Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 86510 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 433(@200wpm)___ 346(@250wpm)___ 288(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86510 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 433(@200wpm)___ 346(@250wpm)___ 288(@300wpm)
She and I never played together. We both like to be alone with our Dominant, and Black Rose Underground gives us a safe place to do that.
Another customer enters, and I head toward her.
It’ll be nice to go to the club with Brenda again, like we used to, even if nothing happens. Until then, time to get to work.
“Welcome to Treasure’s Chest.” I flash a big smile. “May I help you with anything?”
…
“Hey, Al,” Brenda says as she and I take a seat at the bar.
I gaze at the mirrored shelves behind the bar, the expensive liquor, the neon lighting. The bar is shiny dark wood. To the untrained eye, this is simply a Manhattan bar, but Alfred isn’t just any bartender. He works for the underground leather club here in the building. Black Rose Underground is owned by blue-collar billionaire Braden Black, who also owns this residential building.
“Brenda, Mary,” he says. “The usual?”
“You bet,” Brenda says.
I give him a nod.
Alfred smiles as he fixes our drinks, shaking first my lemon drop, and then Brenda’s cosmo. He’s tall, blond, and gorgeous, and he and I have been crushing on each other forever, but even though he works for the club, I have no idea if he’s actually in the lifestyle.
And I wonder…
Is it time to give him a chance?
No, not yet. I came here tonight at Brenda’s request, and I won’t let my best friend down. I’ll go to the club with her, and I’ll see how things go.
Maybe tonight is the night.
Maybe tonight is the night that I’ll get over this hump and play in a scene with someone.
There are several Dominants I play with who frequent this club.
Two of them, including the one who accidentally broke my skin, are now hooked up with their own submissives in committed, monogamous relationships.
But there are still a few others I like and who like me.
Perhaps one of them will be at the club. Someone I feel safe with.
Of course, I felt safe with Jack, too, until…
But anyone can have a glitch, and to his credit, he stopped as soon as I said my safe word. He took great care of me afterward, too.
I take a sip of my lemon drop. The tartness of the lemon, the sweetness of the simple syrup, and the alcoholic bite of the vodka all tickle my tongue. A lemon drop is the perfect drink for me. Not too sweet, not too tart, not too alcoholic. I like to taste the alcohol in a drink, but I don’t like to taste only alcohol. One of the Doms I used to play with before he got serious with his permanent submissive always drinks martinis. Martinis taste like ammonia to me.
I take another sip and look around. A trained eye can tell who’s here for a drink and who’s here for something more. Those here for something more are usually wearing coats to cover their garments—or lack thereof—underneath.
I’m wearing my black trench coat because it covers my clubwear—and I have a lot of clubwear thanks to my fifty-percent employee discount at the store.
In the past, on nights when I was feeling especially frisky, I’d be wearing nothing at all under the trench coat.
Tonight, though, I’m wearing a little black dress—a basic that can be worn at any club, not just a leather club. I want to feel safe tonight, which means I need to be fully dressed under my coat.
Brenda’s trench coat is dark red, like the rich hue of merlot, with undertones of warm mahogany.
Red is Brenda’s color. She has dark brown hair and eyes, so it’s perfect on her. With my auburn hair, I rarely wear red, except for undergarments.
I have no idea what Brenda’s wearing underneath. It can’t be anything too risqué, though, because she’s not going to play tonight. She’s coming to the club for me, to help me feel comfortable. Help me get back up on the horse.
No pun intended.
She takes a sip of her cosmo. “See anyone you like around here?”
I scan the patrons in the bar. “Not everyone who comes here is a member of the club,” I remind her.
“I know that. You can probably pick out the ones who are.”
“That’s not the route I want to go tonight,” I say, “if I go that route at all. It’s going to have to be someone I’ve played with before.”
“Okay. I get that.” Brenda picks up her stemmed glass and swirls her pink cosmo. “But you know the Phantom is taken now.”
I nod. “Yeah, I know. By the sister of Jack’s fiancée, no less.”
Brenda shakes her head. “Crazy, huh? The Thomas sisters take two of the best Doms.”
“Let’s not forget you took one out yourself.”
She smiles and looks down at the two-carat sparkler on her left ring finger. “What can I say? I guess a relationship was in the cards for me after all. It could be for you, as well.”