Page 84 of Twisted Royals

Skin.

Lots and lots of exposed skin. Flesh of all colors, people of all shapes, male and female moved in steps to a dance I’d only fantasized about and yearned to learn. And what I’d imagined proved to be a very poor comparison to reality.

“Yes!”

I couldn’t help but startle a bit as the high-pitched scream rent the air. Like magnet to steel, my attention was drawn to the source. A gorgeous redhead screamed again as her entire body arched with the impact of a whip applied to her back. She repeated the word… not asking to be released from her bonds, but actually begging for more. It was something I’d never imagined witnessing and an image I’d never forget.

I stood rooted to that spot as the whip landed another six times before being tucked beneath the man’s arm. My breath caught in my throat when he walked up behind her and pressed his bare chest against the stripes he’d placed on her body. His lips nuzzled against the nape of her neck before he murmured something far too faint to be heard. It was the most erotic thing I’d ever seen. Recognizing this as an intimacy between the two, I turned to find Jeanette smiling and waiting patiently.

“Sorry, I-I… umm…”

She laughed and shook her head. “No need to apologize. I totally get it. Shall we proceed?”

Not trusting my voice, I nodded, and we began to walk further into the room. I did my best not to stare or appear to be an interloper as we walked past scenes I had only read about in the books I’d managed to smuggle home and read, always scared the overhead light would click on and I’d be discovered. If online, I feared I’d feel a breath on my neck and turn to find someone looking over my shoulder to see what I found so engrossing. A memory stirred, causing me to shudder even as I smiled. Forget biting into the apple, I was pretty sure my parents would consider all I was seeing as far beyond forbidden as one could get. If they would only open their eyes and acknowledge the world was not the same as it had been back at the beginning of time.

If I were brave enough, I’d remind them that yes, God had inscribed rules on some stone tablets, but he’d also known that man could not live alone and had made Eve for Adam… and not just to sit around and debate the existence of the serpent in their garden. Knowing their retort would be to repeat the commandment about honoring thy father and mother, I knew it would be a useless exercise. Still, I thought about asking for forgiveness… not that I felt guilty, but because I was definitely coveting the freedom these people had. I honestly didn’t think it was all that big of a sin to ask for just a little taste. If it was, well, I’d deal with the consequences later.

My head swam as my mind worked to slot scenes and snippets of images into categories to file away and take out once I returned to my boring, predictable life. It wasn’t until I realized I no longer heard music that I understood I’d just blindly followed Jeanette through another door. It was far harder climbing stairs in a tight dress and high heels than I’d have thought. By the time we paused in order for Jeanette to apply her fingertip to a pad, I was rethinking my choice of footwear. Good grief, my conception of clubs had definitely been wrong. This place was huge and had far too many doors. Fortunately, it didn’t take long to arrive at yet another one. This time Jeanette didn’t press her finger to any electronic device. Instead, she rapped her knuckles against the wood, the knock sounding abnormally loud in the silence.

“It’s open.”

The words had me forgetting about everything except for the fact Ginger had mentioned something about the owner of the club. This must be his office. Brushing my hands down my sides to smooth any wrinkles from the silk, I took a deep breath and tried to compose myself. The image of the couple I’d seen flashed across my eyes and I felt heat flush over me. It was at that instant the door opened and I came face to face with the man behind the curtain.

CHAPTER 3

Max

It didn’t make sense, but this woman was even more beautiful face to face than the image I’d seen on the security monitor. When her head tilted back and her mouth opened into a perfect little circle, I felt my cock respond, as if demanding I sink it directly between those plump, bow-shaped ruby lips.

“You must be our new guest.” I rose to take the proffered clipboard from Jeanette while extending my hand to the woman in red.

She took my hand and I had to wonder if she felt the same spark I did when her eyes widened and she pulled her hand free after the briefest of shakes.

“You’re a giant,” she returned, and then a face that was already flushed, turned scarlet when she realized what she’d said. “Um, sorry. You’re just really big,” she murmured.

“Welcome to Revelation”—a glance at the clipboard had me holding back a grin—“Mia, is it?”

“What? Oh, yes, Mia, that’s me,” she said. “Mia Barr.”

That wasn’t true, but I hadn’t really expected her to use her real name. I had a feeling it was just the first lie of many I’d hear tonight. Seeing no recognition on her part didn’t strike me as unusual in the least. I might not have dyed my hair pink and purple, but that didn’t mean I hadn’t taken steps to obscure my identity myself. The beard wasn’t long or shaggy, but it did a good job of softening the line of my jaw, and I’d allowed my hair to grow long enough to cover the tops of my ears and curl at the nape of my neck. Instead of wearing bespoke suits and hand-stitched shirts, I wore black linen pants and a long-sleeve white shirt, the standard of our employees. Different colored bands worn on upper arms identified those staff who were either dungeon monitors, service submissives, or worked in security. Loafers had been exchanged for a pair of boots I could attest were made from alligators caught in the bayous of Louisiana.

“It’s nice to meet you, Mia. Please, come in and make yourself comfortable while I go over your questionnaire.”

“Oh, um, you don’t have to read it,” she said. “I mean, I’m sure you’ve seen hundreds of them and?—”

“You’d be correct, and I’ll read yours as well. Would you like a drink while I do so?”

Her cheeks were burning, making me wonder exactly what I’d find written on the pages I held.

“Water?” she said timidly, as if asking if that would be acceptable.

“I’ll get it,” Nathan offered, stepping away from the wall where he’d been waiting and moving to the small area that held my mini fridge and bar. He opened a bottle of water and poured it over ice, bringing the glass to Mia.

“Mia, this is Ned Loc… Logan, he owns the club with me,” I said. I’d totally forgotten what Nathan had chosen for his alias, but knew he’d play along regardless. When she turned her attention to Nathan, I added, “Of course, since you identify as a submissive, you’ll address him as Master Logan.”

If she’d taken a swallow of the water Nathan had just handed her, I was sure she’d have spit it out, though she did her best to disguise the knee-jerk reaction to that little tidbit of information.

“Um, it’s nice to meet you,” she said. “Oh, and thank you for the water.”

---