Between Two Doms [Club of Dominance 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (2 page)

Charlie should have realized to expect the unexpected in a place like this, especially from the owner and founder of Club of Dominance. She didn’t have a problem with how other people lived their lives, but she didn’t think she was into kink.

Then why did my clit begin to ache as soon as I heard these men’s commanding voices? Shut up, Charlie!

“No, I don’t have a problem with nudity.”

As long as I’m not the one getting naked.

Master Turner tilted his head and eyed her blouse. Charlie knew what he was seeing. She wasn’t comfortable displaying any part of her body and only ever left the top button undone. Charlie wasn’t model thin, and being rather short seemed only to enhance her plumpness. When she had been growing up she had been teased mercilessly by the popular girls about her short, “fat” body and had become very self-conscious. So much so that she never wore anything to show off any part of her form. In fact she bought clothes a size or two larger to hide her abundant attributes. Since she couldn’t change her body shape she’d decided she would choose her clothes and make sure that hardly any of her skin showed. Charlie had learned to be very meticulous when she bought clothes as that was the only way she seemed to be able to control how she looked.

“Why did you leave your last job, Charlene?”

Charlie bit her lip and lowered her gaze. He’d asked her the one question she hoped to avoid answering, but since it wouldn’t be hard for him to find out “the why,” if he called her old boss, she decided to be totally honest.

Raising her head, she looked him in the eye. “My last boss hit on me, so I quit.”

Master Barry pushed the bottle of water he had placed on the bar closer to her.

Charlie grabbed the bottle and took a few sips. “It’s in the past. It’s not something I think about often, other than as the reason I need a job now. I quit, and I’ve moved on with my life.” Her answer seemed to satisfy the men.

“How long have you been working in bars, Charlene?” Master Turner’s voice drew her attention once more.

“I started when I was in college. I needed the money to help pay for my tuition and accommodation.”

“You don’t look old enough to have graduated,” Master Barry said. “What did you major in?”

“Business management.”

“Hmm.” Master Turner rubbed his hand across his bristled chin. “How old are you, Charlene?”

“Twenty-four.”

“All right. I’ll give you a trial, but there are rules and regulations you need to adhere to. Master Barry, if you will?”

Master Barry leaned down and pulled something from a shelf beneath the bar. He placed the papers onto the smooth wood surface and pushed them toward her.

“You need to read our rules, and if you agree to them you will sign your name at the bottom. You will then sign the contract, but I need to know if you still want to work here after reading through our policies.”

Charlie pulled the papers closer and began to read. They were so out there that she felt her eyes widen a few times, but throughout the guidelines, the words “safe, sane, and consensual” were used over and over. There was also a club safe word which was written in bold writing and underlined quite a few times. That word was “red.” By the time Charlie had finished reading, her mind was spinning.
What the hell am I getting myself into?

She looked up to see that Master Turner was watching her. His intent stare made her uneasy, but it also turned her on. Her cheeks felt warm and she hoped she wasn’t blushing like a schoolgirl.

“Why did you want me to read this?” Charlie held up the rules to Club of Dominance.

“If you decided to accept the job, you need to know what the rules are. All the staff need to be aware of the club rules to keep our clients safe, as well as each other. I would hope that if any of our subs were in trouble and you were the only person aware of that, that you would call one of the dungeon monitors to intervene.”

Okay, Charlie thought, that makes sense. “It says here that clothes must be acceptable to the environment. What does that mean?”

Master Turner looked her over once more, and Charlie nearly groaned aloud when his eyes lingered on her crotch.
Is he imagining what sort of underwear I have on?

“What you’re wearing definitely won’t cut it for this club.”

“What’s wrong with my clothes?” Charlie asked indignantly.

The smile in Master Turner’s eyes faded, and they became cold and hard. Charlie quickly lowered her gaze and stared at the floor.

“Look at me, Charlene,” he demanded.

