Page 37 of Forty Days and One Knight
“I can walk you over,” Harper said, handing her sleeping daughter to her husband. “I have to get something out of my locker anyway.”
“Tahira.” She looked at Ian, who was pointing the spatula he was using at her and eyeing her intently.
“Yes?”
“Anything you see in there, stays there. Privacy is a big part of our world. I’m trusting you by not demanding you sign a non-disclosure agreement before going in there.”
A broad smile crossed her face, and her eyes twinkled with delight. “Thank you, Ian. I will not tarnish that trust.”
“Batman.” Ian nodded his head to the side, indicating he wanted a word in private with him. Darius approached and stopped in front of his boss, who glared at him and lowered his voice. “You donotplay in any way, shape, or form without training. I so much as get a hint of you messing around without knowing how she might get hurt, I’m going to hurtyoulike you’ve never been hurt before. Got it, twatopotomus?”
Oh, yeah. He got it.
Five minutes later, Harper led them down the grand staircase to The Covenant’s “pit” as the members called it. Apparently, it felt more like one than a dungeon, with the balcony that encircled it so people could watch the fun from above.
“This is beautiful.” Tahira’s assessing gaze was everywhere, taking in the burgundy, dark green, and gold color scheme, the iron lighting fixtures and accents, the leather chairs and couches in numerous seating areas, and, of course, the BDSM apparatus in cordoned off sections around the expansive room’s perimeter. “Ian and Devon designed this themselves?”
“From what I’m told,” Harper responded, “their cousin, Mitch, who manages the club, came up with the original, two-story design after Ian had purchased the compound for the security business. I think this was originally slated to be a training building. Ian and Devon didn’t make many changes to Mitch’s plans. From there, the three of them traveled to many upscale lifestyle clubs around the world and incorporated the elements they liked best. The only parts that were added later were the garden, which is at the far end and upstairs, and the twelve new theme rooms below that. I’ll have to show you the garden too—you’ll love it. It’s my favorite place now.”
Darius watched as the submissive took Tahira on a tour of the place. Her face was filled with awe and enchantment, things he hadn’t expected. He was also seeing the club from another perspective for the first time. It was elegant, sensual, and a bit forbidden, and it stirred something within him. Suddenly, he could imagine Tahira sitting on the floor next to his chair, with her head resting on his thigh as he stroked her thick hair. She wouldn’t be naked like some of the Doms preferred their submissives to be in the club. Instead, he’d have her wearing a harem costume or something like that. With the culture she’d been raised in, she’d probably be more comfortable that way. He also wouldn’t want any other man seeing what was his.
Shit. Get a grip, Knight. She’s not yours! In a few months this will all be over, and you can go back to your occasional one- or two-night stands.The thought made him frown. When had he gone from “casual affairs” with no entanglements to thinking of a woman as his and his alone? And not just for the moment, but for a very, very long time. Like forever.Shit.
30
The huge indoor “garden” was stunning. Tahira felt like she’d stepped onto the four-square-mile tropical island her family owned in the South Pacific. Its faux-grass, potted plants, shrubs, and tall trees, cabanas with sheer, white curtains and daybeds to lounge on, a non-alcoholic tiki-bar—alcohol was only allowed at the main bar above the pit—and a retractable roof gave it an outdoor atmosphere. When the roof was open, a mesh screen was in place to keep out bugs and thwart camera lenses. Apparently, two of the club’s well-known members, fraternal-twin brothers, and their wife had their lifestyle plastered all over the internet, because of the men’s jealous ex. Afterward, the press had been trying to get a glimpse of the inside of The Covenant and had used drones. But the screen was coated in a way that let the fresh air and light in, yet nothing else. Any images that were taken while the roof was open just showed a layer of black and nothing more.
Tahira loved the little paths that wound around the foliage to hidden areas where people could have a sense of privacy even though anyone could walk by at any given time. “Harper De ...” she paused, trying to curb her habit of using the first and last names of those people she didn’t know well in order to remember them. She was getting better, but there were times she faltered. Darius grinned and winked at her, obviously knowing she’d caught herself. She winked back and then looked at the other woman. “I can see why you love it so much. It is beautiful. I would probably want to spend most of my time here too. Although, the rest of the club is magnificent too. May I ask how long you have been in the lifestyle? Or is that too personal a question?”
Harper snorted and waved her hand. “Oh, nothing’s too personal to me. I tend to be a bit of an exhibitionist, at least when Mara isn’t around. I went to my first munch in college and have been involved in the lifestyle ever since. Marco started while in the Navy and introduced Brody to it when they both ended up on the same team with Darius.”
“They were on the team a few years before I was assigned to it,” he said. “There were a bunch of guys besides them who were into the lifestyle, but I never saw the draw. I’ve learned a lot more about it since I started with Trident—it’s hard not to with the club right next door. But what’s a munch again? I’ve heard the term before but never really paid attention to what it meant.”
“It’s a get-together where people interested in the lifestyle can meet experienced Doms and subs and ask questions and learn what it’s all about. There should be no play allowed at munches, but sometimes you’ll see some non-sexual videos, defining different types of play, to give people a taste of what they might see at a club.”
“I find Shibari fascinating,” Tahira exclaimed, much to Darius’s surprise, as she sat on the edge of one of the daybeds under a cabana. “Does anyone do that here?”
“Oh, yes. In fact, Master Stefan is an expert at it. He teaches a few classes a few times a year and will do demonstrations. And you’re right—itisfascinating. I love to watch it, although I’m not too keen on being suspended like that. I trust Marco; I don’t trust the ropes.”
Darius had seen one of Coast Guard Lieutenant Stefan Lundquist’s rope demos. It really was kind of mesmerizing to see him bind his submissive, Cassandra, one of the club’s waitresses, then suspend her from the ceiling using a pulley system. The woman was usually zoned out—subspace was what they called it—by the time she was raised into the air.
Harper gestured to the large, inviting space with her hands. “Look around some more, if you want. I’m just going to run down to the women’s locker room. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
As the other woman left them alone, Darius sat down on the bed next to Tahira. “When have you seen a Shibari demonstration?”
“I’ve never seen one in person, but I have seen videos of it on the internet.”
“Yeah, I guess you can find anything on the internet these days.” He paused. “Can I ask you something?”
The seriousness in his voice had Tahira shifting her body to face him. She placed her hand on his where it rested on the mattress. “Of course, Darius. You can ask me anything.”
He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Before I ask it, just know that this would be your decision, okay?”
“Okay.” She had no idea what he was leading up to.
“After Ian figured out what was going on with us, he suggested there were things about being in the lifestyle that might help you deal with what happened better. He’s willing to train me to be a Dom for you. Nothing wild and kinky, but there are aspects of BDSM that are more psychological in nature than sexual. He mentioned that giving you control might help you overcome the fact things had been out of your control. Does that make sense?”
Tahira bit her bottom lip and thought for a moment. She’d been reading one of her favorite BDSM authors’ books over the past few days and had wondered about the same thing Ian had suggested. While there were parts of the lifestyle that did not appeal to her—exhibitionism being one of them—she’d been pondering how the submissives in the books willingly relinquished control to their Doms. After they felt safe enough to do it, they didn’t have to worry about making any decisions. They only had to get lost in how their Doms made them feel—with or without sexual contact. With their safewords, lists of limits, and trust in their Doms, the submissives still controlled the scene. There was no worry that their Doms would go beyond what was safe, sane, and consensual.
