Total pages in book: 230
Estimated words: 217798 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1089(@200wpm)___ 871(@250wpm)___ 726(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 217798 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1089(@200wpm)___ 871(@250wpm)___ 726(@300wpm)
Was that what all that rigging was for? There was an elaborate system of ropes and pulleys connected to an apparatus obviously meant to suspend something in midair. It looked like she would be suspending a man there.
“Please welcome Mistress D.”
There was clapping and shouts of hellos from the couples around him. They were all shapes and sizes, all colors and ages. There were men with women clinging to them and women with men resting at their feet. Some of the couples were same sex, and then there were the threesomes. Not a one of them seemed uncomfortable.
No one cared here. They were all seeking the same thing—to be happy.
Day took center stage. She didn’t need a microphone to be heard. “Thank you so much for having me here tonight. I love rope. I love how it feels in my hands and how creative I can get when using it on a partner. I love suspension play as well because when my lovely sub is trapped in my web and suspended off the ground, he is completely vulnerable to me. There isn’t a part of him I can’t torture and touch, no ground beneath him to keep him from me. Of course, I prefer submissives who enjoy the sensation, and not all do. As with any play, this should be consensual and kind…even when it’s quite cruel.”
Because the cruelty was nothing more than a game. Because Day wouldn’t want to hurt anyone. She merely sought to give her partners a space to explore their fantasy selves, to be someone different than they were in their daily lives, to give up control and feel free for a few hours.
Why should that be forbidden to him?
He saw what could be their lives flash before him. If he chose to stick to this path, they might very well find some friendship, but she would need this. If he forced her away from this lifestyle altogether, a piece of her would be lost, hollowed out. Or if he allowed her to play quietly, she would eventually find a man who wasn’t intimidated, who wouldn’t allow some societal norm to take away his choice, to define his masculinity.
What right did anyone have to choose who he would be?
He was the fucking king.
“I want to show you some of my techniques,” Day continued. “I know the big Doms of the room have no trouble at all suspending their dainty subs, but I prefer my men with muscle. I want to show you how a smaller top can safely suspend and play with her bigger, heavier sub. Can I get a volunteer?”
Three other men held their hands up, one trying to crowd the stage as though willing to physically block out the other men.
He could sit back and watch. He could think this through and make a rational decision.
“I volunteer. Me. And if any one of you touches my wife, I swear I’ll kill you where you stand, is that clear?”
Taggart gave him a big thumbs-up as he moved toward the stage.
CHAPTER 9
Day frowned as she watched the man shove his way through the crowd. She hadn’t been able to hear exactly what he’d said, but she’d gotten the gist. He was selecting himself and taking the choice from her.
He was about to find out she didn’t play that way.
She looked over at Charlotte and Kori, who were standing off to the side, waiting to see if she needed any help. Serena Dean-Miles had been assisting until her big gorgeous brute of a Dom had explained that she had a meeting in the principal’s office.
“I want that man taken out of here,” she said to Kori. “Do we have bouncers?”
Kori nodded. “Sure we do, but I think they’re going to make you take care of this one.”
It wasn’t her club, but this was her scene and she meant to make things clear. She was in charge and she would select her volunteer. It certainly wouldn’t be some mouthy brat of a beast with no manners.
Oh, god, it was Kash.
She turned and there he was, stepping up the stairs. Another man put a hand out. She’d been introduced to Harrison Keen only moments before. She’d thought she would probably use him as her test subject. He was a lovely man, six foot with plenty of muscle. He was perfect to show her techniques off on.
“Hey, the Mistress gets to decide, asshole. Have you ever been in a club in your life?” Harrison was asking.
“Have you ever been thrown into a damn hellhole of a prison because you touched a powerful king’s wife? I have this prison. Well, they might have turned it into a tourist attraction, but I can build a new one.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Keen shook his head.
That was her Kash. He could make some of the oddest threats she’d ever heard, and he didn’t mind going medieval on people. Was he here to haul her off the stage? When she’d agreed to do the demo, she’d chosen to do it for herself, to have some fun and relax. Not to give Kash the middle finger. She’d thought about it and decided she wouldn’t do it for revenge. Only for herself. She’d suspected he wouldn’t even realize she was here. She’d thought he would have found some delicate sub and settled in for the night, and seeing them together would finally make her understand that her marriage was over before it had truly begun.