To test his true submissiveness, I commanded, “Look at me.”
He jerked his gaze from my boots to meet mine. “Are you looking to play tonight?”
“Yes, I am. And if it pleases you, Mistress, I would be honored if you chose me.”
His voice. Sweet Jesus, it was panty-melting. It totally went with his body—strong, firm, and deep. Although he had answered my question well, I still had my doubts. With all the strength I had, I reached out to firmly slap his cheek. The resounding smack echoed around us. A man playing at being a sub would have a distinct reaction. His eyes would darken with the rage seething within him at being treated so disrespectfully.
Oh, but not him. His face remained impassive. Yet at the same time, he shuddered, and his dark eyes flashed with a combustive mix of lust and desire. His reaction caused moisture to pool between my thighs. He reminded me of our horses back on the farm. He was a spirited stallion who needed a firm hand to break him, and damn me to hell if I didn’t want to be the one to do it.
Wanting to build the anticipation, I patted his cheek where I had previously slapped him. “I’ll think about it.”
“Yes, Mistress.” He bowed his head before backing up.
Damn, someone had truly trained him well. I stepped past him to head to the bar. My mouth had run dry, and I desperately needed a drink.
“Hey there, sugar tits,” Lyle, the bartender, said with a grin.
“If you were my sub, I’d spank your ass for speaking to me like that,” I mused as I slid onto one of the stools.
He winked. “The night shift bartender is about to come in. You can take me downstairs and show me what you’re all about. You know, like a parting gift for you.”
I laughed. “You sub for the other team.”
Lyle shrugged. “It might be interesting to see the difference between a Domme and a dom.”
“Considering I don’t have a dick, I think you’d be pretty disappointed.” When he opened his mouth to argue, I shook my head. “And don’t suggest a strap-on because I don’t do that. I draw the line at butt plugs.”
“You don’t know what you’re missing,” Mistress Venus said as she joined us. She closed her blue eyes in exaggerated bliss. “I love making a sub my bitch, and nothing does that quite like fucking with a strap-on.” She opened her eyes and huffed out a frustrated breath. “But why do I bother explaining it to you since you’re only a professional Domme? You leave all the excitement here and go home to your vanilla world.” She grinned. “Hell, you probably do it missionary style through a sheet.”
“Very funny. I’ll have you know I’ve never been and never will be a totally vanilla girl. I like some good kink.”
Venus rolled her eyes. “The mainstream kink—some handcuffs, whipped cream, maybe some spanking. Let me tell you what. Until you’ve drilled a two hundred and fifty pound professional football player with a nine-inch strap-on, you’re vanilla.”
Lyle snickered at what must’ve been the appalled look on my face. “I’m pretty sure sugar tits doesn’t even take it up the ass herself.”
“Once again, a butt plug is as far as I’m giving or taking.” I waved a finger at them. “And that doesn’t make me a prude.”
“Speaking of spanking ass, that’s a fine piece you had your eye on earlier,” Lyle said.
I didn’t have to look over my shoulder to know that the sub’s eyes were on me. The heat of his stare singed the exposed skin on my back. “I thought about doing a scene with him—kind of a ‘one for the road’ kinda thing. But I’m not so sure. Regardless of the pretty package, there must be something wrong with him, or he would have already been snatched up.”
“You don’t know who that is?” Venus inquired.
I shook my head as I took another sip of cranberry juice. “He must be a weekend-only guy.”
“Oh, girl, that’s William. He’s been a member for about a year. At first, he played with a few different Mistresses, but then he and Calla got together.”
I wrinkled my nose with disgust. “Such good looks but obviously no taste in Mistresses.”
Lyle laughed. “After all these years is she still giving you attitude?”
“I’d call it more catitude since she’s a catty bitch.”
While I hadn’t gone into the club looking to make friends, I’d found most of the Dommes to be welcoming and friendly. All but Calla. She was still relatively new when I’d started, and after I began to be sought after by weekly clients, she began to go out of her way to give me shit. Normally, I would have told her off, but she was a friend of the owner, so I had to bite my tongue. Thankfully, she worked the weekends and a few odd nights during the week, so I didn’t have to see her.
