if something has you spooked and you can’t find anyone else, the safety and well-being of our subs comes first. Come find me and I’ll take care of it, whatever it is.”

She nodded solemnly, impressed that he’d just given her permission to break a scene if she felt she needed to. She would definitely make sure to never use that permission lightly.

Master Dex smiled, and she resisted the urge to say “wow” again. He was gorgeous in every way. But he wasn’t Master Brent.

Master Dex cocked his head to one side to indicate the brunette with wide green eyes beside him who had called out in a squeaky voice a few minutes ago. “This is Sherri. She’s one of my subs, but I’m by no means her only Dom.” There was no censure in his voice, only amusement, and at Sherri’s chuckle, he smiled wider.

“I don’t think one woman will ever be enough for Master Dex, and I know one man will never be enough for me,” the brunette said with a cocky air.

Master Dex growled playfully and turned his head to mock glare at Sherri. “Is that so?”

When she stubbornly nodded, he shook his head. “You are begging to have rope burns on your wrists and ankles, and wax marks on that pale stomach of yours by the end of the night, aren’t you?”

Sandra waited for things to play out.

The brunette bit her bottom lip, but there was no fear in her eyes. “Is that a promise, Master Dex?” Her tone conveyed that she very much hoped it was.

He laughed, more of a low, resonant rumble than anything else. “You’re much too eager, Sherri. I’ll find something else to teach you some manners.”

A huff of breath from Master Brent like he’d tried to stop a full-out laugh surprised Sandra. “Good luck,” Master Brent murmured so softly she wasn’t sure if anyone else besides herself had heard it.

Sherri giggled. “Nice to meet you, Sandra. Will I see you at the sub get-together on Wednesday?”

Sandra found herself smiling at Sherri’s enthusiasm, and looking forward to Wednesday even more than she already had been. “I’m planning on it.”

“Great! See you then.” Sherri teetered off on her too-high stilettos, and Master Dex gave a long-suffering sigh. “Woman’s gonna break an ankle that way. I don’t let her wear those damned things on the dungeon floor, but some of the other Doms do.” He slid a sly glance over at Master Brent. “Hope you have good insurance, buddy. Because sure as shit she’s gonna break those skinny bird legs of hers and sue your ass off.” Master Dex rolled his eyes and didn’t quite hide the amusement in his expression.

Master Brent waved off Dex’s comments. “Sherri has been running around on those stilts long before she came to join us here. You’ll have to teach your subs some sense, Dexter.”

Master Dex’s loud, reverberating laugh filled the room and had every head swiveling to look at them. “The man who can teach that woman sense will also be able to walk on water and turn water into wine, and I don’t think He’s scheduled to be back in Phoenix for a while.” Dex motioned for everyone to go back to what they were doing.

Master Dex had some sort of magnetism that naturally drew people’s attention and compliance. That combined with being unnaturally gorgeous with a big sense of humor and a big heart made the man a triple threat, although apparently not to Sandra, since her body wasn’t revving up for him beyond what it would for any other attractive man she met.

“Sandra.” Master Dex held out his large hand and when she took it, he squeezed hers lightly. “I’m sure you’ll love it here. Let us know if you need anything…anything at all.” His expression told her he had meant the comment to be both teasing and serious.

She said, “Thank you,” and followed Master Brent toward the locker room.

When Master Brent pushed open the door, Sandra peered around him to see exactly what she would expect, down to the banks of stacked gray lockers with tiny, hanging combination locks on them.

He gestured toward the lockers. “When we go over administrative details, I’ll assign you one and give you the combination. There are also showers and restrooms back here.”

She followed him toward an area that turned out to be a hallway to the restrooms and showers, which resembled every restroom and shower area she’d ever seen, except these reminded her of a very high-class gym somewhere—somewhere she’d never been able to afford to join.

“This is really nice.”

Master Brent’s answering smile practically beamed, showing her how truly proud he was of Club Desire. “I wanted all the facilities and amenities in my dungeon to be the best anywhere, and I hope I’ve at least come close.”

She smiled up at him, not sure what to say.

