I leaned back, stretching my legs out, bourbon glass balanced loosely in my hand. “Dangerous is relative.”
Victor’s eyes narrowed, unamused. Ethan, of course, only grinned wider, like he was waiting for the show. They weren’t wrong. I’d postponed all my meetings this week and had started auditing all contracts we’ve taken on in the last six months.
That hadn’t been all that had been under my skin this week.
The girl in Sanctum had said yes. The one I was pretty sure was Mira and in a few short hours I’d have my answer.
On Monday she’d responded with her safe word and asked to be thorough with the questionnaire she needed time. It’d taken her two days to return it.
Thursday she’d met with Vivienne Thorne, Sanctum’s House Mistress, to go over membership, contracts, and rules. I’d asked Vivienne for details; true to Sanctum’s code, she refused to break confidentiality.
So when Mira asked to leave early yesterday because she had something she needed to see to, it could have been a coincidence. The fact she turned bright red when I pressed her told me otherwise.
One condition of membership was regular testing. The email I’d gotten this morning—confirming my play partner was cleared and eager to meet—left me impatient for seven o’clock.
No, I wouldn’t be joining Ethan and Victor at the club tonight.
I’d be going in the back, using one of the elite rooms, introducing someone to the joys of submission.
I just had to get through the next few hours without killing my best friends.
I stood in the middle of the room I'd reserved for the evening.
A knock pulled my attention from the tablet in my hand. "Enter."
One of Viv's girls slipped inside, head bowed, offering a soft smile, her eyes lowered the way a trained submissive should.
"Your guest has arrived." She stepped fully into the room, clasping her hands behind her back, her small breasts on display in the Victorian corset she wore. While her skirt covered everything in the back, her high-cut thong was on display. It reminded me more of a burlesque outfit, but it fit the mood of the club tonight. "She's being prepped to your specifications as we speak."
Glancing down at my watch, I smiled. Five past the hour. "Was she on time?"
The girl hesitated, teeth catching her bottom lip.
I arched a brow. "Shall I have a talk with your Mistress?"
"Two minutes,” she whispered.
I crossed to her and cupped her cheek lightly, a gesture more command than comfort. “Thank you.”
“She’s new,” she said, softly.
“She is none of your concern.”
“Yes, Sir.” She nodded instantly.
"You may go." I withdrew my hand, and she slipped out without a sound.
The bass from the hall bled through the open door until everything went silent with a click. I moved my attention back to the tablet.
Mistress Vivienne insisted contracts be filled out by hand. It was too easy to skim pieces on the computer. No one but Sanctum’s Mistress would ever see the first page with her name and address, but the rest of the information had been scanned in. Her limits, hard and soft. Things she had experienced or hadn't but was curious.
The more I read, the less certain I was about what I wanted.
If this was Ms. Rhodes… God help me.
Her experience was as vanilla as it came, but on paper we were agoodmatch.
Humiliation was a hard limit, which didn't bother me, I didn't need to degrade anyone to get off.
