I shouldn't have cared about that, but as I kept checking the time on my phone, it was all I could think about. Carrie had given me early shifts, so I'd be done before things started to get too busy. Normally, that drove me batshit, not having enough to do, but tonight I was glad there was only a handful of people to keep an eye on. Meant I didn't have to feel guilty for constantly looking at the door, hoping to see Bryne come in.

  Damn. I was seriously pussy-whipped, and she wasn't even my girlfriend.

  A month ago, those thoughts would've had me scouting the single women here, on the lookout for one to take into the back for a quickie, or at least a blowjob. Now, I told myself that it didn't matter because Bryne would be moving on soon enough. I was just living in the moment like I always did.

  “You're Dax Prevot?”

  I turned to see a pair of the club's regulars. She was tiny, not just short like Bryne, but the kind of girl who looked like most of the stuff that happened here would break her in half. Short white-blonde hair, and a look on her face that told me she wasn't a typical Sub. With her was a man with dark red hair and broad shoulders. He carried himself like a Dom.

  “I'm Dena Monroe.”

  Shit. I knew that name. She was an ADA. For a moment, I thought one of the guys had turned me in for what we planned to do, then I remembered why she and the man looked so familiar. They were regulars, but more than that, they were Carrie and Gavin's friends.

  “How can I help you?” I kept my voice even, professional.

  “Carrie said you're dating Bryne.” The look in Dena's eyes was fierce enough that I didn't correct her word choice. “So I just want to make this clear. If you hurt her, Gavin is going to hurt you. And then Arik will defend him which means I’ll lose a case for the first time.”

  I looked over at Arik who shrugged as if to say that he wasn't about to disagree. When I turned back to Dena, she was staring up at me with an expectant look on her face.

  I knew what she wanted. “Got it.”

  She nodded, then smiled at Arik as she wrapped her arm around his. “I'm ready to go now.”

  The look he gave Dena was something so complete, so intimate that I had to look away. I'd seen other couples here who were together outside as well, but the two of them were like Carrie and Gavin. They were the only people I'd ever seen who made me want to believe in the kind of love I'd never thought existed.

  My phone vibrated against my leg, my alarm signaling that it was time for me to clock out. After I did, I went back to the employee entrance and waited for Bryne. I didn't have to wait long.

  The moment she stepped through the door, I grabbed her, pulling her against me. She let out a startled sound before my mouth covered hers, and I couldn't hold back my own moan. I'd never given much thought to taste when it came to sex. There was the obvious, of course, but it'd never been more than just another part of fucking. With Bryne though...every taste of her was fucking intoxicating.

  “Wow,” she said, her voice breathless. “That's some hello.”

  I grinned at her as I grabbed her ass. “I can think of an even better one.”

  She laughed, her eyes sparkling. “Later.”

  I took a step back and reached for her hand. She was right. There was plenty of time for that later. Right now, I wanted something else from her.

  “Let's dance.”

  I wanted everyone out there to know that she was mine. This was the one place I didn't have to worry about anyone seeing Bryne and me together. Club Privé's privacy policies were going to work for me.

  Enough new people had come into the club that the floor was half-full when we stepped out onto the dance floor. A quick scan of the room told me that Dena and Arik had either left the club entirely, or they were in one of the private rooms. Whichever it was, it meant Bryne and I didn't have to worry about her getting ratted out to Gavin and Carrie. I could focus just on her. I wrapped my arms around her, our bodies starting to move to the music within seconds. Dancing with her was almost as good as sex.

  Almost.

  I loved the feel of her body, even through the clothes. I also loved the fact everyone was staring at us. Because my hands were on her, and everyone here knew that meant she was mine.

  For now anyway.

  And since my time was limited, I intended to make it count.

  Chapter Eleven

  Bryne

  I'd known that Gavin and Carrie had a playroom in the loft, and this past week, I'd taken up Carrie's offer to take a look around. As someone who was still relatively new to the BDSM world, she'd understood that I was still trying to adjust to all of it, even if she didn't entirely approve of my choice of partner.

  After taking a look around, I'd placed a few discreet orders, and put everything in my bedroom, hoping that Dax and I would have a chance to enjoy things this weekend. Now, a few minutes after we'd stumbled our way into my bedroom, shedding our clothes along the way, he was no longer on the bed with me.

  Instead, he was standing, stark naked, next to the bed, looking through my drawer and providing me with a gloriously tempting view of his firm ass, as well as the intricate tattoos that covered his back. My head was still a little fuzzy from all the dancing and the kissing, but not so much that I couldn't appreciate the sight.

  “See anything you like?” I asked.

  The heat in the glance he threw over his shoulder made me shiver. “I see lots of things I like.” He paused, picked something up, and then turned around. “Do you know what this is?”

  I scowled at him. “I'm not an idiot, Dax. Yes, I know what that is.”

  “And?”

  I glared at him, but there wasn't any real anger behind it. He wanted me to say it, which annoyed me, but I loved the amusement in his eyes, so I was going to give it to him. “It's a butt plug, asshole.”

  He laughed, and the sound was far better than any embarrassment I felt. Then the humor turned into something darker and heat coiled in my stomach.

