Slapping Leather Read online

  The other woman stared at her for what seemed like an endless moment, then she leaned back in her chair and laughed. Actually laughed until tears rolled down her cheeks.

  Anger streaked up from inside Liz, burning hot. This was the last thing she’d expected from her friend. “I’m sorry you find this so outrageous,” she said in a carefully controlled voice.

  Katie patted her face with her napkin and took a long swallow of her water, then shook her head. “Honey, I’m not laughing at you. I promise.” More water. “Here’s the thing.” She took a deep breath and looked intently at Liz. “I have my own secrets, girl friend. I’m a sexual submissive.”

  Liz stared at her friend as if she’d been speaking in alien tongues. Surely she’d misheard her.

  “Are you just saying that?” She narrowed her eyes in suspicion. “Because if you are, I don’t appreciate it.”

  “Liz, Liz, Liz.” This time Katie picked up her margarita, sipped at it, and set the glass back down. “Let me tell you a little story.”

  “A story.”

  “Uh huh.” Another sip. “Eleven years ago I was sitting in my apartment in Atlanta with a fresh college diploma and no job prospects. At least none that paid a living wage. Then a friend of mine told me she knew some people who owned three social clubs. They were looking for a bookkeeper.”

  Liz lifted one eyebrow. “Social clubs?”

  “So to speak.” She smiled. “After the interview, he told me what kind of clubs they were and said I’d need to see them before I could agree to take the job. If I turned it down, he’d completely understand. Imagine my shock when I walked into the first place and discovered it was a fetish club.”

  Now it was Liz’s turn to laugh as she visualized the shock on her friend’s face. “You took the job, right?”

  “Oh, yeah. I hadn’t planned to use my degree to be a bookkeeper, but the salary they were offering was too good to bypass. I wasn’t stupid enough to turn it down. And benefits they were great.”

  “So what happened after that?”

  “Well, it’s hard to be around places like that and ignore what’s going on. The various activities began to fascinate me, and I found myself being drawn to what happened in the voyeur rooms. Then…” She looked away for a moment, and something flitted across her face. “I met a guy. I was incredibly attracted to him. He was the one who trained me as a sub. Meanwhile, I ended up managing one of the clubs.”

  “So you’ve been in the life all this time?”

  “Uh huh.” Katie looked up at the waiter. “Give us another few minutes, okay? We haven’t really looked at the rest of the menu.” Then she turned back to Liz. “But about a year and a half ago, I had a relationship that ended badly. I wanted out of Atlanta. And lucky for me, there was someone looking to hire a new manager. In San Antonio.”

  Liz nearly choked on her chip. “Are you kidding me?”

  “Not in the least. He owns a fetish club called Rawhide, with a silent partner. At the far north end of the city.”

  “That is just so unbelievable. Who are these guys? Do I even know them?”

  Katie gave her a sly smile. “You know one of them. His name’s Reece Halliday.”

  Liz had just taken a swallow of her drink. She snorted some of it through her nose, choked on the rest, and did her best to get control of herself.

  “Damn, Katie,” she said when she could speak again. “Reece owns a fetish club? And he hired you?”

  “You bet.”

  “But…but I thought you guys knew each other years ago. Maybe even planned to get married. Then something happened.”

  “The something was I discovered Reece was an unrepentant Dom, and at that time, it scared the shit out of me.”

  “But not anymore,” Liz guessed.

  “No.” Katie chuckled. “Far from it.”

  “Why did he open the club?”

  Katie shrugged. “He got tired of flying around the country for sex, and you know he couldn’t exactly be open about it around here.” Her lips quirked up in a secret smile. “But I’m glad we found each other again, and I have to say, our sex life is beyond wonderful.” She winked at Liz. “Or is that too much information?”

  Liz just shook her head. “I thought there wasn’t anything that could surprise me. Shows you how wrong I was. But you don’t still work at the club, right?”

  “No. When we got married, we decided that would complicate things too much. But I still wanted to use my skills and the ranch manager was retiring so I just stepped into that slot.”

