She extended her hand with a bright smile, nails tipped in glossy crimson.
“It’s very nice to meet you, Dottie. I’m Hecate, and I’m here to find out who my match is for the evening.”
Her eyes swept me from head to toe, and one brow arched with practiced drama. “Girl, where did you get that outfit?”
A grin curled my lips, playful and just a little wicked. “It’s not just pretty, it also changes under black light.”
Her eyes lit with curiosity, and she leaned forward slightly, voice lowering to a conspiratorial whisper. “Ohhh, we arenotwalking past that. Come on, I gotta see it.”
I followed her as she angled toward the bar, where I’d already noticed the subtle glow of black light strips tucked above the counter and under the edge of the shelving. It was one of several vignettes scattered across the club, thoughtfully lit corners for every kind of play and energy level.
The club itself was breathtaking, and for a moment I forgot why I was even there. To the right, the polished bar stretched nearly the full length of the wall, its surface a gorgeously polished expanse of wood. Leather bar stools gleamed in the soft amber light, and bottles sparkled like gems under artfully placed LEDs. I caught a flash of the bartender’s quick movements, precise and elegant, pouring something golden into a highball glass.
Straight ahead, the dance floor pulsed with subtle beats, a deep bass that settled in my chest without overwhelming conversation. People moved there already, just enough to fill the space with energy but not so many that it felt suffocating, as some clubs tended to be. To the left, a few steps up on a low dais, sat the main greeting table where Dottie had been stationed, surrounded by lush floral arrangements and deep crimson drapes that gave it an intimate, almost decadent feel.
Beyond the immediate open spaces were smaller alcoves and play areas: a St. Andrew’s cross stood sentinel near one wall, rope suspension points gleaming faintly in the soft gold light,and a spanking bench positioned in its own pool of shadowy blue illumination. Each zone had its own personality, some bathed in warm tones for observation and connection, others darkened and pulsing for anonymity and pure sensation. It was a space designed for choice and for freedom, with just enough bodies moving through it to keep it alive, yet still breathable.
“Alright, baby girl,” Dottie said, dragging me toward a pool of ultraviolet light just a few feet from the bar. “Let’s see the magic.”
I stepped into the glow and heard her sharp inhale before she even spoke.
The outfit was one I’d designed for exactly this moment, sleek black with delicate cutouts tracing flame-like patterns along my curves. Under normal lighting, it was subtle, elegant. Under the black lights, however, the embedded UV-reactive threads flared to life, igniting in streaks of electric orange and shimmering violet, like my body had been painted in living fire. Even the slim straps of my stilettos picked up the glow, tying the look together in a way that made my skin tingle with satisfaction.
“Damn,“ Dottie breathed, dragging her tongue across her lower lip with zero shame. “I gotta get me one ofthose.”
For a half-beat, I wondered if she swung both ways, her look was that appreciative, but her tone was pure admiration. It sent a strange thrill through me anyway, the kind of jolt I wasn’t used to feeling.
“Well, now I’ve seen everything,” she said finally, stepping back into her own light. “Don’t you dare leave before we exchange numbers because I have got to go shopping with someone who can find something like that! Come on, Hecate, let’s find out who your partner is tonight.”
I smiled, shoulders squaring as I left the black light behind. For one fleeting moment, I felt exactly how I’d hoped I wouldwhen I’d left the house tonight, untethered, unapologetic, and entirely my own.
I followed Dottie back to the check-in table, the click of my heels steady but my pulse anything but. She slid into her chair, tapped on a tablet, and scrolled with quick flicks of her manicured nails until she stopped abruptly.
“This can’t be right,” she murmured under her breath. “I didn’t thinkhedid these kinds of events.”
A chill of doubt curled low in my stomach. After everything I’d risked to get here, there was no way I was leaving without the night I’d come for, one where control wasn’t wrestled away from me butgivenwillingly, where someone skilled enough to hold it could push me past my boundaries.
Dottie glanced up, her expression transforming from confusion to electric enthusiasm. “Girl… you are in for atreat.“ She leaned forward, voice lowering as if we were sharing a secret too good for the room. “Your partner tonight isMaster Loki, and let me tell you, he isall thatand a bag of chips. You hear what I’m saying?”
Her delight was infectious. I fought to keep my mouth from curving into a full grin but failed miserably. “He’s experienced, I hope?”
Dottie threw her head back and laughed, warm and unrestrained. “Experienced?Honey, that man could teach a masterclass. I won’t ruin the surprise, you’ll just have to find out for yourself.“ She slid to her feet with a catlike grace and linked her arm through mine.
In another life, I could see us as friends, laughing over drinks, swapping stories about disastrous dates, and maybe even sharing clothes.
“Girlfriend,” she whispered as we rounded the corner, “do youseethat handsome devil? The one who’s a half-foot taller thananyone else in here, with the hair so dark it looks black under the lights?”
My gaze followed the tilt of her chin. As if he’d heard his name whispered in the air, the man turned.
Andlooked.
Eyes so dark they were almost black locked on me, sharp as blades, deliberate as a predator sizing up prey. His gaze skimmed over us once, calculated, unhurried, before shifting away, interest snagged elsewhere. But that one look had already stolen my breath.
Slim, athletic build, every line of him honed and efficient. My mind, traitorous and shameless, filled in the details I couldn’t yet see, imagining the sculpted “V” tapering beneath his waistband, leading lower, further… I shivered, a slow, delicious ripple down my spine.If everything about him was that proportionate…God, I hoped it was.
Dottie grinned like she could read my mind. “I’ll leave you to it, hun. Enjoy your time with ourresident sadist.”
“Residentwhat?“ I turned, but she was already halfway back to her post, hips swaying like the music had claimed her.
