Luscious(15)

Macon leaned over. “They are about to get to the sexual part where my brother shows off his junk. This is where I take my leave.”

Naturally he wanted to leave before the good part, but she let him lead her away. She didn’t even try to take a peek.

He led her down the hallway. It looked like the whole house had been turned into a decadent palace complete with low lighting and thudding music that fed through the home’s speaker system. It was transformed from the airy, filled-with-light home she knew from eating lunches or dinners with the family. Everywhere she looked there were men and women in various states of undress. The women wore corsets and tiny thongs or skirts that really didn’t cover much. There were lots of stilettos and plenty of bare feet. She stopped as she watched a woman on a leash. She stared, looking for signs that she didn’t like the leash.

“If that woman didn’t like her leash, she would break it and put her husband on his ass,” Macon whispered in her ear.

Once more, she had the feeling of being completely transparent to these people. Maybe she’d been rude. “Sorry.”

“No, they don’t mind you watching. If they weren’t comfortable with others watching they wouldn’t be here, but you have to get it through your head that these aren’t women who are being abused. They’re women who made a choice a long time ago about who they want to be. The woman on the leash is Karina Brighton. Her husband is a Dallas police lieutenant and former Green Beret, and he wouldn’t try to take her in a fight. She submits to him because she finds it relaxing and pleasurable for both of them. That leash and collar are there for play. The way I heard, Karina lost a bet and Derek forced her to try puppy play and surprise, she kind of liked it.”

Even as he spoke, the big Dom sat down on one of the couches in the designated lounge area of the house.

“So she pretends to be a puppy? Does she sit at his feet?”

“I’m sure she does from time to time, but I think he wants this particular puppy on his lap.” He chuckled as the Dom lightly tugged on his sub’s leash and pulled her into his lap. His hands went over her hair and he stroked her. She cuddled up in his arms as he started speaking softly to another Dom and sub who seemed very cozy.

What would it feel like to be able to cuddle up to Macon and feel completely and utterly like she belonged in his arms? What would it feel like to do it without any secrets between them?

She’d left it too late. She couldn’t tell him the truth now. She would lose him.

“Hey, are you all right?”

She’d gone stiff again, her shoulders up around her ears. He thought she was scared. She forced herself to relax and gave him a smile. “I’m good.”

His hand found hers. “Are you ready for more?”

She was ready to spend as much time with him as she possibly could. She nodded and he led her down the hall.



Three hours later, she helped Serena pack up the last of the food. Big Tag had casually snatched up the lemon cakes before heading across the property with his wife to pick up their babies. He’d also gifted Grace with a gorgeous Tiffany bracelet for her birthday, so Ally didn’t think anyone minded. Grace and Sean had looked completely satisfied with their evening and had even come over to tell Ally how happy they’d been to see her there.

She’d watched all manner of loving perversion and it was making her think.

“Did we freak you out?” Serena asked as she closed the lid on a container of hummus.

“Only the guy with the whip,” Ally replied honestly.

Serena nodded. “Yeah, when Kai gets the right sub, he can really go at it. Maia is a pain slut. She’s also a truly horrible human being, so she’s the perfect person to set off Kai’s inner sadist.”

“They’re a couple?” They’d been the only thing she hadn’t eventually warmed to. There was something cold about the way they’d been, as though there hadn’t been love between them.

“Oh, no. Kai can’t stand Maia and she sees him as a means to an end. It’s not all hearts and flowers and perfectly placed butt plugs. Sometimes it’s simply about getting something you need. It’s like that for a lot of single people who play. They come to Sanctum to let off steam in a controlled way that brings someone else what they need. Kai has a strong sadist streak. He controls it by finding partners who enjoy the pain he gives them.”

He’d been gorgeous, a blond god of a man in leather, but he made her shiver a bit. “Holy shit, he’s like the Dom version of Dexter.”

Serena nodded. “I’m so using that in a book. I’m sure Kai would describe it in more technical, psychological terms. He’s the resident shrink. If you had been coming into Sanctum and not a private party, you would have to be cleared by Kai first. Everyone in the club gets to meet with Kai to make sure they’re here for the right reasons.”