  “Well. Well, well, well.”

  “Uh huh.” Katie fished an ice cube out of her glass and stuck it in her mouth.

  “You know, I have to keep a tight rein on myself twenty four/seven so none of those yahoos who work for me think I’m the least bit weak. The bedroom is the only place I can really let myself go.” She sighed. “And I miss it. Before John left me the ranch, I took long vacations here and there and always found a club where I could play.”

  “No long term relationship?”

  Liz felt the chill starting deep inside herself and forced it away. “Bad history. Nothing I can talk about.” She forced herself to relax. “Anyway, now I’m under such scrutiny, and I’m afraid to go to the store without an explanation.”

  “You don’t think maybe you’re exaggerating just a little?”

  “Oh, no. You come over there sometime and then ask me that question.”

  “So. Maybe I can help you with your problem after all.”

  “You mean…No. I don’t think so.”

  Go to Reece’s club? Where he and Katie would know what she was doing? Oh, wait. They did the same things. She had to deliberately shut her mind to images of Katie and Reece and D/s play. Much too much information.

  “Come on,” Katie urged. “You can go when Reece and I are there. Sit around in the lounge and get a sense of things. See if it feels comfortable to you.”

  “You still go to the club to play?” Liz was surprised.

  “Well…they have a lot more equipment than we do.” She grinned. “And it adds a little more spice. Anyway, how about if I call you the next time we’re going? You can ride with us or follow so you have your own wheels.”

  Liz idly crumbled a tortilla chip. “I don’t know if I could face Reece if he knew…you know…”

  Katie reached across the table and squeezed her hand. “He’s the least judgmental person I know. Besides, wouldn’t that be kind of the pot calling the kettle black?” She leaned back. “Now, shall we order? All this conversation has me starved. Not for food, but that will do.”

  ****

  How the hell had she let herself be talked into this? Reece had dropped Katie off so they could drive in together, and he’d acted very normal, very nonchalant about the whole thing. It took the edge off her nerves. Like minds and all that. She’d just known him for so long in another context. Still, the two of them had gone out of their way to make her feel as comfortable as possible.

  She’d missed the intimacy of D/s play, the chance to let go of everything, release control for a short time to someone she trusted. But she’d never let it go beyond a few sessions with the same Dom. Never again. She couldn’t risk it.

  If she just focused on tonight and its possibilities, she could forget her self-consciousness with the Hallidays as well as the unpleasant memories she kept buried. Tonight would be a fresh start. A private start. And she’d keep it that way.

  She squirmed in her chair in a corner of the big lounge area at Rawhide. From where she sat now she had a pretty good view of the activity in the club. Down one hallway were the private rooms, and behind her the voyeur rooms for public viewing. Before Reece guided her to her seat she’d glanced into the first room. A curvy redhead was spread-eagled on a St. Andrews Cross, the base of a large dildo just visible below her pussy. It was obviously working as her body vibrated and shook. Beside her stood a muscular man, who reminded Liz of a football player, wielding a flogger. Striping the woma
n’s ass. The speakers in the room were turned on so the woman’s cries could be heard throughout the lounge.

  Liz immediately felt liquid soak the crotch of her thong and her pulse throbbed with a racing heartbeat. She hadn’t been in a club—or any part of the scene—for so long, and her starved senses were crying for satisfaction. She crossed her legs and adjusted her skirt, squeezing her thighs together against the sudden throbbing in her cunt.

  “Here you go.” Katie sat down next to her and handed her a glass of club soda.

  The club had a full bar, but serious players usually didn’t drink until after their sessions. Too easy to lose control and fall into a dangerous situation. Even after that, there was a two drink limit. And while Liz hadn’t really come tonight with the intention of hooking up, the possibility was always there.

  “You doing okay?” Katie looked at her over the rim of her coffee cup.

  “Yes. I feel strange and comfortable at the same time. Does that make sense?”

  “Of course. If you’ve been away from it for a while, you need readjusting. That’s only natural.”

