The Enticement: The Submissive Series Read online

  Michelle returned with my drink and I finished it in four swallows. It burned going down my throat, but I found I rather enjoyed the sensation.

  “Damn, Abby,” Meagan said.

  I motioned for Michelle to bring me another. “I’m celebrating.”

  “I wasn’t being critical. I’ll join you.”

  Michelle quickly returned with our drinks and we toasted the blog.

  We didn’t order anything else after the second drink. Not long after our glasses were cleared, the man from the door came by and asked Meagan to dance.

  He lifted his eyebrow my way before taking off with her, but I shook my head. Nathaniel would be mad as hell if I danced with someone at a BDSM club. Nathaniel. Shit. I didn’t want to think about what he’d have to say about Meagan’s idea of “clubbing.” I mean, he’d thought I’d gone out for an innocent night of dancing with my new boss. This was hardly the scene he’d expected either.

  Nathaniel and I had been to a few clubs in the city before. We hadn’t been to any since Henry was born, though. Looking around at the crowd made me want to plan a night out with him soon. I enjoyed being out in public as my Master’s submissive. And I had really enjoyed the few times we’d played publicly.

  The male couple in the corner had started their scene. In another time and place, I might have drifted closer to watch, but I really didn’t feel like it. For some reason it didn’t seem right without Nathaniel. I thought about calling him, but there was no point. I was already here. I turned back to the dance floor, but couldn’t see Meagan or the guy she was dancing with.

  Michelle walked by with a tray of drinks, so I flagged her down.

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Have you seen the lady I came in with?” I asked, not wanting to use her real name and not comfortable calling my boss “Mistress M.”

  “Yes, ma’am. She went into one of the private rooms with Master V.”

  Well, wasn’t that fantastic? She left me alone in a BDSM club where I knew no one and had no clue as to protocol. It really wasn’t like her and she probably had a good reason, but I was slightly pissed. “Can you bring me another drink?” I asked.

  The drinks must have been stronger than I thought, because when I hopped down from my stool midway through the third, the room swayed a bit. Or maybe it was me. I squinted at my watch. Meagan had been gone for over an hour. The male couple had finished some time ago and had left the demo corner empty. I watched as a group of people went down a hallway, probably to a private room.

  During the time Meagan had been gone, several male Dominants had approached me. I’d turned them all down, of course. When Nathaniel and I went to a club together, I had to get his permission before talking to another Dom. Under the circumstances, however, I felt it acceptable. After all, I was turning them down.

  Surely Meagan and her guy were finished now or at least in the middle of some aftercare. I’d just walk down the hallways to see if I could find them. I thought about calling a cab, but I didn’t want to leave my new boss alone, even though it appeared she may have done that to me.

  I wobbled a bit more than I expected. Maybe two drinks would be my limit in the future. I looked down the first hallway, but found only closed doors. I might not know this particular club’s protocol, but I knew it would be frowned upon to open a closed door at any club.

  Not ready to give up, I walked back to the main room and down a different hallway. This one boasted closed doors as well, but at the far end, the very last room had an open door. Doubtful that would be the room Meagan was in, but I didn’t have anywhere else to look. I walked down the hall and poked my head inside.

  “Hello, there, pretty,” the man inside said. “Why don’t you step inside for a minute?”

  “No, thank you.” I stepped in the middle of the doorway so I could see who I was talking to. “I was looking for someone, but she’s not here.”

  The man in the room stood up. He was heavyset and didn’t appear to have shaved for a day or two. He stepped close to me and I smelled the alcohol on his breath. I tried to back away, but he somehow managed to maneuver himself in a way that made me move to the side. When he stepped into my personal space again, I shifted and found myself inside the room.

  “There we go,” he said blocking the doorway. “Now I have you inside by your own free will.”

  My mind was still fuzzy about how I wound up inside, and I blurted out the first thing I could think of. “I’m drunk.”

  His smile was evil. “Nah, you’re just relaxed. Works better that way, I think. Your body can take more.”

  My heart sped up. One flick of his wrist and I’d be locked inside with him. The fuzzy edges around my mind started to hum. “I actually want to leave now,” I said.

  “Why would you want to go? We haven’t even started yet.”

  “Now. Move.”

  He leered at me. “I don’t like the way you’re looking at me, little sub.” His hand moved to the doorknob. “I’m going to have to remind you how you’re supposed to talk to your Top.”

  I swayed and shouted the one thing I could think of, “Red!”

  “Bitch.” The leer left his face and he went to close the door, but at the last second, a booted foot kept it from shutting.

  “I heard someone safeword,” the owner of the boot said, opening the door and looking inside. “Everything okay?”

  We both answered at once.

  “No.”

  “Yes.”

  The man at the door was tall and dark, and he wore a frown. He crossed his arms and looked from me to the other man. “What’s going on?”

  “Just a little disagreement with my sub.”

  “I am not your sub,” I said, but it probably would have had more impact if it wasn’t slurred when it came out.

  “How much have you had to drink?” asked the stranger at the door.

  “Three?”

