“Wow!” was all I said, staring at a high stone wall topped with barbwire.
“Yeah, Gabby said, cutting the engine. “When Master Beckett and his wife, Natasha purchased the property, they made safety a priority. The building before renovation had been a warehouse for ship containers, and the surrounding port area host to a varied group of lowlifes.”
“Why down here by the ports?”
“Cost for one, probably. The building is forty-five thousand square feet. I’d guess secondly, a kinky club isn’t going to get permit approval just anywhere.”
“But God,” I said, “The place looks like a Victorian mansion. Hardly revolting.”
Gawping at the massive building, I was thrown by the sprawl of flowering trees and plants, fountains, and several seating areas of wrought iron furniture.
“Come on.” Gabby approached the massive antique front doors. Over each panel were the words in branded script on metal,Hard Limit. She keyed in a second code, pulled open the door, and strode in ahead of me. She looked sexy in black leather pants, riding boots, and a V-neck top in leather and lace with low cleavage that showed off her impressive body. All she needed was to be cracking a whip to add to her badass Dominatrix demeanor.
“Hey Roger,” she said to the tank of a man inside the entrance.
“Hello, Mistress,” he said. “It’s been a while.”
“Too long.” Sniffing at the air, she teased, “Smelling my kind of sweat and pain.”
He snorted at her obvious joy to be there.
“Roger, did you happen to see Ethan Fuller? Gorgeous dark-skinned man with green eyes.”
“Hey,” I muttered under my breath, jealous of her stating the obvious about how stunning Ethan was.
Gabby elbowed me.
“I know who you mean.” Roger said. “But I just came on duty. Manny was on before me.”
“Okay, thanks Roger.”
Taking a few steps into the interior, she stopped at the front desk with me in tow. “Hello, Caleb.”
“Good evening, Mistress.” Caleb dipped his chin toward me. “Are you playing tonight?”
“No, Jude’s a friend wanting to check out the place. Would you give him the appropriate wristband, please.”
Caleb placed a purple band on the wooden surface, then he handed me a tablet. “Sir, please fill in your personal information—name, address, phone number, and email address.”
After typing my name and phone number, I said, “I’m new to Long Beach and staying with a friend. Should I put down his address?”
“Is he a member?” Caleb asked.
“Yes, Ethan Fuller.”
“That works,” Caleb said.
“Have you seen Ethan?” Gabby asked the young man.
“I saw him about an hour ago with Master Liam. He reserved the saltire on the mezzanine level.”
I supplied Caleb with his information and handed him back the tablet. Gabby grabbed my hand and we made our way through bodies in all modes of dress from nudity to full body leather gear as well as all kinds of sounds from sexy moansto grunts of pain and the low hum of conversation, laughter, and an occasional directive from a Dom. Even the air appealed to me with a lingering pungency of incense—frankincense and lavender mixed with a hint of…not quite sweat, but bodies being used and cherished. One particular Dom was feeding his submissive chunks of fruit from his fingers, punctuated by kisses. The display of affection reminded me of when I fed Ethan by hand.
As we made our way to a second level, Gabby remarked, “We’re heading to a secondary area set aside for private impact demonstrations.”
I was confused. “Does that mean we won’t be able to see what’s going on?”
“No,” Gabby corrected. “The main stage is for demonstrations hosted by the club. The secondary stage is when a Dom wants to show off his submissive.”
