Awakened (2 page)

She clenched her fists and shoved back her nervousness.  Clearly she was going to have to put on a brave face for both of them.  This was not at all what she had hoped for.  Brad was supposed to reveal his secret dominant side, to take her in hand and take control.  Now she felt like
s
he
was the one steering
him
as they ascended the stairs leading up to the double doors.

But then Brad flashed the tickets to the doorman, and those doors opened.  Holly didn’t have time for resentful thoughts and niggling doubts anymore; she was here now.  A long, high-ceilinged corridor stretched out before them.  Gently applying pressure to Brad’s arm, Holly gathered up her courage and guided them into the house.  She wasn’t sure where she was going, but she walked with as much confidence as she could muster.

It wasn’t hard to figure out where the bar was: it was the first room off of the corridor and the only doorway that wasn’t curtained off.  Her curiosity was piqued as to what was concealed by those heavy red drapes, but she knew that she needed a drink or three before she was ready to face anything too kinky.  And Brad looked like he could use several as well.  He was pale, his full lips standing out in stark contrast to his suddenly papery cheeks.  And a vein was ticking in his forehead, his jaw clenched in anxiety.  Holly had never seen him so worked-up before.

“Are you okay,
Brad
?”  She asked, softly enough that she wouldn’t be heard over the music emanating from the bar area.

“I’m fine,” he answered, but the words were hissed from between his clenched teeth.  His eyes met hers for the first time since they had left her apartment, and they flashed dangerously.  Was he… angry with her? 
Surely not.
  He was the one who had bought the tickets, after all.  She never would have asked him to come here.

All she could do was shrug it off.  They were here now, and there was no turning back.  Especially if Brad wanted to pretend like nothing was wrong.

I’m here now.  Finally,
she thought. 
I’m going to enjoy myself.

She had been fantasizing about being in just such a situation for years, and she wasn’t about to abandon her desires now that the possibility of fulfilling them was being dangled before her.

Alcohol.
  Alcohol would help loosen Brad up.

The bar area was beautiful.  It was clearly a converted ballroom, with a marble dance floor and a gold-painted domed ceiling.  Although the pulsing music that was playing jarred slightly with the aged refinement of the room, it suited the sexy mood of a fetish club.  The room was packed, but the numbers reassured Holly.  They would be more inconspicuous in a large crowd than standing on their own.  She was especially grateful for that as she again became aware of her skimpy outfit.  She was only wearing the corset and a tiny black lace skirt.  She had been going for the burlesque look because she had thought it was one of the more modest
options, but she still felt flagrantly exposed walking into a room full of people while wearing so little.

Focusing her gaze on her destination rather than meeting the eyes of the people around her, Holly marched toward the bar, Brad in tow. 

“What can I get for you?”  The pretty blonde bartender asked with a dimpled smile.  Holly glanced up at Brad, waiting for him to order.  But he was looking back at the crowd, his eyes darting around, taking everything in.  Holly sighed at his distraction.

“A vodka cranberry and a gin and tonic, please,” she requested, returning the woman’s smile despite her irritation with Brad.

The woman eyed him, taking note of his bewildered expression. 
“First time here?”
  She asked kindly.

“Yeah,” Holly admitted.  “First time coming anywhere like this, actually.”

“Really?”
  Her grin broadened.  “That’s great!  Here, let me introduce you to my friend.  I know she’d be happy to show you around, if you want.”

Some of the tension left Holly in the wake of the bartender’s bubbly friendliness.  “Thanks,” she smiled gratefully.

The blonde gestured to someone at the end of the bar.  “Ella!”  She called.  A lithe, dark-haired woman unfolded herself from where she was seated and approached them.  “Got some newbies here for you,” the bartender informed her.

Holly blushed a bit at being called a “newbie,” but she was more grateful for company than she was embarrassed.  Up close, she could see that Ella was gorgeous, tall and thin, with sharply jutting cheekbones and a small chin.  The woman was all hard angles; it looked as though you could bruise yourself just by touching her.  Holly could tell by her bearing that the woman was a Domme, and she couldn’t deny being intrigued by the idea of a dominant woman.  In fact, the heat that flared between her legs let her know that she was more than intrigued.

But she masked the interest of her inner submissive, putting on a bold front.  “Hi,” Holly said, extending her hand confidently.  “I’m Holly.  This is Brad.”

At the sound of his name, Brad jerked back to attention.  His eyes widened as he took in
Ella,
and his gaze lingered, clearly appreciative of her skimpy leather outfit.  Holly felt a flare of jealous anger – he certainly hadn’t ever looked at
her
like that – but she pushed it down ruthlessly.

“Ella,” the Domme said simply, her voice low and husky.  When she shook Holly’s hand, her grip was firm.  She didn’t shake Brad’s hand.  “So this is your first time, then?”  She smiled, somehow seeming to show all of her perfect white teeth.

“Uh, yeah,” Holly answered a bit shakily, slightly disconcerted despite her determination to keep her backbone with this intimidating woman.

“So,” Ella continued, addressing Holly, “would you like for me to show you and your sub around?”

Brad’s eyes suddenly snapped into focus, his gaze lifting from Ella’s breasts to her angular face.  “What?”  He asked sharply.  “What do you mean, ‘sub’?”

“Submissive,” Ella explained kindly.

Holly felt the muscles of Brad’s forearm tense under her hand.  “I am
not
her submissive,” he said emphatically, glaring at Ella rudely.

The
Domme’s
brows rose, unfazed.
  “Oh?”  She asked.  “It seemed like Holly was the one in charge.”

Holly’s cheeks flamed.  Even though a part of her knew that she was being irrational, she suddenly felt guilty that she had embarrassed Brad.

