Chapter Two

Stella did her best to stay in the shadows along the edge of the room to give Jeffery Howett time to leave. Hopefully without seeing her. Unfortunately, luck hadn’t been on her side.

She thought about returning to her office for the night just to avoid any confrontation with the man then quickly pushed that decision to the side. Jeffery had become a pain in her ass, and she wasn’t going to keep letting him run her out of her own business.

Ever since he gained his membership three months ago, he’d been on her boot heels nearly every weekend begging to become her submissive. She kept turning him down because the man gave her the creeps. She’d told her other business partners she didn’t want to grant membership to him, but in the end, she had been overruled. He knew how to charm his way into any everyone’s good graces. Everyone’s except for hers.

“Jeffery, I have a room full of members I need to watch over. If you aren’t happy with the way things are going, you need to talk it over with the Dominant you chose.”

His suit-clad, lean body stood in front of her as he turned a full, white smile to her. There’s no arguing the fact that Jeffery was indeed handsome. He wore all the right suits, oozed charm, and loved to flash his money around.

Most of the girls got caught up in his allure. But he still had something underneath all the designer names and price tags that made the tiny hairs on the back of her neck stand tall. Her grandmother, Hattie, always told her to listen to her inner voice and never second guess her instincts. They were words Stella lived by and that had gotten her to the point in her life she was at today.

“I only chose Piper because you refused to take me on as your submissive.” His voice dripped with authority sounding as if he wanted to dominate her.

“I’ve already told you. I’m not taking on new submissives at this time. All my spots are full. You’ll be much better off with one of the others. If Piper isn’t working out for you, then we can discuss finding a new Domme at another time. Perhaps during office hours when all three of us can be there. As your Dominant, Piper needs to be involved in all decisions. Right now, I really need to be paying attention to our other members.”

She cut their conversation off by walking away. It was impolite to do so, especially to a paying member, but he made it appear impossible to get away from him without being outright rude.

She breathed a sigh of relief when a couple, who were players at Sublime, struck up a conversation demanding Jeffery’s attention. The man and woman were new themselves to the club, and she hoped they knew what they were getting themselves into by keeping a man like Jeffery Howett near them.

Stella focused her attention to the scene beginning to take form on the stage in front of the growing crowd. She had seen this sort of play time and time before. Hell, she had worked the same scene a few times before with Marty, her ex-sub, in front of a similar crowd.

It had taken her months to coax all his deep desires to the surface but once she did, he confessed to wanting public play. Marty’s secret fantasy of having an orgasm in public while others watched became a reality. Public play was common enough in their world that it came as no surprise when she learned he craved it.

Stella worked with him on his public play, but after a few sessions of the two of them playing together it became clear on both sides that the connection they needed between them wasn’t there. In her experience, a strong BDSM relationship worked better between a Dominant and their submissive if both their wants and desires were fulfilled. Marty treated her with sweet and caring control, but he didn’t challenge her or leave her needing more.

Lucky for him, she found him the Domme he needed in the raven-haired Angel. A badass Domme who had quickly become a pro at having men fall at her feet only to have them thank her for letting them worship her. Angel loved to work with males who didn’t have a dominant bone in their bodies. She wouldn’t touch them otherwise.

Angel had a strong dislike for any male who showed too much dominance. Issues brought on by years of living with an abusive father and multiple failed relationships, most of which she refused to talk about. None the less, her shitty past gave her the strong Domme backbone she had today, and she knew how to use it to her advantage.

“Oh, I’m all too familiar with that look. What’s wrong with you, doll-face?”

Stella’s gaze moved to the woman walking toward her. Mistress Cara, headed straight for her. The platinum blonde with the sparkling hazel eyes offered her a genuine smile as she always did. Stella wouldn’t believe anyone who said Cara possessed a negative bone in her body.

At thirty, Cara was the oldest of the four owners, although she didn’t act it. Matter of fact, if any of them were to hold the title of head Mistress or mothering hen, every one of them would agree, hands down, that title would belong to Stella.

