“Here you go.” Katie sat down next to her and handed her a glass of club soda.
The club had a full bar, but serious players usually didn’t drink until after their sessions. Too easy to lose control and fall into a dangerous situation. Even after that, there was a two drink limit. And while Liz hadn’t really come tonight with the intention of hooking up, the possibility was always there.
“You doing okay?” Katie looked at her over the rim of her coffee cup.
“Yes. I feel strange and comfortable at the same time. Does that make sense?”
“Of course. If you’ve been away from it for a while, you need readjusting. That’s only natural.”
Liz drank some of the soda. “I can’t believe I haven’t even heard of this place.”
“Reece and his partner are very good at keeping it on the downlow. Reece has his own reputation to protect, you know, sad as it is to say.”
The cries of the woman in the voyeur room had changed to those of someone in the grip of approaching orgasm. Liz’s own cunt pulsed in response.
“You don’t have to babysit me,” she told her friend. “Go find Reece and enjoy yourself.”
“I have no intention of leaving you alone,” Katie protested. “Not when you just got here.”
“She won’t be alone.”
Liz recognized the voice and froze. What was Alex Wright doing here? Of all places? She looked up to see him smiling at her. His expression was friendly, but the look in his eyes was feral.
“A-Alex?”
A cauldron of emotion bubbled inside her— shock at seeing him here. Anxiety at his reaction to her presence. And over it all, a bolt of pure lust that shot straight to her nipples and her pussy. Because damn. Didn’t he look just too mouth-watering for her sanity.
Dark leather slacks molded to his long muscular legs and lean hips. His white silk shirt was partially unbuttoned, exposing a wedge of dark chest hair. Those blue eyes blazed with a hunger that took her breath away.
The other day he’s been relaxed and casual, but tonight, despite his smile, he was every inch in command. Every bit the Dom.
Liz didn’t know if she should smile invitingly or stand up and run. This was her first foray into the scene after a long time away. Plus she had a history that she kept tamped down in a corner of her mind. For her first contact to be this man was more than unsettling. She’d come to Rawhide for the anonymity but holy Texas lord! How could she walk away from someone so tempting?
Because you know how lethal temptation like that can be.
“I wasn’t aware the two of you knew each other.” Katie’s voice broke into Liz’s mental detour.
“Elizabeth is training my niece’s horse.” The low timbre of his voice vibrated through her body. “Don’t worry, Katie. I’ll take very good care of her.”
Katie frowned and touched Liz’s arm. “You just holler if you need us.”
Alex chuckled. “Oh, I’m hoping she’ll holler but not for you. Go on, now. I’ve got it covered.”
He dropped down into the spot Katie had been sitting, lifted one of Liz’s hands, and brushed his thumb lightly over her knuckles. Shivers skittered over the surface of her skin. And when his eyes locked on hers they were like twin lasers, pinning her in place. She was aware of nothing but this highly sensual man. Even the lusty, erotic screams from the voyeur room faded into the background.
Something she’d been burying inside her broke loose with frantic energy, engulfing her. The connection that jolted between the two of them was so strong it was almost visible.
Get up. Run. Leave.
No, stay. Don’t be a coward.
But what if…
“First time here, right?” He studied her with a heated look.
“Um, yes.” She wet her lips. Why was she so damn nervous? “Does it show?”
“Not really.” He lightly stroked her forearm, his touch waking up nerve endings and ratcheting up her pulse. “But first time in a new place can be tricky.” He lowered his voice almost to a whisper. “I’d be honored to ease you through it.”
Really? Hmm. “You come here a lot?”
He shrugged. “Enough. Like Reece, I can’t exactly look for playmates in the community. And the women I date would probably shoot me if I suggested a little D/s play. A friend told me about Rawhide and got me a onetime invite.” He laughed. “Reece happened to be here that night. A surprise for both of us.”
“Oh. Wow.” What a sparkling conversationalist she was. She just couldn’t seem to get her tongue unstuck from the roof of her mouth.
“Don’t worry.” His hand slid further up the bare skin of her arm, his fingers brushing the side of her breast.
Her nipples reacted as if needles pricked them and she longed for the torment of a good set of nipple clamps. She closed her eyes against the sudden image of herself standing chained to a wall, her nipples clamped and Alex striping her ass with a suede flogger.
She forced her eyes open to see Alex watching her with a look of intense hunger.
“So how heavy into this are you?” He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, his fingers tracing the line of her cheekbone. “A little? A lot?”
“I-I feel so weird discussing this with you.” Was she blushing? Holy shit.
“Why?” He cupped her chin. “Because we met in different roles? Here, in Rawhide, we are just two consenting adults looking to satisfy our sexual needs in an environment that’s safe, sane, and consensual. Right?”
“Y-Yes.” The throbbing in her pussy was so intense she wondered why the small couch wasn’t vibrating with the force. God, she had missed this. She just had to remember that nothing carried outside these walls. If she chose to accept Alex’s invitation to play, it would stay here and that was it. One disaster was enough to last her a lifetime.
Except…how could she handle this almost visible connection between them?
“So how long, Liz?”
Right, right, right. How long had she been into the D/s scene?
“Almost ten years.” God, had it been that long? “A guy I was dating took me to a private club one night.” She frowned as she remembered the details. “I was so young and green then, but he was older, kind, and knew exactly how to introduce me to the scene.”
“He didn’t force you, did he?” Alex’s voice was suddenly hard.
“No, not at all. We’d actually talked about it and tried a few things by ourselves. Just playing a little.”
“Good.” She felt him relax. “This isn’t something that can be pushed onto someone. But you enjoy it?”
“Oh, yes.” She most definitely did.
Alex rested one hand on her knee, the tips of his fingers playing with the hem of her short skirt before sliding beneath the fabric. The moment his palm rested against the inside of her thigh she squeezed her legs together.
“Spread your legs,” he commanded, his voice low enough that only the two of them could hear it. “Now.”
Alex Wright might deliver his words with that thick-as-sorghum drawl, but Liz was acutely aware that beneath that casual exterior was the unbreakable steel of a Dom. A Dom who knew exactly what he wanted.
An electric thrill ran through Liz’s body. Automatically she let her thighs fall apart. His hand slid up to the crotch of her thong, and his fingers rubbed against the thin silk.
A smile of satisfaction curved his mouth. “Soaked. How long has it been since the last time you played?”
“More than a year,” she whispered, unable to tear her eyes from his.
“Far, far too long.” He pulled his hand out and slid it up her rib cage to cup her breast. “Liz, you don’t really know me. In fact, we just met a few days ago. But I promise you can trust me. Go ask Reece. He’ll tell you the truth.” He moved his hands away. “Go on. See if he’s in the office.”
Liz stared at him, trying to read his eyes. She knew Katie would never have left her with him if he wasn’t safe. She’d just have to remember to keep her own defenses in place. Particularly where her emotions were concerned. “No, it’s okay. I believe you.”