The blood drained from my face. “Yes. I know I’ll have to leave. I hope you’ll give me the opportunity to come back sometime. But if not, I also understand that.”
Amber leaned forward and placed her hand on my arm gently. “Take a breath for me, Trinity.”
That was harder than I expected, but I did.
“Everyone was new to this environment at one point or another, and we’ve all made mistakes. I’m glad yours didn’t harm anyone.” She picked up the tablet and found something before handing it to me. It showed the paperwork I’d signed, with a rule highlighted.
Interrupting scenes
Interrupting a scene in progress is not permitted for any reason unless the participants are A. in imminent danger, B. actively creating harm, C. participating in illegal behavior, or D. clearly under the influence.
If you suspect one of these things is happening, seek out staff or a monitor, and they will take the appropriate steps to stop the scene.
Any member or visitor who interrupts a scene without reason will be asked to leave the club for the night. Or, if appropriate, to bear a punishment prescribed by the wronged party. Whether expulsion is permanent depends on the severity of the incident.
I swallowed and nodded. “I’ll get my things.”
“Hold on,” she said. “First, of course I’m not pulling the article. I am partly to blame for this. Even with friends as members, I should have accompanied you and been your guide for longer than I did, or assigned someone to make sure you had what you needed. For that, I’m sorry.
“Second, this is a first offense, and I believe you were acting out of pure instinct. We aren’t in control of ourselves when we’re triggered.”
“Triggered?”
She looked at me and raised an eyebrow. I almost laughed because I’d seen that same look on the faces of Isolde’s Alphas. And this Alpha? I had no doubt she could bring anyone she wished to their knees. Had I been triggered? I wasn’t sure. Was that what happened? It had happenedbefore, but I never thought about it that way. It was just… memories. But that didn’t matter at the moment.
“I won’t ask you to tell me about it, but I know the signs of triggers when I see them. So I’ll offer you the choice laid out here. If you want to leave, that’s fine, and you are welcome back whenever you like. Or, if you’d like to stay, you can accept a punishment. But that’s a lot to ask for someone’s first time in a kink club.”
My stomach tumbled, and I shuddered. It wasn’t entirely from fear. I wasn’t about to admit out loud that I’d had fantasies about being punished for breaking rules and it ending up in pleasure, because this was different. I’dactuallyfucked up.
Still, I wasn’t immediately rejecting the idea.
“What would the punishment be?”
“Since James doesn’t want part of it, it would be our standard punishment for first-time rule-breakers. Spanking. Twenty strokes with either a bare hand or a paddle. Your choice.”
I swallowed again and drained the water bottle. No part of me wanted to leave. Though my stomach twisted with nerves, and I could pretend otherwise, I’d already decided.
“Would it be you?”
She laughed softly and looked at me for a moment. “If you like, it can be me. Is that what you want?”
No.
The gut instinct hit me out of nowhere. What the hell? Why did it matter who gave me the punishment? It wouldn’t make a difference. Still, my whole being told me no. It couldn’t be her.
Amber just smiled, eyes twinkling beneath her mask like she already knew what my instincts were telling me. “I’ll take that as a no. I will have to witness the punishment if that’s what you choose, but we would find someone you’re comfortable with.”
My breath stuttered in my chest. “Would you think I’m jumping in too fast if I say yes?”
She shook her head. “Not at all. I think you’re the curious person you’ve already proven yourself to be, and frankly, it’s what I would expect of a reporter.”
I laughed to cover the fact that my voice was currently elusive. “Good.”
“You’re nervous?”
“Yes.” A breath. “Of course I am. But I would like to… try.” I swallowed, the motion painful with how tense my neck and jaw had become.
“All right.” She took the tablet back from me. “Let’s see who we can find for you.”