“I’m good. Just keeping an eye on the floor.” She slid her gaze back toward the stage. Cara moved to stand beside her, folding her arms across her well-endowed chest.

“If the guy is bothering you that much, why not just tell him the truth? Tell him you’re leaving soon, and you’re not taking on any new clients. Maybe that will shut him up for a while.”

Stella didn’t have to ask who Cara had been referring too. Jeffery’s obsession with her hadn’t been kept a secret from the other girls. They had all noticed, opening the subject up for each of them to form their own opinions.

“To be completely honest, I don’t want him knowing anything about me. We’re not seeing the same man under all that money.” She gazed around the room to make sure he hadn’t snuck back in.

Cara smiled and licked her lips in a playful nature. “I’d like to see the man under the money.

“I’m sure Piper wouldn’t mind sharing once or twice.”

Cara laughed. “No, thanks. I got my hands full as it is with subs. Speaking of, I’ve got to go. I have someone tied up and waiting for me as we speak.” Cara grinned and stepped away.

Stella watched her go shaking her head after her friend. Not a day went by she didn’t feel grateful Cara made the decision to join Sublime. Being the last one to take on their challenge, Cara became so much more than just another business partner to her. She became like a sister to Stella. They all had.

The closeness she felt with the other three Dommes played a major role in the choice they made to pool their money together and make their dream happen. No more were men going to hold a monopoly on sex clubs. They worked hard to not be confused with other clubs that liked to present themselves as a fair mixed community but secretly thrived on male Dominants.

Sublime wasn’t just for female dominance and male submissives. They catered to every life and playing style. The club might be owned and run by a cast of females, but men were just as welcome to train and play within the walls.

The facts showed there were far more women who lived the BDSM lifestyle than men by a scale of ten to one, but were outnumbered when it came to the business side. That is until three years ago when the four of them decided to open the doors to the first all-female run BDSM club in Seattle. The first one in the state in fact.

Being an owner of her own club hadn’t always been Stella’s dream. Her first and only true love had been photography. She had been taking pictures since the age of ten when her grandmother had given her a Polaroid camera for her birthday. She’d even gone to college with a career in photography in mind. All that changed her freshmen year of college when she met Master Cullen.

Master Cullen introduced her to the world of BDSM, and she never looked back. She loved the freedom the lifestyle allowed her. The craving for dominance and the need to possess control over other people who trusted her with their bodies and minds didn’t come to her right away.

She had been in the life for three years before she got a taste of being a top. After the first time, it consumed her like a drug, intoxicating her with every scene she played from that moment on.

Her thoughts came back to the present as she walked the floor, drifting between tables, and mingling with guests and hopeful future clients. The entire room held a suspenseful allure as Mistress Angel went about the task of tying her obedient sub to a chair before starting to work his thinly muscle-lined body with a light-weight leather flogger.

His skin rapidly beamed with kisses of pink and red tones. The way the sub’s head started to drift forward then roll toward the side of his shoulder made it obvious he enjoyed falling under the spell of the whip and loved the attention his mistress bestowed upon him.

Stella moved to the side of the main floor coming to stand where she had a great view of the controlled chaos taking place on and off the stage. Glancing around the room, her gaze made its way back to the man at the bar. Back to Mason.

Damn, the man looked so mouthwateringly good in his black suit that hugged his body in all the right places. His brown hair looked a little out of style for a man of his age and with his career. Wearing it short around the back and sides with a longer length on top. The brown locks brushed back from his face gave him a look more suited to a gangster straight out of the twenties. He pulled it off extremely well.

She couldn’t put her finger on it, but he had a quality about him that kept drawing her eyes back to him. She had to stop herself from moving back over to his side. She had said all she would leaving it up to him if he wanted to take her up on the offer. She never pursued a man before, and she sure as hell wasn’t going to start now. And she sure as hell never pursued a submissive. If he was here looking for more insight into this lifestyle, then he would have to approach her.

