Page 11 of Stepping Up to the Plate

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“I can’t believe I let you convince me to do this,” I yell over the blow dryer.

“Shut up. You’re going to love it,” Tiffany replies with an eye roll. “You’re going to meet some hunk to rail you into forgetting all about that small-dicked son of a bitch who called himself a man.”

“Are we sure this is a good idea?”

Tiffany puts down the blow dryer and meets my eyes in the mirror. “This is going to be great for you, Lo. I promise.”

I nod my head and she returns to helping me get ready. After she’s done, I slip into the navy velvet dress she forced me to buy for the occasion. The fabric is smooth against my skin and the cinched waist gives the illusion I was gifted the curves of my Italian ancestors.

“Damn, it pays to have someone who went to beauty school as your bestie,” Tiffany comments, coming into the room. I haven’t had the nerve to peek yet.

“Holy shit,” I breathe at my reflection.

“Yeah babe, you look hot as hell.”

“You are a magician, Tiff. I can’t believe you made me look this good.”

“Yeah, whatever. You’re a little Aphrodite and some guy is going to cream his pants at the sight of you tonight,” she says as she downs the rest of her champagne. “Alright, Bunny. Let’s roll out. Don’t forget to grab your mask if you want to keep up the mystery.”

“Here goes nothing,” I mumble as we walk out the door.

ChapterFive

• BRADY •

“Good seeing you as always,” Declan Ryder says as he slaps my shoulder and makes his way out of Cole’s office. Declan, Cole Viatello, and I are co-owners of Club Hedone, a sex and kink club in Nashville. The club got its name after Hedone, the goddess of pleasure and enjoyment. She was the daughter of Eros, god of love and sex, and Psyche, the goddess of the soul.

The three of us meet every couple of months to talk about the club and make big (read: expensive) decisions. Declan and I may be co-owners/investors, but we both have day jobs – if you can call being a top-selling musician and MLB first baseman ‘day jobs.’ Cole runs the day-to-day and is the majority owner.

As I am about to leave, Cole grabs my attention after glancing at his phone. “Fancy staying to play tonight, Miller?” he asks.

While I help in the club when I can, serving as a monitor or taking part in demonstrations, I don’t play often. It’s not that I don’t want to or that my tastes are soparticularthat it is hard to find a playmate. It’s the opposite in fact. On the BDSM-kink spectrum, I rank pretty basic.

Sure, I’ve done all the training and know the ins and outs of being a Dom, but it isn’t really my jam. I absolutely have dominant tendencies, that is part of my personality and always will be. But I am not a Dom in the traditional sense. It can be fun to play in that dynamic sometimes to release some energy or assert control, but I don’t enjoy the full power exchange that many subs are after. Nor am I into other BDSM categories like DDlg or pet play. In my everyday life especially, I don’t want a relationship where I impose rules and punishments. I simply want a sweet partner I can support and care for who doesn’t mind that I can be a bit of a bossy bastard.

“I wasn’t planning to play tonight,” I respond. “We leave for spring training next week. I’ve got a lot to take care of before we go.”

“Think I could persuade you?” Cole questions.

“Something wrong?”

“Wrong? No. An inconvenience? Yes. One of the House Doms had an emergency and can’t be here tonight. We had him matched with a woman here to play for the first time. I don’t have anyone else available who would match her profile. I’d do it but I am overseeing a demonstration in the medical play room.

“She’s a beginner and her questionnaire shows her interests as pretty mild. I thought you’d be a good fit since I know you don’t get into the hard stuff and enjoy the sweethearts. It could be a good last hurrah before you go.”

“It has been a while since I’ve played,” I concede. “What the hell, sure. I could use some fun before spending several weeks surrounded by sweaty, whiny dudes.”

“Awesome, thanks, man. Eric will have her file for you upstairs.”

* * *

I head up to the second-floor reception area where I see Eric and Willa. Eric is the member relations manager and Willa is one of the attendants who help get people settled into their various rooms and assists House Dominants.

“Mr. Miller, I didn’t know you’d be joining us tonight,” Eric greets.

“I wasn’t planning to, but Cole mentioned you had a Dom out and that I might be able to fill in with a new guest,” I reply.

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