“I can, actually,” Payne said. “But no one will grope you tonight unless you’ve given them permission.”
It was on the tip of Hunter’s tongue to say he certainly wouldn’t mind Payne groping him at all, but he wasn’t sure if it was appropriate. Their relationship had changed in the last week or so, and it was still changing. Hunter wasn’t certain where it was going to end up, but he wanted to find out. What he didn’t know was if Payne’s interest in him could become something more — something worth leaving the field for.
“Good to know,” he said, giving Payne a warm smile. “If you have any interest in groping me, let me know. I suspect if you give me that wide-eyed look, I won’t be able to tell you no.”
Payne gave him a sidelong smile. “I’ll keep that in mind. Do you have any other questions?”
“Not that I can think of,” Hunter said. “Though I wonder if we should work out some kind of signal so you can tell me if I’m doing something wrong. I don’t want to embarrass you in front of your friends, even by accident.”
“If you’re going in as a visiting observer, no one is going to expect you to behave like a sub. They’ll probably assume you’re a Dom anyway,” Payne said with a little snort. “So basically, don’t touch anyone without asking, don’t stare at anyone unless they’re on stage, and if you’re unsure about something, ask. Most people will be more than happy to help out a newbie because we were all new once, and we know how it feels.”
“Okay.” Hunter drew in a deep breath. “I can do this. What’s so hard? There won’t be any explosions, no one will be shooting at me, and I don’t have to kill anyone. Piece of cake.”
“That’s the spirit!” Payne grinned and clapped Hunter on the shoulder.
Within a few minutes, Payne pulled the SUV into a parking lot in front of what looked like a row of warehouses. Hunter wondered if they’d come to the right place. Even though he’d read the BDSM community liked to keep things low key, he’d expected something to indicate there was a social club inside. But the building was quite plain on the outside, indistinguishable from the other warehouses surrounding it, and the only sign was a small brass plaque below the building number with the name on it. If it weren’t for the smattering of cars in the mostly-empty parking lot and the faint, bass beat of music he could hear when Payne switched off the engine, he’d have thought the place was deserted.
“They obviously aren’t looking for much foot traffic,” Hunter commented as he unfastened his seat belt.
“No, definitely not,” Payne said. “You don’t want people stumbling into a place like this unawares.”
“I can imagine.”
They got out of the SUV and Payne locked it, then Hunter followed him to the club entrance. Once they stepped inside, there was a small foyer area with a guard who asked for their ID. Payne produced a membership card, explaining that Hunter was his guest, and Hunter showed his driver’s license. Hunter was used to far stricter security checks, and he was surprised they weren’t sent through a metal detector or patted down for contraband. Instead they were waved toward a set of double doors, and as Hunter stepped through, he looked around, unable to keep from scanning his surroundings for possible threats. Having been in the field for so long, he still hadn’t fully adjusted to civilian life.
They entered a sort of ante chamber. There were lockers on the right, and a shop displaying bondage gear and accessories on the left. Straight ahead, Hunter could see the main club area.
“I guess we need to put our phones in the lockers?” he asked.
“I leave my wallet, phone, and keys,” Payne said, patting the seat of his leather pants. “I don’t want my lines ruined or the view obscured. We can share a locker, and you can leave your jacket unless you’re more comfortable wearing it.”
“Definitely don’t want to ruin those lines,” Hunter said, eying Payne’s ass again. He needed to stop thinking about Payne’s ass so much, and he was grateful his own pants weren’t skin tight. “I’ll leave the jacket for now. I was worried about feeling under-dressed, but I guess it’s not going to be an issue.” He’d already noticed some of the people walking by were wearing a lot less than he was.
“Definitely not,” Payne said, laughing.
They stashed their belongings in a locker, and then Payne led Hunter into the main area of the club. Several circular booths to the left offered more privacy for intimate conversation than the numerous tables and chairs scattered in the middle of the room, and off to the right was a long bar, where two young men in tight pants and fishnet shirts served the patrons perched on tall stools. The back wall was dominated by a wide stage with lush crimson velvet curtains.
“Want something to drink?” Payne asked. “They’ve got water, sports drinks, and all kinds of juice. They can make smoothies too.”
Hunter wasn’t thirsty, but a drink would give him something to do with his hands to help hide his nervousness. “Sure. Water would be good.”
Payne beckoned for Hunter to follow him, and as he approached the bar, one of the young men offered an enthusiastic greeting.
“Master Payne!” The young man smiled and leaned forward on the bar. “Welcome back. What can I get you?”
“Two bottles of water, please,” Payne said.
“Sure thing.” The young man retrieved two chilled bottles of water and handed them over, and his gaze lingered on Payne’s ass as Payne approached Hunter.
“Here you go.” Payne held out one of the bottles.
Hunter normally prided himself on his control. Working with dangerous explosives meant he couldn’t afford to lose his cool in difficult circumstances, and he was damned good at it, normally. He wasn’t certain if it was because his emotions were running a bit closer to the surface these days, or if he was developing too much of an attachment to Payne, but he wanted to lunge at the man behind the bar and punch him for looking at Payne. He was able to confine his reaction to a glare that made the guy flinch, but as Payne held out the bottle, Hunter also realized he was growling.
“Thanks.” He cleared his throat, hoping Payne hadn’t noticed his reaction, and he reached out to take the bottle.
Payne’s eyebrows climbed as he stared at Hunter, and then he glanced back at the bar. “Were you growling?”
It probably wasn’t a good thing to admit feeling possessive of Payne, not when their relationship wasn’t at that stage yet — and might never get there. “I was clearing my throat.”