She had no idea what came over her, telling him if he liked what he saw tonight, he was welcome to come back. It insinuated an open invitation she had no business handing out to a newcomer. She made herself look idiotic by making it seem as if she wanted him to come back. As if she cared one way or the other. Even if she did care, it was bad business showing the vulnerable side of herself to him.

She was the Mistress. Mistresses don’t beg anyone for anything. She didn’t want to come across as a bitch, but she needed to remember her role.

The rules of her title were clear. Never let a submissive see weakness of any kind, and always be the stronger of the two playing. She needed her subs to do the asking. Not her.

She closed her eyes for a moment and let out a slow, calming breath before turning her attention back to the scene happening on the stage in front of her. She just needed a minute to clear the man from her thoughts and focus on the scene and their clients.

Marty sat in a chair with his legs spread wide and bound to the front chair legs. A dark-colored blindfold had been placed over his eyes and a large, red, rubber ball gag tucked in place between his teeth holding his mouth open and filled enough to make it impossible to cry out or speak.

Of course, everything was done at the submissive’s request. If he disliked something such as gagging, Angel wouldn’t ask him to endure it. Especially in front of others. Pushing limits were reserved for behind closed doors where they would be talked over before going any further.

Mistress Angel took a leather-bound flogger to the inside of her submissive’s thigh, legs, and chest, leaving the softest pink marks where the leather touched his skin.

Since they were playing out their scene in the main public bar room, Angel couldn’t allow her sub to be completely naked. Everyone had to have all their naughty bits covered when Sublime opened to the public. The only days they were closed to non-members were the weekends.

The sound of leather connecting with flesh brought Stella’s gaze back to the two on stage. Angel had always done a great job talking her nervous submissives into complying with her demands. Stella imagined the words Angel would whisper to her sub encouraging him with her praise. Her words would be his reward. Knowing he pleased his Domme helped walk him through the sharp tugs of pain and the uneasy gasps of onlookers who always seemed to make the fire on the skin burn just a little hotter.

Stella gazed around the room full of on-lookers. Watching how the scene on the stage affected their visitors. Public play didn’t only impact the people preforming, it gave pleasure to the voyeurs who enjoyed the art of watching.

Couples kissed and fondled each other while keeping their eyes glued to the couple on stage. Others were kicked back and enjoying the show. A few Dom’s draped their bodies back against the couches enjoying the scene as their female submissives knelt at their feet.

Even though those days were long since passed, she could still feel the burning in her knees from the long hours spent kneeling on the floor submitting to her Dominant. Her first time really submitting had been such an overpowering feeling it made her bawl like a baby after. Master Cullen had held and comforted her until she let every tear fall. But as the last tears of her surrender fell so did all her weakness and shyness.

The softness and support that Master Cullen had shown intrigued her. The ways he could show her discipline, strength, and kindness. All of those as he took her mind and body to new heights while holding her in firm hands.

In those moments, she realized she wanted to help others feel the same way Master Cullen helped make her feel. After two happy years of submitting to one man, she asked to be trained so she could become a Domme in her own right.

She wouldn’t forget the day Master Cullen told her she was a switch. He explained to her that even though most people were either the giver or the receiver, she enjoyed both. By being a switch she could dominate as well as submit. She prayed for the day when she would find the missing link she needed. To find the challenge of a sub who needed her as much as she did him. She couldn’t wait to find the person who would come to be the other half of her.

She once wanted a switch like herself who could be as comfortable giving orders as they were receiving them. In a nutshell, a person who didn’t exist. In the seven years she’d been in the lifestyle, she had yet to meet a man who made her feel both submissive and dominant. Most men liked it one way or the other. They were either submissive or dominant. They were never both.

With those fantasies clouding her mind, she darted her gaze back toward the bar and the stool where the sexy, suited bad boy sat. Wanting to see for herself if he liked what he saw playing out in front of him. But he had already left, leaving her in a world of suspense to see if he would show back up tomorrow.