  Liz drank some of the soda. “I can’t believe I haven’t even heard of this place.”

  “Reece and his partner are very good at keeping it on the downlow. Reece has his own reputation to protect, you know,

  sad as it is to say.”

  The cries of the woman in the voyeur room had changed to those of someone in the grip of approaching orgasm. Liz’s own cunt pulsed in response.

  “You don’t have to babysit me,” she told her friend. “Go find Reece and enjoy yourself.”

  “I have no intention of leaving you alone,” Katie protested. “Not when you just got here.”

  “She won’t be alone.”

  Liz recognized the voice and froze. What was Alex Wright doing here? Of all places? She looked up to see him smiling at her. His expression was friendly, but the look in his eyes was feral.

  “A-Alex?”

  A cauldron of emotion bubbled inside her—shock at seeing him here. Anxiety at his reaction to her presence. And over it all, a bolt of pure lust that shot straight to her nipples and her pussy. Because damn. Didn’t he look just too mouth-watering for her sanity.

  Dark leather slacks molded to his long muscular legs and lean hips. His white silk shirt was partially unbuttoned, exposing a wedge of dark chest hair. Those blue eyes blazed with a hunger that took her breath away.

  The other day he’s been relaxed and casual, but tonight, despite his smile, he was every inch in command. Every bit the Dom.

  Liz didn’t know if she should smile invitingly or stand up and run. This was her first foray into the scene after a long time away. Plus she had a history that she kept tamped down in a corner of her mind. For her first contact to be this man was more than unsettling. She’d come to Rawhide for the anonymity but holy Texas lord! How could she walk away from someone so tempting?

  Because you know how lethal temptation like that can be.

  “I wasn’t aware the two of you knew each other.” Katie’s voice broke into Liz’s mental detour.

  “Elizabeth is training my niece’s horse.” The low timbre of his voice vibrated through her body. “Don’t worry, Katie. I’ll take very good care of her.”

  Katie frowned and touched Liz’s arm. “You just holler if you need us.”

  Alex chuckled. “Oh, I’m hoping she’ll holler but not for you. Go on, now. I’ve got it covered.”

  He dropped down into the spot Katie had been sitting, lifted one of Liz’s hands, and brushed his thumb lightly over her knuckles. Shivers skittered over the surface of her skin. And when his eyes locked on hers they were like twin lasers, pinning her in place. She was aware of nothing but this highly sensual man. Even the lusty, erotic screams from the voyeur room faded into the background.

  Something she’d been burying inside her broke loose with frantic energy, engulfing her. The connection that jolted between the two of them was so strong it was almost visible.

  Get up. Run. Leave.

  No, stay. Don’t be a coward.

  But what if…

  “First time here, right?” He studied her with a heated look.

  “Um, yes.” She wet her lips. Why was she so damn nervous? “Does it show?”

  “Not really.” He lightly stroked her forearm, his touch waking up nerve endings and ratcheting up her pulse. “But first time in a new place can be tricky.” He lowered his voice almost to a whisper. “I’d be honored to ease you through it.”

  Really? Hmm. “You come here a lot?”

  He shrugged. “Enough. Like Reece, I can’t exactly look for playmates in the community. And the women I date would probably shoot me if I suggested a little D/s play. A friend told me about Rawhide and got me a onetime invite.” He laughed. “Reece happened to be here that night. A surprise for both of us.”

  “Oh. Wow.” What a sparkling conversationalist she was. She just couldn’t seem to get her tongue unstuck from the roof of her mouth.

  “Don’t worry.” His hand slid further up the bare skin of her arm, his fingers brushing the side of her breast.

  Her nipples reacted as if needles pricked them and she longed for the torment of a good set of nipple clamps. She closed her eyes against the sudden image of herself standing chained to a wall, her nipples clamped and Alex striping her ass with a suede flogger.

  She forced her eyes open to see Alex watching her with a look of intense hunger.

  “So how heavy into this are you?” He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, his fingers tracing the line of her cheekbone. “A little? A lot?”

