Page 12 of His to Cherish
The sting of rejection washes over me again and I try to pull away. Oliver won’t allow it, though. Instead, he tightens his grip even more. “Fine,” he grits through clenched teeth. “You want to know what this is? I’ll tell you.”
I hold my breath as our eyes lock, waiting for him to follow through. Instead, he places a finger under my chin and tilts my head. “Describe that couple to me.”
My forehead wrinkles in confusion. “Um, they’re attractive?” I offer, not having any idea what the point of this is. “They’re both dressed well. From the look of that diamond choker, I’d say they’re pretty wealthy.”
He chuckles in my ear, the sound dark and dangerous. “Look closer at the choker, Lilly.”
I blink a few times, not getting it, and then I see. “Oh my God,” I gasp. Because now I can tell that it’s not just any piece of jewelry. There’s a silver O-ring in the center, surrounded by diamonds, and attached to the O-ring is?—
“Is that a leash?” I blurt out, probably way too loud. Ollie chuckles again, adjusting his grip on me.
“It is. A leash attached to a collar.” He pauses as I continue to stare at the couple. The man is holding the end of the leash loosely in his hands. They seem to be deep in conversation. If it wasn’t for that thin leather strap binding them together, I would think they were no different from any other couple on a date.
“Do you know what a collar like that symbolizes?” Ollie whispers, his voice strangely rough.
That’s not how we treat submissives here.
“Yes,” I whisper. “It means he’s her…her Dominant. And she’s his submissive. Right?”
Ollie growls softly into my ear. “How do you know those words, sweet girl?”
I scoff. “Come on, Ollie. Everyone’s heard ofFifty Shades.”
He chuckles again. “I suppose you have a point.”
I finally tear my gaze away from the couple and look up at my best friend. He’s almost unrecognizable, his eyes dark as night. My tummy flips at the expression on his face. “So that’s what this place is?” I whisper. “Some kind of BDSM club?”
He nods, studying my face for a reaction. “Amongst other things.”
“And you…” I swallow. “You’re a member here?”
He nods again, jaw clenching. He looks like he’s in pain.
“So that means that you…like that kind of thing?”
He lets out a low growl of a laugh. “Yes, Lilly. I like that kind of thing very much.”
Holy shit. My best friend—the same guy who has played countless hours of video games with me, the same guy who baked me a tray of rainbow sprinkle cupcakes for my birthday last year—is into BDSM. Not just into it, but involved in the lifestyle enough that a membership at an exclusive club is necessary.
“That freaks you out,” he says, tone flat.
“No,” I argue quickly. “It doesn’t. I’m just…processing.”
I look around the room again. Now that I know what I’m looking for, other things are starting to stand out to me. That woman over there is clearly wearing shackles around her wrists. And that man a few tables over is feeding his date with his fingers. Another woman’s high fashion cocktail dress is made from leather.
“Wow,” I whisper. “I’m in a sex club.”
Oliver sighs behind me. “Not for long. I think it’s high time I get you back home.”
I twist on his lap to face him, outraged. “You’re not taking me home!”
His eyebrow goes up in a perfect arch. “Is that so?”
I gesture around the room. “I didn’t even know places like this exist in real life! I don’t want to go home yet! I want you to show me around.”
He groans. “That sounds like fucking torture.”
And there’s that rejection again, even sharper than before. He tried to hide this place from me, this part of himself. He doesn’t want me to know. He clearly doesn’t think I belong here.