  He mumbled something under his breath that didn’t sound like it should be repeated in front of ladies or children and glared at the man who’d claimed I was his sub. “She safeworded and even if she hadn’t, she’s not sober enough to consent.”

  The other guy wasn’t going to back down. “Who are you?”

  “I’m a guest who’s here for the weekend. And from what I can tell, I won’t be back.” He turned back to me. “Are you alone or are you with someone?”

  Before I could say anything, I was interrupted.

  “She’s with me,” the man who had trapped me in the room said.

  Moving faster than I would have thought possible for a man of his size, the dark guy shot his hand out and grabbed the other man by the throat. “She safeworded. You are no longer involved in this conversation. If you continue to act otherwise, I will call the police and file assault charges.”

  The guy nodded, which was quite an accomplishment considering how tightly the dark man was holding him.

  “Let’s go somewhere we can talk,” the dark man said to me.

  I hesitated, suddenly uneasy. He was acting like my savior now, but who could tell? I might be trading one nightmare for another. He pressed his lips together.

  “Of course,” he said. “You don’t know me. Let’s go into the main room.”

  That sounded safer. I nodded and we made our way down the hall. Once back in the main room, I collapsed on a couch, suddenly exhausted. I realized all at once just how drunk I was and how close I’d come to being assaulted. I burst into tears.

  “Hell,” dark man said. “It’s okay. You’re safe.”

  He looked around as if he didn’t know what to do. He held out a hand, but then took it back. Finally, he grabbed a napkin from a nearby table and passed it to me.

  I sobbed for a few more minutes and eventually calmed down to mere hiccups. “I . . . I . . . Thank you. The lady I came with left me and I was trying to find he
r. I. . . . I just want to go home.”

  “I think that’d be for the best. I’d call you a cab, but I don’t think you should go by yourself.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Is there someone I can call to pick you up?”

  I thought about having him call Nathaniel, but decided it’d be better to deal with this myself. I shook my head.

  “My name’s Jeff Parks.” He pulled out his wallet and handed me a card. “I’m a security expert and work very closely with the Wilmington, Delaware, Police Department. That’s the number for the switchboard. Feel free to give them a call and ask about me. I can also provide you with the number of an attorney I’ve played with numerous times. It’s as much of a reference as I can give on short notice.”

  I simply had no choice but to believe him.

  He sensed my hesitation. “Ma’am, if I’d wanted to take advantage of you, I wouldn’t be going through all this. I insist my subs be sober and provide consent.” The corner of his lip quirked up. “Call me egotistical, but if you’re going to be pleasantly sore and achy in the morning, I damn well want you to remember how you got that way.”

  I smiled for the first time in hours. “Will you call me a cab, Mr. Parks?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  Shortly after the cab arrived and I gave the driver my address, my eyelids grew heavy. I resisted sleep, but the temptation to give in grew too great. My last sight before succumbing was of Jeff, looking out his side window.

  “Hey,” he said, what seemed like seconds later. “We’re here.”

  Those two words filled me with dread because I knew Nathaniel would be pissed. My dread grew even greater when Jeff insisted on walking me to the door after paying the driver.

  “You don’t have to,” I said. “My husband, uh, Master, is going to be upset enough as it is.”

  “Ah, so you are a sub?”

  “Yes.”

  “If it were me and my sub was drunk, alone, and in the situation like you found yourself in, I’d be ready to pound someone into the ground.”

  “Yes, so you see why it’s best if you leave now.”

  “No, that’s even more reason for me to stay.”

  He had that Dom look that told me he wasn’t going to change his mind. He was actually very dour-looking. I’d probably be scared if I wasn’t so drunk. Fuck, I was so drunk. Nathaniel was going to kill me.

  Nope, Mr. Parks wasn’t going to change his mind. I knew his type. Hell, I’d married his type. I glanced down at his left hand. No ring.

  “Do you have a sub right now?” I asked.

  “No.”

  “You’re not going to expand on that, are you?”

  “No.”

  “A man of few words.”

  “Yes. And you’re stalling.”

  We walked inside and I waved at the doorman. Together, Jeff and I rode up to the penthouse and I gave silent thanks the kids would be asleep when we arrived.

  At our floor, I opened the door and stepped inside. I wondered where Nathaniel was.

  I heard him before I saw him.

  “Abby, you’re back sooner than I expected.” He walked into the foyer with a smile that disappeared when he saw Jeff. “Who’s this?”

  I waved at Jeff. “This is Jeff Dark. Dark man. Dark Dom.”

  He stepped closer. “Are you drunk?”

  “Slightly.” I held up two fingers. “I had three.”

  He glared at Jeff. “What the fuck is going on and who are you?”

  Jeff held Nathaniel’s gaze and simply crossed his arms across his chest. “A Dom who knows better than to let his sub go to a shady BDSM dive, get drunk off her ass, and have to be rescued from a would-be rapist who doesn’t know the definition of a safe word.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “You can ask her, but if it wasn’t for me . . . Well, I don’t like to guess, but the man she was with didn’t take too kindly to her use of the word ‘red.’”

  The tops of Nathaniel’s ears grew red. I’d never seen that before.

