All Aboard (Anchored Book 3) Read online

  “I didn’t order these,” I manage to say.

  “On the house, boys,” she winks. “No offense, but you seem like you could use them.”

  She heads off again, and I look at Zack, confused.

  “Seriously, who the hell is this girl?”

  He just shrugs and sips his fresh beer. “Magical, if you ask me.” He sets the glass back down. “You know, you could explore some other career options. There’s nothing wrong with changing your path.”

  “What? And work in real estate with you?”

  “Oh, we could have fun with that, but I don’t think you’d like it.”

  “No?”

  “It’s too quiet for you,” Zack says thoughtfully. “You need a rush. You need something fast paced, something that will keep you busy.”

  “I know you’re right. I don’t want to say you are, but you’re right. I’d make it a month in property law before I pulled my hair out and went to live in an isolated cabin in the woods.”

  Zack just chuckles. He knows me well. We’ve been friends for fucking forever, after all. He holds up his drink and smiles.

  “To you, brother. To your future. To happiness.”

  “To finding a way through the darkness,” I say.

  I’ll drink to that.

  Chapter 3

  Macie

  “I don’t know if I’m comfortable with this,” I whisper, staring at the ship in front of me. Oh, technically it’s not a “cruise ship.” It’s a “mini-cruise ship,” but I’m not convinced there’s much of a difference. It’s still big, and intimidating, and scary.

  From the outside, the ship Anchored looks like it’s some sort of fancy restaurant or even a hotel. The parking lot is clearly labeled private, though, and even if someone did decide to wander up to the ship, they wouldn’t be able to get inside without a special key.

  The problem is that I know this ship doesn’t house the best seafood in town. I know this place doesn’t have overpriced hotel rooms. I know this isn’t a bed and breakfast. I know, and that knowledge terrifies me.

  “It’ll be okay,” Christina says comfortingly.

  “Yeah,” Lily agrees. “You don’t have anything to worry about. Trust me: I was totally scared my first time, too, but Christina and Zack really put me at ease.”

  “You came with Christina and Zack your first time?”

  “Yep.”

  “And it wasn’t…you were okay?”

  “She was more than okay,” Jaxson Thorn, Lily’s husband and Dom, drapes an arm around her. “She was perfect, and you’re going to be fine, too.” His eyes soften as he looks at me. He lifts my chin with a finger and says, “Hey, we’re all going to be with you. Even if you decide to want to sit at the bar alone for a little while, or you want to talk to someone, we’ll always have eyes on you, okay? Nothing bad is going to happen to you.”

  “And you won’t be playing tonight,” Zack adds.

  “So I don’t have to worry about anyone touching me,” I whisper.

  “Well,” Jaxson chuckles. “That’s the least of your concerns.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean that once you see what happens at Anchored, little one, you’re going to be wishing someone was touching you. You might even be begging for it, but you can’t play tonight. Newbies don’t get to have fun. I know: it sucks for all of us.”

  “Thorn,” Lily slaps him playfully on the chest. “You’re going to freak her out.”

  “That’s Master Thorn at the club, baby.”

  “Master,” she whispers, and she kisses her husband softly.

  “All right,” Christina rolls her eyes at the PDA. “Let’s get inside. It’s already late, and I want to have some fun tonight.”

  We head into the club and check in at the front desk. I’m not a member, but I’m on the guest list for the evening. The receptionist helps me put on a special pink bracelet that indicates I can’t have sex tonight. The good news is that since I won’t be playing with anyone, I’ll be able to drink.

  And that’s something I’m definitely planning on doing.

  We step through the doors to the club, and I have to take a minute to catch my breath. The music is loud, and it washes over me like a wave.

  “It’s a lot to take in at first,” Christina says knowingly.

  “Yeah,” Lily agrees, but I just nod, and I’m not sure what to look at first. There’s so much happening that I suddenly feel completely overwhelmed. There are people walking around in what I would consider to be “normal” clothes: suits and nice dresses. Then there are a couple of people in costumes. There’s someone dressed like a schoolgirl and one woman is a naughty nurse. Then there are people in full fet-wear.