Venus tapped her metallic black nails on the counter. “I feel sorry for William. Calla’s put the word out to leave him off-limits.”
“Why would she do that?” I questioned.
“Apparently she wanted a D/s relationship with him outside the club, and he wasn’t interested. So she’s trying to drive him away by not having anyone for him to play with.”
“Man, she’s a cunt,” I muttered.
“You can say that again. Considering how tight she is with Robert, no one on staff is going to give him the time of day. His only hope is finding a lifestyle Domme willing to play tonight.”
Glancing over my shoulder, I eyed William again. A foreign feeling coiled tight in my lower belly—one I hadn’t felt in a long, long time.
Lust.
I’d never once wanted to voluntarily play with a sub. It had always been about the job…about the money. But he’d already piqued my interest five minutes ago. Now after hearing his plight, I really wanted to play with him. In some ways, I felt like I needed to sow some wild oats before I left 1740 and went into the world of education.
Lyle’s eyes widened. “Oh, girl, you get that idea out of your head right now.”
“What?” I innocently asked.
“You’re thinking about playing with him, aren’t you?”
“Maybe.”
“You’re wanting to go out with a bang, huh?” Lyle questioned.
“After tonight, I’m done with 1740. In turn, that means I’m done with Robert. I mean, it’s not like I could ever ask him to fill out a reference for me.” I once again threw William a glance. “Why not have a little fun before I go?”
“Calla comes in an hour.”
I cocked my brows at Lyle. “So?”
He shook his head. “I’m just glad my ass will be outta here before the fur starts to fly.”
“I’ll make sure to lock the dungeon door.”
Venus sighed. “Come on, Lyle. Look at how pitiful he is with no one to play with. It’s really like a mercy fuck.”
He snorted. “Don’t encourage her.”
“Like I could stop her if I tried,” Venus argued.
“Good point,” I replied. I downed the rest of my cranberry juice. Then I hopped down off my stool. “See you guys later.”
“Have fun. I want all the details,” Venus said.
“Oh, I’ll be sure to fill you in.”
Lyle shook his head. “She can probably catch it on the eleven o’clock news after all hell breaks loose.”
I merely laughed at Lyle’s statement. With a bounce in my step, I made my way over to where William was standing. “Hey, subbie.”
He lowered his gaze. “Hello again, Mistress.”
“I’ve given it some thought, and I think I would like to play with you tonight.”
Before he could think better of it, he yanked his head up. “You do?”
“You act so surprised.”
“I’m getting the impression that I’m suddenly persona non grata around here.”
“You’re right. Your former Mistress has put the word out, and she has a lot of pull within the club.”
William’s dark eyes widened. “Then why would you want to play with me?”
“Because I like a challenge. And I like to piss people off.”
The corners of his lips turned up in a half smile. “I see.”
“I’m Mistress Juliette.”
“William.” Motioning to the bar, he asked, “Shall I get you something to drink?”
“My, my, so formal. Did your last cunt of a Mistress expect that from you?”
William once again fought a smile. “No, ma’am. You can blame it on my upbringing.”
“No need to blame anyone. I happen to like it. An educated-sounding man turns me on.” What the hell? Did I actually just say that?
“I’m glad I please you.” William’s dark eyes penetrated into mine. They were so brown they were almost black. On another man, they might have been considered soulless because of their darkness. But on him, they pooled with a variety of emotion—pleasure, kindness, desire, empathy, and affection. They were the kind of eyes you could lose yourself in.
I gave a quick shake of my head. “Now, about that drink.”
“Yes, Mistress.”
Both staff and members were only allowed one alcoholic beverage. It was hard to be safe, sane, and consensual if you were blitzed. I handed him my staff card to scan the drink. “I’ll take a vodka and cranberry. And you’re welcome to get what you want as well.”