The bass of the music reverberated off the walls and thudded deep within the chests of the dancers, huddled close together on the dancefloor. They all moved as one, a wave of bodies swaying in time to the rhythm of the music. It was hot and humid, but no one cared. Everyone had surrendered themselves, to the beat of the music, and were also too intoxicated with their chosen poison for the evening, to notice the heat. Eyes closed, arms in the air, hips jutting from side to side, Belle French was in heaven. Not having to care about anyone, including herself, while the music played. Saturday night had become her night to let go, relieving all the stress of the week with drink and dancing.
A hand touched her left shoulder and broke the moment. "Belle, come on!"
Turning her head, seeing her best friend, Ruby Lucas, Belle nodded her head in agreement and shifted through the dancers, following Ruby from the dancefloor. It was hazardous, moving through the dancers. She had to time her steps with the motion of the bodies, trying to avoid being squashed. A hop, a step and a slide, and she was out of the dense crowd.
Ruby half turned to face Belle as she continued walking. "Victor's just got the message, saying they're meeting tonight."
"I'm still not sure about this." Belle confessed, slipping an arm around Ruby's waist.
"It's just one night and we're just going for the crack of it." Ruby said to reassure Belle, though her wicked smile was anything but reassuring.
Squeezing her brow together, Belle said. "I don't understand how he's getting us in there, when it's invite only."
Ruby wrapped her arm around Belle's shoulders and squeezed Belle into her side. "Don't worry about it."
Eyeing Ruby from the corner of her eye, she couldn't do anything else but worry about it. The last time, she had trusted Victor Whale, Ruby's on and off boyfriend, he had tried to slip his hand under the skirt of her dress. She and Ruby had shared many things, but never did they share men. It was their unspoken rule. Plus, she couldn't stand Victor and his bleach blonde hair, and his 'God's gift to women' complex.
The bouncer opened the door for them, his smile conveying he appreciated the sight of them. Belle smiled at him, gave him a little wave of her hand, and followed Ruby out of the club. It wasn't cold outside, but a shiver ran through her as the cool night air caressed her hot skin. The sensation was superb. So much so, she wanted to go back in and come out again, just to experience the impulsive shiver again.
"Girls!" Victor called.
Turning her head to see him, Victor was sat inside his car, passenger window down, grinning at them, while he beckoned them over with a wave of his hand. Ruby looked at her, over her shoulder, and nodded her head towards Victor's awaiting car. She regretted agreeing to this, yet Belle obediently followed Ruby to the car, tugging down the hem of her short blue sequin dress, and got into the back of the car, pretending not to notice Victor's leering pry at her legs. After shutting the door, avoiding the kiss shared in the front seat, Belle wound down her window to let the cool air in and rested her arm on top of the door as Victor pulled out of the parking lot.
The whole thing was stupid and she should never have let Ruby talk her into doing it. Victor and Ruby were always looking for new ways to find pleasure. They'd ploughed their way through the karma sutra. Bought all the toys. Worn the stupid outfits. Gone to the seediest dinner parties, exchanging partners instead of numbers at the end of the evening. Now, the pair were looking for a new fad to fulfil their endless need for pleasure. Except this time, they were dragging Belle along with them, because Ruby wasn't too sure about their new endeavour.
Laying her head back, blindly gazing out of the car, the cool breeze played with the loose bits of her hair, making them dance freely in the draft from the open window. Belle couldn't careless, if they allowed Ruby and herself in with Victor. She had a fifty-dollar bill hidden in her bra. Enough for a cab ride home and maybe a quick nightcap in the Rabbit Hole before she went to bed.
Feeling the car slowing down, Belle lulled her head to other side, peering through the two front seats, watching as the headlights revealed a driveway approaching on the left of the road. She sat up, finally noticing they had driven out of town and were deep in the woods. Victor glanced at Ruby before he turned the steering wheel and drove into the driveway. There were tall, trained bushes, either side of the driveway, obscuring the view of what was ahead. Leaning over to her window, Belle spied out of the window, intrigue by the sudden change in location. She wasn't sure what exactly she had expected, but being out of town, deep in the woods, made it feel even more taboo and far away from prying eyes.
Finally, after a few minutes, which felt like hours to Belle, the wall of bushes ended and revealed a large house in the short distance. It was a three floor house, more of a mansion, lit by strategically placed floodlights. There were quite a few cars parked in front of the house. Many of them black. A few sports cars, limos, an old Cadillac and some other cars, which gave away that there were quite a lot of people in there. Drawing in her bottom lip, she bit lightly into the plush flesh, grounding herself as fear and excitement stirred in the pit of stomach.
"Oh my God, Victor!" Ruby reached across to Victor to touch him. "This can't be it."
"I followed their directions." He told her, holding up his phone as explanation.
"You must have took a wrong turn or something." Ruby snatched his phone from him to look at the instructions.
Victor frowned at her. "Don't be ridiculous! I can perform heart transplant with my eyes shut! I think I can follow a simple list of instructions!"
"I hope you don't perform surgery with your eyes shut." Belle quipped from the backseat.
Shooting a quick seething look at Belle, Victor shook his head and slowed the car to turn it into a parking spot. "I'll go and have a chat with that guy," He flicked a finger to the large man, stood at the base of the stairs, leading up into the mansion. "Find out, if this is the right place or not."
"I'm not sure about this." Ruby confessed, watching the lone man at the stairs take a drag of his cigarette.
