The Bratty Dom Read online

  That meant that June had personally vetted the woman in the club tonight, whether or not that girl knew who June was. Sometimes June performed telephone interviews and sometimes she had new members screened by one of the tops at the club. It just depended on her mood, I supposed.

  “I just think it’s nice seeing you notice women,” June pointed out.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” I grumbled, reaching for the drink again, but the game was over. We both knew exactly what she meant, and I resented it greatly. So what if I hadn’t noticed women in a long time? Not every Dom had to be sexually active. We didn’t all have to be hunting or prowling around.

  “You know exactly what I mean,” June said. She placed her hands on the bar and looked right at me. Sometimes, June scared me with just how perceptive she always managed to be.

  “I don’t.”

  “Liar,” she said, but there was no malice in her voice. “Look,” she said. “I get that you’re scared.”

  “I’m not,” I said, but she held a hand up, silencing me. June just had that ability. Apparently, that was one of the little quirks that let her run Anchored so damn well. She was always coming up with ways to help people, even if it was bossing them around in a way they definitely didn’t want to be bossed around in.

  “We all would be. Anyone in your situation would be terrified. It’s normal. Natural. You had not only one person you trusted, but two, and they betrayed that. It’s a wonder you’re not more broken than you are.”

  “Thanks, I guess,” I said. I wasn’t sure whether it was a complement or not. I didn’t like to think of myself as broken, but maybe she was right. Maybe I was broken. Maybe I was damaged. Maybe there was a part of me that was just never going to recover. I wasn’t sure, but I did know one thing: seeing the girl at the bar was the first time I’d felt curious in a very, very long time. She sparked my interest more than I was comfortable with.

  “She’s new,” June finally said. Apparently, she’d decided I was trustworthy. I wasn’t about to question her judgment. “Her name is Blair. I don’t know if she’s going by that at the club or not, so keep that to yourself. She’s 32, and she’s single. She’s a submissive, so she says.”

  “You aren’t convinced?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. June was really good at reading people. That much was for sure.

  “I see a lot of people in my club,” June said. “And Blair might be submissive, but she’s not as trained as she seems to think she is.”

  “Interesting.”

  “That’s one word for it,” June nodded in agreement.

  “What’s another word?”

  “Unacceptable,” June said. “Someone needs to train that girl if she’s going to make it at Anchored, and I think you’re just the Dom to do it.” She grinned.

  I shook my head.

  Training a submissive?

  I wasn’t exactly looking for a partner. I didn’t need that kind of responsibility or that kind of relationship. No, I wasn’t exactly a busy guy these days, but if I was going to train a submissive and introduce them to the lifestyle, then I was going to go all out.

  Before I could argue, June left, hurrying off to get someone a drink they’d been waiting for, and I turned to see where Odessa and Blair had run off to. It was such a lovely name, Blair. It suited her, I thought, and it made me wonder about where she’d come from.

  What kind of woman was she?

  And why had she come to Anchored?

  Was she a “tourist”? Was she the type of person who visited sex clubs on a whim to see what they were all about? Maybe she’d come to look at the kinky people and to laugh at us for our weird little quirks, but somehow, I didn’t think so. Maybe she was just new in town or maybe there was something else going on. I didn’t know.

  What I did know was that June was right. It was the first time I’d felt anything resembling emotional interest in ages, basically, and I didn’t really want to waste my curiosity. I was tipsy, and I’d had more than the two-drink limit for players, so there wouldn’t be any chance of me getting to tease the little minx. Not tonight. Still, I could introduce myself properly. I could take a chance. What was the worst that could happen?

  I wasn’t interested in a relationship or in getting engaged or married. I wasn’t looking for a commitment, and if I was being honest, I wasn’t really looking for sex, either. I didn’t need any of that right now. All I needed was a moment. I could talk to her, tell her who I was, and learn a little bit more about her.

  I made my way through the crowd. It was a Friday night, and Anchored was crowded. It always was on the weekends. June kept the club open on Fridays and Saturdays for people to come and play. Sometimes there were performances and other events, as well. During the week, the club was mostly closed, but sometimes she’d hold other smaller events: classes, things like that.

  I passed a scene where a couple of rope bunnies were playing with their Doms and another scene where a naughty schoolgirl was being spanked. That was the kind of thing I loved. Watching that sort of stuff made my dick hard and my heart ache. There really was a part of me that still wanted that. I hated to admit that I really did crave the idea of falling in love again.

  It was stupid, I knew, but the heart wanted what it wanted.

  I scanned the room, but I didn’t see her. Not for awhile, anyway. I pushed past Doms talking with their subs, and I waved to a couple of people I knew.

  “Long time no see, brother,” I heard. I didn’t tense at the word brother. It wasn’t my actual brother. It was Zack: Dom extraordinaire. He was also the real estate attorney who helped me dump my townhouse after I kicked Angela out. Zack and his wife, Christina, did more for me than I deserved. They gave me a place to stay while I was looking for a new home, and Zack in particular helped me get the best deal on a new property.

  “Hey,” I said, hugging him. A lot of Doms were scared of the idea of physical affection between guys, but Zack had always been very gracious when it came to showing his friends that he cared. “How have you been, man?”

