Ask Me Something (The Something Series Book 2) (25 page)

“Thank you. The
irony of a divorce and then having him remarry quickly is that you may feel
like shit, but you tend to look good because you aren’t eating or going out as
much. Of course, the minute you’re happily in a relationship you gain those few
pounds back.”

I grinned at the
thought. I fluctuated a couple of pounds every time I spent a weekend with
Brian. “Have you gone out on any dates since the speed dating night?”

“Nope. It’s been
a virtual desert of dating activity. But how about you? How are things with
Brian?”

I shrugged. “A
few days ago we were in paradise, and I would’ve told you things were great.
But then we had to cut it short for a work meeting, and I got lectured from my
boss.” I sighed. “It’s difficult to balance the two, but I know he has the same
issue. And it wasn’t like I didn’t deserve it, which only made it harder to hear.”

“Why did he
lecture you?” she questioned.

I relayed the
details of Vanessa and our encounters. We ordered our drinks and salads, and I
saw her consider my words.

“Women like that
piss me off, but unfortunately, it’s more the norm than not. Like it isn’t hard
enough in a predominantly male workplace, we women have to go and cut one
another down.”

I nodded. I might
not be the friendliest woman in the world, but I definitely didn’t bring other
women down unless they duly deserved it. I knew how it felt and loathed that
kind of pettiness. “It pains me to say it, but Brian is right about it being
business and needing to put the personal shit away. The thing that sucks is I
hate that part. I’m great in leading a pitch and doing all of the research, but
the client relations—Ugh. I could use some advice.”

She looked
surprised, and then her eyes were sympathetic. “My best advice would be to go
into every meeting knowing that she’ll make passive-aggressive comments and
ignore them. Almost like you don’t catch on or didn’t hear them. If you raise a
brow, stare her down, or flinch, she’ll know she’s gotten to you and consider
it a challenge. If you ignore them, either she’ll think it’s not worth the
effort because you aren’t rising to the bait, or she’s going to get more
aggressive.”

I sipped on my
martini. “What if she does get more aggressive?” I already knew Vanessa would
most likely be the type.

She contemplated.
“Hopefully, by then she’s making herself look unprofessional, but watch when
you’re alone with her. A woman like that may take only small shots at you in
front of Brian or anyone else, but she’ll save the big guns for when you’re
alone, expecting that you’ll then reveal your reaction in front of others. In
that case, you’re going to look like the hostile one. It’s almost like two
toddlers. It’s not the first one who hits that gets caught, it’s the one who
retaliates.”

“Sounds like
good advice even if it does compare us to toddlers.”

She chuckled.
“So, uh, do you have plans for later tonight?”

I shook my head.
“Nope, I sure don’t. Why, did you have something in mind?”

“Well, you know
I’m trying to get myself out there. I need to move on from my divorce and start
dating again. The thing is that until I can get my confidence up and feel good
about myself again, I have no desire to date. But I also hate the thought of
being alone. Although my ex-husband turned out to be a complete asshole, I miss
being married. I want a relationship again.”

“How do you
propose to do that?” I honestly didn’t have a clue and knew I’d fail miserably
if she requested advice in that arena.

She shifted in
her seat, looking uncomfortable. “Can I tell you something that you swear
you’ll never tell another soul?”

“Of course you
can, Catherine.”

“I’ve never been
that sexually confident. I struggle with—Oh, this is humiliating.” She paused,
swigging back the rest of her martini and signaling the waitress for another.

I waited her out,
concentrating on my food, knowing she needed a minute. And evidently some more
liquid courage, based on her slugging back half of her new glass.

“I struggle with
feeling desirable and confident in the bedroom. My ex basically told me he was
tired of having to do all the work. That my insecurities were his breaking
point.”

Regarding her
thoughtfully, I pictured Brian and the way he made me feel desirable merely by looking
at me. “Catherine, your ex obviously didn’t understand what it is that a woman needs.
He should’ve made you feel wanted and sexy. Some of that confidence can come
naturally. But the bedroom should be the one place where you can let go of your
insecurities instead of piling them on, especially with someone you love.”

“I know he was a
selfish prick. But because he was also the last person I’ve been with sexually,
it isn’t exactly inspiring me to get out there.”

