Total pages in book: 24
Estimated words: 21157 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 106(@200wpm)___ 85(@250wpm)___ 71(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 21157 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 106(@200wpm)___ 85(@250wpm)___ 71(@300wpm)
“Dungeon,” she murmured aloud, hardly able to believe such a thing actually existed in real life. She instantly visualized naked women tethered to whipping posts and bound to spanking benches, just like in the novels. The fantasy Hayden appeared beside them, a coil of rope in one hand, a whip in the other, a dangerous glint in his dark blue eyes.
Heart beating high in her throat, she continued to read.
Due to privacy concerns regarding our members, all attendees will be required to wear masks for the duration of the evening. We have enclosed a mask for your convenience.
She grabbed the cardboard envelope, this time popping it open and peering into it. Sure enough, something was inside. She shook the envelope and the item fell to the table. It was a shiny red masquerade mask with satin straps on either side. Picking it up, she placed it over her eyes, adjusting the nose guard as she did so.
Jumping again to her feet, she rushed to the bathroom and peered at herself in the mirror. She looked exotic and mysterious, like someone attending a masquerade ball. She had a sexy red satin cocktail dress that would go perfectly.
Removing the mask, she returned to the kitchen, settling herself once more in front of the laptop. She focused on the single, final line.
Please RSVP below.
Actually trembling with excitement, Dahlia clicked ACCEPT.
Chapter 5
Over breakfast at the hospital on Monday, Dahlia peppered Hayden with questions about the Masters Club party. He answered them all with an indulgent smile, but warned her, “It’s really hard to describe to someone so new to the scene. I don’t want to prejudice you in advance either way. It’s better if you form your own impressions.”
She wanted to press, but recognized he was probably right. Better to wait and see. After all, she was only going there to watch, not to participate. No, most definitely not.
Their usual insane work schedules prevented them from getting together during the week, which was just as well. The next time they saw each other, she wanted to experience Master Hayden.
The night of the party finally arrived. Dahlia pulled her shawl tighter around her shoulders, shivering as she scanned the street for Hayden’s red Audi.
The sky was a dark, gunmetal gray, the reflected city lights bouncing against the heavy clouds. A light snow had begun to fall, coating everything in fairy dust.
Dahlia’s heart skipped several beats as the car came into view at the end of the block. Hayden pulled to a stop in front of her building and leaned across the seat to open the passenger door.
Dahlia hurried forward from her spot beneath the building’s awning, her gold high heels clicking on the sidewalk. “Ah,” she said with relief as she settled herself in the passenger seat. “Nice and toasty in here.”
She glanced at Hayden, who hadn’t yet started driving. He was staring at her, his mouth actually hanging open. “You look…amazing.” The awe in his tone and the look in his eye made her blush, though she couldn’t deny she was pleased.
“Thank you,” she said. “You clean up pretty nice yourself.”
Hayden laughed as he put the car in gear. “Thanks back. I think.”
Dahlia had expected him to be decked out in leather from head to toe, as befitted her concept of a Master. Instead, he was wearing a black tuxedo jacket with narrow satin lapels over a black silk T-shirt. He did have on leather pants that looked soft as butter, and seemed tailor-made to his long, muscular legs. A day or two of sexy stubble graced his strong jaw. His deep blue eyes sparkled beneath the streetlights.
He glanced at her. “Did you remember your mask?”
“Yes,” she replied, patting her small clutch. “I have it right here.”
“Excellent.” He eased the car away from the curb.
As they headed down the block, he said, “A word about sex.”
“Just one?” she quipped.
He chuckled. “Sex at the party, I mean. Because we have non-members attending tonight, explicit sexual acts—by which I mean anything that involves or potentially involves an exchange of body fluids—is not permitted. To be more direct, if somewhat crude,” he added, stealing a glance at her, “there’s no fucking or sucking allowed.”
Dahlia immediately visualized Hayden in the middle of some Romanesque orgy, simpering slave girls kneeling around him, reaching for him with grasping hands…
“I take it that means there normally is”—she absolutely refused to blush—“fucking and sucking at regular dungeon events?”
Hayden shrugged. “Every member is routinely tested for a clean bill of health, so it’s not an issue in that regard. That said, full-on intercourse is discouraged in the main dungeon. There are private playrooms for that. But oral sex is fairly common. It’s often just a natural progression of a scene. You have a sub bound on a spanking bench or a bondage table, legs spread wide”—he cocked a single brow, his lips quirking into a smile—“it can be hard to resist. Conversely, if she’s on her knees in front of you, arms bound behind her back, lips parted as she stares up at you, ready and eager to serve your every need…” He shrugged again, leaving the sentence incomplete.