Victor leaned over to Ruby, whilst reaching to capture her chin in his hand, and turned her head to look at him. "Two minutes, if it isn't here, then I'll take you home and fuck you until the sun comes up."
"Promise?" Ruby's apprehension was forgotten as she grinned at Victor.
"Promise." And he sealed it with a hard kiss.
Feeling the bile creeping up the back of her throat, Belle swallowed as she looked away, casting her gaze to the large man as he flicked some ash from his cigarette. Victor's door opened and the interior of the car was flooded with light, whilst he climbed out, rocking the car, and shut the door behind him, killing the source of the light. He walked around the back of the car and caught their gazes as he walked by, giving Ruby a comforting smile.
"I really don't see what you see in him." Belle remarked, when Victor was a decent distance away from the car.
Ruby twisted her head slightly, peering at Belle through the gap, between her headrest and the pillar of the door. "I don't know what I see in him either, but he itches my itch for me."
"That's not a basis for a relationship." Belle commented, watching Victor talking to the large guy, who flung his hand, gesturing to the house.
"No, but it'll do for now." Ruby said, turning her attention to Victor as he approached the car.
"This is the place." Victor told them, reaching to open both doors at the same time. "That guy's someone's driver, so he must know."
Ruby stepped out of the car, using the door to aid her. "Really? Here?"
"Appears so." Victor glanced up at the towering house. "Wouldn't suspect it really, would you?" He asked as Belle got out of the car, closing her door behind her as Victor shut Ruby's for her.
"No, I wouldn't expect a sex dungeon in a place like this." Ruby admitted, titling her head back to take in the front of the large house.
"Sex dungeon?" Belle questioned, straightening her dress.
Victor and Ruby, both looked at her with Ruby saying. "I told you it was a kinky club."
"Kinky is people wearing gimp suits and chain collars, with exotic dancers on poles." Belle waved a hand at the mansion. "Sex dungeon is bend over, smack my ass and plead for mercy. I didn't agree to that!" Her voice grew in volume as she spoke.
"I told you, she'd be too vanilla for this sort of thing." Victor muttered to Ruby, turning away to look the other way, rolling his eyes.
"I'm not vanilla!" Belle threw at him, her fists clenched at her sides.
He rolled his head round to look at her, an amused smile on his lips, a questioning eyebrow raised at her, and Belle wanted to thump him so badly, her nails dug moons into the palms of her hands. He didn't know her. Didn't know the things she had done. She could be just as adventurous as anyone else, when it came to sex. Sex against a wall, done that. Sex in the back of a car, she'd done that. A cheeky fumble in a closet at a college function, she'd dragged the guy in there. Two guys at the same time, she'd lapped up the attention. Vanilla, she was not. Belle was just not as red as these two were.
"Honey, don't listen to him." Ruby took a step and clasped Belle's upper arms, directing Belle to look at her. "You're here to support me and I'm really grateful, I am."
"Bloody should be!" Belle grumbled quietly, flicking her gaze to Victor, who had his back to them, parting his jacket to put his hands on his hips.
Letting go of Belle's arms, Ruby stepped closer to Belle and put her arm around her friend's shoulders, guiding Belle to walk with her towards the house. "Look, we don't even know, if they'll let us in, so we might be ditching his ass in a minute."
Belle peered over their joined shoulders at Victor, following behind them. "I'd be happy to ditch his ass right now."
"Come on." Ruby jolted Belle into her. "We'll laugh about this tomorrow."
"Maybe…" Belle drawled as they walked by the large man, lingering by the base of the stairs.
He was definitely tall. Her father was just over six-foot-tall and this man looked taller than him. His shoulders were broad and he filled out the suit he was wearing, the sleeves of his suit jacket tight around his biceps. He was clean shaven, his hair moulded into a side parting, his hair gleaming in the light with whatever product was in his hair. Catching her eye, the tall man curtly nodded to her and shifted his feet, turning away from them, as he lifted what was left of his cigarette to his lips to take one last draw from it. Belle looked away to the stairs as the man flicked away the stub of his cigarette off into the darkness.
They climbed the stairs together and Ruby slipped the arm from Belle's back to claim Belle's arm, joining them by their elbows. Lifting her gaze, Belle knew they were out of their depth. The house was too grand for the likes of them. Not that she would've consider themselves trash, but the house screamed wealth and they didn't belong in that world. They were both waitresses, working at Ruby's grandmother's diner, Granny's, and Belle also picked up shifts at father's florist shop, when he needed the help. It wasn't ideal. It wasn't her dream, yet it was better than depending on her father, which was her idea of hell. But they certainly, didn't belong in this house… It was too grand for anyone to live in it.
At the top of the stairs, their pace slowed as they crossed the threshold and walked into the entryway, a small area, which led to grand room with a large staircase at the back of it, a dark wood mahogany table sat in the middle of a very large rug. The centre piece, an enormous display of flowers in an eye-catching vase, drew the eye of the visitor as they entered the house. Belle could name every flower in the display – white roses, orchids and daisies. It was traditional and boring to Belle, but nonetheless beautiful.
"Can I help you?" A stern voice asked, making both Belle and Ruby start.
"I've been invited." Victor stepped forward, gaining the man's attention.
The man eyed Victor from head to toe, assessing him, before he moved his eyes back to Ruby and Belle, performing the same sweep of them. It was obvious he was some kind of security. He was broad, just like the man they had seen outside, but not as tall and his suit fitted him. There was a rugged handsomeness to his face, she regarded, titling her head to appreciate him.