“We need to
figure out a plan. Let me think of someone I could possibly set you up with, or
I could ask—”

“Actually, I
have an idea already. I either need you to talk me out of it or go with me.”

“All right,
let’s hear it.” I was intrigued and apprehensive all at once.

“I wouldn’t ask
you except that I figure you’re pretty open when it comes to sexuality and won’t
judge.”

I had definitely
become more open since being with Brian. “I won’t judge, Catherine,” I
whispered, looking around to ensure our privacy. Catherine had a high enough
profile in her profession that I didn’t want to take any chances.

She picked up on
it, too. “I’ll tell you in the car ride over. If you decide you don’t want to
go with me, I’ll drop you by your place instead.”

We requested the
check and finished our drinks.

***

Holy shit, we
were on our way to a sex club. I had barely paid attention to anything else
after Catherine had dropped that initial bomb shell once we got into the car.

She was still
talking nervously. “They are supposed to be discreet, giving clients wigs and
masks. They have these classes for women who only want to get their confidence
up.”

I was
speechless.

“Say something,
please. I’m scared shitless, but if I can’t learn to give myself an orgasm and
only have my ex as my last memory, I’ll go crazy.”

I spoke carefully,
knowing how fragile her self-confidence was. “Okay, first off, I think you’re
beyond brave. I’m in awe at how much courage it takes to want to do this, let
alone trusting me with it.”

She swallowed
hard and regarded me for a moment. “But…”

“There’s no
but
to it. I think getting out of your comfort zone and doing something like this
may be what you need.” I could never imagine myself doing what she proposed,
and for that reason alone, I applauded her bravery.

Her smile could
have lit up a room.

I hesitated but
had to say it. “The small ‘but,’ however, is to ask if you have thoroughly
researched this place. How can you guarantee your anonymity and safety?”

She breathed a
sigh of relief. “Thank you for not criticizing. I knew that I could confide in you.
This place was recommended to me by a woman I met in Paris. She’s recently
divorced, and when I asked what her secret was for being confident, she told me
about this club. She recommended someone there specifically. At first I was
appalled, not that I let her know that. But then she stressed that it wasn’t
sex; it was about building sexual confidence.”

Clearly, I was
behind the curve when it came to what to expect in a sex club. “Uh, so you’re
not having sex?”

She shook her
head. “It’s an option, but not with the guy she recommended or the package I
signed up for.”

I could only nod,
thinking about the various “packages” they had available. “If I’m accompanying
you, what does that mean exactly?”

“Oh, no worries.
There’s a bar where you can sit, and you can wear a mask, too. I was thinking
maybe you could wait for me. And then if you hear me scream, you could, like,
call the police or something.”

My eyes got big
even though I knew she was kidding.

“Sorry, bad
joke. I think it’ll be fine, but I don’t know what to expect. Evidently, I have
a meeting with the woman who runs the place first to discuss my options and
what I’m looking for. And if you’re uncomfortable because of your relationship,
I get it. You don’t have to go with me.”

Brian and our rules.
Shit. “I don’t want you going alone.” I meant that. “But I think we need to
tell someone where we are. Sorry, my dad was a cop for many years. I’m only
thinking of safety. Is there anyone we could trust with this?”

She shook her
head. “Not that I could confide in. Any chance you could trust Brian?”

Oh, boy. He was
going to have a coronary. But I wouldn’t hide it from him, either, like he’d
done with Jamie. And I’d warned him that we’d have to revisit the rules with
regards to me accompanying Catherine. “Okay, I’m texting him to let him know
that I’m going with you to the address.” She flashed her phone over with the
destination while I typed. “The name is vague enough; Travesty could be any bar
in New York City.”

“Hey, I know
you’re mad at me, but I’m out with Catherine and we’re going to a new place
across town at the address I’ll forward you. Do you mind if I check in with you
in a couple hours so that someone knows where we are?”

His reply came
quickly.
“WTF kind of place is it that you’re worried about being safe?”

I forwarded the
name and address and thought about my options in answering the question. I
could play dumb and say I didn’t know exactly what it was. I could be honest,
or I could say I’d talk to him tomorrow. Option three sounded good, but I didn’t
get a chance to respond because once I forwarded the name and address, I got
the following text.

