I have absolutely none, and judging by Penny’s wide-eyed stare, she doesn’t either.
“They’re quick learners,” Claudi cuts in before we can answer.
“Penny, come here,” she says. Penny steps forward.
La Madrina walks a full circle around her, examining the matching outfits we were instructed to wear. Red lace teddies, clear heels, and short blonde wigs. She adjusts the red straps, tightening them, and nudges Penny’s back, prompting her to stand straight. Making her way back to the front, she liftsPenny’s face and turns it side to side before giving her nod of approval.
Her attention turns to me. She waves her hand, motioning for me to step forward. Once I’ve followed her command and taken my place next to Penny, La Madrina circles me, adjusting the seams and tugging at the hem of my outfit. She gives my backside a firm swat, shifting me forward.
“Now that’s a money maker.” She laughs.
If I weren’t so nervous, I’d tell her thanks. My ass has most definitely been one of my greatest assets. Claudi nods in agreement.
“Okay, ladies, here are the rules. Number one, you don’t say a word. You’re nothing more than my submissive little helpers today. Rule number two, do as I say, and there won’t be any problems,” she warns, her voice firm. Her eyes bounce between Penny and me. “And rule number three, if you recognize any of my clients—no, you don’t.”
She leads us like stray kittens to the farthest room in the back of the club,El Purgatorio. Neither of us has ever been inside, but there are always whispers: a piercing station, an electric chair, all kinds of things Claudi has said don’t exist. Penny gives me a wide-eyed look, her eyes saying what neither of us can.
What the fuck have we gotten ourselves into?
“Ladies, meet my friend Roger.” La Madrina introduces us to a middle-aged man who’s blindfolded, gagged, and completely naked in the center of the room. “Roger’s been a very. Bad. Boy. Haven’t you, Roger?”
There’s an obedience to the way he sits back on his knees. I’ve seen this type of dominant play depicted in films and books, but it’s something else watching a mistress do her work. Roger shakes his head, and I do my best to slip into whatever role La Madrina expects from us. Penny and I are absolutely not prepared. Her mouth hangs open at the sightof Roger. He’s an attractive man from what we can see of him. A head full of hair, a fit body with the perfect amount of hair trailing down his defined chest and abs.
My brain is scrambling to keep up, and the room itself doesn’t help with the overwhelming feelings. It’s a sensory overload. A wall full of toys—whips, chains, gags, things I can’t even name. Chains hang from the ceiling. Velvet benches and tables are spread out around the room. And in the corner… an actual fucking electric chair? My stomach flips.
None of it makes sense to me, but it clearly does to La Madrina, whose heels click sharply as she crosses to the wall and grabs a leather whip.
“One for you,” she says, pausing before grabbing another. “And one for you.”
She places a whip in each of our hands, then steps behind the man and removes his blindfold. I nearly gasp when I recognize him—Massimo Messina. The same Massimo Messina who’s running for councilman. I school my expression quickly, remembering La Madrina’s third rule.
If you know him—no you don’t.
If Penny notices, she doesn’t react. There isn’t time anyway, because as the blindfold is removed, La Madrina delivers a kick to his back, knocking him on all fours. Penny gasps, and I swallow my own reaction.
“Roger here has paid top dollar to be punished by my horny little sluts,” she says, looking straight at us. “Who wants to start?”
We both freeze. I can see the irritation flicker in La Madrina’s eyes before she sighs and plucks the whip out of Penny’s hand.
“Watch,” she says calmly.
She tests the whip once in the air, then flicks her wrist, letting it fly brutally across Massimo’s bare ass. He tenses, hisbody rocking forward, and I feel a light tingle spread through me at the sight of him.
“I want you to think of every man who has ever wronged you,” La Madrina says, her eyes on me. “And let it go.”
I have an idea of one guy who’s starting to piss me off. Penny moves before I can, her strike landing across Massimo’s back. The sound echoes. I lift my arm before I can talk myself out of it and bring the whip down where La Madrina did before. Massimo cries out, but he doesn’t beg for the pain to stop. He endures our wrath.
And then there’s me.
Each time the leather cracks, something inside me loosens. Anger I’ve swallowed for years shakes loose, piece by piece. I don’t feel out of control—I feelseen. I feelrelieved. And buried beneath the shock and the heat flushing my face, there’s the smallest, quietest truth:
I like the way it feels.
A rational part of me tells me to stop, but I can’t. This is what he paid for. This is his dark fantasy coming to life. Made evident by his fully hard erection, Massimo Messina is exactly where he wants to be. La Madrina moves to the back wall for a moment and returns wearing a bright pink strap on. The sight of it attached to her makes something throb low in my core.
“Stop,” she calls out, and Penny and I pull back obediently.
There’s a pang of jealousy that sets in the pit of my stomach at how comfortable both La Madrina and Massimo are in their sexuality. I still haven’t figured that part of me out. There have been trials with both men and women, and an orgasm or two thrown into the mix, but nothing as intense and emotional as this. I watch as La Madrina comforts Massimo, her hands gently stroking his erection and cooing him into a state of calm. I don’t take my eyes offthem, even as she lubricates his back hole and slides inside him.
