offered a hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Wynne. If there’s anything my brother or I can do for you, just let one of us know.”
“Th-thanks.” Staring into his eyes, Wynne placed her trembling hand into his, expecting him to shake it. Instead, he raised it to his perfect mouth and brushed his lips over the back.
It felt like her skin was on fire, both on her hand and on her cheeks. Sure he could see the blush that had to be radiating from her face, she tugged her hand free and dropped it in front of her, flattening the other one against it.
God, she had never felt this way around a guy before, not even John. She was tongue tied, witless, practically falling over her own feet. What was wrong with her?
Nothing was wrong, she reasoned. Not a thing. It was this place that was making her all jumpy and skittery. And the knowledge of what these men probably did here.
She hadn’t even dared let her gaze wander around the large room yet, although she could hear voices and the occasional snap of a leather whip.
Adrenaline pounded through her body, fueling her instinct to run, making her stomach twist and palms sweat. She swallowed hard a couple times.
“…which is why my friend Wynne is here today. She’d like to watch, learn a little about the lifestyle, why people choose to play domination and submission games,” Kristy explained. “And she’s looking at it from the submissive side, which is why I’m not much help to her.”
Geesh, Wynne hadn’t even realized Kristy had been talking that whole time. She’d been distracted by the two gorgeous brothers. Or maybe it was the loud pounding of blood in her ears that had muffled her friend’s soft voice. She could only hope that Kristy had stuck with the plan. It was simply too embarrassing to admit she was coming here to find out why her fiancé had dumped her for a gay Dom. So instead, they’d cooked up this story about her writing a romance novel about a woman’s first experience with BDSM.
“I can show her around,” Master Rolf volunteered, “since my brother’s going to be busy all night, handling some important general manager–type things.”
Something flared in Dierk’s eyes. Wynne wondered what it was. But he didn’t say a word.
“That would be great! I was hoping you’d offer, since I have an appointment in a few minutes.” Kristy gave Wynne a gentle shove, making her feel like an unwanted little sister.
Wynne turned a scowl at her pushy friend and whispered, “Stop that.”
Kristy gave her an encouraging nod. “I’ve known Master Rolf for years. You’ll be perfectly safe.” Then she hauled her huge tote over her shoulder and scampered off, leaving Wynne with the wicked-looking Master Rolf and his equally dangerous brother Dierk.
Dierk promptly excused himself to handle those “important general manager things” Rolf had mentioned.
Rolf stepped forward, crowding her personal space, and placed a hand on the small of her back.
Her muscles instantly tightened, from the waist up, and her breath hitched in her throat.
Totally ignoring her reaction to his touch, he leaned closer, murmuring, “So tell me, how much do you want to know about domination and submission?”
Nothing. Not a single thing. “Only enough to make me dangerous,” she said, trying to sound at ease but failing, big time.
He grinned, the expression a fairly good interpretation of the Cheshire cat. “Hmmmm, I like that answer.”
And she liked the way he’d said those words. His voice had a gritty edge to it, a sensual just-rolled-out-of-bed tone. It made her feel warm inside. Soft and feminine, too.
“Have you read anything on the Internet? Do you know anything about the lifestyle?” he asked as he steered her around a piece of furniture she couldn’t name with that hand pressed to her back.
“Absolutely nothing,” she said, musing at how amazing it was that a gentle exertion of pressure, shifted to the right or left, could guide her, kind of like a bridle on a horse.
“Then we’ll start with the basics.” He stopped in the center of the room. “This is our general bondage dungeon. In this room, our members play domination and submission games. During play, there is one general rule that must be adhered to by all participants. The activities must be safe, sane, and consensual. Safety is always the primary concern, and as you will see, we have personnel positioned throughout the building to make sure no one is hurt while on our property.”
“That’s good to know.” Her gaze skipped past the pair of people standing next to a huge wooden cross thingy, to the big guy standing in the corner, wearing a black shirt with the word Twilight scrawled across the front.
“No one is ever forced to participate in a scene, ever,” Rolf continued. “Our members are carefully screened, and no one who has had a criminal conviction is permitted access to our facilities….”
She nodded, following Rolf’s lead as he continued toward the back of the room. He pointed out the various pieces of furniture, naming them. He explained the general rules of bondage play. To her relief, he didn’t make her stand there and watch the people who were playing. Whether it was because he sensed she was still too nervous and shaky about this whole thing or because it was a courtesy issue to the people playing, she didn’t know.
“Also, there are limits to what kinds of activities are permitted in our dungeon. We have private rooms available for members to rent, and some members lease private suites, in which they can participate in more intimate activities. But out here, we don’t permit any exchange of bodily fluids, including sexual intercourse. Members sanitize all equipment when they’re through. In addition, our staff goes through at the end of the night and does a thorough cleaning.”
This was nothing like the free-for-all kink-fest she’d imagined when her friend had tried to describe it. Quite the opposite, it seemed like the people who ran Twilight were very conscientious, responsible, and professional.
Finally, when they’d come full circle, back to the bar, he motioned to a stool. “How about something to drink?”
“Sure.” She could use a stiff drink right about now. Might help her relax. “Do you have a wine list?”
“No, I’m sorry, this bar serves strictly nonalcoholic beverages. But we serve wine downstairs in the restaurant. I’d be happy to take you down there if you like.”
“No, no. That’s okay. I’d be just as happy with a cola. Thanks.”
As he ordered her drink, she glanced at the clock, surprised to discover that her little tour had taken almost an hour. She wondered how much longer it would take Kristy, aka Mistress Raven, to finish up her appointment. Since Wynne hadn’t seen her friend during her little excursion, she assumed the appointment was in a private room or suite. She tried to imagine what her friend might be doing.
Her cheeks burned.
“There you are, one cola.” Rolf set the drink on the bar.
She swiveled her stool around to face the bar, and glancing sideways at her host, gave him a grateful smile. She lifted the glass, taking the straw between her lips and pulling in a mouthful. Ahh, cold. Refreshing. “Thank you for taking the time to walk me around. I’m sorry if I’m keeping you from…anything.”
God, how lame did that sound?
“It was my pleasure.” His gaze was razor sharp, piercing, as it captured hers. He held a glass in his hand but didn’t lift it to his mouth. Instead, he simply sat there, staring into her eyes, watching her. His lips curled into a teasing grin. “Now that we’ve covered the basics, are you ready to get down to business?”
Oh God. What was he suggesting? She eased the drink from her mouth, thankful for the fact that she hadn’t spewed cola all over his face.
“I…um…” If her face