“Absolutely not.
Call me NOW!”

Wait, did his
response mean he knew what this place was? “Catherine, if I type in Travesty
online what does it say it is?”

She blushed. “It
says it’s an exclusive member’s only club and gives a number. I couldn’t see
anything online linking it to the activity. Also, I was told that we have to
sign something when we get there saying we can’t post anything doing so, either.
They are very discreet with their clientele.”

That was a
relief and made sense, but how did Brian know of it? I texted him back.
“No
can do. About to go inside. We can talk later.”

“Do you have any
idea what kind of club that is?”

I quirked a brow
while reading his words and replied,
“Do you?”

“YES, which is
why you are not going inside. We have an agreement.”

“I’ll be sitting
at the bar. I don’t want her going alone. And this needs to remain in extreme
confidence!!”

Catherine looked
nervous when the car pulled up in an alley. “To be on the safe side, someone
will come out and give us masks to put on before we go through the door. You’re
doing a lot of typing over there. Everything okay?”

“It’s fine.” Then
I read his next message.

“You are NOT
going in there.”

“Last chance,
Sasha, are you in or out?” Catherine asked as the car came to a stop.

I was
in,
all right
; in-sane,
that is. But at least I was being supportive with my
insanity. Yeah, at least there was that. And a good friend didn’t allow someone
to get murdered or sexually assaulted without offering to sit in a bar and wait
to give the police report. Ugh.

Sure, officer,
my friend said she wanted to go to a sex club and learn to be more confident,
so I went to have a drink and tried not to wonder what was happening behind
those massive closed doors to the left.

Oh, geez, they
looked soundproof.

I replied to
Brian.
“Too late. Bar is safe, mask is on. How do you know about this
place?”

“Text me in
fifteen minutes,”
was his terse response. He hadn’t answered my question but at least he was
being a little more reasonable.

“Will do.”

Ordering a diet
soda, I tried not to make eye contact with anyone else in the bar area.
Although I had a mask on, I still felt exposed and certainly didn’t want to
call any attention to myself. If I’d thought speed dating was out of my comfort
zone, this was to-the-freaking-moon awkward. But at least I didn’t have to
participate in conversation. All I had to do was sit incognito at the bar and
wait. Catherine had prepped me that she’d signed up for an hour-long session.
She’d also confided that she might be out a whole lot sooner if it didn’t go
well.

The bartender
was nice and, of course, hot. After all, that was their business. After fifteen
minutes, I texted Brian and frowned when he didn’t reply. About twenty minutes
in, the bartender came over to check on me.

“Waiting on a
friend?” he inquired, having probably seen this scenario play out on any number
of evenings.

“Yeah. Tell me
something, Eddie,” I said, looking at his nametag. “Are the walls soundproof? Because
I’m thinking I may not be able to hear the screams of my friend if she needs
me.” I was only half teasing.

He chuckled.
“Your friend is plenty safe, I assure you.”

I wasn’t so
confident, and even through the mask, my eyes must have conveyed that.

He shrugged.
“Considering you’re here with her, I’m assuming this is a first-time thing and
she’s nervous, which means she signed up for the beginner’s package.”

I had to ask.
“And what exactly is the beginner’s package?”

His eyes lit up
in amusement. “You want a menu, beautiful?”

I rolled my eyes
and was about to respond when a familiar voice over my shoulder did it for me.

“No, she does
not.”

Holy shit. Brian
was here.

***

I could tell he
was beyond pissed off with the clipped tone and hard stare he was giving me.

“What are you
doing here?” My voice cracked at least three times in those five little words.

The bartender
raised a brow and made himself scarce, wanting no part of whatever was coming.

“Oh, I think you
can guess. Come with me.”

I took out some
cash and laid it on the bar for my soda, only to have Eddie wave me off.

“On the house,
love. You two have fun.”

Uh, what the
hell did he mean by that?

Brian’s hand took
mine in a death grip, and he practically dragged me down a hallway.

“Where are we
going?” I squeaked, looking at the line of closed doors down the corridor.

