Little Tease (7 page)

After making her promise not to tell anyone, I gave her minimal details: that we’d talked, that he hadn’t disputed my decision not to play with him, and then that I’d reconsidered, but he wouldn’t kiss me until I’d had time to think.

“
You’re gonna play with him soon though, right?” Smurfette asked. “Stupid question. Of course you are. Your secret’s safe with me, I swear. For as long as you want to hide it from everyone.”

“
I… don’t know, Smurf. I want to, but… what happens when Ben finds out? If I play with Josh, even in private, someone gets a payout. That’s so screwed up. I don’t wanna give them the satisfaction.”

“
Hello? What about
your
satisfaction?!” Smurfette said incredulously. “Your amazingly incredible, submissive’s dream, life-affirming, soulmate-finding satisfaction?”

“
No need to get melodramatic. He can’t be that good.” I wasn’t exactly convinced of that.

“
As a platonic play partner of the guy in question, I say he can. And we don’t even have the scarily intense sexual tension thing you two have.” Smurfette sighed. “Think about what you’re losing. I mean, what if Ben pays out to whoever bet closest to when you found out?”

“
Damn it, Smurfette; stop confusing me. I’m a computer programmer! I do black and white, not shades of grey! Binary, not philosophy!”

“
Well, there’s one shade of grey I
highly
recommend you do. And I’m talking silver-grey. Like, silver fox grey.”

“
I get it. Thanks.”

“
And I mean ‘do’ in the Biblical sense.”

“
Where in the Bible does it say ‘and he did her like a man does a woman’?” The conversation had gotten way out of hand, but I was kinda glad to have Smurfette to talk to about the whole mess. It beat talking to myself.

By the time I hung up, I was laughing… but still way too conflicted, and the clock was ticking. If I didn’t make up my mind soon… I could lose Josh for good.

* * * *

Josh

The club night had come around fast. As I walked into the social space, glancing around for Lena, Ben beat a hasty retreat into the far corner.

I let him get away with it. Lena had made me promise to leave him alone, and I still hadn’t found out what her plan for tonight was, though she’d called a few days ago to tell me she had one. And speaking of Lena…

“
Looking for someone?” Her voice in my ear was a welcome surprise.

“
As a matter of fact…”

She leaned back against the wall, impishly looking up at me. “Hi.”

“
Hey.” I looked her over, from head to toe and back again. She scuffed a foot against the floor, pretending to be embarrassed at the objectification, while I admired the way her figure-hugging dress flattered her curves. “You dressed to impress tonight.”

“
Thanks for noticing. Can’t carry out the plan if I can’t keep their eyes on me…”

“
Hey, guys!” Alex came toward us, beaming. “Ready to kick some ass, Lena?”

“
Have you seen Rose?” Lena asked, returning her hug enthusiastically.

“
Talking to Gary by the cloakroom. You might catch her if you go now.”

Lena looked over at me. “I’ll be back soon.”

“
Do what you have to do.”

As she disappeared into the crowd, Alex sighed happily. “You’re still talking to each other! Have you slept together yet? Lena says no, but…”

“
Alex.”

Rolling her eyes and swiping a lock of blue hair out of her eyes, she said, “Okay, okay. But seriously—I’m really glad you guys didn’t let this come between you.”

“
Are you in on her plan?” I asked her.

“
I’m the moral support. It’s gonna take some balls,” Alex said, “but she definitely has ‘em.”

Now I was
really
curious, but I could wait a little longer to find out.

A pause, then Alex giggled. “Well, not literally. Though I guess you’d be in a better position to tell that than I am.”

I wasn’t, yet, but I decided to let her comment pass. “Thanks for talking to her, by the way.”

“
Me?” Alex gave me an innocent look. “No idea what you’re talking about.”

“
Of course you don’t.”

* * * *

Lena

“
Sure this is the best way?” Smurfette retied one of the ribbons on my dress, frowning.

I gave myself one last look in the mirror. “It’s the only way besides just going off-scene and letting them get away with it. And you gave me the idea. You getting cold feet on my behalf?”

She sighed. “I don’t know if Mel will stand with you, or with Ben.”

“
That’s her decision, I guess.” It was the only thing about the plan that I wasn’t crazy about, but if I thought about it now, I’d lose my nerve. “We’ll see.”

“
You look great. Ready?”

I took a deep breath. “I think so.”

“
Let’s rock.”

With a last glance at the list in my hand, I put on my Domme face and headed out toward the DJ booth. The DJ, Lita, faded out the current song when I caught her eye, and I took my place between her and Rose, watching the club’s collective attention slowly turn toward us.

At the back of the room, Gary was shaking his head at people trying to enter the play space, telling them it was off-limits for the moment. We had everyone gathered, and anyone who wasn’t there would hear about it from the ones who were.

Rose took a wireless microphone from Lita, her stiletto heels clacking as she stepped forward. “Hello, everyone. Thanks for being here tonight, and I’m sorry for the interruption to your evening. There’s an issue that’s come to my attention recently, and it’s serious enough that I need to make this club’s position clear. Lena?”

With a glance at Smurfette, who had retreated to stand near Josh, I took the mic Rose offered. “Thanks.”

Then, looking Ben straight in the eye, I began.

* * * *

Josh

I watched as Rose introduced Lena, not entirely sure how effective my girl’s approach would be. She didn’t seem too nervous, though I knew her well enough to know she must have been, at least a little.