"Name." The man asked harshly.
Victor glanced to Ruby and Belle as he answered. "Victor Whale."
A keen eye on the three of them, the man delved his hand into his trouser pocket and pulled out his phone. His thumb swiped and tapped the screen, while his gaze darted between them and the screen of his phone. With a firm tap of his thumb, the man returned his phone to his pocket.
"Okay, you can go downstairs, but they'll have to stay up here." The man instructed.
"I was told I could bring my girlfriend with me." Victor whined.
The man's eyes drew into slits as he stared at Victor. "Who told you that?"
"Mrs Mills." Victor answered immediately, glancing back and forth from the man to Ruby.
Ruby's arm tightened around Belle's, while the man raised his left hand, covering his mouth with his hand, and whispered into his wrist. Belle chanced a glimpse at Ruby, who mirrored her action, causing their gazes to meet.
"Okay." The man lowered his hand down to his side. "She can join you, but your friend will have to stay upstairs."
"Victor!" Ruby whispered urgently.
"Erm…" Victor turned to look at Ruby and Belle, his Adam's apple bobbed, and said, turning to face the man. "Would it be possible to see, if they'd allow her to come down with us? Seems a shame for her to come all this way and then spend the rest of the evening up here."
"We have strict house rules." The man told them, clasping his hands in front of himself.
Victor hastily glimpsed at Belle, saying to the man. "Wouldn't hurt to ask though, would it?"
Shrugging his shoulders, taking on a more comfortable stance, the man stood unmoved by Victor's pathetic plead. Belle pressed her lips together, inwardly grateful for the stubbornness of the security guard, whilst she unhooked her arm from Ruby's. Placing her hand on Ruby's shoulder, she gave her a gentle, supportive squeeze and smiled at her friend. To anyone else, Ruby looked her normal self, however Belle had known Ruby since they were little girls and could see the shallow lines of worry on Ruby's forehead.
"It's okay." Belle murmured. "If you don't like it, I'll be right here waiting for you."
Victor was suddenly at Belle's side. "Come on, Rubes."
"What about Belle? It's not fair to leave her here on her own." Ruby inquired, gesturing to Belle.
"I'll be fine." Belle told her, rubbing her hand soothingly over Ruby's shoulder.
Ruby met Belle's gaze. "Are you sure? We can leave right now, if you want?"
"Go." Belle gently pushed on Ruby's shoulder, slowly propelling her friend forward. "I'll be fine."
Victor slid his hand into Ruby's hand, telling her. "She'll be okay."
Ruby's scrunched brow and pouting lips showed she wasn't convinced, but went with Victor, glimpsing back at Belle. The man waved an arm, motioning for them to go towards the stairs.
"Stay to the right of the stairs and go through the doorway in front of you." The man instructed. "Giles will be waiting to take you downstairs."
Slumping her shoulders, blowing out a quiet breath, Belle watched Ruby and Victor walk away, heading down the side of the staircase and through the open doorway. It was then, her eyes were caught by the floral display again. She sauntered up to the table and leant in, carefully cradling a white rose, and smelt it. She'd always had a soft spot for roses. Her mother used to have a dedicated corner of the garden, growing different variations. That had died off, the year following her mother's death.
Belle leaned back, letting go of the rose, while taking in the display, and stepped back from it. Her eyes travelled from the flowers to the landscape painting on the wall, then up to the floor above, following the room round to the top of the stairs, where there was a giant painting of a lot of naked people, flimsily covered in togas, eating or feeding someone fruit. It didn't quite fit with the décor. Though, Belle supposed, when you had money, the conventional didn't matter.
"Excuse me, Miss." The man requested her attention.
Turning round, Belle smiled nicely at him. "Yes?"
"I've just been told you can go downstairs as well." The man informed her, holding his arm out, motioning to where Victor and Ruby had gone, minutes ago.
"What?" Her head snapped to the doorway, they had gone through.
The man dropped his arm back to his side. "I don't know. Just got the word. It's up to you, if you go downstairs or not, makes no difference to me."
"Right…" Belle's voice trailed off.
Downstairs, he stood in the shadows, watching the members, new and old, mingle and introduce themselves. Adam Gold didn't miss these meetings. They didn't feed his appetite like they once did. He still wasn't sure why he had chosen to turn up. It had been a couple of years since he had last come to one. His phone beeped twice every month, dead on half past nine of the second and fourth Saturday of the month. He had contemplated barring the number, sick of the annoyance. Still here he was with no appetite for the evening's festivities, observing the men and women mixing.
Lifting his glass of scotch to his lips, Adam sipped the fine scotch, relishing the warmth of it as the fine liquor travelled down his throat. He eyed the remnants of his drink, considering another before he left.
"You can't be thinking about going already." Regina Mills stated, moseying up behind him, and laid her hand on his right shoulder. "Has it been that long, you've lost your nerve?"
"Not at all." He told her, swirling the contents of his glass.
She leaned into him and placed a soft kiss to his cheek, leaving a minute mark of lipstick on his skin. "There's a fair few new members since your last visited. There might be something that tickles your fancy."
"Look at them," Adam extended his forefinger of his hand holding his glass, pointing to the crowd. "They just want to live out some Fifty Shades of Grey fantasy. None of them are actually into this."
"Hey, we've all got to find our kicks somewhere." She offered as an argument, but he could hear in her tone that she didn't believe her own words.