  “Good,” he said nodding.

  “Here with Christina?”

  “Oh yes,” he laughed. “We have a babysitter tonight, and we’re here all night. She wants to be tied up and spanked and, if I remember her exact words, put on a show that people won’t soon forget.”

  “I look forward to seeing that,” I said, and Zack nodded and smiled.

  “What have you been up to?” He asked. “How’s the new job?”

  “Good,” I said. I couldn’t help but smile.

  My life had changed so much in such a short amount of time.

  After the breakup, I’d moved right away. Zack had helped me find a nice house in a good part of town that I loved. Despite walking away from my house, I hadn’t been able to walk away from my job, and I’d continued my work at the firehouse for over a year after the breakup. Then it was like my heart just wasn’t in it anymore. I took six months off and just “found” myself. I painted. I jogged. I watched Netflix. Then finally, one of the Doms at the club had had a few choice words with me about responsibility, and I’d chosen a new profession.

  “How do you like it?” He asked. “Carpentry is pretty different.”

  “It’s not as different as you’d imagine,” I said.

  “Raiden,” Zack raised an eyebrow. “It’s night and day.”

  “Yeah,” I admitted. “It’s night and day. Still, I like it. I can’t complain.”

  “You’ve met some good people since you started working.”

  “The best,” I said.

  The music seemed to get louder, and Christina appeared wearing nothing but a thong.

  “Raiden!” She squealed. She reached out and hugged me. She didn’t ask permission. Most of the Doms at the club would have required it, but Zack, Christina, and I all had an understanding. “I’m so happy to see you,” she said.

  “I’m glad to see you, too,” I told her honestly. “You look perfect.”

  “Did Zack
tell you about our scene?” She said, clapping her hands.

  “He did,” I smiled.

  “It’s almost time,” she looked around. “Zack booked one of the stages for us.”

  “We should go,” Zack said, smiling down at the fiery submissive. He’d gotten lucky with her. The fact that they’d found each other had been amazing to me, and wonderful. Not everyone got a happy ending, I knew, and Christina had been through so much to finally get hers.

  “See you later,” I said. “Have fun, you two.”

  “We’ll do our best,” Zack winked and took Christina’s hand. Then he guided her gently through the dungeon and to the stage they’d been promised. I thought about watching their scene – the two of them had always done a wonderful job putting on a good show – but I wanted to find Blair.

  I looked around, wandering through the club until I finally spotted Odessa’s luxurious braids. Blair was close to her side, but my heart sank when I saw that she was talking to two mistresses. They were known for their enjoyment of new submissives, especially single submissives, whom they liked to top together. Blair was smiling and talking to them, laughing, and Odessa looked just as happy to have helped her new buddy find a couple to play with.

  My heart suddenly felt crushed, and I realized just how very excited I’d been when it came to talking to Blair. Why the hell had I let myself get so pumped up over a stranger? She was just some girl. She was just a random woman. She wasn’t anyone special, and as far as I knew, I wasn’t missing out on anything.

  I turned around and headed for the doors. It was time to call an Uber and go home.

  Chapter 3

  Blair

  “You slut!” Carolyn clapped her hands as she looked me up and down.

  “What?” I asked, glancing down at my outfit. “I am not.”

  “You totally are,” she grinned. “I love it.”

  “I’m glad you approve,” I sighed, and collapsed on the couch. I kicked my shoes off and rubbed my feet. Walking around barefoot all night at the club had been…well, it had been fun and exciting, but now my heels hurt and my legs were tired. I’d stayed out way too late. I’d only just gotten home, and it was nearly two. “I can’t believe you waited up for me.”

  “Oh,” I wasn’t going to miss this,” Carolyn said. “I drank some coffee.”

  “You work at a coffee shop,” I pointed out. “You always have coffee.”

  She’d been a barista for as long as I could remember. It wasn’t because it was the only job she could get or anything like that. Carolyn had actually quit her job as a realtor once she’d made enough money to settle down, and then she’d gotten a part-time job at our local coffee shop to pay for fun and health insurance. It was a strange sort of thing, really, but it worked for her.

  She’d had a late shift at the shop and had stayed after to clean, so she hadn’t left the coffee shop until nearly 11. Then she’d come to my house and waited for me, apparently. It was a good thing I’d given her a spare key. She was so hyped up I kind of felt like she might have just sat on the porch waiting for me.

  “So?” She said.

  “So, I’m just saying that you drinking coffee isn’t really just because it’s a special occasion.”

  “So you admit it!” She said, clapping her hands again. “You admit that it was a special night.”

  “That’s one way of putting it.”

  “What happened? Tell me everything. Don’t leave anything out.”

  “Well, I met Kal,” I said, starting from the beginning. He had been kind and welcoming. I wondered how differently the night might have gone if he’d been cold to me. I probably would have felt scared. Maybe I would have even turned and left right then. Instead, he’d made me feel like I belonged.

  “Oh, he was working the front tonight, huh? He’s a sweetie.” Carolyn grinned and rubbed her hands together, as though she couldn’t wait for me to tell her about the rest of the night. I loved it. It felt so damn good to have someone who was on my side, rooting for me.

