He closed the gap between them, ran his hand over her bare butt. God, she was soft. “No, sweetie, this is just for my pleasure so nothing's in the way when I take my pleasure.”

Pink washed over the nape of her neck.

At his usual station behind the guard desk, Ben glanced up as they entered. “Kari, good to see you. Jessica hoped you'd make it tonight. Just in time too. I'm closing the doors in a few minutes.”

Then he saw Dan, and his mouth dropped open. He glanced at Kari, then Dan again. “I'll be damned.”

“Probably so,” Dan bit out as the unsettled feeling he'd managed to calm on his long walk reared back up inside him. Marion. His anger, his guilt, his loss… All that was bad enough. How he felt about Kari added a different guilt.

And yet he'd wanted to be here with her.

“Well…” Ben rubbed his jaw. “Good. Go on in, folks.”

Dan pushed the feelings back down inside him, managed a thin smile. “Thanks, Ben.” He nudged Kari toward the inner door.

Kari made it three steps into the club room before she stopped, stunned. Two steps farther than Dan had figured she'd get. The quiet beginners' nights didn't prepare a newbie for a normal Saturday. Tonight, people crowded the small dance floor to the right, dancing to the raw, throbbing music. Across the room, Doms and Dommes, with subs kneeling at their feet, filled couches and tables. The dress code was in force, leather and latex predominant, corsets and loincloths not unusual, the odd disobedient sub wearing only cuffs or collar. They were late enough that the scene areas were in full use, and the slap of a flogger on bare flesh, wails, screams, and moans of arousal sounded over the music.

Kari edged closer to him, looked up with wide eyes, the look on her face so dazed, so innocent, that he had to pull her up against him so he could take her mouth. Damn, but he already wanted her again.


Kari sagged in Master Dan's arms, her body rousing as if she hadn't just gotten off less than an hour ago.

“You're addictive, little sub,” he murmured in her ear, biting her neck hard enough to make her shudder with need.

“So are you,” she said under her breath. “Dammit.” The way he overwhelmed both her body and emotions was frightening.

He frowned, tilted her chin up. “What did you say?”

Oh, spit.

“Kari?”

She huffed a breath. “I said,” she muttered. “So are you.”

He arched an eyebrow.

“Dammit.”

The amusement in his eyes made her want to punch him, but the feeling of his body as he yanked her up against him again wiped the notion out entirely. The warmth of his hands went right through her thin shirt. His leathers brushed her bare thighs, and the feeling of air against her private parts was almost as worrying as the interested looks from everyone walking past. Next time she'd just take the spanking and wear what she wanted.

Or maybe not. She eyed his solidly muscular chest, exposed by the open leather vest, remembered the glint of laughter in his eyes when she'd balked at the no-underwear decree. He'd not only have enjoyed spanking her but would still have stuffed her into his choice of clothing.

The memory of how he'd stripped her clothing off in the shower, pushing her hands away as easily as she'd have brushed away a fly, sent a wave of heat through her and she shivered.

His eyes narrowed. When he rubbed his knuckles against her breasts, she realized her nipples had turned to hard nubs.

“And what are you thinking about, little sub?”

She flushed, didn't answer.

His arm around her tightened. His fingers caught one nipple in a sharp pinch.

When she squeaked, a few people turned to look at them. He didn't even notice.

“Sir!”

“I asked you a question, Kari.”

Muffled laughter sounded around them, and she felt her cheeks turning hotter and hotter. “The shower,” she whispered. “That's all.”

“Ah.” He grinned. “Good to know it has such an effect on you.” His hand on her butt pressed her against him. He was fully erect. “Thinking about that has the same effect on me. I have a feeling you're going to be a very clean submissive,” he whispered in her ear.

She sank against him, loving the feel of his body. Loving the feel of his hands until she realized he'd pulled the tail of the shirt up to her waist so he could touch her bare bottom.

She tried to shove back, but his arm around her waist only tightened. His fingers moved slowly over her buttocks, massaging her cheeks. “Did you forget the rules, sweetling? For tonight, your body is mine to use.”

He continued as her outrage passed, as his fingers started to arouse her. The knowledge that people could see made the heat even worse. He tightened his grip, rubbing her against his erection until her pussy throbbed.

“Daniel.” Master Z's voice behind her.

Kari stiffened, tried to pull away. Sir's arm didn't loosen, and he held her in place until she stopped pushing. Finally, finally, his point made, he released her.

She turned and looked up at Master Z, her face probably as red as a tomato. To her surprise, he had his arm around Jessica. Was Jessica his sub?

“I'm so glad you made it here.” Jessica frowned as her gaze swept over Kari. She shook her head at Master Dan. “I wanted you to give Kari a ride, not to ride her.”

Sir barked a laugh, then said, “Z, your sub's getting mouthy. Called me an asshole earlier.”

Master Z tilted his head. “Did she now? If she sets such a bad example for our beginners, she will need to demonstrate what follows.” He paused, said reflectively, “I haven't given a lesson on discipline for some time.”

Jessica froze, her eyes widening. A tremor shook her body.

Smiling slowly, Master Z looked down at Jessica and murmured, “Thank you for the suggestion, Daniel.”

Chuckling, Sir pulled Kari away.

Kari rose up on tiptoe to whisper, “What did he mean by 'demonstrate' and 'a lesson'?”

“Master Z teaches by demonstrating how something should be done.”

Discipline? Oh God, poor Jessica.

Moving through the crowd, Sir kept a hard arm around Kari, and she loved how feminine and protected his strength made her feel. When they reached the bar, she snuggled even closer.