  “Abby,” he said, so calmly I felt cold. “What the fuck happened tonight?”

  My words rushed out. “Meagan’s a switch but didn’t tell me and took me to a BDSM club and went off with a guy and I might have had too many drinks and when I went looking for her I got trapped with a guy and this guy got me away from him.” My stomach rolled. “I think I’ll vomit now.”

  I ran to the hall bathroom and when I returned, the men were shaking hands.

  “Good to meet you, Jeff,” Nathaniel said. “Glad I had a chance to meet you before our meeting on Monday, though I wish the circumstances were different.”

  “Likewise.” Jeff lifted a hand in my direction. “Good night, Mrs. West.”

  “’Night.”

  Jeff gave Nathaniel a curt nod and left. My heart beat wildly as Nathaniel turned to me. He didn’t look angry anymore, though; he looked shaken and scared, a combination I’d never seen on him before. At the sight of it, all the night’s events hit me at once and I crumpled into sobs again.

  “Abby,” he said, hastening to gather me in his arms. “It’s okay. You’re okay. I have you.”

  “That man . . .” I started, but couldn’t get out any more.

  “Come here.” He lifted me up and carried me to the bedroom, all the while whispering to me. I clung to his shirt like it was a life vest. In that moment, it probably was.

  “I’m going to take your dress off,” he said once he set me on the bed. “Are you okay with that or do you want to do it?”

  “You do it.” The man at the club hadn’t touched me, but I needed Nathaniel’s hands on me to help erase his memory.

  He turned to get my cotton nightshirt out of a dresser drawer. He picked my light blue one, my favorite because the material was so soft. Ever so gently, he helped me to stand and unzipped my dress. His fingers didn’t linger like they normally would have, but were quick and efficient.

  In no time, he was pulling the sheets back so I could crawl into bed. It took him only seconds to step out of his own clothes and join me. I don’t think I’d relaxed entirely from the minute I stepped into the club until Nathaniel pulled me to his side in bed.

  “I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I should have called you the minute I realized what type of club it was, or at least when Meagan left me.”

  “I’m going to call her tomorrow and speak with her about this. As one Dominant to another. I know she’s your boss, but what she did crossed a line. You’re my submissive.”

  I hiccuped and gave him a nod. I understood why he needed to talk to Meagan even though I didn’t necessarily like it.

  He stroked my hair. “We’ll talk about it later. Right now I just want to hold you.” His voice cracked at the end and I knew he needed to hold me as much as I needed him to.

  I curled up into him as close as I could. “I was so scared.” It was all I could say before I started crying again. He murmured soothing words I couldn’t make out and simply held me until I couldn’t cry anymore.

  By then, we were both exhausted and fell into an uneasy sleep.

  * * *

  When I woke again, it was morning. Or early afternoon. And I was alone. The curtains were closed so no light came through the windows. Good for sleeping, but not useful in gauging time. I rolled to my side and checked the clock. Ten thirty! I couldn’t remember the last time I’d slept so late.

  On my nightstand were a bottle of water and two pain relievers. I swallowed them greedily. My head hurt like a bitch when I moved. I stretched out in bed and willed my brain to stop throbbing.

  I finally gave up and decided to get up. While making the bed, I suddenly realized how quiet everything was. The penthouse was smaller than the estate house; some noise should have been present. Two young kids were bound to make some sort of ruckus. I stepped into the hallway to see if I co
uld hear anything. That’s when I overheard Nathaniel on the phone.

  “I don’t want to hear any excuses,” I could hear him saying. “It’s simply unacceptable behavior for someone claiming to be a Top.” He paused. “It doesn’t matter that she wasn’t acting as your submissive at the time. She was in your care. How would you feel if I left one of your bottoms at an unknown club, when I knew she’d been drinking?”

  He surely got that phone call out of the way early. I needed to talk to her as well, but I’d wait until evening.

  “I’m glad you see my point,” he said. “I’m not going to claim I’ve been the perfect Dominant, but I’ve become a better one because I was called out on behavior that was wrong.”

  I crept back into the bedroom to shower and change. Whatever conversation he was having with Meagan was between the two of them. Besides, my head hurt too much to think about it for too long.

  I stood under the shower for a long time. The warm water felt good and washed away the last of the grime I felt from the night before. It was as if I stepped out of the shower a different person than I had been when I entered.

  My stomach started rumbling while I dried off and I hurried along so I could grab something to eat and check on the kids. I knew they were fine with Nathaniel, but I needed to see them. I pulled on a robe and stepped into the bedroom to find Nathaniel peeking his head in.

  “I heard the shower,” he said. “How are you?”

  “Better after my shower.”

  “Is Mommy awake?” Elizabeth squeezed past her father. “Mommy, you’re up. Daddy said we had to be quiet because you were sleeping. Are you sick? Are you better now?”

  I pulled her into a hug. “I wasn’t feeling good, but I’m better now. Especially since I’ve had a hug from you.”

  She beamed at me. “I fixed you oatmeal. Daddy helped.”

  “Sounds great,” I said. “Where’s your brother?”

  “Here he is,” Nathaniel said, holding the door open for a toddling Henry.