Page 17 of Indiscreet

“Yes, I am,” he said without hesitation. “We all find each other attractive. You must have answered something on your questionnaire that you have experience or interest, or was it mostly fantasies?”

I nodded.

He smiled. “I would enjoy exploring those with you if I was looking for someone long term, but what I want and expect is much more than what happened between the three of us tonight.”

More than what the three of us did together? I wanted to ask more, but a tinge of disappointment blossomed inside of me at his unavailability. I pushed it down. At least he was being up front. After all that had transpired, I wasn’t looking for a long-term relationship, nor could I publicly, but even if he were, his interest may go even farther out of my comfort zone. I doubted I’d be able to handle it—though, admittedly, I was thoroughly fascinated by the magnetic man across from me.

I stared down at my hands and gave the only answer I had. “I came here to maybe find the first date I’ve had in eight years. What I did with you and your friend, I won’t shun. I wanted you both to touch me, but I’m not sure I can handle anything more…extreme.”

He came over to sit next to me and my heartbeat quickened. He tucked my hair behind my ear and I met his eyes. They were penetrating as he stared into my own. “Your eyes are dark amber. How dark would they turn if I let you come again? How much of a part of those climaxes you have when you masturbate later would you be willing to share? I shouldn’t have let you stay there, but I couldn’t resist you.”

His sexual potency and allure flooded my body with desire again. I didn’t know what he meant by what he said, but I was sure spending any more time with him would be my undoing. Before I could say anything, he stood up. Apparently, we had ended our discussion, and there came that twinge of disappointment again as I realized I’d never see him again or even come close to an experience like I’d just had.

“I’ll escort you out,” Dane said, offering his hand. Once I was on my feet, he took me as far as the limo and secured me inside before speaking again.

“The Agency isn’t for you,” he said.

I furrowed my brows. “What do you mean?” I wasn’t comfortable with the group sex so now he wanted me excluded from all Agency activities?

“I’m not saying this to offend you.” His voice softened. “I just think you’re not suited for this type of service.”

“You don’t think I’m suited for matchmaking after I was with you and your friend,” I said flatly.

“No, that’s not what I meant,” he answered then cleared his throat. “I think The Agency is more for people interested in what we did tonight. and as you said, that’s not you.”

I glanced toward the door. I had, but I wasn’t as sure how I felt about it now. “I suppose it’s time for me to leave.”

“Yes, but Gia,” he said. The softness in his voice made me look at him, and he smiled warmly at me. “I’m interested in seeing you again. You are welcome to reach me…” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a card that had his name and a simple sketch of the devil’s nymph sculpture. “That is, if you choose to be permissive and want to take me up on my offer.”

I put the card in my purse and stared out the window at Dane. He stood in his suit outside the front door, leaving his guests just to attend to me. I couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to remain under his commanding attention for longer than our erotic happenstance.

***

I couldn’t stop replaying my encounter with Dane and Elliott when I returned to my place that night. No one outside of my dreams had ever commanded my body like Dane, and it had been the first time in years I didn’t have to put aside my own needs or worry about an ego when being brought to orgasm—it was earth-shattering. Just thinking about the precariousness of the orgy caused a thrill to run down my spine and slickness between my thighs. A part of me enjoyed the encounter more because it was dangerous, so much so that I couldn’t resist masturbating and reliving the memory, every glide, grasp, and stroke of a hand played out in vivid detail. It was just like Dane had said I would, and I did it over and over again. Yet, I didn’t feel satisfied. I wanted to take Dane up on his offer and whatever came with it, though my conscience was telling me I shouldn’t.

Still, I couldn’t stop thinking about the man. Who was Dane Westbrook?

I had lived most of my life in Seattle and was well versed socially, yet I was perplexed as to why I’d never heard of him. Without my notebooks and records to jog my memory, I drew a blank. Even though he’d mentioned attending one of our many fundraisers, his face and name didn’t ring a bell, and from his striking looks, I’d have thought it impossible for him not to leave a lasting impression. My curiosity was enough to get me up from my restless night of sleep and over to my laptop to do a search on him.

The only thing that came up on Google was his design company and some charity work. Even his company profile didn’t have a picture or information about his background and only mentioned that he’d studied design at a top art college. I searched more pages of results and still came up with nothing. It was as if he’d appeared out of nowhere. I frowned at the screen as my alarm bells started ringing. A man that went through so much to keep himself private had to be hiding something, right? From working in politics, I learned if you don’t piss off someone with more power than you and the press doesn’t dig into your life, you could be involved in just about anything.

Then again, he’d hosted a party at his home and had a room full of people there. Those weren’t the actions of someone hiding, and I was even more intrigued by him. I wasn’t looking for romance and I wanted to have sex, so why not just take Dane up on his offer?

Dane interested and excited me in a way no other man had in a long time. He was incredibly good-looking, confident, secure in himself, and personable. Nonetheless, his closed-off public life and dark private one meant he wouldn’t be safe. Then again, I had thought Patrick was safe, and look where that led me.

I couldn’t make up my mind on what to do, so instead of returning to bed, I moved on to cleaning up my house, spending hours separating the things I wanted to donate. By afternoon, I had less stuff inside my place. Unfortunately, it didn’t look any better. I needed a remodel, and an excuse to see Dane again.

Before I could talk myself out of it, I went on my computer and sent a message through his company website for a consultation. A tingle went through me at the thought of him seeing my request. It would just be for a remodel, but maybe after a while I could return to The Agency and try another mixer, maybe find a dominant male like Dane.

My stomach sank at the thought of searching for a match. I didn’t know if I would have the same visceral reaction to another man, and when it came to submission, I only knew what I read in romance books. This was real life. How would I be able to communicate what I really wanted if I didn’t know myself? While I wasn’t interested in complete control, the way Dane had orchestrated everything that happened to me had left me admitting a more than casual interest. For the time being, I wanted someone who would at least teach me the basics.

Still on my laptop, I typed D/s into the search engine and was instantly overwhelmed by all the websites.

Online wasn’t exactly secret, but you didn’t have to disclose your identity unless you were ready to meet someone. After browsing a few websites, I chose Changing Fates and created a profile name adding my old college dorm room number to the end, CuriousG192, and logged in. It had online stories, a glossary of terms, and a code of practice: safe, sane, and consensual. It was nothing I hadn’t read in a few books, but this time, it was real. There were pages of images of couples in bondage gear, ranging from a woman sitting with her hands behind her back and her head lowered to full-on leather and chains tied to St. Andrew’s crosses. I was fascinated, but so far, nothing connected to what I had experienced the night before. I was about to leave the website when a flashing red light lit up the corner of my screen. Clicking it with my mouse, I found it was someone trying to contact me in a chat room. A thrill went down my spine, and I smiled. Why not? Maybe there could be someone on the website that could point me in the direction of where I could start. I opened the private window and up came the message with the contact and his screen name, Master T. I opened the window and read his message.

Master. T: Get on your knees

I furrowed my brows. Was this a joke or a test of some kind? I didn’t understand. I typed back.

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