He tossed back the dregs of his scotch and said. "Yeah, well, I'm not going to get my kicks off with these sheep." Looking into the empty glass in his hand, he continued. "I don't even know why I bothered to come tonight."
"How about," Regina slipped her arm around his, pressing her body into his side. "After I've had my way with someone, we sit down and have a drink." He gave her a lopsided look. "Just a chat and a drink." She told him sweetly.
"I wouldn't say no to another drink." Adam held up his empty glass to her, shaking his hand to get her attention.
Giving him a flat look, she said to him. "Do I look like a serving girl to you?"
He smirked at her. "It's not like you haven't done it before."
Regina took his glass and pushed herself away from him, saying. "I'm not submissive anymore."
"With the right kind of persuasion, dearie, anyone can be submissive." He told her as she sauntered away to the bar behind him.
"Including you?" She asked distantly.
Adam's eyebrows rose up, creasing the lines of age on his forehead, intrigued by her probe. "Like I said, anyone can be submissive, but I highly doubt anyone could persuade me to be submit to them."
"Have you never been a submissive?" She questioned as she came back to his side, holding the glass of scotch out towards him.
"No." He took the glass from her, nodding his thanks, and sipped his scotch.
"Not at all?" One of her finely plucked eyebrows raised at Adam. "Not even to my mother?"
Adam licked the taste of the scotch from his lips, smirking at Regina as he looked at her, and answered her questions. "Not to anyone."
"I find that so hard to believe, seeing most go from submissive to dominant after learning the ropes." She grinned at him. "Pun intended."
His shoulders shrugged at her. "Never been my thing. Like the control too much."
"Suppose." Regina said, giving him an uneven smile. "Anyway, I better go pick my victim for the night."
"Have fun." Adam muttered as he watched her walk away, sipping some more of his scotch.
Various faces of the crowd he recognised, majority of them being his tenants, but it was the bleach blonde hair of the General Hospital's doctor, which immediately caught his eye. Doctor Whale came into the room with Ruby, Mrs Lucas's granddaughter, huddled tight into his side. His brows twitched up his forehead, surprised to see them here. Cora, Regina's mother, who owned and ran the club, must have been really scratching the bottom of the barrel, if she was offering invites to such people. There used to be a code, when The Club had first been founded and with the likes of Doctor Whale being invited, Adam could see Cora had thrown the code out of the window.
Flicking his wrist, Adam checked the time and saw it was close to starting, and moved away from the dark corner he had been hid in, slithering further into the darkness of the bar area. The bar didn't open until later into the evening, preventing people from getting drunk and ruining the evening before it had begun. Adam unbuttoned his suit jacket as he sat down into a bucket armchair, setting his glass down on the table beside it. Propping his elbows onto the arms of the chair, he steepled his hands in front of him, viewing everyone in the large sitting area.
"Okay, everyone." Regina raised her voice above the din of conversations, motioning with her hands for everyone to take a seat. "We'll be getting the evening underway soon, now that everyone has arrived."
There were some whispers as people sat down, with Regina saying. "For those of you, that are new here tonight, we'll be pairing you off with someone that's experience. You won't be made to do anything that you don't want to do, but I advise you to keep an open mind. If you're not comfortable, you're more than welcome to leave at any time. Nobody will make you stay, unless you want them too." She grinned at everyone and earned a laugh from all of the experience members.
Adam ducked his head down, smirking at her terrible joke, as Regina continued with her intro. "Also, we are watching every room and we do watch everyone's behaviour closely, new and old members, and those who display behaviour unbecoming of a Club member, will be removed or won't be invited to the next evening." She casted her gaze about the room. "Is that understood?"
There was a chorus of 'yes' from the group and Regina smiled, clapping her hands together. "Then by all means, check the noticeboard for your assigned partner, or pair off with whoever you've picked, and I hope you all have a pleasurable evening."
Reaching for his glass, Adam brought the rim of the glass to his lips and sipped his scotch, while everyone in the sitting area got up from their seats, heading either for the noticeboard or to whoever they intended to play with tonight. He returned his glass to the table, lifting his right leg to cross over his left, and rested his arms on the arms of the chair. Watching them, he felt nostalgic, remembering the thrill of being partnered with a 'newbie'. They were all the same in the beginning – fearful, eager to please, hungry for more, naïve to what he could and would get them to do. It was always hard for them to learn to obey, accepting the pleasure he wanted to give them, punishing them when they missed behaved. It was especially hard, for people to accept that there was pleasure in pain too. There was pleasure in everything, if they'd freely surrender themselves to it.
A lot of the people in the sitting area had paired off and gone to find a room. Some were sat, having a chat, planning what they were going to do to each other, smiling and touching. Adam never liked to plan. He always went with what felt right at the time, reading the tell-tales of his partner's body to lead him. Restricting the play to the negotiated terms was off putting. It was more arousing to him to leave things to the moment, which was a complete opposite to his day-to-day life. Tying someone to a contract, forming deals and handshaking on transactions were part his business, a form of keeping control. His routine was strict; he did the same things every week. Monday through to Thursday, his time was spent at his shop, repairing things and acquiring new items. Friday, he made the rounds, collecting from the weekly paying tenants and then the last Friday of the month, he collected the monthly paying tenants' payments. Saturday and Sunday, he potted around his house – cleaning, gardening, reading, relaxing. His routine never changed, unless his son came to visit.
