Page 50 of Captive Heart

"Yes, Micah spanked me the last time, after I got all wound up about stealing the boots and the scarf when I escaped from V. But he got kind of distant after, and I don't want to ask him to do it if it's just going to make him feel bad," she said sadly. "I owe him so much… whatever it is I feel for him, I don't want to be a burden."

Trinity looked at Melody long and hard, and the other three women looked interestedly from one of them to the other while Trinity came to a decision.

"Okay," she announced, placing her hands on her hips and pursing her lips. "I can probably swing getting you into the dungeon as long as I can find a suitable chaperone and you promise me you'll spend the first hour just looking around."

"I can take her in as a guest on my membership," Laurel piped up, rubbing her hands in glee.

“Not tonight, though,” Trinity decreed. “Emotions are too volatile, and I want Melody to give it some thought and be certain it’s what she wants first.”

33

The following week, Melody was a bundle of nerves and anticipation. It was a busy Saturday night, and Laurel had taken her down to the ladies' locker room, so she could get changed in private. Charlotte had sent over a stretchy red dress from her own wardrobe. It was simple and comfortable but shot through with metallic thread which made it sparkle.

Melody had expected the colour to be far too bold with her pale skin and ashen hair, but the end result was surprisingly alluring. She left her hair loose, but since it skimmed the middle of her thighs at almost the same length as her skirt, she had been concerned that it made her look naked. Well, from behind at least. Laurel had told her she was worrying over nothing and that the look would be an instant hit.

Having no experience of such things, Melody took her word for it.

She chose to remain barefoot since she’d become unaccustomed to wearing any type of footwear over the past few years, never mind the skyscraper heels which seemed to be favoured in the club. Luckily, in the playroom, it seemed to be equally acceptable to wear no shoes at all. On the frequent occasions when she watched through the one-way glass windows of the staff area corridor, which overlooked different parts of the club, she had noticed a lot of the submissives who went into the playroom chose that option. Or maybe their masters chose for them. Either way, it suited Melody to do the same.

Now, she bounced up and down on the soles of her feet as she eagerly waited for Laurel to finish getting ready, only vaguely embarrassed by her small, crooked toe that was still partially blackened.

She had spent plenty of time in the dungeon, of course, had carefully dusted every piece of kinky furniture, but it was different when it was full of people.

Melody was also keen to go downstairs to the nightclub section. She didn't like the idea of the noise or the hundreds of people she knew would be packed in down there like sardines. But she really wanted to see the live kink displays that played out on the incredible suspended platforms above the dance floor, and soak up the unique atmosphere. She didn't want to risk the claustrophobia of the dance floor or risk getting her bare toes trampled, but Laurel said they could visit the bar and get a decent view from there.

It was going to be their first stop and Melody could hardly wait. She didn't remember being this excited about anything in her entire life! How sad was that?

Although Trinity had insisted on waiting a while before she cleared Melody's entry to the club, in case she changed her mind, there had never been any chance of that. If anything, she was even more hyped up after the delay… and she seriously needed that spanking.

The memories that had been stirred up had left Melody anxious and off kilter. The guilt, which she’d managed to force down and put a lid on before, had now boiled over, so she could no longer ignore it.

Melody knew not everyone would understand her need to be punished for what, to them, was a completely skewed perception, especially after the life she had endured with V, but that didn't matter. This was for her own peace of mind.

Melody didn't understand the psychology behind it all. What she did know was this type of discipline, which she sought freely, would quiet the noise inside her head and calm her frazzled nerves.

Guilt, punishment, and absolution, there was nothing so strange about that.

To seek out a spanking was just the way Melody chose to absolve herself so she could move forward in mental harmony once again.

People could think what they liked. It worked for her, and she was the only person who mattered in this scenario.

And maybe the person providing the punishment as well, she supposed, which was why she hadn't pressured Micah into doing it. Melody was sure he would have capitulated if she’d insisted, but he’d already done so much for her.

He was her rock. But if it made him uncomfortable because of his own beliefs regarding both her mental and physical wellbeing, then she refused to put upon him, no matter how much she might prefer him to be doling out the discipline. She owed Micah that much, at least.

So, here she was at the club, sating her interest in the splashy, lower-level show time before she headed upstairs to the dungeon. A bit of an oxymoron there, since dungeons were supposed to be underground, but it seemed everyone fondly referred to the general playroom in those terms, regardless.

Trinity suggested Laurel introduce her to two Doms in particular, Master Flynn and Master Cameron. Although they were strangers, the assistant manager had assured Melody of their ethics and integrity.

Melody was a little nervous that they seemed to operate as a pair, but it wasn't something she was particularly opposed to. And they were hot! Trinity had pointed them out already, and although neither of them had Micah's muscled physique, they were both strapping specimens in their own right and just as handsome.

Okay, so they didn't make her heart beat that little bit faster like being around Micah did, but it was too early to tell how things might progress. She'd see how she felt after the spanking.

They might still be able to provide what she sought in her more personal quest to seek pleasure with a man, but that was an altogether different proposition. Melody wanted there to be at least a modicum of chemistry. She wanted to feel the difference and experience all the joy and delight entwined in giving herself freely to someone to whom she was attracted.

She wanted to finally understand that unique bond of joining with someone simply for their mutual pleasure.

Her pleasure!

---