Hello loves! I'm finally writing again after taking a little break. I hope you're all doing well!

!*PLEASE read this author's note before reading the story*!

CONTENT WARNING: This story will contain BDSM. There will be some domestic violence in a few areas (not between Rose and Dimitri) but they are not too detailed. It is slightly OOC (Dom Dimitri, Sub Rose).

If you're okay with that, then I hope you enjoy. It's my first AU/AH story, so bear with me.

"Come on, come on...assignment submitted. Finally!" I slammed my laptop screen down and let out a sigh of relief. I had just finished writing my final assignment for the semester. It was my second year in University and the first semester was coming to an end. This past week had been just as stressful as I'd imagined after completing three exams and two papers, but at least I had the rest of the month off until my second semester started.

I had spoken louder than I thought, because my best friend was already scolding me as she walked into the living room of her apartment. "You know, that paper wouldn't have been so hard to get through if you hadn't left it to the last second."

"Hey, I had a lot going on," I defended, pulling on my hair elastic and letting my hair fall freely on my back. Not only did Lissa and I go to the same school, but she had convinced me to join their cheerleading team too as silly as it sounded. It was a little hard to go to practice during exam time, but the good thing about joining an extracurricular activity was that it helped relieve my stress.

"You know, on top of all those practices, my boss had me working five days a week even after I told him I had exams."

Lissa sighed, grabbing the TV remote to turn it on. "Well, your boss is an idiot."

"Tell me about it."

I worked as a part-time bartender so that I could pay off my rent while my parents paid for my school tuition. My ex-boyfriend, Nathan—who I despised—used to split rent with me until I finally found the courage to move out of the apartment we used to share. We had met over a year ago when I was still eighteen. When we first started dating, things were fine. It was when he got comfortable that things started to go downhill.

"So, I was thinking...you know how you and Nathan used to have that whole power exchange thing going on when you were together?" Lissa asked casually, propping her feet up on the coffee table.

Great. Power exchange my ass. "Um, yeah."

"And you guys were like, really kinky, right?"

I rarely talked about Nathan now for obvious reasons. Lissa had no idea who abusive the relationship had been—which was entirely my fault considering I'd never told her. It had been far from healthy while it lasted. He had certain kinks that I had been fine with and it was something I had been willing to explore as long as everything was done safely. Unfortunately, that hadn't been the case.

I should have noticed the red flags from the beginning. I always enjoyed taking on the role of a submissive, but I had limits that Nathan didn't respect. He had always told me that a 'good submissive' shouldn't have limits or boundaries. The first few times we had practiced bondage—which had been a little too heavy for me—I had called out my safeword multiple times in an attempt to stop things. It was supposed to be my safety outlet, but with Nathan, it didn't exist. He had constantly berated me for it and had told me multiple times that I shouldn't need a safe word.

I snapped out of my thoughts, returning to the present. "Lissa, where are you going with this?"

"I was thinking of going to a club tonight—a special one. You know, since we've got the next few weeks off," she insisted. I wanted to ask her what the hell a nightclub had to do with her previous question, but I already knew she was hiding something.

"Come on, please?" she said, taking my hands in hers. "It's not the typical nightclub you'd expect. Trust me, you'll like it."

I narrowed my eyes at her, not quite knowing what she meant. "What do you mean, not the typical nightclub?"

I gave in to Lissa's request and drove us to the location that she had given me directions for. It was in a much more populated area of Toronto, and since it was a Friday night, it was especially busy now.

I had to admit that this was probably the nicest club I'd seen in my life. It had a fancy bar, a dance floor further back, tufted couches, and pool tables. It was far more luxurious than the others I had been to before and most of the people here were a little older than us. To my surprise, it wasn't a crazy nightclub with people dancing to loud music, but rather a slightly more relaxed space.

I didn't have much time to explore as Lissa was already pulling me towards the back where a dark staircase was with red lights on the walls.

"Lissa, what the hell are you doing?" I asked her. She tugged on my arm, leading me down into what I assumed was the basement. I realized the walls were red too.

"Just trust me," she said, gleaming with excitement.

"Liss, if this is some crazy sex dungeon, I—"

She opened the door at the bottom of the stairs, already answering my question. I had never seen a BDSM club with my own eyes, but I was now. The whole room was red and had a variety of bondage sets where I could see both men and women doing scenes. On the sides and in the corners of the room were red leather couches where people sat and either watched the scenes or simply talked away. I saw some doms with their subs—or whatever they preferred to call them—who sat together so casually even though some people were kneeling. Perhaps this was normal for them.