The shimmer of the light on the blue sequin dress caught his eye and Adam looked to the doorway across the room, inspecting the woman entering the room. He unfolded his legs and sat up in his chair, pushing his back into the back of the chair. Never had he ever thought, Belle, Maurice French's daughter, would be a member of the Club. His eyes bulged at her. He had known her since her parents had moved into town, emigrating from Australia, when she'd been about ten. Narrowing his eyes, Adam had a vague memory of a young teen, hands covered in dirt, streaks of dirt on her face, her hair carelessly clipped up with stray bits of a hair framing her face, jeans tightly hugging her hips with her top lifting to show a small amount of her flat stomach, informing him her father was in the greenhouse. He breathed in, stroking his forefinger across his lips, regarding the beautiful woman she had grown into, ambling across the large room to where he was sat in the bar area.
Belle crossed into the darkness of the bar area, offering a kind smile to him. "Good evening, Mr Gold." She waved a hand at the bar. "Is the bar open?"
"No." His response was abrupt.
She stopped, frowning, and pointed to his glass of scotch. "You've got a drink."
"Yes, I helped myself." Adam told her.
"Will they mind if I help myself too?" She asked, glimpsing round to the sitting area.
"Well, that depends, Miss French." He steepled his fingers, bracing his elbows on the arms of the chair.
Belle turned back to face him. "On what?"
The corners of his lips turned up into a small smirk. "On whether or not," He laced his fingers together, pausing for effect. "You enjoyed your copy of Pride and Prejudice, you bought from me?"
She huffed out a nervous laugh, raising her hand to cover her mouth, conscious of the silly grin on her face as her shoulders relaxed. "God, that must have been five or six years ago. I'm surprised you remember." Belle told him, lowering her hand from her mouth. "Yes, I did, thank you. I've cherished it and I still have it at home."
"Good." Adam freed his left hand and waved his hand to the bar. "Then you may go and help yourself."
"Why, thank you, Mr Gold." She playfully curtsied to him and set off to the bar.
His eyes trailed after her, studying her body, whilst she confidently walked behind the bar and grabbed herself a glass from under the bar. Effortlessly, she made her drink, using the small scoop to dump some ice into her glass, drenched the ice with two fingers worth of rum and filled her glass with coke. Her gaze flicked up to meet with his, while she waited for the bubbles of the coke to die down. Adam refused to be the first to look away, waiting for her to submit, which she did, perfectly, when there was room in her glass for more coke. He smiled, finally moving his gaze away from her, returning to his observation of the sitting area, which was now empty.
"Is it okay, Mr Gold, if I join you?" Belle inquired, touching the back of the armchair positioned near his own at the table.
Adam's brow knitted together as he pondered her question and reached for his glass of scotch. Her eyebrows raised, whilst she waited for him to take a drink of his scotch and answer her. He took his time, returning the glass to the table, baiting her to say something or to become impatient. By the time, his glass had made contact with the table top, Belle's brow was hunched down over her eyes, her patience nearly spent.
"Course, you can, Miss French." He told her, gesturing to the chair opposing the one she was touching. "But, I'd like you to take this seat, instead of that one."
"Why? What's wrong with this chair?" She asked, scrutinising the chair in front of her.
Adam gave a small shrug of his shoulders. "I'd just prefer it, that's all."
Her eyes formed into slits as Belle looked at him, but Adam was unaffected by her gaze, his hand still held, indicating the chair he wanted her to take. Briefly, her gaze went to the chair and back to Adam. He smiled, knowing he'd won before she shrugged off her suspicion and waltzed around the table, and pulled out the chair he had shown her. Belle put her glass down on the table, swept her hand over her ass and down the back of her legs as she sat down, glancing to the sitting area, missing the way his eyes followed the path of her hand.
"Where's everyone gone?" She queried, bringing her gaze back round to him.
Adam flexed his eyebrows at her. "Gone off to enjoy themselves, of course."
"I don't see how any of them could be enjoying themselves." Belle commented, picking up her glass, chinking the ice against the side of the glass, as she greedily drank from it.
"Then why are you here, Miss French, if you don't see the enjoyment?" He asked, folding his right leg over his left.
Hooking her thumb in the direction of the sitting area, Belle told him. "Morale support."
"For Miss Lucas?" He probed, unconsciously following the direction her thumb had indicated with his eyes.
"Hmm…" She wiped her thumb through the condensation on the outside of her glass. "She was a little bit worried and asked if I could come along with her."
"Not interested in trying it for yourself then?" Adam questioned.
Belle made a 'pfft' noise at him. "Me? Be gagged, whipped and shamed? I don't think so!"
The left side of his lips pulled back into a smile. "There's more to it than gagging, whipping and shaming, Miss French."
"I'm sorry." She shook her head viciously, a stunned look on her face. "I'm finding this…" Her left hand waved back and forth between them. "Rather surreal at the minute."
"Why?" He requested, claiming his scotch to drink from it.
Her eyes widened at his question, then looked about the room with her cheeks reddening to whatever she was thinking. "Because I've known you since I was a little and I'm talking to you about sex and bondage."
Licking his lips, returning his glass to the table, Adam grinned at her. "Well, that's not quite true, we'll get to the sex and bondage in a minute." The blush in her cheeks grew. "Right now, we're talking about gagging and whipping."
"Oh my God." She muttered as she covered her mouth up with her hand, throwing her gaze away from him, but unable to stop herself from bringing it back to him.
"Do you not think you'd enjoy being gagged, whipped and shamed?" He questioned, intrigued, but his facial expression didn't give this away.
