Page 24 of Sweet Surrender

Only one thing could. Was that true? Maybe, or perhaps I was telling myself that as an excuse to revisit the most incredible sexual experience of my life. Who was I kidding? He wouldn’t be there, my mystery man. Unless there was another big party, I doubted there was any chance of running into him again.

The idea made my feet feel heavy as I dragged them through my apartment to the bedroom, chiding myself for being childish and taking unnecessary risks.

That didn’t stop me from eyeing the bubblegum pink wig on my dresser and wondering if I should break her out again. I would just go to see if he was there. That was all.

Maybe I would have a drink.

Maybe I was coming up with excuses to return.

“Very well, Miss Black. You’re all set.” The intimidatingly beautiful girl behind the reception desk finished processing my payment before collecting my purse and phone to lock away under the counter. “Have a lovely evening.”

I couldn’t believe it. I had paid a membership fee to revisit Club Caramel. Until now, I could tell myself it was only a casual, passing interest sort of thing. Once money changed hands, it was a different story.

It wasn’t like I couldn’t afford it, even if I never came back. Nobody behind the desk batted an eye at the fact I was wearing a mask as I had before. In fact, my anxiety lessened a little when I entered the main room and found a few guests also in disguise. It made sense. Party or no party, there was still a little bit of a stigma around this kind of business. Even though we were all there together and, therefore, just as open to scandal if we outed each other, we felt like we had to hide.

My hunch was right. It was a lot quieter this time, though a few dozen people were getting a start on the evening. Since it was still early, there wasn’t a lot of action going on. I knew once the liquor started flowing and inhibitions dropped away, it would be a different story.

I ordered a dirty martini at the bar, self-consciously adjusting the corset I wore over a pair of tight leather pants. Not a true corset, but it gave the right effect, pushing my boobs up until they were practically a shelf I could carry a drink on. The pants fit like a second skin, tucked into knee-high boots. It was very tame compared to the wild outfits and costumes worn by other members. Some people chose to change in the club’s locker rooms to avoid being seen in their club wear outside the premises.

Discretion was key.

I could appreciate that, especially since my nerves were jangling, even with vodka entering my system. What if he didn’t show up? That was possible, even probable. Still, there had to be part of me holding onto a shred of hope, or else I wouldn’t be here.

I sipped the martini, observing a demonstration of various punishment techniques going on at the far end of the dance floor. That was one thing I wouldn’t have expected—the amount of technique behind the sort of activities I’d always figured came naturally.

How many ways could a person be spanked? As it turned out, there was plenty I didn’t know. “You want to be careful not to strike up here,” the latex-clad instructor explained, hands against the lower back of his partner. “You don’t want to damage the kidneys.” I never would’ve thought of that. There was a lot more to this than I had imagined, and it had me paying closer attention to the demonstration as it went on.

Until…

The hair on the back of my neck lifted, and goose bumps raced across my skin. I didn’t have to look to know I was being watched and didn’t need proof of who was watching me. I felt it just as my body came alive—skin tingling, going warm all over, my heart fluttering before I ever turned my head to find a familiar stranger eyeing me up from the other end of the bar.

Like me, he wore a mask, making me wonder who he was in real life that he felt the need to disguise himself. His dark hair was slicked back away from his forehead, and his finely sculpted mouth curved into a knowing grin.

The rest of the room melted away, going hazy and vague, all my attention focused on him. I wanted to know him—who he was, why he was here, and why we were drawn to each other. I could barely breathe when his lips parted to emit what looked like a sigh. It was exquisite agony, hanging in midair, waiting to see what would happen next.

Instinctively knowing he was calling the shots.

He turned his head, looking toward the open door leading to the room we had visited before. A silent request, or was it a challenge? Either way, I wouldn’t refuse.

Still, I didn’t want to look too eager. I was shaking with anticipation, which meant it was smart to take my time, sliding from my barstool and walking down the length of the bar to where he waited. Like before, he was dressed in black, without anything that might set him apart from virtually any other man in the city.

I couldn’t have picked him out of a line-up if he was dressed in street clothes, maskless. I liked it that way. The added layer of mystery deepened my interest, my pulse racing in anticipation by the time he raised a hand and touched a finger to his lips. No talking. I nodded, eager to get started, relieved when he pushed away from the bar and began leading the way to whatever the night had in store.

12

NOAH

The anticipation was almost too much.

The promise of what was to come.

Adrenaline flooded my system before we reached the private chamber, set up the way it was during our first encounter. I barely took the time to notice our surroundings when it was much more interesting looking at her, admiring the way those tight pants showed off her ass and her lacy corset top displayed her tits like a prize.

Saliva flooded my mouth in time with the surge of blood to my cock, standing it on end. The energy was electric and the atmosphere tense. With my back to the door and the mystery woman standing in the center of the room, I held up a finger and swirled it in a circle.

Turn around.

She did as I commanded, turned in a slow circle, then faced me again with her hands at her sides. She couldn’t hide from me. Her teeth sank into her bottom lip while uncertainty flashed in her blue eyes, made even bluer thanks to the black lace that framed them.

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