While I was distracted by all the scenery, Lissa spoke to someone at the front, giving them our names and some cash. The woman who was speaking to her smiled warmly before cocking her head to the side to indicate that we could go in. There was a list of rules written on a brochure on the table and I picked it up to read them. Things like full nudity—with the exception of breasts—was not allowed, and neither was sex. Intoxication by drugs or alcohol was prohibited, and recording or photographing was also prohibited. Lastly, consent was an absolute must in here as well as respect for everyone. It was emphasized in bold letters.

"Come on," Lissa said insistently.

"You paid for me?" I asked, putting the brochure down.

"It wasn't a lot. Don't worry about it."

I sighed as I took a few steps forward. The place was bigger than I thought. The people chatting on the sides looked pretty friendly and acted like everything in here was normal. Lissa and I were probably the youngest ones in here too. It was a variety of ages, but to find college girls here was probably less common.

"Don't be shy," Lissa said encouragingly, taking my hand. I was never shy, but I probably looked like it from the shock of being here. The bondage looked a little intimidating despite having been in some of the positions myself when I used to do this stuff with Nathan. Maybe it was just intimidating to me because everything I used to do hadn't always been willing.

"This is why you asked me about being kinky," I realized, watching a girl squirm around on a St. Andrew's cross as another woman used a flogger on her back.

Lissa blushed slightly, watching the same thing I was. "Christian and I wanted to try some of these things. You should totally bring Nathan here if you ever get back together."

"Definitely not," I murmured to myself, shivering at the thought of him even finding out I was here at all. We might have been separated, but it had taken me forever to get away. The first time I had tried to leave him, he promised to treat me better, so I stayed. The second time I tried to leave him, he guilted me into staying because he had threatened to hurt himself. The third time I tried to leave him, he threatened to hurt me—and he did. The fourth time, I finally left for good by moving into another apartment that I hoped he wouldn't be able to find.

I blinked, realizing I had spaced out. I shook my thoughts away and focussed on the room instead. When I saw what looked like a dom untying a sub and giving them a comforting hug, things didn't seem so intimidating. I wasn't opposed to having a relationship with this kind of thing, but I wished I could have something healthy and loving like they seemed to have.

"I'm going to go look around," Lissa informed me, letting go of my hand. I nodded, letting her wander by herself while constantly keeping my eyes on her every time I looked away from a scene. This place felt a lot safer than an average club, but I still wanted to make sure she was okay. My protective instincts were always strong with her.

I let myself explore a little bit, watching any scenes that were going on. Some of them were simple while others were more extreme. I noticed a lot of the doms would pause what they were doing and ask their sub if they were okay. I thought it was sweet.

"Excuse me," someone said from behind me. I turned around, looking up into a pair of blue eyes and dirty blonde hair. He was young, maybe in his early or mid-twenties, and was dressed in black.

"Sorry, I'm one of the dungeon monitors. I've never seen you before. Did you come here alone?" he asked me, briefly looking at the people beside us before looking at me again.

"No, actually, I'm here with a friend," I answered, moving out of the way as some people walked by. "She's curious about bondage."

"I'm assuming it's your first time here."

I sighed, slipping my hands into the pockets of my leather jacket. "Is it that obvious?"

The man laughed. "No, no. You just looked a little surprised by all of this. What's your name?"

"Rose," I replied. The man extended his hand and I slipped mine in his, shaking it firmly.

"Ivan," he said. I smiled, taking my hand back and slipping it into my pocket again. It wasn't long before we started up a conversation as we walked through the red space, occasionally stopping to watch. Ivan seemed very laid back and his presence made me feel a lot more comfortable here.

"So, everyone here does this willingly?" I asked. Ivan was a little stunned by my question, but he answered me anyway.

"Of course," he said. "It's written down in the list of rules at the front. It's a safe space. Everything here, no matter how intense, must be done safely. That's why we have people like me to monitor things."

"You just walk around and observe people getting..." I looked at the girl in front of me who was tied down to a table, moaning softly as someone else held a melting candle a few feet above her body. I decided to use that as a reference. "Hot wax poured on their half-naked body?"

A low chuckle ignited from Ivan's chest. "Sort of, but it's more important than you think. I have to make sure things don't escalate into something dangerous. For example, if someone were to say a safe word and things didn't stop, I'd have to step in."