"Not at all!" Belle exclaimed at him, finishing with a nervous laugh.
"A lot of people say that until they've tried it." He shared with her, randomly picking something off the leg of his trousers.
She shook her head and leaned in favour of him, asking. "I'm sorry, Mr Gold, but are you really into all of…" She waved her finger round in the air. "This?"
Clasping the ends of the arms of the chair, Adam scooted forward in his chair and titled himself forward, bringing their faces close together. "Oh, yes." Her eyes widened at his omission, her pupils blew wide open. "Very much so."
"Then…" Belle inclined herself back, mindlessly blowing out a breath. "Why aren't you with the others?"
He pushed himself back into his chair, rested his elbows on the arms of the chair and steepled his hands, constantly watching her, and said to her. "Wasn't anyone that took my fancy, which has rather gone in your favour, seeing as you wouldn't have had any company."
"So you can choose, who does what to who, then?" She asked with her delightful blush dissipating.
"If you wish." He titled his head to the left, regarding her. "As much as its about willingly giving yourself to someone, you always have a choice in what happens. Or if you want, you can have your choice taken away from you." Smoothly, Adam laced his fingers together, catching the flick of her eyes to his hands. "The endgame is striving for mutual satisfaction."
Belle shook her head, raising her glass to her lips and drank from it. As she lowered her glass to the table, looking down at a spot just in front of her glass, Adam stroked the tip of his finger across his lower lip. Her blue eyes quickly glanced at him, tracing the path his finger drew along his lip, and then threw her gaze to the empty side of the room. He grinned at her obvious interest.
"Would you like to go and watch what they're doing?" Adam asked her.
Alarmed, Belle shifted back in her chair, causing the chair to shunt back on the carpeted floor, a look of horror on her face. "What?!"
He waved a finger randomly through the air. "You're more than welcome to go and watch. There's viewing windows."
"That's just sordid!" She scolded. "I don't want to watch other people having sex!"
"You've never watched porn then?" He probed, absolutely enthralled by her reaction.
"Course, I have! I just don't want to watch people, I might know, having sex." She admitted, waving a hand angrily through the air.
Adam pressed his lips together, considering her point. "Yes…" He conceded her point. "That's not something I'd be too enthusiastic about either."
"See!" Belle threw a hand into the air between them, shaking her head dismissively, and narrowed her gaze onto her drink on the table.
"Although," He waited for her gaze to meet his own. "I wouldn't mind watching you."
A deep red blush exploded onto her cheeks and dribbled faintly down her neck, marking her expose chest in a lighter rouge. Adam let his eyes travel down from her face to her neck, following the trail of her blush down to her chest. Her dress did hardly anything to cover her upper bust. The neckline dipped low enough to reveal a smidgen of the black lace that belonged to her bra. Sneaking the tip of his tongue out between his lips, he ran the tip of it along his lips, imagining the taste of her skin. He decided, she would taste exquisite, as his eyes travelled back up to her face.
"Come along." Adam instructed as he stood up, buttoning the top button of his suit jacket, whilst stepping out from his chair, and laid his hand open to her. "Let's show you, what all the fuss is about."
"Honestly, I really don't need to see." She profusely shook her head, closing her arms around herself.
He slanted his head to the side, keeping his inviting hand near her, as he coaxed her. "Surely, you wouldn't want to disappoint me."
"No, of course, I wouldn't." Belle budged round in her chair, turning herself to face him. "I just don't want to see what they're doing."
"How about this," He placed a hand onto the table, supporting his weight as he bowed at his waist to bring his face down to her level. "We'll go through for a minute and watch somebody, if you don't like it, then we'll come back in here, finish our drinks and I'll take you home. What do you say to that?"
There was a slight movement in her throat, which Adam assumed was her swallowing, whilst her eyes searched his face, zipping from his eyes to his lips and back. He turned his other hand over, offering it to her, inviting her to place her hand inside his. She glanced to his hand with a small line of scrutiny appearing between her eyebrows.
"Just a minute." Adam charmed her with a smile.
Again, Belle glanced from his face to his awaiting hand. He had the patience to wait. Adam always enjoyed the long game, in business and in pleasure. It made it more rewarding. Though, he was aware of her fingers toying with each other, he held her gaze, mentally imploring her to give into him, to succumb to his will. She'd done it so well already without knowing it, however this was something she evidently felt strongly about, and if he could get her to yield now, she was his whether she knew it not.
It wasn't long until she lifted her hand and laid it into his awaiting palm, reaffirming his promise. "Just a minute."
"You won't regret it, Miss French." He asserted, clasping his thumb over the top of her fingers.
There was a bewildered look in her eyes as she stood up, using her free hand to push off the table, and they both stood to their full heights, Adam an inch or two taller with the heels Belle was wearing. He took a second to admire how well her beauty had bloomed. Taking a step back, pivoting round to keep their hands joined, he led her away from the table and around the outskirts of the sitting area to the door leading to the 'Play Rooms'. He raised his hand to grasp the doorknob, when he felt a little resistance on their joined hands.
Adam peered at her over his shoulder. "What's the matter?"
"You're not going to make me do anything, I don't want to do, are you?" Belle asked him.
"Wouldn't dream of it, dearie." He told her and smiled encouragingly at her.
A single nod of her head, blowing out a heavy breath, she then nodded her head a few more times. Adam adjusted his stance, sloping his body towards her, the doorknob was still clasped in the palm of his hand.
