Page 26 of Under His Command

Jules noticed and issued another warning. “Cassie, stop fidgeting. If you keep that up, you’ll put a hole in it.”

And wouldn’t that be a shame? While shooting a scowl at the back of her friend’s head, she shifted once more, wincing as her movements peeled her thighs off the leather. “I’m sure Jane and the nurse at least get to have their asses covered.”

“Don’t bet on it,” Colt replied. “It’s private and exclusive, but it’s still a sex club, so naturally, the costumes chosen are both revealing and provocative. The nurse’s uniform consisted of a skimpy, figure-hugging white dress, lace garters, and stilettos—sans panties, of course. I saw a picture of it at the last dom’s meeting. The neckline plunged so low you would have been lucky if the toy stethoscope that came with it covered your nipples. As for Jane of the Jungle, her fur dress was designed intentionally to entice Tarzan.”

“Fur doesn’t sound so bad. At least I’d be warm.”

“Yes, except for your bare feet, exposed legs, and barely covered bottom cheeks. Did I mention that the dress has a sleeveless, one-shoulder style that leaves one breast exposed?”

Cassie swallowed. She’d have chickened out if they told her she had to run around with one boob bared on her first night—or any night, for that matter. “Dare I ask about the harem girl’s costume?”

“It consists of mostly sheer veils, revealing more than they conceal. And they’re detachable, which would have left you ripe for the picking. I believe there are seven, and the rule is, any dom who plucks one gets to keep it as a souvenir.”

Jules grinned. “I’m guessing there isn’t much leftonce the seventh veil gets plucked.”

“And you’d be right,” Colt smirked as he reached over and took his wife’s hand. “I saw before and after pictures. There were some straps where the veils attach, but that’s it.”

“Which means within minutes of arrival, she would be—”

“Buck naked!” Cassie exclaimed. “Even the...um, naughty bits?”

“As I said, Decadence is a sex club, so especially the naughty bits,” he answered.

“Colt.” She met his gaze in the rearview mirror. “Thank you for my panties.”

“Don’t I have the most thoughtful master ever?” Jules’ teasing sigh was somewhere between sarcastic and adoring.

He grunted. “I’m glad I packed the new Lexan paddle in my bag. I have a feeling one or both of you are gonna need it tonight.”

“Promise?” she asked in a wistful tone, prompting a deep-throated laugh from her dom.

Despite the threat, Cassie knew her behind was safe. Colt never had and wouldn’t ever spank her. His subbie wife would get what she had asked for, however.

After leaning over to press a lingering kiss on his cheek, Jules twisted to look back at her again. “It really was sweet of him to pick out the only outfit that came with undies.”

“It was a preemptive measure,” he explained. “I didn’t want her bailing on us before she even got in the car.”

Cassie’s heavy sigh drew another chuckle from Colt and more giggles from Jules. Having friends in the lifestyle, one of them an experienced dominant, had its pros and cons. She hadn’t decided yet under which column tonight fell.

She suddenly frowned. For an event targeting new members, submissives, in particular, she expected tame costumes, like her schoolgirl outfit, not bare boobs and equally bare asses hanging out. “I thought this was a mixer for new subs.”

“New to the club, not the lifestyle,” Colt explained.

“Oh.” She swallowed. Boy, had she gotten the wrong idea. “The doms will think I’m experienced, won’t they?”

“Aren’t you?” he asked, meeting her eyes in the mirror once more.

Regretting her rash decision and the phone call to Jules agreeing to this for the hundredth time, she looked away. “It’s been a long time since college.”

And after so long, she was as nervous as though it was her first ever club visit. She wasn’t a novice, rather a very rusty submissive who wasn’t at all sure what she hoped to get out of tonight. Her emotions were still too raw over Flynn. Admittedly, she was lonely, tired of spending her evenings and weekends by herself or intruding on her friends. Wasn’t that pathetic? Although they never complained and always went out of their way to include her. They loved her, yet she felt awkward continually horning in on their social calendar.

Turning her thoughts to tonight, she wondered what to expect if she met someone. Would he be understanding and be willing to take it slow? If he expected a sub with experience, and she hesitated or seemed reluctant, he might be disappointed, or angry.

She was curious about the exclusive club and had wanted a tour after hearing Jules’ countless stories. If she met someone she liked and felt comfortable with him, she might be convinced to do a light scene. But she wasn’t one to jump into sex with a stranger, and she knew there would be other subs there who would. And she would need to negotiate, which she hated. She blew out a breath; it had been so long. What had she gotten herself into?

One thing was certain; she knew what she didn’t want. She wasn’t interested in becoming a slave, or in anything 24/7. Cassie enjoyed being dominated, but not to the point of total control where she would lose herself. She wanted someone whose presence made her body tingle, whose voice—when giving firm commands—made her ache, who would push her limits without breaking them.

She’d always longed for someone nurturing who would also call her on her crap. Like when she got obsessive about her work and didn’t get enough sleep, or when she became so involved in writing code for a software program, she forgot to eat. Or, when she got deep in her head and worried herself to a frazzle, as she was now stressing over a no pressure BDSM mixer at an exclusive, members-only club in LA, over two hours away from her home. And, when she became so upset about never finding someone, and winding up alone, she ate a whole tub of Moose Tracks ice cream.

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