Page 7 of Redemption

Chapter 5

Oh my god. Bryce actually convinced him to come. That was the only thought that ran through my head at the sight of Miles standing across the room from me. His dark dress slacks pulled taut across what appeared to be an impressive package, and the crimson dress shirt, with sleeves partially rolled up, hugged his upper body perfectly. The constant look of despair in his eyes was intensified by the dark half-mask he wore. Except tonight, there was also the spark of something…more. I proudly stood before Miles as his gaze traveled the length of my body. My nipples tightened, and a throbbing began deep in my core without him even touching me.

I noticed his gaze paused slightly on the blue belly button ring I knew glinted off the lights in the room. His stare lasted slightly longer when it reached my breasts before, finally, his eyes reached mine. There was always the chance that he would see through my Jasmine persona, but so far there were no hints of recognition in his face. Not that I was ashamed of who I was or the kind of life I led. But, the more time it took for Miles to realize it was me, the greater my chances were of showing him how good we could be together. Especially given how damn stubborn the man was. I think six years was long enough to wait for someone. And Miles needed me. Now more than ever.

My mouth twitched when I noticed his cock rising in his pants. That was my cue. I took my time walking to him, adding a little extra swing to my hips as I went. During my stroll, I half-noticed Bryce moving away. He was probably going to go find Thomas, so he’d stay busy the rest of the night. Finally, I stood toe to toe with Miles. The minimal difference in our height was convenient at a time like this. Especially when I was able to invade his personal space and look down at him. I had the slight tactical advantage in that I wore four-inch stilettos. And it was a tactical advantage, because this was a fight. A fight for love. I planned on using every advantage I could.

“You’re new here, I can tell.” My voice was low in its intensity.

“What makes you say that, sugar?” His voice came out husky and almost hesitant.

I straightened to my full height, thrusting my tits out, and gave him my fiercest glare. “My name is Mistress Jasmine. While you are in this club, you will address me as such. Do you understand?”

His back stiffened at my tone, but I refused to back down. Very few doubts floated through my head that Miles was not submissive, but it wouldn’t hurt to test my theory a little. We stared each other down for an eternity before Miles’ hackles lowered, and he softened his posture. He even broke eye when he responded.

“Of course, Mistress Jasmine. My mistake.”

Interesting. Connor had cautioned me more than once over the years about wanting a relationship with Miles. Besides me, Connor was the one who knew the most about Miles. They were best friends. He had our best interests at heart. Having a vanilla relationship when one person was a Dominant, whether male or female, could quickly lead to unsatisfied partners.

Rarely did I ignore Connor’s advice. He’d been there for me when no one else was. He’d been a mentor, a friend, a brother. However, in this instance, I chose to ignore his warnings. BDSM had helped me heal from the trauma in my life. I was holding out the same hope that it would do the same for Miles. Dominating someone was not always sexual. In fact, for me, it rarely was. I could count on one hand the number of sexual partners I’d had. For me, domination was about control. It was about me controlling a situation when every other part of my life was out of control. I didn’t need to dominate Miles to be sexually aroused. It didn’t hurt, but it wasn’t a requirement.

“So long as it doesn’t happen again. Why don’t you tell me your name?”

“Is my name important?”

“Extremely.”

“Oh, and why’s that?”

“So I know whose name I’ll be screaming out when you go down on me later.”

Shock raced through him. I could tell by the widening of his eyes as he looked back up at me and the soft gasp that was almost barely discernible. The greater emotion though — arousal. That I could tell by the dilation of his pupils, the flaring of his nostrils, and the bobbing of his Adam’s apple as he almost swallowed his tongue. A sexy half-smile suddenly appeared on his lips. Man, I’d missed that smile.

“Why, Mistress Jasmine, you’re a naughty girl. Awfully presumptuous of you to assume that it will be me going down on you. Maybe you’ll be going down on me. By the way, my name is Miles.”

“Ah, Miles. Well, if the reverse were the case, and I was the giver as opposed to the receiver, you wouldn’t have been so quick to share your name with me. You would have held on to it a little longer just to make me wonder if you would actually share it. If I didn’t enjoy being right so much, I would almost be disappointed that you caved so quickly.”

“If I weren’t so anxious to get a taste of you, I wouldn’t have been so hasty.”

Now it was my turn to be surprised. Which rarely happened. I needed to take control of this situation.

“Well, then, Miles.” I drew out his name as my hand found its way to his chest before trailing south. I lightly caressed the bulge in his pants for a little tease before twining our fingers together and lightly tugging him toward a private room at the back of the club. “Why don’t you follow me? I’d hate to keep you waiting any longer.”

We threaded through the various members scattered around the club. Miles’ gaze darted everywhere around the room, taking everything in. There were several things that I could tell shocked him, and I sensed he wanted to ask questions, but he remained silent as we reached the perimeter of the common room. A dungeon monitor stood guard at the entrance to the hallway that led to the private play rooms off the main room. He nodded as we passed.

“Mistress Jasmine.”

“Good evening, Damien. We’ll be using Room 3, if it’s available.”

“Yes, Mistress. It’s all yours.”

I nodded my thanks and directed Miles to the third room on the right. Once we were both inside, I gestured for Miles to be seated on the cushioned wingback chair that sat next to the fireplace against the farthest wall. There wasn’t a fire burning, but it provided the room with a feeling of pseudo-warmth and coziness.

“So, Miles, why don’t you tell me what brings you to Eden? My assessment earlier was accurate. You are new here.”

“In all honesty, I’m here because my asshole friend bugged the shit out of me about coming for a week straight. I only agreed to shut him up. Although, if I’d known I’d find a woman like you here, I would have come sooner.”

“A woman like me?”

“I hear you like to take charge.”

“Do you enjoy having a woman take charge, Miles?”

He shrugged, as though undecided. “It’s never been the case before. However, I have a feeling I’d enjoy you taking charge.”

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