“I don’t understand.”
“When you approached me just now, were you truly thinking of my needs or your own?”
There was nothing but silence. “My own,” she finally whispered.
“Do you see the difference now?” he asked gently.
“Yes, sir.”
“Perhaps you should take a few minutes to think about why you’re here tonight.”
She mumbled her reply and he watched her walk back toward the main house. He could see she was dejected, but he knew her and felt with the proper Dom she could flourish into a wonderful submissive. That Dom just wouldn’t be him.
On the other hand, if Julie turned out to be interested, he was certainly willing to help her discover her submissive nature. After talking with her yesterday, he desired nothing more than to take her interest and slowly transform it, first into want and eventually into need. He grew hard just thinking about being the one to introduce her to the pleasure to be found in surrender.
The steady rise of voices coming from the main house drew his attention. He scolded himself for being distracted by fantasy and hurried into the living room.
It was no surprise whom the two voices belonged to: Kelly Bowman, one of the group’s few Dommes, and Evan Martin, a Dom she was frequently at odds with. Kelly stood with hands on her hips, looking every bit the part of “Mistress K” in a skintight black leather bustier and skirt and boots that reached her thighs. Her long red hair was streaked with black.
Evan had a slightly amused look on his face and Daniel groaned. If he had to guess, the Dom had probably picked the fight with Kelly in order to get a response out of her. He thought about telling them to get a room and fuck it out like they both seemed so desperate to do.
“Mistress K. Master Martin,” he said instead. “I’m three seconds away from throwing you both out. End it now.”
Kelly broke the stalemate first. “Apologize to Master Covington, Martin.”
“Suck my dick, K.”
“I’d have to be able to find it first.”
Daniel stepped between them. “Enough. You two know better. Evan, there’s a petite redhead looking for a play partner. She needs a lesson in serving with the proper mind-set. Can I trust you to handle it?”
Evan winked at Kelly. “I’ll take care of her. I love a feisty redhead.”
“Asshole,” Kelly quipped.
He blew a kiss over his shoulder.
Daniel waited until the other man left. “If I thought it’d do either of you any good, I’d suggest you help him. Force the two of you to work together.”
“If you’re going to lecture me, call Martin back so he can hear it, too.” She snapped her fingers at one of the group’s male submissives. “You, there. Come here.”
“Maybe I thought I’d speak to you since you’re the more reasonable of the two,” Daniel said.
The submissive had made it to where they stood. A look of excitement was evident in his expression. “Yes, Mistress K, how may I serve you?”
“My cane needs a workout. If you’re amiable, go wait for me in the upstairs bedroom. The green one. I want you naked and kneeling in the middle of the room.”
“Yes, Mistress K.”
“You’re excused.” She didn’t bother to watch as he left; instead she turned back to Daniel. “You’re sorely mistaken if you think Martin and I will ever work together.”
“At least keep it outside the group. You guys should be setting a better example.”
“Outside the group? As in private?” She waved her hand. “Forget it.”
Daniel decided to quit while he was ahead. At least he’d defused the situation. “If I find you both in the same room again tonight, I’ll be asking you both to leave.”
“Fair enough.” She gave him a sadistic smile. “Anything else, Master Covington? I have a backside to cane.”
“That’s it for now.”
She turned and flicked her hair back over her shoulders, high heels clicking across the wood floors as she made her way to the stairs.
Daniel took a deep breath. The situation between Evan and Kelly would come to a head one day. He had the feeling all he’d done tonight was delay the inevitable for a short while. But for the moment, it’d have to be enough. He had a party to oversee.
He walked through the kitchen, nodding and speaking to a few people. The kitchen was a neutral area where no play of any kind was allowed. Groups of people stood around the kitchen’s island, talking and laughing. If you ignored the way everyone was dressed, it could have been a party held anywhere to the casual observer, but he recognized the subtle undertone.
There was an underlying current of awareness between the paired-up couples. Every so often there’d be a certain look given and a flash of knowledge would cross from one partner to the other. Or there would be a barely noticeable touch: a hand to the small of a back, fingers lightly brushing the nape of a neck, or a gentle tug of hair. All very normal and yet used in this group to convey any number of things between Dominant and submissive.
Jeff waved him over.
“What’s up?” Daniel asked.
Jeff was another senior Dominant. He was known for his expertise with rope bondage and was often sought after among the submissives of the group. He was an introvert who played with a variety of women, but never spent too much time with anyone in particular. At the moment, he was alone.
“Closed door in the bedroom off the living room,” Jeff said.
He raised an eyebrow. “Who?”
Only approved members were allowed to play behind closed doors at a party. Even then, there was an understanding that the door could be opened at any time by a senior member. The rule was put in place to keep everyone safe and to provide security for those playing.
“William. I’d check it out, but I’m due to oversee Peter and Sasha, since it’s his first demo.”
William was approved for closed-door play, but he’d never done it before.
“Thanks, I’ll go have a peek.”
The mention of Sasha brought Julie back to his mind. He tried not to think of bringing her to a play party, but found the image kept returning. Would she be an exhibitionist? Some submissives were.
He shook his head. He didn’t know for a fact that she was a submissive. Hell, she’d barely been able to admit she’d thought about being a submissive. He needed to take it slowly, one step at a time.
He stood outside the door listening for a few minutes. A few soft moans came from inside the room, followed by a low, deep voice and a sharp slap. He didn’t know William all that well; he’d been recommended by another Dominant in the group. Daniel didn’t want to bust into the room and disrupt the scene, but with William being an unknown, to him at least, he’d wanted to be sure everything was okay.
He turned the knob slowly and pushed the door open a few inches. The darkness of the room was the first thing he noticed. It took his eyes a few seconds to adjust and make out the shadowy figures inside.
A kneeling woman, hands bound behind her, had her back to him. William faced her and the door, and he nodded at Daniel.
“We have company, my pet,” William said, swinging a flogger near her, but not striking.
Daniel couldn’t make out who the woman was; the darkness of the room kept her anonymous.
“He needs to be sure you’re okay. Are you? Answer honestly.”
“Yes, Master Greene. I’m good.” Her reply was soft and breathy.
Daniel watched for a little while longer. William shifted his attention back to the woman at his feet. With a measured and seemingly meticulous pace, he first worked the submissive mentally. He whispered how naughty she’d been and how he planned to punish her.
When he told her to bend over the foot of the bed, Daniel quietly closed the door. He felt confident William knew what he was doing and that the woman was safe and in good hands.