I wished I had that kind of treatment. I hadn't been able to use a safe word with Nathan because it hadn't worked with him. The people here had a lot more consideration and respect for each other.

I was about to say something else, but I was cut off when I saw someone else walking down the hallway. He was dressed in black just like Ivan, but he was much taller and by far the most muscular person in this whole place. He had a strong, defined jaw with dark brown shoulder-length hair that fell slightly, framing his face. He had dark brown eyes too, and despite his intimidating appearance, he looked somewhat friendly with the people around him that he passed by. Everyone here seemed to know him.

"Who's that?" I asked Ivan, poking him with my elbow.

"Him? Oh," he chuckled. "That's my brother."

"Brother?" I exclaimed, taking my eyes off of the man for a second. "You two look nothing alike."

"Well, we're not actual brothers," Ivan clarified. "Just really close friends. We both own this club."

"Oh." I couldn't say anything else because my eyes were too distracted. That man was even more of an interesting sight than the scenes around us.

"Why don't I introduce you to him?" Ivan offered, gently taking my arm and guiding me to him.

"W-what? Oh, you don't have to—"

Ivan punched the man's arm, grabbing his attention. "Took you long enough."

The was a second of silence before I heard a deep sigh as the man spoke. "It's Friday night. Did you see the traffic outside?"

His voice was deep and warm, and he had a slight Russian accent which made him seem even more attractive. Good god, my hormones were everywhere. What was it about guys with accents?

Ivan stepped aside, exposing me as I had been standing awkwardly behind them. He gestured a greeting between us, and our eyes met. "This lovely young lady has been keeping me great company. Dimitri, meet Rose."

The tall Russian looked at me a little longer than I expected him to before he held his hand out which I accepted, almost feeling like a schoolgirl meeting her crush for the first time. His handshake was firm, and his dark eyes were looking down at me with a gaze that made me squirm.

Damn it, Rose, get a hold of yourself. You just met the guy.

I cleared my throat, squaring my shoulders. "It's nice to meet you."

"Likewise," Dimitri said, skimming my face with his eyes. "Are you new here?"

"See? It does look obvious," I complained, shooting a look at Ivan before answering his question. "Yes, I'm new. I came here with that blonde girl over there." I pointed behind him where I could see Lissa talking to someone. It looked like they were experimenting with ropes.

Ivan patted my shoulder, moving past both of us. "I'm going to monitor the rest of this place. I'll leave you two alone."

Was that a good idea? I would have told him to stay, but I had to let him do his job. I had just met Ivan, but he was easy to talk to. There was something about Dimitri that made me feel a little nervous, but maybe it was just his attractive and intimidating appearance.

"So, what brought you here? Curious to try new things?" he asked, coming up beside me and crossing his arms as we casually watched a dominatrix and a male submissive in front of us. It was still new for me to see everything, but Dimitri was probably used to this.

"Actually, my friend forced me to come here since we've got the next few weeks off school."

Dimitri took his eyes off of the people in front of him, looking down at me and cocking a brow. "You're a college student?"

"University," I clarified. Not that it made a difference. "I just finished finals."

Dimitri studied me, and it took everything in me not to squirm. He wasn't being creepy, but he looked curious. "Fourth year?" he guessed.

I smirked and shook my head. The makeup I wore made me look older than I was. "Second."

"Interesting," he said, narrowing his eyes before turning on his heels. "I need to check the place, but you're welcome to walk with me."

Why not, I thought, walking beside him while trying to keep up with his strides. He was walking slowly as he observed, but his legs were far longer than mine. He was at least six and a half feet tall and I had to constantly look up at him when he spoke. A lot of people in the room seemed to acknowledge him with respect, but maybe they were regulars. I was surprised that he and Ivan owned this whole place. It was huge and they both looked so young.

"How long have you known about all of this?" I asked, putting my hands in my pockets again. I wasn't sure if my question was too intrusive, but he didn't seem to mind.

"Since high school, but I never got into anything until I was in college."

As we passed by another couple, I got a little carried away and felt my foot bumping into someone else's. It was a woman's and I immediately apologized, but she waved me off and smiled.

"Careful there," Dimitri said, slipping an arm behind me to help me get past some more people. His hand brushed against my lower back, causing me to feel a bubble of electricity through my stomach. He moved his hand away and stopped walking, glancing at a middle-aged woman whose upper body was wrapped in a series of complicated knots. She had black clothes on, but the white ropes stood out on her shirt. Whoever tied those on her had some serious skills.