  “Why did you buy a butt plug?” he asked.

  Blood rushed to my face even as my nipples hardened. “You said you wanted to fuck my ass. I figured that would help.”

  He stared at me, face blank.

  I pushed myself up, suddenly self-conscious. “Unless you don't want to anymore.”

  His expression went dark. “Roll over.” When I didn't move, he leaned down and grasped my chin with his free hand. “Roll. The fuck. Over.”

  Oh shit.

  I could still feel his touch burning against my skin as I moved onto my stomach, my body humming with anticipation. I'd never really given much thought to S&M before I came here. Most of what I knew about it before I'd talked to Carrie and her friends had been what I'd read in certain fiction genres. Some got it right, some didn't. And while I enjoyed reading about it, I never considered that it was something I would want to try. Actually, I'd never really thought about it one way or the other...until I met Dax.

  Now, as I waited to see what would happen next, I realized that I wanted this. Not just because it was Dax, but because I liked the idea of giving everything over to someone, to letting them take control of this one aspect of my life.

  “Stretch your hands over your head and keep them there.”

  I did as he said, grabbing my pillow.

  “I'm going to ask you a question, Bryne, and you're going to tell me the truth.”

  Not a request, but an order mixed with an assumption.

  “Who told you to buy this?”

  Who? I hadn't talked to a person specifically about it. “No one.”

  I heard the crack a split second before I felt the sting and the heat. A shudder ran through me.

  “Who told you to buy the plug?”

  “No one,” I repeated. When that earned me another smack on my ass, I decided to clarify. “I didn't ask a person.”

  A moment of silence, and then he asked, “How did you know what to get then?”

  “I'm good at research,” I said quickly.

  “Res
earch.” The word was flat.

  “Like on the internet,” I said. “And Carrie said I could look in their playroom.”

  Another crack and the heat spread across my skin.

  “You said you didn't ask a person.”

  Shit. Between my nipples rubbing on the comforter, my ass burning, and the arousal clouding my mind, it was a wonder I could think straight at all.

  “I didn't,” I said. “Not specifically about the butt plug. I told Carrie I wanted to know more about the whole S&M thing, and she told me that while she and Gavin were gone, I should take a look in their playroom, see what sorts of things there were.”

  Another slap, this one hard enough to make me let out an undignified squeak.

  “Why didn't you just ask me?”

  There were two answers to that question, and both of them were truth. One was that I hadn't known if I could ask him. Things between us were so strange that I didn't know what rules applied. I hadn't wanted to risk chasing him away with questions that I could get answers to somewhere else.

  It was the other answer I gave him though, not wanting to ruin the mood. “Because I wanted to surprise you.” I kept my head down as I added, “Please you.”

  Everything was still for a long moment, and then he gave me two quick cracks, one on either cheek. Before I could wonder what I'd said wrong, his lips were next to my ear.

  “You did surprise me.”

  I cried out as he shoved two fingers inside me without warning.

  “And you definitely please me.”

  I couldn't find any coherent response to that as he began to work his fingers in and out with rough, twisting strokes. Sounds, those I had plenty of, and I made all of them, not caring if they were whimpers or moans or pleas. I pushed back, raising my hips to get him deeper, and he gave me a hard smack.

  “Ahh.” My entire body shook as a wave of pleasure went through me. It wasn't an orgasm, but it was close.

  “Spread your legs.”

  I did and was rewarded with a flick of his thumb against my clit. I closed my eyes, my grip tightening on my pillow. His knuckles were rubbing right against my g-spot just long enough to get me close to the edge, and then he backed off. I lost count of how many times he took me there, only that I was certain I’d explode if he did it one more time.

  And he kept talking the whole time, that sinful voice of his only adding to my torment.

  “So fucking sexy, spread out like that, taking my fingers in that hot cunt of yours. I think I’ll keep you like this when it's my cock so I can watch your pussy stretch around it. You won’t be allowed to move, and if I have to, I'll tie you like this. Hands above your head. Legs open so I can see all of you.”

  My hands were starting to hurt from clutching my pillow, and I was pretty sure that I would start hyperventilating soon. My muscles were so tense that I could barely take a breath. But I didn't want him to stop. I never wanted him to stop.

  “You're going to come for me in a minute, and then I'll put my fingers in your ass. When you come again, I'll put that plug in your ass. Then I'm going to fuck you.”

  I wouldn’t make it that long. He’d kill me before then.

  His thumb pressed against my clit, made firm circles until I felt myself nearing that edge once again. This time, however, as my body began to tremble, he didn't stop. His touch became rougher until it hovered on the verge of pain, and then that pain mixed with the pleasure and I exploded.

  I was vaguely aware of his voice telling me how beautiful I was, how much he enjoyed seeing me climax, but it was all secondary to the white hot electricity pouring through me, filling me. It was sharp and bright and over far too soon.

  Before I could completely process everything, Dax's hands were on my wrists, pulling my arms down and around to my back. I turned my head, but could only see the side of his thigh as he knelt over me. Something soft brushed against my skin, then I heard a metallic click. My brain put them together to figure out that Dax was handcuffing me.