He visibly bristled.  “Well, you’re wrong,” he snapped.  His grip shifted to Holly’s upper arm, and he pulled her into him roughly, as though trying to stake his claim over her.  “Come on, Holly,” he said brusquely, steering her away from Ella.

Now it was Holly’s turn to be embarrassed as they left Ella.  She had only been trying to help, after all.  But Brad’s sudden domineering nature intrigued her, and the intensity of his grip on her sent pleasurable tingles down her spine.  Although she felt terrible about being rude to Ella, she shot her an apologetic glance and followed where Brad led her.  The
Domme’s
harsh expression softened towards her slightly, as though recognizing that she was not the one at fault, but that did little to quell the unease in her belly.

Brad swiped their drinks off of the bar and downed his in one go.  As he set the glass down, Holly could see that his hand was shaking in anger.  He gestured to the blonde bartender for another, but she only glared at him; she had clearly seen how rude he had been to her friend.

“Can I get some service over here?”  Brad asked loudly, waving down the male bartender instead.  The man grimaced, but he poured another drink for Brad just the same.  Holly had
barely taken two sips of her own, but he downed the second drink before the bartender could even serve someone else.  “Shot of tequila,” he ordered.

The bartender’s brow furrowed.  “We don’t do shots here, buddy.  And you need to slow down.  I can’t serve you another if you’re going to continue like this.”

Brad’s expression turned thunderous.

Whoa.
  This was a side of him that Holly had never seen before, and she definitely didn’t like it.  He was acting like a total ass.

“Fine,” he snapped.  Keeping his grip on Holly, he pulled her away from the bar.  She had to struggle to maintain her balance as he jerked her along behind him, heading for a darkened corner.  When they reached the secluded spot, Brad surreptitiously pulled a flask out of his pocket and took a swig.

“Brad!”  Holly exclaimed, disapproval evident in her tone.  “What the hell are you doing?”

His grip tightened on her upper arm, using bruising force.  Her eyes watered.  He was hurting her now.

“Don’t question me, Holly.  I’m the one in charge here.  I’m the one in control, not you.  This is what you want.”

Fury filled her.  She wrenched her arm free of his grip.  “No, Brad, this isn’t what I want.  I want a dominant man, sexually.  Not a misogynistic asshole.”

His brow furrowed and his jaw tightened.  “You asked for this.  And now you’re being a prude?  Make up your mind, Holly,” he said derisively.

She gasped, stepping back from him in shock.  Who was this man who had suddenly materialized before her?  Not sweet, studious Brad.  She had known that he was a perfectionist and a control freak, but she didn’t know that he thought he could control
her
.  He reached out for her again, and she slapped his hand away.

“Don’t touch me,” she hissed.

His expression darkened further. 
“Whatever, Holly.
  If you don’t want to acknowledge your place, I’ll find someone else who will.  We’re done.”

Holly reeled back as though he had slapped her in the face.  He was breaking up with her?  Here, now?  Thankfully, anger overrode any hurt that she might feel at his callousness.

“Fine!”
  She snapped.  As she turned on her heel and stalked away, she saw him take another swig from his flask out of the corner of her eye.  She could hardly believe it.
Had she been such a zombie lately that she had never even seen his true nature?  Apparently she had been, because he had just made it crystal clear that he was a total douchebag.

She thought about leaving, about escaping.  But if
he
was going to stay, she wasn’t about to be the one to cave, to run away.  Holly squared her shoulders and walked back to the bar, where she ordered another vodka cranberry from the male bartender to calm her nerves; she wasn’t about to approach the blonde woman again.  Not after how she had walked away from Ella. 

She was trembling as anger washed through her, and she strove to steady her hand as she raised her cup to her lips.

“Are you alright, little one?”  A deep, drawling voice asked from behind her.

Holly jumped at its proximity, jerked from her furious thoughts.  As she spun around to face the speaker, she tripped on her heels.  Her drink went flying as she released it to catch herself on her hands.  She braced for the impact with the hard marble, but it never came.  A pair of strong arms closed around her waist, stopping her short.  Struggling to find her feet, she glanced up to thank her savior.  She almost lost her balance all over again as she took him in.

He was sexy in a rough-around-the-edges kind of way, with golden hair that waved gently to his chin and stubble on his strong jaw.  His nose was a bit crooked, as though it had been broken a time or two, but it only made him all the more roguishly handsome.  But it was his eyes that captivated her most: a startling, light blue-green, with a playful light that told her that he knew the effect he was having on her.

Holly swallowed hard and instinctively grasped his upper arms in order to regain her balance.  A little thrill ran through her at the feel of corded muscles under her fingers.  This man was strong.  Strong enough to throw her down and take
her,
ravage her…

A lopsided smile broke out on his face at her visceral reaction to him, as though he could read her thoughts.  Gripping her waist firmly, he pulled her upward so that her toes were barely touching the ground before gently lowering her back onto her high heels.  This time she was determined not to fall again, so she locked her knees, forcing her legs to support her.  They stood there for a moment, holding each other as the Dom speared her with his icy aqua gaze.  She shivered in his arms.

Then the lust in his eyes cleared, and he stepped back from her, releasing her.  Holly felt a pang at the loss of contact, but she reluctantly withdrew her hands from his arms.  He was a complete stranger, after all, and they had been touching for longer than was strictly necessary.  She blushed, but as much as she wanted to drop her eyes, she found that she could not avert her gaze from his smirking face.

He extended a hand to her.  “Hi,” he said casually, as though she hadn’t just made a fool of herself.  “I’m Holden.”

She let him take her hand in his large one, his grip firm but the power in it restrained.  She suppressed a pleasurable shudder at his touch, and again they lingered a bit too long before releasing one another.

“Holly,” she breathed as he finally released her.

“So,” he continued, “what are you doing here, sub?”