Page 19 of Entice

The flipping of pages sounded loud in the quiet room. Occasionally, she would pause, make a little check mark, and go on.

Jordan waited.

When she got to the end, she flipped the pages back to the beginning and tapped the end of the pen against her rosy lips. Her cheeks were a little pink.

Jordan waited.

She sighed and looked up. “This questionnaire is extensive. I’m going to need help understanding all of this.”

Finally.

He wasn’t sure she was going to ask questions or run screaming from the conference room. “Of course.” He adjusted his chair so he was closer to her. “What do you need help with?”

“Everything.” She stared at him, confusion in her green eyes. “I know this has to do with the case. But why so many questions?”

“In order for a Dom to understand what a sub is interested in, the questions are necessary.”

“But don’t you negotiate a scene together before you do it?”

“A Dom and sub do negotiate, but there is also this list.” He gestured toward the questionnaire. “This list is a little like a blueprint. In addition to limits, it gives the Dom an idea of what the sub enjoys and works as a sort of starting point when a Dom and sub are playing together for the first time.”

“Isn’t negotiation about that?”

“Yes, but think about it. A Dom and sub are going to play. Their negotiation could take hours to go over everything. This way, the Dom is already aware of the sub’s hard limits, wants, and desires.”

Crystal tilted her head. “Makes sense. Does the sub get to see the Dom’s questionnaire?”

“If they ask, yes. I can’t speak for everyone in the lifestyle. I do encourage the subs I train to ask to see the Dominant’s questionnaire. You never want to play with someone you don’t trust.”

“Wait a second.” Crystal shifted, turning more toward him. “If you play with someone you trust… Are you saying the Doms in your club don’t hook up with subs?”

“Not in the traditional sense.”

“Please explain, because now I’m even more confused.”

“You’ve gotten most of your information from the books you read, and that’s fine.” He held up his hand when she started to talk. “When Max, Damon, and I started the club, we did so for a reason.”

“Right. You mentioned Damon being involved last night.”

“The three of us were tired of the hook-ups we saw at parties. We wanted the club to be a place where people could explore the lifestyle without pressure, but also with a sense of trust.”

“The NDA, background checks, questionnaire, agreeing to the rules, it’s all part of it?”

She caught on fast. “It is. The club itself is private. In order to become a member, you must know a member or someone in the kink community who knows us.”

“That makes sense. You can vet people better.”

“There are classes we require people to take. We don’t have any new members coming in right now, or I’d have you sit through the classes that pertain to the club so you’d have a better understanding for the case. Max and I agreed I could explain to you as we go.”

“What are the classes?”

“First one is what we are doing here, the NDA, background check, and limits list. The other classes are going over rules, expectations and then, finally, a night at the club.”

“So how are we going to do it?” Her cheeks turned pink, and he hid a smile.

Jordan enjoyed explaining all of this to her. Her questions were intelligent. “Tomorrow night, I’ll take you into the club as my guest. Usually it takes about a week to get the background check back, but I asked my contact to rush it.”

“So I’ll be able to see the club and what goes on. Am I allowed to talk to people?”

---