  “If it's too much, you say 'red,' okay?” He ran his hand down my spine, stopping at the place where my hands now rested. “That's how I'll know if I need to stop.”

  I nodded. I had a feeling my arms would be sore tomorrow, but for right now, I was grateful for the change of position.

  “Keep your legs spread,” he said, his voice back to commanding.

  I nodded again, and the bed dipped as he moved back to kneel between my thighs. I whimpered as he slid a finger inside me, and he chuckled, a low rumble of amusement that turned my brain to mush. I meant it when I said that I wanted to please him. I wanted to be the one who made him laugh, who made him smile. From a sexual point of view, I knew that meant I was most like a Submissive, but emotionally, I suspected it was more.

  Then his finger was pressing against that tight ring of muscle and all of my attention went there.

  “Relax,” he ordered.

  Right.

  He kept one hand on the small of my back, right next to my hands, and held me still as he rotated his finger, easing it into my ass. It burned, soothed somewhat by something slick and cool. I assumed it was the lube I bought, but the thought was fleeting, disappearing with everything else that wasn't Dax and what he was doing to me.

  “Don't fight it, baby. We gotta get a second one in there, so you need to relax.”

  It was on the tip of my tongue to ask him if he could relax with a finger in his ass, but then I thought about what it would be like to suck him off while seeing what I could do to his prostate and figured I'd save that discussion for some other time.

  The hand on my back moved down between my legs, the tip of his finger lightly stroking my clit. I shivered, the sensation in my ass becoming more pleasant as I got used to the intrusion. When I felt pressure again, I concentrated on relaxing my muscles, on accepting the bite of pain the same way I had when he spanked me.

  “Good girl,” he said, moving his fingers back and forth, stretching me. “The plug you bought is the perfect size for an anal virgin. It'll get you used to having something in your ass.” He leaned down and nipped at my shoulder. “And it will feel amazing when I fuck your pussy while it's still in there.”

  I made a sound that was something like a groan and a curse. I hadn't realized that was what he was planning to do, even though I probably should have seen it coming.

  “Your ass is even tighter than your pussy.” Another bite on my shoulder, a different sort of sting. “I can't wait to feel it around my cock.”

  The muscles in my thighs were trembling, and I knew I was getting close to a second orgasm. He kept up the movement over and across my clit until I cried out, coming for a second time. He cursed as my muscles bore down around his fingers, and then they were gone, leaving my ass feeling oddly empty.

  A moment later, something hard and cool took their place. I swore as he pushed the plug inside me, the fit still snug despite his preparation. It felt strange, a different kind of full, but one that wasn't entirely unpleasant.

  “I want to go bare inside you again, baby.” He grabbed my hips and pulled them up until I was on my knees. “That okay?”

  I nodded, touched that he asked rather than assuming. We might not have given each other a label, but that wasn't what mattered. This was. I could trust him not to hurt me, to make sure I consented to everything he wanted to do. That meant more than being able to call him my boyfriend.

  He went in slow, dragging out the process until I was writhing, desperate. The sensations were too intense, too powerful, but I couldn't escape them. He held me in place and made me take them all. I felt like I was going to come apart at the seams, that my body couldn't possibly hold all of him and the plug at the same time. And then I imagined what it would be like if I asked him to fuck my ass while I had a toy in my pussy, and I knew that I truly was gone. I wanted everything and anything he could give me, wanted him to push my boundaries and make me completely and thoroughly his.

  “Shit, babe.” His voice was strained. “
Like a fucking vice. Are you okay?”

  I nodded, unable to speak now that he was completely inside. It was a good thing too because I couldn't take anything else. He grabbed the handcuffs and used them to pull me up. I sucked in air as it became easier to breathe. There was a dull ache in my shoulders that I knew would get uncomfortable quick, but I didn't think Dax would last that long.

  “Remember your safe word?” he asked.

  I nodded again, and that was enough for him. He didn't wait or try to be gentle about it. He just used my arms for leverage and began to pound into me. Each stroke made the plug move inside my ass, made his balls hit my over-sensitive clit. I started seeing spots by the third or fourth thrust and knew that when I came again, I was going to pass out.

  The moment he reached around and grabbed my nipple, that was it. A scream ripped out of me and everything went white. I was burning up from the inside out. The line between pain and pleasure so blurred that it no longer mattered which was which, only that they both existed, and they were tearing me apart.

  Through all of it, I still heard him say my name as he came, and it was the following surge of satisfaction that tipped me into total oblivion.

  Chapter Twelve

  Bryne

  I'd heard the term boneless to be used to describe someone after sex, and I'd always thought it was a weird word to use. Except now, I totally got it. I felt like my entire body was one giant puddle of mush.

  But in a less gross way.

  I laughed at myself as I snuggled under my blanket. I'd been right about how much I was going to enjoy having Dax here rather than in a hotel. He'd cleaned me up, then gone back into my bathroom, so I had a few minutes to myself, and I planned on basking in this afterglow. Even though there were parts of my body that ached, I wouldn't have changed a single thing.