He glanced at her and ran a finger down her cheek. “I like touching you, little sub,” he said, his eyes gentle.

Her breath seemed to stop inside her chest.

But then he grinned and his hand trailed to where the shirt gaped open over her breasts. His voice lowered. “And I also like spanking your ass until it's a glowing red. And fucking you hard against a wall.”

She put her fingers over his mouth to silence him, but his amused look said he knew how his carnal words sent hunger through her and wet seeping between her legs.

Cullen wandered over and set drinks in front of them. His gaze lingered on her heated face. “A sub for three nights, Dan. That's gotta be a record.”

She felt Sir's body stiffen against her as his muscles turned iron hard. “Don't jump to conclusions,” he growled. “I'm just helping out with beginners' nights like I promised Z. Nothing else.” His arm dropped.

His words sucked the air right out of Kari's chest.

Again. Nothing had changed. She turned her face away, her gaze coming to rest on Martha and Gerald across the bar. The old Dom nuzzled his wife, the caring so obvious in his actions that Kari's lips tightened. Their affection made her realize she'd hoped for that with Dan. Especially after he'd come to get her, and they'd shared so much.

Well, obviously that wasn't going to happen. How could she keep forgetting he didn't want anything more than an occasional fucking? She deliberately used the f word, squeezing her hands together so hard the joints ached.

How had she been so delusional? This place wasn't about love; it was about domination. Pain. Sex. She'd been stupid.

“The sub you're with tonight isn't adequately dressed.” Cullen's lazy tone had turned mean. Was he mad at her or at Sir?

Master Dan glanced at her, his gaze shuttered. “Very true. Got a spare set of cuffs?”

Cullen crossed the bar, opened a cupboard, and returned to thump down leather cuffs.

“Give me your wrists, Kari,” Sir snapped.

She hesitated. Did she even want to be with him tonight? How much of this high and low stuff could she take? Then again, she was just here for the sex. Just the sex. Nothing more.

Mouth tight, she slapped her wrists into his broad hand, ignoring his narrowed eyes.

He buckled the cuffs on, checked for the tightness automatically, his gaze not leaving her face.

She looked away. Just the sex, nothing more.

“Interesting attire, Dan,” Raoul said, sliding onto the bar stool next to where Kari stood. He nodded at the shirt she wore. “Amazingly provocative on her.”

“I like it,” Sir said. He didn't snap at Raoul, she noticed. “She wasn't happy.”

“Like anyone would be.” Kari yanked the bottom of the shirt lower and scowled. Damn him anyway. She should have just stayed home. “You can see right through it, and it hardly covers my—”

Raoul raised his eyebrows, and Kari's breath strangled in her throat. Oh dear Lord. Holding her lip between her teeth, she ventured a look at Master Dan and tried not to cringe at the expression on his face. This wasn't the hurt man whom she'd hugged in her living room. This was Master Dan, and her fantasy of him had just taken on a nightmarish tinge.

His gaze chilled her right to the bone. “Apparently your modesty weighs more heavily with you than my will. Rather surprising you have any modesty left, considering how you spent a good portion of Wednesday night.” He glanced up at the chains on the rafters.

“I'm sorry, Master. Very sorry.” She lowered her eyes, heart hammering in her chest. Would kneeling help?

“I am sure you are,” he said quietly and started unbuttoning her shirt. Her hands rose instinctively to stop him. His hard look made her drop her arms back to her sides. “Toss me a towel, Cullen,” he said.

He used the towel to cover a bar stool, lifted her onto it, and flipped the shirt open. With unyielding hands, he moved her legs apart until her private parts showed, her brown curls blatantly dark against the white material.

“Please, Master,” she whispered.

“Please is the right word, sub,” he said. “And that's what you'll do. Please both yourself and me.” He took her hands, placed them over her breasts. “Play with your breasts until your nipples are as swollen and red as I had them three days ago.”

She shook her head.

“What do you say to me?”

Her fingers flinched as he moved her hands, massaging her breasts, ruthlessly plucking her nipples until fire streaked toward her groin. “Yes, Sir,” she said, unable to look away from his lethal brown eyes.

He stepped away. She tried to move her hands like he wanted and ended up covering her breasts with them instead.

His jaw clenched. “Kari, do what I said, or I'll lay you out on the bar and use my mouth to do it myself.”

Even as she recoiled, heat flooded her insides, and the towel dampened under her. Sir's lips curved up mockingly, even though his eyes remained frozen.

Gritting her teeth, she touched her breasts, stroking, pulling on the nipples, pinching them. Club members stopped to watch with appreciative looks before smiling at Master Dan. Eyes half-lidded, Cullen propped an elbow on the bar, acting like he was at a movie. Kari raised her chin and looked away.

When Master Dan turned his back on her, she continued, her hands trembling as embarrassment seared her again and again with each laugh and half-heard comment. Buck—oh, God, Buck—started to approach, then stopped. He shot Dan a nasty look and moved away.

When Master Dan finally checked on her, he frowned. Nudging her hand away, he took a nipple between his fingers, pinching and rolling with increasing force until pain, then pleasure, shot through her, hammering into her clit. Her breath sucked in.

“That hard,” he said coldly. “Last warning, sub.”

She nodded miserably. Closing her eyes to shut out the world, she touched herself. Harder, faster. To her shock, her body roused; her pussy ached as her breasts swelled and tightened. Her nipples moved past sensitive to throbbing need.

Hands closed on her wrists, held her immobile. She opened her eyes. “Master?”