Page 20 of James

James leaned over to give her a peck on the cheek. She would be about the same height as Laura without the heels, James thought.

Hell, and there I go thinking of Laura again.

“Good to have you back. Chris told us you two have been busy?” One perfectly-formed, dark-red eyebrow rose. “Too busy to come see your friends?”

“Too busy to eat or sleep, most days. I thought we’ve been doing fairly well the last few years, but since the tornado, things have been crazy-busy. How are things with you?”

Kate hooked her arm with his and steered him towards the bar.

Scott greeted him from behind the counter. Scott was one of the few switches in the group, and he liked to man the bar because it fulfilled his need to serve, and it also made it easier for him to meet possible play partners. It all depended on his mood and preferences in that moment.

“Hey, man, good to see you. We were wondering if you’d turned vanilla on us.” Scott chuckled at his own joke and held up his hand at two submissives, who apparently wanted to order drinks. “Beer?” the bearded man asked, already bending under the counter to grab a bottle from the cooler.

“Thanks,” said James, accepting it.

Kate gestured toward the subbies. “Someone for you? They’ve been here a couple of times and like to play.”

James eyed the two women. Too damn young for his taste, or maybe he was getting too old. His focus returned to the redhead besides him. As a bisexual sadist, these women might appeal to her as well, but she plainly wasn’t interested. “What’s the matter, are they Tops?” he asked, leaning an elbow on the bar.

“Nah, they bottom, but they’re not masochists.” Kate accepted a white wine from Scott with a cordial tilt of her head. “I did a scene with them to introduce them to the club. Sandra, the taller one, can take a bit more than Ruby, the one with all the ink, which isn’t saying much. Besides, they’re het, so they’re really not for me anyway.”

James was once again happy that he wasn’t bisexual.It was hard enough to find one person that fit you as well as you fit them. Finding two partners and making a triangle work to everyone’s satisfaction could be insanely difficult.

As he pondered this, James felt a soft hand stroking his arm and turned around in irritation to come face-to-face with Sonja.

“Good evening, Master,” she purred.

He did not return her sultry smile.

“First of all, you shouldn’t touch a Dominant uninvited. You’ve been in the lifestyle long enough to know that,” he snapped. “Second, you don’t use ‘Master’ unless you have a commitment. You may call me Sir or Master James. But you know this already.” He turned to Kate. “Who’s Dungeon Monitor tonight?”

Kate grinned. “Captain Connor.” Without any preamble Kate grabbed Sonja by the upper arm and hauled her over to the DM.

Captain Connor was true to his Scottish heritage. He was wearing a leather vest and a kilt. On his belt hung a coiled whip and a sheathed knife. With his big bulk and long hair, he looked like he’d just stalked off the cover of a historical Scottish novel. He liked genital torture, whipping and wax play and was also known for his devious punishments.

James turned his back on the scene unfolding behind him. Sonja was notorious for Topping from the bottom, and somehow he’d become her favorite target to goad. He wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of watching her punishment, knowing she’d only turn it into a performance aimed at him. Maybe other men thought her games were cute, but he wasn’t one of them. A bit of sass was attractive. Hell, he liked a challenge as much as any Dominant,but he would never let himself be manipulated. More than anything else, he liked honesty in his partner.

Like Laura, who, even angry and afraid, could not help but be honest. In her words. In her expressions. In her responses…

There I go again, damn it.

Chris was late and James wasn’t going to sit around and wait for him. He needed a distraction. Time to grab himself a willing submissive and lose himself in a scene. James pushed himself away from the bar and wandered over to the new girls.

Per his usual, Chris strode into the club late. He scanned the main area. On his left, Sonja stood in the corner with cat’s ears on her head, a tail hanging from her naked behind, and a tear-streaked face. Chris admired the beautiful contrast of her black hair and ebony skin with the white tail and ears. By the way Captain Connor was pointedly ignoring her, she was being punished. Chris gave him a chin lift.

The Scot spotted him and walked over. “She pissed off yer friend. Came on a little strong for his taste.” Connor still had some accent, with a rolling ‘r’ and long held vowels.

Chris chuckled. It wasn’t the first time Sonja had gotten herself in this kind of trouble. She wasn’t a bad woman and could be a good submissive, but she was too eager for a committed relationship. As an independent businesswoman, she longed to submit, but often topped from the bottom.

He eyed the long furry tail. “Butt plug?”

Connor grinned. “Aye. Huge one, with minimal lubrication and no stimulation. She will remember this lesson tomorrow and probably the day after as well.”

Chris laughed and slapped the Scot on his back. After the Scott returned to his sentry position, Chris swaggered over to Kate, who was sitting with her back to the bar, propping herself up on her elbows while scanning the room. On the nearby bench sat Peter, gazing longingly at the stern woman.

Chris embraced Kate and whispered in her ear. “Why don’t you admit you secretly want to submit to me?”

She hugged him back. “Not a chance. But if you ever want to feel the whip, I’d love to show it to you, you shameless flirt.”

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