Charlie lifted her eyes to his, her heart beating rapidly against her chest. She hated to make anyone angry, and even though Master Turner didn’t look incensed, he didn’t look happy either.

“When you are in my club, you will wear the appropriate clothing.” He looked over at Master Barry. “See if you can find something for Charlene to wear.”

Master Barry gazed into her eyes and demanded, “Stand up, Charlene.”

Charlie stood, her cheeks flaming with heat as he perused her body from the top of her head to her waist.

“Take five steps back.”

Again she found herself obeying Master Barry’s order and stood with her eyes lowered.

“Turn around, slowly.”

Charlie turned and shifted on her feet uncomfortably as she felt the two sets of male eyes appraising her.

“Very good, sub, you may take your seat again.” Master Barry moved out from behind the bar and walked across the large room to the door with the coded lock. Charlie watched as he disappeared behind that door until it closed behind him.

Who does he think he is, giving me orders and calling me a sub?

But that wasn’t the question, she realized. What she really wanted to know was why she was obeying Master Barry and Master Turner. She wanted to know why her body liked the way they ordered her around.

Charlie drew in a ragged breath as cream leaked from her pussy onto her panties. If her body didn’t stop, she would end up having wet trousers as well. She only hoped that if that happened the dampness wouldn’t be noticeable.

She ordered her thoughts and asked the one question that didn’t seem too dangerous to speak aloud. “Why did you call me that?”

“Sub? Because you are one.”

She had seen the words “sub” and “Dom” in the rules, but she must not have understood the definitions, because she was
not
submissive.

Watching her reaction, Master Turner smiled slightly. “This club”—he waved his hand to encompass the great room—“is a place where people come to escape the stress of their lives. Not everyone is vanilla. There are a lot of people that need more in their sex lives to feel…fulfilled.

“Some of the men and women that come here are very high up on the corporate ladder of their careers, but when they are outside the workplace, they need to let go of that tight control so they can relax. Those people are called submissive or subs. And then there are people like Master Barry and I who like to be in control at all times.”

“Doms,” Charlie supplied.

“Yes. We like the rush of power knowing that we can control the pleasure of a sub, and therefore our own pleasure is heightened. In other words, we get off on controlling another person’s pleasure. But rest assured that we only ever command someone who wants to be controlled, Charlene. Our club policy is always safety first and foremost. The mental well-being of any submissive is our priority, and all parties must agree to what is to take place. In other words, all parties need to consent.”

Charlie thought about that. She understood where he was coming from. But he was still wrong. “I’m not a submissive.”

The smile that crept across Master Turner’s mouth could only be described as devilish. Charlene looked away quickly before her body got any more ideas. Her gaze fell on the contract, which she’d left on the bar. She scooped it up and flipped through the pages.

“Anyway, it doesn’t matter,” she said quickly. “I don’t have to be submissive or dominant to work here, do I?”

“No, though if you do sign, I think you’ll find that many of your coworkers have been drawn to this environment for a reason.” He was still watching her closely, like he could see through her. “You are too.”

She didn’t want to argue about it. She couldn’t think when he was here, and when Master Barry got back, it would only get worse. Her attention still on the paperwork, she asked, “Do you have a pen? I’m interested in the job.”

Master Turner placed his hand over the pages and pressed them down to the bar. “I’m interested in you,” he said deliberately.

“What?” She gasped.
I can’t have heard that.

“You
are
submissive,” Master Turner said. “With your permission, I’d like to prove it.”

Prove it how?
Charlie realized that goose bumps had risen over her skin. She didn’t believe his claim, but she couldn’t deny that he had a strange power over her.

When she couldn’t come up with a reply, Master Turner said calmly, “Or are you scared to find out?”

“Scared? What is there to be scared of?” Charlie ignored the tremor in her own voice. She let go of the papers and faced him squarely. “Okay, you have my permission. Show me.”

“Remove your clothes, Charlene,” Master Turner ordered.

