Page 138 of Tantalizing Kings

When the doors open, music floods my senses, the smell of sex and alcohol assaults me.

My eyes immediately search for her. And when I find her sitting at the bar sitting next to Collin, I’m ashamed of the amount of relief I’m hit with.

“About time you showed up.” Collin glares at me. I glare back as Sadie spins around on her stool.

“Someone kept me later than I was expecting,” I grind out, giving him a pointed look. His face drops for a moment, pity shining in his eyes, and I really don’t fucking want or need it, then he looks down at Sadie.

“You sure you want to do this?” he asks her.

I huff in irritation. “Fuck off,” I spit.

“I’m fine,” Sadie tells Collin before addressing me. “You don’t have to always be such an asshole, you know.” She narrows her eyes. “If you're going to be a raging dick all night, then maybe we shouldn’t.”

Panic fills me. She can’t leave, I can’t let her. “I’m sorry,” I say, the words almost as painful to say as breathing is to my ribs. “I had a really shitty night, and I wasn’t expecting to be late.”

She watches me for a moment, biting on her lower lip. I want to take that lip between my own teeth and bite down hard enough to taste her tangy blood, all while making her cry out and moan in pleasure.

I should be the one asking her if she’s sure that it’s not too late to turn and run, because I know Sadie isn’t ready for me. She has no idea what she’s getting into. I’m not a nice person on a regular day, but inside these walls, inside these rooms, I turn into someone completely different. A man who craves control. Someone who needs total submission without question.

She says goodbye to my brother, kissing his cheek, but that’s not enough for him. He pulls her into his arms and kisses her hard enough to turn her into a panting mess when he’s done.

“Now you can leave.” He chuckles before spinning a dazed Sadie around to face me.

I glare at him again. “Follow me,” I order her and start toward the room we’ve been using for these sessions with Sadie.

Once we’re there, I use the key and open the door. “Things with me are not going to be how they were with Declan or Grayson. Grayson’s job was to ease you into everything, to worship your body, your pleasure the only thing on his mind. He taught you what it looks like when your partner’s goal is to pleasure you. For you to work as a team. With Declan, you learned how to open up your mind and do things for your partner. It was all about knowing your partner’s needs, about his pleasures and wants. He gave you total control. And as for me...”

I turn around to face her, finding her standing in the middle of the room, watching me. Her hair is down and curled, her dress is sleek and black. She’s wearing the same mask she was the first night here.

“I don’t do sweet, I don’t do slow. With me, you are going to experience total submission. You’ll give me complete and utter control. If I tell you to get on your fucking knees, you do it. If I ask you to kiss my feet, you do it. While this is a BDSM club, know this: other than honoring your safe words, I don’t follow proper practice. I don’t care if you trust me, if you like me, or even if you get off. This is about me and my pleasure. Do you understand?”

It’s mostly a lie. While I don’t properly practice the lifestyle, never in the mindset to do so, I do care about her pleasure. I want her to enjoy my fucked up ways, to crave me controlling her body.

Tonight is about seeing if she can handle my darkness and just scratching the surface of all the things I want to do to her. To see her at the mercy of my hands. I do want her trust, but I fear it, too.

“Is that something you can handle?”

She lifts her chin, and fuck, my cock twitches in my slacks. “You don’t scare me, Preston. I’m not stupid, I know things with you aren’t going to be all rainbows and sunshine.”

I’m over to her in two quick strides, and my hand shoots out, wrapping around her throat. “Oh, really?” Her eyes widen as she sucks in a shocked gasp. “You're not afraid of me? Challenge accepted, Kitten. Let’s see if I can send you running like a scaredy cat.” I lean forward and run my tongue along the seams of her lips, groaning at the taste of her peach lip balm.

I let her go roughly, making her stumble back.

I need her to hate me by the end of this, for her to never want to look at me again. If I can do that, then forgetting about her will be so much easier. I don’t plan on hurting her physically—the idea makes me sick—but mentally and emotionally, that's to be determined.

“With the others, you went by the traffic light system, right?”

“Yes,” she whispers, licking her lips. Her breathing has picked up, her eyes a little wild, but no fear yet, only arousal. Just my luck, my kitten will end up being a dirty little freak, just like me.

“Well, the only one you need tonight is red. And only use it if you're sure you want out because once I stop, that’s it. The night is over.”

She nods. “Okay.”

Loosening the cuffs of my dress shirt, I make quick work of the buttons. She watches me too closely, and I turn away.

Tossing my shirt to the side, I take my shoes off next, keeping my pants on. Turning back, my eyes lock with hers. “Take your dress off.”

My heart races as she starts to pull the straps of her dress down and over her shoulders, letting the fabric slide right off her body.

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