"Do you want to go through this door?" He asked her, needing to hear her say the confirmation, rather than nod her head at him.
She focused her gaze on him, reading something in his face. "Yes."
The left side of his mouth briefly pulled back into a sly smile before he twisted the doorknob, opening the door for her, and used their joined hands to set her off on her journey through the doorway, leading her to precede him through. Belle looked at him, a hint of fear in her eyes, after he slipped his hand from her grip and positioned his hand on her lower back, softly persuading her to carry on through. Submissively, she walked into the dimly lit corridor, her eyes everywhere and anywhere, whilst Adam followed her and closed the door behind them. She jumped round at the sound of the door closing.
"It's okay. It's not locked or anything." Adam reassured her and offered to take her hand again. "Shall we?"
She wasn't so reluctant this time and placed her hand inside his, stroking the pad of her thumb over the back of his fingers. His brow flexed together momentarily. It had to have been unintentional, yet the careless smooth touch of her thumb, sent a whisper a jolt through him. His spine straightened as the sensation she'd caused ended its path at his groin.
"Come along, Miss French." He escorted her down the corridor.
A nervous chuckle escaped her. "You're not going to show me anything, I haven't seen before."
Turning his head to look at her, he could tell she had been talking more to herself than to him. A poor attempt to bolster herself up, for what she was about to witness. The internet was a torrent of information. Dedicated websites, images, video. It was all there for the beginners, novices and experienced. Disappointingly, did nothing to ignite or satisfy Adam's own cravings.
He stroked his thumb across her knuckles, feeling her fingers spasm from the caress, as Adam asked. "And what did you like?"
"From what I've seen?" She asked for clarification.
"Seen or done." He answered, peering round to see her again.
She scoffed. "I swear I must be dreaming. I can't seriously be talking to you about my sexual likes and dislikes."
Gesturing with his free hand to an approaching window, he put to her. "Would it help, if I told you mine?"
"No!" Belle exclaimed, shocked by his offer. "Sorry, but no, you're already making me feel nervous."
"Why?" He came to a stop by the window and brought her closer with their joined hands, exchanging her hand between his hands, so he could draw her even closer.
"Because… It's you." She said as though the reason for her nerviness was apparent.
He grinned at her. "Is that a problem?"
Leaning somewhat back from him, her left shoulder brushed up the right side of his chest, while her mouth opened and closed, unable to find an answer to his simple question, which required nothing more than a yes or a no answer. Had he touched a nerve? His left eyebrow quirked up at the thought, while the left side of his mouth drew further back, turning his innocent grin into a wicked grin. Seeing his grin, her eyebrows pushed tightly together, forming deep dark lines on her brow.
Belle closed her eyes and opened them again, fluttering her lashes at him as the concerned lines on her forehead dissipated. "I'm sorry." She paused, mouth open, whilst she studied his face. "It's not a problem at all."
His smile broadened, lifting his top lip. She relaxed and her body drew closer to him, glancing her bare shoulder across the front of his suit. Her fingers, in the hand he held, flexed out before they tightened around his hand, lightly but firmly holding his fingers.
Jutting his head to the window, Adam told her. "Look."
Her shoulders and chest raised with the deep breath she took and then she turned her gaze to the window. Adam let his gaze linger on her profile, tracing the delicate slope of her nose, over the succulent curves of her lips and trailed round the gentle curve of her chin. It was strange to feel his heart quicken at the sight of her. It had been so long since anyone had incited a reaction out of him. He couldn't deny it, she was breath-taking and felt possessive of her.
"Is that…" Belle reclined her head back, turning her head towards him, repulsed but fascinated by the scene on the other glass. "Is that the District Attorney?"
Regrettably, Adam tore his gaze away from the nape of her neck and looked through the window, to see Albert Spencer, naked, his wrists strapped to a beam above him, tell-tale red marks were painted across his chest. The man's head was hanging down, his chest heaved as he tried to catch his breath. The sheen of dampness on his body showed someone was working him up into a frenzy.
"Indeed, it is." He said, lowering his voice, turning his attention back to her.
Her face was still turned in favour of him, but her gaze was on Spencer. "He couldn't have enjoyed that."
"Believe me, dearie," Adam quietly shuffled his feet, closing the gap, moving to stand behind her. "When you're at the peak of your pleasure, the pain becomes an intense source of pleasure and can also heighten your climax."
"Pain is pain." She argued, distracted.
Watching over Belle's shoulder, a woman with her back to them, crossed the room to Spencer and reached up to his wrists, releasing him from his constraints. Spencer's arms dropped heavily down to his sides, the weight of them forced him down onto his knees and sat back onto his heels, bowing his head to the woman in front of him. Adam smirked, noting from the straining erection of Spencer, bouncing wildly with the heaving breaths the man was taking, the woman was refusing Spencer his climax. It was one of his own favourite games. To have that the control, power, over someone was electrifying.
The woman strode purposefully around Spencer, saying something to him, with her finger trailing up his chest to his shoulder. Spencer raised his head as he put his arms behind him, offering his wrists to her. Smiling down at her submissive, Adam saw it was Victoria Belfrey, who had the privilege of dealing out Spencer's pleasure this evening.
"He can't be enjoying that." Belle muttered, snatching his attention away.
His right shoulder shrugged, though she couldn't see it. "I'd say, it was quite evident, he was enjoying it. Wouldn't you?"
"Oh my…" Her words died on the tip of her tongue with her hand coming up to shield her vision of the room. "This isn't right! I shouldn't be seeing them like this!"