  There’s a little bit of everything.

  “Breathe,” Zack reminds me, and I take a deep breath.

  “Let’s go to the women’s locker room,” Lily suggests. “And we’ll meet the guys in a few minutes.” The men kiss their women before releasing them, and the three of us head into the locker room.

  As soon as we’re in the quiet space, I collapse on a bench. The locker room isn’t soundproof, but it is quieter in here, and I feel like I can think in here.

  “Newbie?” A friendly voice says, and I look up into two beautiful brown eyes.

  “First time,” I admit, and she smiles.

  “I’m Odessa.”

  “Macie.”

  “You look familiar.”

  “Macie does catering for Shining Stars events,” Christina offers helpfully.

  “Oh, that makes more sense, then.” Odessa smiles. “I’m another Shining Stars employee.”

  “Woah,” I say. “Does the entire daycare staff come here to play?”

  The women just laugh.

  “There are a lot of us,” Lily admits. “But you’ll find there are plenty of different types of people who come to Anchored.”

  “It’s true,” a woman with light blonde hair is sitting at the mirrors, and she turns around and smiles. Then she gives a little wave. “I’m a tech girl myself. Piper.”

  “Nice to meet you,” I say. “I’m Macie.”

  “Don’t be too scared,” Piper says with a smile. “These guys will boss you around, tie you up, and spank you, but most of them are real sweethearts.”

  “So I’ve been told.”

  The truth is that I still don’t know if this whole “kink lifestyle” is for me. Of course, it’s only my first time, so I know I have plenty of time to think things over, but there’s so much happening here that I really do feel overwhelmed.

  “Piper is right,” Odessa says. “And there’s one thing you need to know. You’re a sub, right? I assume you’re a sub.” Christina and Lily both nod on my behalf. “Well, us subs stick together,” she smiles. “If you ever have any questions, or you’re nervous, or you just need someone to talk to, you can come to us. Any one of us would be happy to help you, okay?”

  “Really?” It’s almost too good to be true. The sense of community here is incredible. Lily and Christina have told me this before, but I’m not sure I really understood it until now.

  “Of course,” Piper says. “We were all new once upon a time. Coming to a place like this can be terrifying. You’re very brave, you know. Don’t be under this impression that you have to participate in something extreme or daunting in order to be considered brave. You don’t. Just coming here shows that you’re courageous.”

  “Absolutely,” Lily agrees. “Trust me,” she says. “When we go out there, you might feel a lot of different emotions, and none of those feelings are wrong. Just take a deep breath and remember that everything is going to be okay. You might hate it, but you might love it, and that’s all right, too.”

  Christina touches up my makeup and Lily fusses with my hair a little bit, but then it’s time to go. With a deep breath, I stand up and head out of the locker room and into Anchored.

  It’s time to take a chance.

  Chapter 4

  Anthony


  “Who the hell is that?” I’m standing with Zack and Jaxson, chatting about stupid work things, when three women emerge from the locker room. Christina and Lily I both know, but the third woman is a mystery to me, and she’s perfect. Her soft makeup accentuates her eyes and makes her lips look full and plump. Instantly, I want to wrap her in my arms and kiss her slowly, tenderly.

  “Macie,” Zack says, looking at me. “But don’t you have a regular sub?”

  “I do not.”

  “What about that one girl you were playing with?” Jaxon starts snapping his fingers, trying to think of her name.

  “She moved,” I tell him. “And we weren’t serious. We just played together.”

  Jaxson shrugs, and we stand still as the women make their way over to us.

  “Ladies,” I say, greeting them. Lily and Christina both look lovely, as always, but Macie is the one who has captured my attention tonight. Her eyes keep flitting to and fro, like she can’t quite take everything in, like she can’t quite figure out what to look at or what to focus on.

  “Master Tony,” Lily and Christina both bow their heads demurely, but Macie looks right at me.

  “Hello,” she says shyly.

  Oh, yes.

  She’s very new.

