Page 49 of The Queen's Knights

“Well, if it isn’t Mr. I’m A. Giver returning to the scene of the crime,” she says, looking at me. “I heard about you. Not too many people get away with breaking the rules here.”

“I got lucky, I guess.”

“Olivia, meet Lance, Whitewood’s newest member.”

“Are you wearing ribbons tonight, or are you part of the scenery? The others are still setting up,” Olivia says.

“Tonight he belongs to Queen Justine, so no ribbon,” Percy answers.

“Ah,” Olivia says with a knowing smile. “Happy to have you as part of the family, Lance. Enjoy your masquerade!”

Percy leads me down the same hall I remember from my first visit. Curtains are drawn across all the windows, and no guests are in sight, but there’s one open door halfway down. When we pass, I peek inside and see Casey from my residence hall chatting with the two men she performed with last time I was here. I pick up my pace to avoid catching her eye, but she turns her head and lets out a surprised curse.

“What the fuck? Is that who I think it is?”

“Shit,” I mutter under my breath. Percy chuckles.

“Lance? Lance-motherfucking-Lacosta?”

The next door down opens and Brit pokes her head out, followed by her boyfriend Adam andtheirDom. The next thing I know, I’m surrounded by six near-strangers, and the only thing I can think of is that I have an enormous butt plug pressing against my prostate. It’s all I can do not to get hard right now.

Brit’s eyes are wide. “It was you who stole our masquerade invite last month, wasn’t it?”

“Hey, Ifoundthe thing. One of you dropped it in the dorm lobby. I just happened to be resourceful enough to figure out what it was an invitationto.”

Adam lets out a deep chuckle. “Nice work.”

That’s when I realize he’s wearing full-on gimp gear, including shiny vinyl chaps covering both legs and black studded harnesses crisscrossing his torso. Both his nipples are pierced with hoops. My cheeks heat when my gaze drops to his groin, where his dick and balls are encased in some metal contraption with a fuckinglockon it.

“Like the look?” he asks, spreading out his arms and twisting.

I cough into my fist and nod. “It’s… ah… something. You are definitely not the all-American boy next door you look like at school.”

“Looks can be deceiving,” Brit says. “But in this case, Adam is exactly as kinky as that outfit suggests.”

Thankfully she’s in a robe, so I’m spared whatever costume she’s wearing underneath.

“So you and Dr. Brennan, huh?” Casey asks. “You’re a lucky guy.”

Brit nods. “Be prepared for a crowd tonight, though. Femme Dommes are rare here, so she’s popular. My suggestion is don’t think about them. Keep your attention focused on the scene.”

“Brit, you’re forgetting he’s already been here,” Casey says. “I think if he was willing to dive in without knowing the rules, he’ll be fine. Plus I saw the mods Rick made to Gwen’s throne and theextrasurprise they added. They’ve got something fun planned. We might need to just take a break and come watch too.”

She grins at me and my skin goes a little clammy.

“We still need to get ready,” Percy says and nudges me, his expression amused when I fall into step beside him again. After a moment, he asks, “Their presence isn’t going to psych you out, is it?”

I take a breath, thinking about it, then shake my head. “No. I’m not really that self-conscious. I was more worried about watching them and getting inappropriately turned on.”

“That’s why they do what they do, though. The members come for a show, and when they’re sufficiently worked up, there’s usually an orgy in the ballroom downstairs, or any number of private rooms where members are allowed to play. I haven’t been down to the ballroom since Chloe assigned me to watch Gwen, though. All I’ll say is that the members get their money’s worth… and here we are.”

We reach a familiar door with the number 14 on the front in shiny bronze. He opens it and gestures for me to enter.

Gwen is seated on the throne, which has been joined by a second, nearly identical one. Both look a little different than I remember, outfitted with more handles, more hinges, and more upholstered cushions, though all the new pieces are neatly folded against the sides. The other change is the new, circular platform they both rest on close to the center of the room.

“You look… amazing,” I breathe, not quite believing I’m here. She’s wearing a sheer gown of ivory silk and gold threads that barely conceals her beautiful body. Her hair is coiled in a thick braid on top of her head, golden ribbons woven through it, topped with a gilt tiara. This is how she looked the last time, but tonight, everything feels different. Everything feels morereal.

She smiles then, and the proprietary glint in her eyes is nothing like the Gwen I’ve spent the last month with. That’s when I realize I’m no longer looking at Gwen; I’m looking at Queen Justine.

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