  “I-I feel so weird discussing this with you.” Was she blushing? Holy shit.

  “Why?” He cupped her chin. “Because we met in different roles? Here, in Rawhide, we are just two consenting adults looking to satisfy our sexual needs in an environment that’s safe, sane, and consensual. Right?”

  “Y-Yes.” The throbbing in her pussy was so intense she wondered why the small couch wasn’t vibrating with the force. God, she had missed this. She just had to remember that nothing carried outside these walls. If she chose to accept Alex’s invitation to play, it would stay here and that was it. One disaster was enough to last her a lifetime.

  Except…how could she handle this almost visible connection between them?

  “So how long, Liz?”

  Right, right, right. How long had she been into the D/s scene?

  “Almost ten years.” God, had it been that long? “A guy I was dating took me to a private club one night.” She frowned as she remembered the details. “I was so young and green then, but he was older, kind, and knew exactly how to introduce me to the scene.”

  “He didn’t force you, did he?” Alex’s voice was suddenly hard.

  “No, not at all. We’d actually talked about it and tried a few things by ourselves. Just playing a little.”

  “Good.” She felt him relax. “This isn’t something that can be pushed onto someone. But you enjoy it?”

  “Oh, yes.” She most definitely did.

  Alex rested one hand on her knee, the tips of his fingers playing with the hem of her short skirt before sliding beneath the fabric. The moment his palm rested against the inside of her thigh she squeezed her legs together.

  “Spread your legs,” he commanded, his voice low enough that only the two of them could hear it. “Now.”

  Alex Wright might deliver his words with that thick-as-sorghum drawl, but Liz was acutely aware that beneath that casual exterior was the unbreakable steel of a Dom. A Dom who knew exactly what he wanted.

  An electric thrill ran through Liz’s body. Automatically she let her thighs fall apart. His hand slid up to the crotch of her thong, and his fingers rubbed against the thin silk.

  A smile of satisfaction curved his mouth. “Soaked. How long has it been since the last time you played?”

  “More than a year,” she whispered, unable to tear her eyes from his.

  “Far, far too l
ong.” He pulled his hand out and slid it up her rib cage to cup her breast. “Liz, you don’t really know me. In fact, we just met a few days ago. But I promise you can trust me. Go ask Reece. He’ll tell you the truth.” He moved his hands away. “Go on. See if he’s in the office.”

  Liz stared at him, trying to read his eyes. She knew Katie would never have left her with him if he wasn’t safe. She’d just have to remember to keep her own defenses in place. Particularly where her emotions were concerned. “No, it’s okay. I believe you.”

  “I really want that trust, because I have to tell you, I want to be with you very, very much. I think we could enjoy each other.” When she didn’t say anything, he asked, “Did you come here tonight just to watch? Or are you here to play?” He pinched a nipple between his thumb and forefinger. Hard. “Because if it’s the latter, I want to be the one you play with.

  Desire spread through her like wet heat, burning her. She licked her lips again. “To…to play. I came to play.”

  “And would you like to play with me?” He pinched her nipple again, this time maintaining the pressure.

  She gasped at the bolt of pleasure.

  “We are two different people here,” he assured her in his low, deep drawl. “That’s the beauty of a place like Rawhide. We can be anyone we want.” He bent his head closer and bit the lobe of her ear. “I will take very good care of you. I give you my word on that.”

  Liz looked around. Everyone in the lounge was occupied. The dungeon master lounging against one wall looked at her and smiled, giving a slight nod of his head. Okay. So Reece and Katie had probably said something to him, and he was telling her Alex was okay. It wouldn’t do for a friend of the owner to be hurt in this club. So, did she want to take this chance?

  Yes! The word resounded in her head.

  “Yes,” she breathed. “I would like that.”

  He stood up and held out a hand to her. “Then come with me. We’ll find a room that suits us and see how well we do together.”

  Chapter Three

  There was no light in the room except for a lamp in the corner and a spotlight shining down on the wide leather bench.