“What? Why?” Charlie glared at him and crossed her arms over her chest. Suddenly fearful that this was part of the interview, she said, “My body or my clothing or the way I look doesn’t have anything to do with how I do my job. My capabilities have nothing to do with my appearance.”

“Agreed,” Master Turner conceded with a nod of his head. “This has nothing to do with the job. This is about you, Charlene. However, if you do decide to play in my club as a guest, you must be able to abide by my rules. If I give an order, I expect it to be obeyed
immediately
.”

Emotions warred in her chest. She hated being naked in front of anybody, much less a good-looking stranger. Yet something kept her from walking out the door. Master Turner’s eyes held her gaze. He seemed to have no doubt that she would comply.

“You did say you’d let me show you,” he reminded her. “Take off your clothes.”

“Look, I don’t know what you think you’re—”

“Silence!” Master Turner rose from his stool and walked over to stand behind her. His large, warm hands landed on her shoulders, and a frisson of electricity tingled down her spine. “You aren’t to question me. When a command is given, a submissive obeys.”

“I’m not—”

“Did I give you permission to speak, Charlene?” he asked in that cold, controlling voice.

Geez, am I back in kindergarten? Why do I need permission to voice my opinion? I am not a child nor a submissive, damn it!

Then why are you doing as they tell you? Why aren’t you fighting harder?

Shut up!
Charlene snarled at her inner voice.

His hands moved from her shoulders down to the front of her blouse. When his fingers brushed against her skin as he deftly undid the second button on her shirt, she shivered with awareness. She wanted to push those large, masculine hands away, but she kept still as he slipped the plastic buttons through their holes, and when he pulled her tucked-in shirt from the waistband of her slacks, she didn’t ask him to stop. The last button slipped loose, and he placed his palm against the flesh of her belly. His skin was warm, and she could feel calluses as he caressed her. After a moment he removed his hand and stepped back. From the corner of her eye she watched as he sat on his stool once more.

“Your skin is very soft and silky. Why do you hide your body away, Charlene? Are you ashamed of the way you look?”

Shit. How does he know how I feel about my body?
He didn’t even know her and he already had her pegged.

“No. Yes. I don’t know.”

“Which is it, sub? Whenever a Master asks you a question, you will answer honestly. Is that understood?”

“Yes.”

“Yes, what?”

Charlie eyed him over, confused by his question.

“When you respond to a Master, you will address him as Master or Sir.” His ensuing pause seemed to indicate that he expected Charlie to speak.

“Yes, Master Turner.”

“Good girl. Now answer my question, Charlene.”

“No, I don’t like my body.”

“Stand up and remove your clothes, sub.”

Charlie couldn’t believe she was doing it, but found herself obeying once again. She rose to her feet and stepped away from the bar. When her back connected with a large, solid object, she turned her head to look over her shoulder. Master Barry was standing behind her, and he placed a hand on her waist to steady her. He gave her a wink and moved to the side, where he stood watching her.

Her face felt like it was on fire, but Charlie was determined to follow Master Turner’s command. She’d prove she wasn’t the kind of woman who was easily intimidated, whatever else he might seem to believe. She tilted her chin, clenched her teeth, and pulled her shirt from her shoulders and off her arms. The cool air touched her skin, causing her to shiver and her nipples to harden even more. She looked down at her chest and cursed the white lace covering her breasts. When she had been dressing that morning she had debated on donning her black lace and bra panty set, but since the shirt she had chosen was white, she had decided on the same color for her underthings so her bra wouldn’t show through the material. Now she wished she had chosen another color, because her nipples and areolas were visible through her bra. She hated having any part of her body on display because she didn’t want to be ridiculed about her body shape, but she wasn’t about to let this man know how much she hated how she looked. Maintaining control over what she wore was an intrinsic need she had developed since she was a young girl. Words could be so hurtful as she had learned from those popular girls at school, and she wasn’t about to give anyone a reason to make disparaging comments about her person anymore. She was an adult, damn it, and she was the one to control whether anyone but herself got to see her body.