Suddenly, we
stopped in front of room number twelve. He produced a key, unlocking and
opening the door.

The lights were
low in the small space when we entered. It reminded me of a massage room with
the dark, soothing colors on the walls and the table in the middle that was
draped with some sort of satin-looking sheet. There was a large wingback chair
in the corner, and my shoes sank down into the plush rug. I turned toward Brian,
figuring he’d somehow gotten this room for us to talk privately. “Look, I know
you’re pissed off and—”

He held up his
hand and glanced over at the table. “Don’t. We’re not fighting about this now.”

I blew out a
breath of frustration. “You can’t be serious. You come down here—which, by the
way, why are you still in New York, and how the hell did you know about this
place? And now you won’t discuss it?”

That earned me a
tick of his jaw. It was both fascinating and intimidating. In all these years of
knowing one another, I’d never seen him like this. His eyes raked over my body
from head to toe, which appeared to further piss him off when he took in my
short red dress.

“We can fight
after,” he muttered, turning on his heel and moving toward the table.

“After what?” My
heart rate shot up.

“Rule number
one.”

A shot of desire
coursed through me as I thought about what truly angry sex would be like with
Brian. Then it clicked what we were doing in this room. When our eyes locked, a
chill covered my body. “This room is for that?”

“It is. Lose the
clothes and get on the table,” he demanded, taking off his shoes.

I stood in place,
making no move to do as requested. “Catherine will be waiting—”

“If she is, she
can do so at the bar or go home. They will tell her that I’m here for you, and
we’ve gone into a couples’ room. Now we can do this the easy or the hard way,
Sasha, but either way, I’m going to fuck you right now.”

How could I be
impossibly aroused and pissed off by his arrogant words at the same time? “Oh,
I think I’ll try the hard way, please,” I challenged, liking the way that his
eyes darkened.

He strode toward
me like a man with a purpose, lifted me off my feet without a word, and
practically dumped me on the table. He raised my arms up and tugged off my
dress, securing my hands with two of the restraints up at the top of the surface.
Next, his deft fingers unclasped my bra and then yanked my panties down,
leaving me completely naked.

“You want it the
hard way, do you?” His voice was husky, and I could tell that his control was
frayed. He secured my ankles to the end of the table. These restraints allowed
enough room to bring my knees up, while my hands weren’t going anywhere.

I nodded, my
libido spiking up again. I watched, curious, as he opened a drawer beneath
where I lay.

He quirked a
brow and ran his hand down my thigh. “Very well, you want to play games, we
will.” He replaced my mask with a blindfold. His fingers glided up, finding me
drenched already. Then a digit plunged into me. “This turns you on, doesn’t
it?”

I nodded,
enjoying the pleasurable way his fingers moved. He removed his hand suddenly
and I could hear his clothes rustling. His weight was hovering over me, and I gasped
in surprise when he entered me fully on one stroke. His thrusts were long and
slow, and my body tried to catch up with the sensation. Then, abruptly, he was
out. “Bri—” I didn’t like the fact I couldn’t see.

Suddenly, my
hands were being released and a pillow was slid under my neck. “Squeeze your
tits together and suck it. I want you to taste yourself,” he whispered, using
the wetness from me as lubrication between the valley of my breasts. The tip of
him was at my lips. I opened my mouth and he shifted forward affording me more
of his hard length.

He thrust his
hips while I squeezed his cock with my breasts, providing friction. He
thickened, which gave me a slight warning before the hot liquid hit the back of
my throat. I swallowed instinctively and when he stayed in my mouth, licked
every drop, enjoying the sound of his satisfied groan.

He crawled down
the length of me, flicking his tongue and teeth along the way.

“Do you know how
sexy your pussy is? It’s positively glistening and all from you sucking me
off.”

I shivered with
his words.

“You have no
idea how much I wanted to punish you for being here tonight. Were you tempted
by the menu?” he asked, with his fingers teasing me in my most sensitive spot.

“No, I was only
waiting in the bar,” I insisted, my voice thick with lust.

“You weren’t
curious?” His finger dipped back inside of me.

“No, I only
wanted you.”

His hands
reached back over me, securing my wrists back into the restraints. “Brace
yourself,” he warned, spearing me in one thrust.