"That woman over there," I mentioned, nodding towards her subtly. "Who tied those ropes around her?"

"Probably her partner. Well, she addresses him as her master. She's a regular," Dimitri explained. "Why? What sparked your curiosity?"

"The ropes on her just look so..." I struggled to find the right word. "Professional."

Dimitri chuckled and nodded his head. "You'll see quite a lot of that in here. Some of the people here give demonstrations on how to safely use ropes. I do too, occasionally."

"Really?" I asked, trying to hide my sudden excitement.

"Yeah. I can show you how that one's done," he offered. We were facing the woman, but I caught him staring at me through the corner of my eye. I wondered if his offer implied tying me up. The thought made the spot between my legs heat up and I felt my face flush.

"You mean...you, uh, would do that to me?"

"Are you offering?" he asked, his accent becoming slightly thicker. I didn't even realize how close we were. I was used to answering people with sarcasm or witty comments, but it just wasn't coming right now. I opened and closed my mouth a few times before Dimitri broke a smile, releasing some of the tension. "Relax. You don't have to do anything you're not comfortable with. If you'd like me to show you, I have mannequins in here. Come."

I let out a relieved but shy laugh and complied, following him towards the back corner of the room where a plain mannequin stood. It was only an upper body and had no head, arms, or legs. The breasts on this were a little fuller than what I would see in a clothing store.

Dimitri picked up a set of red rope from the wall, dropping most of it on the floor and carefully weaving the material between his fingers. "What you saw was called a pentagram rope harness. A lot of subs seem to like this one because you can move your arms around freely, but it still makes them feel submissive. You can even wear it under your clothes."

He was dragging the ropes across the chest as he explained how it worked. The sight of him tying and looping the ropes with so much concentration and gentleness was oddly pleasing.

"How did you learn this?" I gasped, raising my eyebrows when he finished. The ropes crossed each other over the chest, forming an upside-down star shape that went from the collar bone to sternum. The breasts were also encircled by the ropes which made them stand out.

"Lots of practice," Dimitri answered. He tilted his head towards me and gestured towards the mannequin. "Try grabbing any part of the ropes with your fingers."

I stepped closer and slipped my fingers through the ropes that encircled the breasts. "What's this for?" I asked curiously.

"To make sure the ropes aren't too tight. If you can fit your fingers underneath without effort, you'll know the person's circulation isn't cut off." Dimitri came up right behind me and slipped his fingers in as well, sliding up against mine in the process. His hands were a contrast to mine which was softer and significantly smaller. He let his hand rest there for a few seconds, whispering, "Just like that."

My breath caught in my throat, but I didn't have much time to savour the moment before I heard a high-pitched squeal which I recognized to be Lissa's. She bumped my shoulder, and I broke apart from Dimitri. Lissa had a huge smile on her face. "What are you so happy about?" I asked her.

"I just had a very interesting talk with a dominatrix. The people here are so kind," she noted. Her eyes landed on Dimitri. "Oh, hi. Did you two just meet each other?"

Dimitri nodded. "Not too long ago. I'm Dimitri. Are you the one who dragged Rose in here?"

"That's me. I'm Lissa," she said enthusiastically, holding her hand out. Dimitri shook it, but his eyes were still on me. If I wasn't so good at hiding my emotions, I would have been blushing like an idiot.

"Christian called. I think I should head back home now," Lissa told me. Part of me wanted to stay here so that I could keep talking to Dimitri, but I needed to take Lissa home. Hopefully, we could come back here again. The bondage had been intimidating at first, but it wasn't so bad when I realized how happy and relaxed everyone was.

"I'll take you home," I said. Before I left, I looked back at Dimitri again. "Thanks for the lesson. You know, I might have to come back for another sometime."

"Hey, I'm always up for a demonstration."

I smiled. I definitely had to come back here. "It was nice meeting you."

Dimitri nodded, but there was still an alluring look in his eyes. "You too, Rose. Get home safely."

What did you think? Let me know :) I've only written the first few chapters.

I have never been to a BDSM club/dungeon before, so I apologize if it's inaccurate.

Also, this story will take place in Canada. Toronto, specifically. I know it strays from the original story, but it makes my life easier since I live closer to that area and have better knowledge.