  “Yeah, he seemed really nice,” I said. “Actually, everyone seemed really nice. I went inside the locker room, and I met Odessa.”

  Carolyn laughed again and grinned. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen her looking so excited or happy, and it was a little weird it was because she was so excited I’d finally ventured into her world.

  “She’s the best! Let me guess: she showed you around?”

  “Yeah, something like that,” I said, thinking about how the night had gone. Odessa had guided me out of the locker room and into a place filled with wonderful chaos. It had been organized chaos. Someone from the outside looking in might have thought that what happened at a BDSM club was random and wild, but it wasn’t. The scenes were carefully controlled and properly planned. The dungeon monitors had been stationed throughout the space to watch and make sure that people were being safe even as they were receiving pain, giving pain, or just drinking.

  “Girl, spill.”

  “What?” I asked innocently.

  “You have the look on your face that says you got into some trouble. Did you fuck someone?” Carolyn smirked, as though that was definitely my secret.

  “What? No!” I gasped, shaking my head. “No!” I repeated, as though to reassure both of us that I hadn’t slept with anyone on my first night.

  “There’s nothing wrong with exploring your sexuality,” Carolyn said. “I love sleeping with people at Anchored. Besides, as long as everyone is a mature, consenting adult, then it’s totally fine. There’s no stigma, Blair.”

  “I didn’t sleep with anyone.”

  Not that I was opposed to that. Not at all. There had been the two beautiful Dommes who had seemed more than happy to talk with me about the lifestyle and who had even invited me to scene with them. I wasn’t quite ready for that, but we had brunch planned. Maybe we’d end up sleeping together or “playing” together, or maybe we would find that we worked well as friends. I could use more friends, especially friends in the BDSM lifestyle.

  Even if I wasn’t really going to stay in the lifestyle once my book was done, I could use some friends to help me understand more about their world. I felt a little twinge of pain at the idea, like I was using them. That wasn’t my intention.

  There had been more that happened at Anchored, though. Besides meeting the two lady dommes, I’d met someone else.

  Sort of.

  The man at the bar.

  I didn’t know his name, or who he was, or why he was all alone. I’d tried to ask Odessa about him, but she’d just shaken her head and told me firmly that he was off limits. It seemed like it was a sore subject, so I hadn’t pushed her to tell me anything else.

  In hindsight, I definitely should have.

  He had seemed curious about me, and I was wildly interested in him. He’d been muscular and fit, just like many of the other Doms, but there was something else to him. He seemed like he was kind of a loner. At a place filled with friends and couples, it was strange that he’d been drinking alone. Maybe Carolyn would know more about him.

  “But I have a question,” I said.

  “Shoot,” Carolyn opened a bag of chips that was sitting on my coffee table. She leaned back on the couch and popped one in her mouth. Somehow, despite the fact that she seemed to live off of coffee and potato chips, she never ever gained weight. She looked exactly the same as she had when she was selling real estate: back when she was always assuring me that looks really were everything, at least in that world.

  “There was a guy there.”

  “Oh?” She leaned forward, once again excited.

  “Okay, you have to calm down, though.”

  “Of course,” she said. “But it’s not every day your best friend finds the Dom of her heart.”

  “I don’t think this is that kind of situation…anyway, he was alone at the bar.” I described him: tall, dark, and handsome. He seemed pretty muscular, but he was wearing more clothing than most of the other Doms. In other words, h
e had a shirt on, and it covered quite a bit. Not that I had only gone to oogle abs and man pecs.

  “Oh,” she sat back and reached for the chips again. “That’s Raiden.” She said it completely matter-of-factly, as though that was the end of it. Was that really the end of the discussion? It couldn’t be. I was a writer. I had questions. I wanted to know more. I wanted to know who this guy was, and why he was there, and what his story was. Was he looking for a partner? Maybe he'd been hurt. Maybe he had someone he loved, but that person just hadn’t been at the club.

  “Raiden? Kind of an unusual name,” I commented, trying to get Carolyn to share a little more information with me. Suddenly, it seemed like she was being stingy with what she knew.

  “I think it’s Japanese,” she said. “It suits him, though. He’s kind of a unique guy.” She took another bite of her chips, but didn’t say anything else for a minute.

  “What do you mean?” I tried to sound casual, but Carolyn seemed to know exactly what I was doing, because she shook her head just like Odessa had when I’d asked about him at the club.

  “He’s not the one.”

  “What?”

  “He’s damaged goods.”

  “That’s kind of a shitty thing to say,” I pointed out. I would never describe someone like that, and I was shocked that she would.

  “I don’t say that to be mean,” she said. “But he’s got some deep-rooted emotional scarring and some serious issues he needs to get over.”

  “Okay…like what?”

  “Eat these,” Carolyn handed me the chips, and she started talking. “I don’t want to gossip, but obviously, you’ve chosen the most wounded puppy you could find.”

  “Stop talking about him like that,” I said. I didn’t like the idea that he was a hurt little puppy. He had seemed a little sad, yes, and he’d seemed alone. Wounded, though? That just felt…well, it felt harsh.