Lena took the mic, and stepped forward. “Hi. For any newbies in here tonight, I’m Lena. I’m usually really friendly, so come say hi when this is finished. I’m just kinda pissed off this week.”

Alex and I exchanged amused glances.

“
This isn’t karaoke night… but there is a certain song I gotta sing, if you don’t mind. Actually, it’s more of a poem. Or maybe more of a list.”

Her voice steely, she began to read out the names of everyone on Ben’s list of bettors. Ben and a couple of others at a nearby table turned their backs on her as she read their names, and without faltering, Lena marched over there, stepped up onto the couch they were sitting on, and then over onto their table.

Watching them look from her platform heels on upward, I felt a rush of pride. If she hadn’t had everyone’s attention before, she certainly did now. And she didn’t seem to give a damn if they could see up her dress.

Gonna have to talk to her about that, once she’s mine.

Finishing up the list of names, she surveyed the room with a scowl. “All these people placed bets on when I would give in and play a scene with a certain individual.”

Most eyes turned to me; the game Lena and I had been playing was common knowledge by that point. I kept mine on her, and she continued, “For those of you who might have forgotten, the most widely-accepted creed for the practise of BDSM is three words. Safe. Sane. Consensual.”

I caught her drift a moment before everyone around me did, and gave her a tiny smile and nod. Encouraged, she positioned her foot next to Ben’s drink. “Or we could go with RACK, which is ‘risk-aware
consensual
kink’. I could kick this into your lap right now, Ben, and I’d really
like
to... but I’m not gonna, because you haven’t consented.”

Ben snatched his drink off the table anyway, cradling it possessively, and Lena jumped down from his table, returning to her place beside Rose and Lita. “So, I’ll get to the point. Without obtaining our consent, or even telling us about it, these people bet—pretty much—on when I was gonna
give it up
. When the guy involved found out about it, he didn’t place a bet, because he actually
has
respect for women.”

She didn’t look at me, but the slight warming of her tone was all for me—I knew that.

“
He also didn’t tell me about it, and neither did any of my friends. Wanna know why? Because they didn’t want me to be humiliated, and they hoped it would all blow over.”

She shrugged, pausing for effect. “I know what you’re thinking. Especially those of you who have seen me in a submissive role in clubs before, way back when. ‘Hey, what’s she talking about? I’ve seen her in the dungeon with her ass in the air—she
loves
humiliation.’”

A random guy gave a wolf whistle, and Lena glared in his general direction, trying to pinpoint the culprit. Alex moved away from my side, heading over to a boy barely out of his teens and pointing him out to Lena.

She took a few steps toward him, and he shrank back in his chair. I felt kinda sorry for him; she could be pretty menacing when she put her mind to it. “Wanna do that again?”

He shook his head emphatically, and Lena turned her back on him, continuing, “I did
not
ask to be objectified for anyone’s financial gain. I did
not
give my consent. This kind of humiliation isn’t something I’m getting off on, and I don’t feel safe to do kink at Rack and Ruin right now.”

Looking over at Rose, she added, “Thank you.”

Rose took the mic back from her. “Thanks for bringing this to my attention, Lena.”

Levelling a seasoned pro-Domme’s stare at Ben, then at the rest of the guiltily squirming patrons around the room, she snapped out, “As the owner of this club, it’s my prerogative to make the rules. Here’s a new one. Anyone who organises or places bets—regarding anything that may or may not happen inside this club—will be barred for life.”

A murmur went through the crowd, but Rose silenced everyone with a frown.

“
With regards to this incident, which took place before this precedent was established… Everyone named and shamed tonight is barred from Rack and Ruin for exactly one year. If you wish to come back here after that, I will allow it, but for now… you are no longer welcome, and you have fifteen minutes to say your goodbyes and leave.”

A couple of yards from me, Mel opened her mouth, then closed it again, defeated. Lena gazed at her with obvious regret, then turned away as Ben grabbed his girlfriend’s arm.

Lita started the music again, and most people turned away to talk to their friends about this latest development. I made my way over to Lena, who watched me approach with a tiny wave.

“
Not bad.”

Her smile was genuine, but brief. “Thanks. I just wish Mel hadn’t been involved.”

I looked over to find Ben arguing with Rose, and Alex hugging Mel. “Go talk to her. She might not take it personally.”

She kissed my cheek, then headed into the fray. I kept back, my eye on Ben. Something told me he wouldn’t go quietly.

I was right. After Rose dismissed him, he marched over toward Lena, but I stepped into his path.

“
You gotta keep a tighter leash on your damn girlfriend,” he snarled at me.

I stared him down, letting him see a flash of my angry contempt before putting on a neutral face. “Get the feeling it’s only you and your gambling buddies that think so.”

He balled his fists, and part of me rejoiced. “You nearly cost me more than I was willing to lose,” I told him. “Just give me a reason to knock you out. Just
one
.”

Mel swept past me, shoving Ben with both hands. “Haven’t you fucked up enough? Leave Josh alone and get to the damn car, all right?”

The two of them faced off in a private battle between Dominant and submissive. Mel shook her head, and Ben threw up his hands, defeated. “Whatever. Let’s get the fuck out of here.”

While he stomped toward the exit, Lena and Alex joined us. “Mel?”

She looked at the three of us, teary-eyed. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry. I’m his Domme, but there are certain things I could never control.”