“No sex or play is allowed in the restrooms or showers. However, another full set of restrooms as well as showers are on Basement 4 that can be used for those types of activities. The space needs to be reserved in advance to make sure it won’t conflict with any of the large planned parties or orgies down there. Those areas aren’t visible from level 3, so activities in the restrooms or showers on Basement 4 are private unless people are invited in to watch.”

She nodded as she remembered some of the kinks she’d heard discussed in New York that would definitely have to be carried out on Basement 4. She wouldn’t mind taking a shower with Master Brent, soaping each other and playing a bit, but she was glad most of the hard-core kinks stayed on the lowest basement level.

Even though she was sure watching the things that went on down there was a definite fetish, she was glad that Master Brent had drawn a line there. This club did have limits, as did he, and those both made her feel safer and freer somehow.

She had nothing against people practicing their legal and consensual kinks, but how had Master Brent phrased it?

A lot of those things just didn’t flip his switch.

She made a small “hmm” sound, earning a questioning glance from him. This time she was happy to answer. “I was just remembering how you said that the vampire thing didn’t flip your switch, and I was thinking that several of the kinks that are probably carried out in the restroom/shower areas of Basement 4 most likely wouldn’t flip mine.”

Heat seared her body at the thought of having Master Brent soapy and hard for her in a shower. “Well, maybe there are a few…” She trailed off deliberately and couldn’t help but smile at the flash of male interest she saw in his gaze before he clenched his jaw and looked away.

He seemed to be doing that a lot. She wondered what had this very confident man disconcerted so often. She couldn’t imagine this being an everyday occurrence for him. She was half tempted to ask, but bit her tongue and dug her fingernails into her palms for good measure. Her mouth did tend to get her into trouble if she let it have free rein.

“So you were going to introduce me around?” she offered.

“Right over here.” He gestured with his chin to a small group standing by the vending machines.

Over the next five minutes Sandra lost herself in a sea of faces and names, all paired with their designation in the lifestyle or their preferred kink.

Her face almost hurt from smiling, and she was sure she’d never remember even one piece of information she’d learned during the last twenty minutes. Everyone was friendly and welcoming, but Sandra was ready to take a break. Before she could figure out a way to say something, Master Brent glanced down at her, a gentle, almost protective expression on his face. His deep, soothing voice cut into the conversation.

“Sandra and I have commitments elsewhere. Enjoy your evenings, whatever your plans might be.”

Master Brent expertly steered her out of the locker room meeting area, across the dungeon floor, and into an elevator. She wasn’t even sure if it was the same elevator they had exited earlier since it, too, was hidden unless you knew where to look.

When the doors of the elevator shushed closed behind him, Master Brent inserted his key and punched the button for the floor. “I forgot to take you inside the aftercare room, but I can show you that another time.”

Warmth and comfort spilled into her at the thought of Master Brent showing her aftercare—once they’d played a scene together.

He leaned forward to cup her chin and trace his thumb over her bottom lip, distracting her.

Fire ignited from that one simple touch, flaming out along every nerve ending and pooling between her thighs. Her soft gasp sounded loud to her inside the closed elevator.

“You seemed like you needed to get out of there, so I cut the tour a little short. I hope you don’t mind.”

Since her mind refused to work, Sandra settled for a wobbly shake of her head, and hoped he understood.

She wasn’t really tired, but the sensory overload of this place and all the new people and faces were beginning to wear on her.

She needed to eat and come, and right now. She didn’t much care in which order those two things happened.

“Talk to me, Sandra. What’s going on in there?” He gently tapped her temple and then traced one large, warm finger down her cheek and over her bottom lip again.

Without thinking, she opened her mouth and let her tongue stroke over Master Brent’s thumb.

The low growl that sounded from deep inside his throat made her spiral of need coil tighter, and she searched her vacant brain frantically for something coherent to say. “I’m hungry,” she finally pushed out through trembling lips.

The blatant innuendo in those two words hung heavily between them, and Master Brent nodded once, as if sexual energy wasn’t crackling around the enclosed space like lightning.

“Let’s tackle those one at a time, shall we?” His expression smoothed out and he met her gaze squarely. “And we can complete part of our tour at the same time.”

Heat flamed into her cheeks, and mortification swamped her. Master Brent had definitely not missed the double entendre of the word “hungry,” and had even said he would take care of it—both versions.

Hadn’t he?