“Ah, yes.”

He pushed in and
out in a frenzy and then, much to my dismay, stopped and pulled out again.

I could hear his
ragged breath and fought my annoyance. I arched my hips, trying to feel him
again, only to get air.

My thought of
wanting him to fill me again was completely forgotten when his mouth descended
to my clit. He slid my ankles up on the table so that my knees were now bent. I
gasped when his tongue trailed lower, then started circling that taboo place.
“Oh, God, you—” I was unprepared for the shock of his tongue flicking at my
pucker. His fingers worked my clit at the same time. “Please—” My voice didn’t
sound like my own. I was at the brink when he paused again. “Dammit,” I
muttered.

He repeated the
action three more times until I was ready to scream in frustration. “No more. You’ve
proven your point.”

“Not even close.
You wanted to know what tortured pleasure is? This is it, but I didn’t figure
you’d be this quick to give up.”

I clenched my
teeth, hating the fact that he was challenging me. “Fine,” I hissed.

“Wrong word to
use, honey.”

I gasped when he
slid something hard and long into my slick channel, only to slide it back out
and then slowly into my backside. The fact that he’d used my slick heat as
lubricant was wildly erotic. My breaths came slowly as the foreign object slid
home.

“I’m going to
thrust inside your pussy, and you’re not allowed to come. Do you hear me? This
is for me.”

He moved quickly,
filling me completely and pounding into me like a man possessed.

Jesus, I wasn’t
sure how I’d keep myself from coming or why it turned me on to know he didn’t
want me to. The dual penetration made it impossible to keep from climaxing. “I
can’t. I’m going to—”

He froze completely.
I had the slight satisfaction this was taking its toll on him as well when I
felt his harsh puffs of air on my face. He pulled out, and I could feel his
weight leave the table.

I lay there in
anticipation, unable to see anything but hearing him open some sort of
packaging. “Please tell me these toys are new things and not part of the room.”
Could I help the fact that hygiene came to mind when left alone for a few
moments? My mind was an overthinking machine.

“They’re new,
and you can take them home after,” came his terse response.

Was he really
that pissed off? My body tensed when soft earphones came over my ears, and I
could hear music. “I’m not sure I—” I moaned when his mouth fixated on my
breast. He knew gagging me was against one of my rules, but I couldn’t touch,
see, or hear him now. While his tongue circled around one nipple, there was a
pinch on the other one of pain. “Ah—” then his mouth was circling and soothing
it. I could only guess these were nipple clamps. Pleasured torture indeed as he
repeated the action with the other nipple. I couldn’t hear my breathing, but I
imagined I was loud as crap right now, panting in anticipation, all random
thoughts replaced with raw sensation.

A vibration at
my clit had me nearly rearing off the table. I dug my fingernails into the sheet
and tried to take deep breaths. My hips arched, but just as I got close, he’d
take the vibration away. He did this four times. Christ, I didn’t think I could
take anymore. The tears involuntarily leaked out of my eyes, and I only hoped
the sob was quieter in my head than it had been out loud.

Ripping off my earphones
and then the blindfold, I saw his intense brown eyes staring into mine. He
looked like he wanted to ask me something but decided against words, and
instead he buried his face in my cleft with his lips enclosing my clit and
sucking. He glanced up and twisted one of my nipples with his fingers, causing
a twinge to shoot through me with the clamp in place. “Come now, Sasha.”

My climax was so
consuming and so unbelievably powerful that I wouldn’t have been able to recall
my own name by the time my eyes regained their focus. But he wouldn’t stop,
insisting that he bring me to orgasm again, unrelenting in his ministrations.
As I came down from my second scream-filled orgasm, he moved between my legs,
aligned with my slick entrance, and pushed slowly back inside of me. He stayed
rooted deep without moving and then leaned over me, capturing my lips in the
most erotic kiss I’d ever received from him.

Reaching up, he
freed my hands, and then his eyes locked on my face. “Say you’re mine.”

He pulled out,
thrusting deeply, and I arched, running my hands down his powerful arms and
gripping his hips.

“Yes, yours,” I
whispered, watching a look of pure possession float over his features.