  Lily nudges her in the side, and Macie bows her head.

  “Master Tony,” she murmurs quietly, and I step forward, invading her space. I reach for her and lift her chin so her eyes meet mine. She blinks, surprised that I’ve touched her.

  “It is a pleasure to meet you, Macie,” I tell her, and I’m not lying. Zack chuckles quietly from behind me, but I ignore him. “May I accompany you tonight?” I ask her.

  “Oh,” she says, suddenly breaking eye contact and looking to Zack and Jaxson. Then she looks at her wrist. “I, um, I’m new,” she holds up her wrist. “I can’t play tonight.” Then she nods, as if she’s satisfied with the answer she’s given me, and I smile. She looked to her temporary Doms for permission and guidance, which I appreciate. Many new subs would have simply answered for themselves, but she visually checked with them first.

  “Zack, Jaxson,” I turn to my friends. “May I have the pleasure of showing your sub around Anchored this evening?”

  “Macie,” Zack looks at her. “Would you like to spend the evening with Tony? He’s a close friend of mine and I trust him completely. He won’t harm you, but if you’d prefer to stay with us as a group, that’s all right, too.”

  Macie looks from me to Zack to Jaxson to Lily to Christina. Then she bites her bottom lip and it’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. She thinks for a minute, and then she nods.

  “Yes,” she whispers. “I think that would be all right.”

  “Sweet!” Lily says, nudging her once more. “You’re going to have fun.”

  “And you,” Jaxson wraps his arms around Lily, pulling her close to him. “Are coming with me.” He leads her off toward one of the stages, and Lily waves goodbye to Macie as they walk off.

  “If you need anything, we’ll be close,” Christina whispers, kissing Macie on the cheek.

  “Look out for her,” Zack says, and then he and Christina head off, as well. Then it’s just me and Macie, and I take a minute to look her over. She’s wearing a black tank top that shows off her beautiful breasts and a matching mini-skirt that’s much too long. I want to see what she has on beneath it. Although the skirt ends at mid-thigh, I want it shorter, higher.

  If she were my sub, I’d want to see her panties peeking out from beneath it.

  “You’re staring at me,” she says.

  “You’re very beautiful.”

  “Is that right?”

  “You seem suspicious.”

  “A little,” she admits, looking around the room. “There are a lot of pretty women here. I guess I’m a little confused as to why you want to hang out with me.”

  “Are you trying to say you aren’t beautiful? Because my spanking hand is starting to itch.”

  She rolls her eyes. “You can’t spank me tonight.” She holds up her wrist and points to the pink band. “Newbie, remember? But that’s not what I was saying. I know I’m pretty. I just think there are a lot of experienced submissives here. Why do you want the new girl?”

  I’m so surprised by Macie’s boldness that I don’t say anything right away, but then she snaps her fingers and grins at me.

  “That’s it! I’m fresh blood. You want to take my sex club virginity.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Oh, please. I’m new, and inexperienced, and innocent, and you want to be the one to defile me.” She laughs and places her hands on my chest, and then Macie smiles up at me. “That’s fine with me, Master Tony. That’s just fine with me.”

  “You’re not as shy as you look,” I point out.

  “Good observational skills.”

  “And a little mouthy.”

  “Only a little.”

  “You have no idea how much I wish you weren’t wearing the pink bracelet tonight.”

  “Why?” She reaches up on her tippy-toes and whispers into my ear. “Do you want to spank me, Master Tony?”

  I growl, grab her hair, and kiss her. I shouldn’t. She’s new, and even though kissing isn’t technically playing, I should leave her alone tonight. I should just be showing her around, and nothing more, but her sassy mouth has my dick hard and ready and I just want to taste her.

  And she tastes perfect.

  She’s like a cupcake: sweet, soft, delicious. I kiss Macie, dominating her mouth with mine, and then I stop myself. If I don’t stop, I’m never going to, so I pull away. Her eyes are even wider than before.