"They wouldn't be here, if they minded you seeing them." He titled himself, putting himself in her view. "Put your hand down and watch."
"I can't!" She hissed at him.
"Put your hand down and watch." He coolly repeated.
A couple of seconds passed as she thought it through, but he was very pleased, when her hand slowly lowered down and she turned to watch Spencer and Victoria. Mimicking her, Adam looked back through the window, finding Spencer was still on his knees, hands cuffed behind his back, bent at his waist with his head buried between Victoria's thighs, who was sat on a stool, legs spread wide with her dressed hiked up around her hips. Victoria's features were schooled as she peered down at Spencer, inspecting his efforts.
The grip of Belle's slim fingers grew firmer around his hand. Drifting his gaze from the sight in the room to Belle, there was a rose blush colouring her cheeks and her neck. He found himself wanting to brush the backs of his fingers across her cheek and down her neck. With his eyes skimming over the smooth sensitive skin of her neck, Adam craved to kiss and nibble her, marking her with a harsh red imprint of his teeth. In that moment, he wanted to claim her as his own.
Leaning into her, he breathed in the sweet smell of her perfume and said, close to her neck, intently watching her for her reaction. "It's been longer than a minute."
Adam heard a small gasp pass her lips before she responded to him. "Has it?"
"You're enjoying it, aren't you?" He lowered his voice, inclining himself closer to her ear. "Be honest."
"I'm…" Belle partially tilted her head in his favour, yet she couldn't tear her eyes away from them. "Yes, I am."
"Enjoying it enough, you want to touch yourself?" Adam asked, while the tip of his nose faintly stroke the outer edge of her ear.
"Yes." Her voice was barely above a whisper.
Smiling, he breathed into her ear. "Touch yourself."
"What!" Belle exclaimed, bumping backwards into his chest, tightly clenching his hand. "Here! I can't do that!"
"Course you can." He encouraged into her ear, allowing his right hand to stray onto her right hip. "Because I told you, you could."
Her head lulled against his head for the briefest second. "Someone might see me."
"So…" Adam hissed into her ear.
He could see, as well as feel, her chest rising and falling. Without realising it, his own breathing had matched hers, breathing intimately in time with one another. Examining the side of her face closely, Adam gently eased the fingertips of his right hand round in a circle on her hip. She was so hot; he could feel the heat from her seep through his three-piece suit.
His eyebrows tightened together, when Adam felt her hand glide over the top of his hand perched on her hip. Fascinated to see the destination of her hand, he snooped over her shoulder in time to watch her hand dip under the hem of her dress. Grinning, he raised his gaze to Victoria and Spencer as Belle reacted to touching herself, grinding her ass into his groin, while Spencer laid awkwardly on the floor, his arms still restrained behind his back, with Victoria straddling him, talking to him as she rode his cock at punishingly slow pace. The tension in Spencer's face was unmistakeable. He wanted to come and Victoria must have been reprimanding him, warning him he would be punished, if he came before she allowed.
Belle let out a small moan of pleasure. "This is wrong."
"Does it feel wrong?" He inquired, lowering his eyes to where her hand thrusted underneath her dress.
"No." She muttered as Adam quietly moaned at her ass pushing further into his groin.
Unconsciously, his right hand started to caress the side of her thigh, pressing the tips of his fingers heavily into her skin through her dress. Belle moaned and her hand painfully tightened its grip on his other hand, whilst she forced their joined hands to her hip. The sound of her moaning was like music to his ears. He could listen to it, over and over again, and never get tired of it. She let out another groan, pressing herself flush into Adam's body. Pressing his lips together, Adam hummed his own pleasure, turning his face to bury his nose into her hair, smelling jasmine, sandalwood and, what he believed was, bergamot.
Hearing her hum and feeling her hold her breath, Adam nudged the back of her ear with his nose and whispered. "Come for me." A shudder ran down her back. "Come for me now."
"Oh god…!" She moaned, throwing her head back to rest on his shoulder.
It was so tempting to kiss her neck. He could imagine sliding his hand up the front of her, gliding up her stomach, through the valley of her breasts to her neck, and clasp his hand around her throat. The image was so intoxicating, Adam closed his eyes, relishing it, as the woman in his mind rocked against his body.
"Come." He urged and was rewarded with a guttural cry as she came.
Wrapping his arms around her, holding her firmly, her nails painfully dug into his hand, while her body shuddered and spasmed inside of his embrace. His face pressed into the crook behind her ear, smelling her, her hair, her perfume and the faint fragrance of her musk. He breathed in deeply and quickly drew another breath, becoming drunk on the aroma. As Belle relaxed, sliding down his body, Adam bent his knees, moving with her, supporting her, whilst she came down from the high of her orgasm. Splaying his hand over her stomach, holding her steady, Adam could feel her stomach muscles were tight.
"That was…" Belle began to mutter, bowing her head forward.
"That was what?" He asked.
Her whole body became tense and rigid, and stood up straight. "Oh my GOD!" She said growing louder as she spoke. "I need to go!"
Before she had even finished speaking, Belle had ripped herself out of his arms and hurried away from him, her heels clicking and scratching the floor as she ran. Straightening his suit jacket, Adam smirked at her retreating form until she shoved open the door, escaping back into the sitting area. He breathed in, hoping he might catch one last whiff of her smell, but it was gone. Casting his gaze down to his left hand, Adam inspected the harsh red moons on the back of his hand.