Ally felt her jaw drop. “He’s a shrink? The dude with the whip?”

“Yep. His specialty is PTSD in war vets.”

Macon had mentioned a Kai. He’d talked about seeing him. It was a freaky world where the guy with the whip was helping everyone else with their sanity situations.

But then again, maybe it was a freaky world period.

“Hey, Serena, where’s the vacuum? I’ve got the living room back to normal. It just needs a sweep.” Speak of the devil. Kai Ferguson was standing in the kitchen wearing a perfectly normal pair of jeans and a T-shirt that hugged his lean frame. His sandy blond hair was pulled back in a queue and he had a pair of glasses on that did nothing to hide his hotness factor. He smiled her way and it was an open, honest smile that looked nothing like the gleam of sadistic glee in his eyes from earlier in the evening. “Hi. You’re Macon’s girl, Ally, right?”

Being called Macon’s girl kind of made her beam inside. She held a hand out. “Allyson Jones.”

“Kai Ferguson. I’ve been hoping to meet you.” He took her hand and shook it before stepping back. “I’ll talk to Macon about setting up an appointment.”

“What? Why?” She had to admit that he still scared her a bit.

“This was a private party. Didn’t Macon explain?”

“Macon is going slow with the new girl,” Macon said as he walked in. He looked at Kai. “Macon is trying not to scare the new girl off.”

Kai put a hand up. “Hey, I’m only doing my job. You know she can’t come to Sanctum without my clearance. Oh, Sanctum might move around from house to house right now, but the rules are the same. I know Big Tag will probably tell me to clear her because you’re the almighty pie maker, but it’s best if we all follow the rules.”

“She doesn’t even know if any of this stuff is for her yet,” Macon argued.

Kai turned his gaze her way. “Did any of the scenes sexually arouse you?”

She felt her whole face go hot.

“Dude,” Macon protested.

Kai shook his head, obviously unwilling to concede his point. “Well, if she can’t even talk about sex then she probably has no place in a sex club. I’m not trying to be a dick, but I do have to decide if she belongs here. People come to Sanctum for a judgment-free place to indulge their personalities and their kinks. I watched her tonight. She seemed a bit on edge, like she was disturbed. I wasn’t the only one who noticed.”

Humiliation swept through her. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make anyone uncomfortable.”

Serena moved to her side. “You didn’t, sweetie.”

“She did,” Kai said matter of factly. “I was actually surprised that this was the girl who flashed an entire waiting room. When they described you to me, I kind of thought you’d be a free spirit.”

“Kai, don’t,” Macon warned. “I know what you’re doing.”

“Then you should know I’m helping.”

It didn’t feel like he was helping. “That was impulsive.” And it had felt good. Why couldn’t she talk about it? Why was her sexuality less important than everyone else’s? Kai “Dexter” Ferguson was kind of making her mad, and that made her want to answer his question. “And yes, I did get sexually aroused and yes, some of it was disturbing and it still aroused me.”

Kai’s smile was so wide, it lit up his whole face. “See, there you go. Now you know you’ve got some kink in you. Everyone does. Most people simply don’t acknowledge it. What disturbed you? I know I did.”

Damn him. He’d known what he was doing, but it seemed stubborn not to talk now. “The violence bothered me because of some things that happened when I was a kid.”

“All right. That’s a trigger for you. You can either avoid even watching scenes like that or we can work on it. The good news is Macon’s not that kind of a top. He’s a very indulgent top. I doubt he even truly enjoys spanking a woman.”

“I totally like spanking a woman and when the hell did this turn into a therapy session?” Macon shook his head and leaned against the counter.

“There’s never a bad time for a therapy session, my friend. I’m hopeful for you. You’ve smiled more since this woman came into your life. I want to help you make it work. Relationships, like anything in life, require more than luck, more than simply love. They require two people who honestly want to be together, who are willing to work through the issues that will inevitably try to keep them apart. It’s not easy to take two independent beings and form a really workable couple.”