Page 75 of Hunt for You

I was quivering, right on the edge of coming myself, but it wouldn’t happen withoutsomekind of stimulation.

I leaned forward, tempted to get out of my seat and go join them, but even though Ronald smiled at me, he dropped his chin and shook his head once. And when I froze, he turned back to her, holding her so tightly she couldn’t breathe until he pounded her to her climax.

She was a mess at the end—as chaotic and shaky andgratefulas I was.

My hands were actually trembling.

None of the others affected me that way. But by the time we left that den, two hours after we entered it, he’d fucked or fiddled with six of the attendees.

And everyone that he didn’t touch, slumped with disappointment when a high, resonant chime echoed through the room.

Clearly it was the signal of the end of the session.

Ronald finished with the dude and his wife who’d come to the club together because they were bored.

By the time Ronald led a round of applause for their display and wiped the sweat off his brow, I felt about a strong as a cooked noodle.

He stood near the exit, speaking quietly with each person before they left—but when I started to get out of my seat as the row in front of me made their way out, he caught my eye again and shook his head.

I sat back down with a thump.

And fizz of need in my belly.

And I waited until the very last person had walked out.

I watched him stand in the entrance to the hallway and watch them go, then pull a cloth out of his back pocket and wipe his face, then his chest, and take a deep breath, before he finally turned and faced me.

And his eyes were hard as flint, and bright as the sun.

26. Who Are You?

~ BRIDGET ~

“So, Bridget,” Ronald said quietly. “I await your cutting commentary with baited breath.”

I stared at him, my body thrumming and my mind spinning. I couldn’t decide whether I’d just seen somethinghorrificallyfucked up, or… really, really cool.

“What did you do to them?”

Ronald arched one brow and walked towards me, still rubbing his hands on that little cloth. “You saweverythingI did—”

“No, before. They were all… they were all in some kind of trance or whatever. What did you do?”

His lips pulled up on one side. “When I assess a person, Bridget, I’m exploring whether they’re ready for this—having their boundarieswillinglybreached. I discuss with them what happens here, and see if they can be hypnotized. And if they can, Ido not change their minds.Without any hypnosis in place, I tell them what I am willing to do, and ask them if that’s what they want. Their waivers are personalized to their personal fears, goals, and boundaries, and they sign a new one every time theyenter this den. They come to me because we’ve already discussed what I will do to them if they are chosen.”

“So, some of them come and you never work with them?”

Ronald snorted.“Manyof them never work with me. Some of them lose their nerve and stop showing up. Others get too demanding and get banned. But most… most will have their moment if they keep showing up and play by the rules.”

I swallowed as he mounted the shallow stairs alongside the seats and started up, his eyes locked on mine like a cat on a bird.

“You didn’t assess me,” I said breathlessly as he came to stand at the end of my row.

He nodded once. “You weren’t ready.”

“Then why did you let me in?”

“Because… you’re one of the ones who needed to see what I do. You’re chaos, Bridget. I’m not going to have you freak out and steal my future from me.”

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