  “I absolutely want to spank you, Macie. I want to pull you over my lap and paddle your ass until it turns a beautiful shade of red, and then I want to sink into you, baby. I want to make love to you until you can’t think straight, until all you can do is focus on the pleasure I’m giving you.”

  “Wow,” she whispers. Her fingers flutter up to her lips, as if she’s trying to accept the fact that we just shared an incredible kiss right here in the club.

  “Come on, sweetheart,” I take her hand gently. “Let me show you around.”

  Chapter 5

  Macie

  When a super hot guy offers to show you around a sex dungeon, you say yes. You always, always say yes. I might be naïve, but I’m smart enough to know when there’s a good thing in front of me, and Tony?

  He’s a good thing.

  And a damn good kisser.

  “Tell me about your experience with kink before this,” he says, leading me toward a stage. My eyes are glued to it as I speak to him. Somehow, I’m unable to look away from the scene unfolding before me. A woman is on her knees and she’s tied up with rope. Two men are circling her like sharks, but she doesn’t look afraid. She looks excited.

  “I don’t really have any,” I admit. “I came here because I lost a bet.”

  “Is that right?”

  “I met Lily and Christina recently and we started hanging out. They gave me a week to find someone using Turntable. I couldn’t, so I had to come try the club.”

  “They’re a couple of sneaky little subs, aren’t they?”

  “The sneakiest,” I agree, tearing my eyes away from the scene to look up at Tony. He smiles at me, and suddenly, I feel very safe. This isn’t a feeling I have very often. It’s not that there’s anything terribly traumatic in my past, but I don’t typically feel safe with men. Maybe it’s because I’m so short and they all seem so huge. Maybe it’s because I never had a close relationship with my father. I’m not sure.

  When I look up at Tony, though, I feel like he’s going to protect me. He barely knows me, but he seems like he’s going to take care of me, like he’s going to look after me, and I like that feeling very much.

  Tony moves behind me and wraps his arms around me. He pulls me back against him so we’re both staring at the stage.

  “Look at this beautiful submissive,” he says. “What do you think when
you see her?”

  “She should be afraid,” I tell him. “She’s all tied up.” She’s naked under all those ropes. I can see her breasts and her nipples.

  “But she isn’t afraid, is she?”

  “No.”

  “What do you think she’s feeling, Macie? Look at her face.”

  “Peace,” I say instantly. “She trusts those men.”

  “She’s dating them,” he tells me. “And they come here every week to play.”

  “She’s dating both of them?”

  “Yes.”

  “She must be very loved,” I say before I can stop myself. Tony stills behind me.

  “That’s an interesting observation,” he says. “And I agree with you.”

  One of the men is speaking to the woman, but the music is so loud I can’t hear what he’s saying. The other one has undone his pants so his cock is out, and the woman opens her mouth to take it.

  “I’ve never…” I tell him.

  “You’ve never seen anyone do this before?”

  “Never.”

  “Have you ever watched yourself? Maybe in a mirror?”

  “Only when I-” I stop before I can keep talking. It’s too embarrassing to say out loud.

  “What were you going to say?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Oh, Macie,” he whispers, running his hand down my arm. Goosebumps form on my skin and I begin to quiver. I don’t want to. I don’t want to have this reaction to Tony, to this man I barely know, yet somehow, he’s making me come alive. “A good Dom always knows when his sub is lying.”

  “I don’t want to tell you.”

  “Because you’re embarrassed?”

  “Yes.”

  “Look at this woman on the stage, sweetie. Does she look embarrassed?”

  “No. She doesn’t look embarrassed,” I admit. “She looks happy, content. She’s only focusing on herself and her Doms and she doesn’t care that we’re all watching.”

  “She’s very brave.”

  “Are you asking me to be brave like her?”

  “That’s what Anchored is all about. It’s about giving in to your desires. It’s about being bold enough to ask for what you want and to take what you need. It’s about giving and receiving. It’s about celebrating your sexuality. It’s about being courageous enough to give in to what you need. This place isn’t a huge orgy. Oh, plenty of people like to think it is, but it’s not. We’re not all having sex together. Some people here have been with their partners for decades.”