She let out a breath and relaxed against the back of the chair. “The NDA for the club is quite extensive.”
“Max likes it that way.” It had expanded since he’d joined. Max insisted everyone sign a new one. “What do you know about the lifestyle?”
“A bit.” She shifted. “I lived in Seattle before Pleasant Valley and learned some there.”
Interesting. “How long have you been in Pleasant Valley?”
“About three years.”
“Why did you move from Seattle?”
“I wasn’t happy with the school district.”
He nodded. “Tell me more about how you got to know the lifestyle.” He wanted to get her talking and find out more about her. While he would ask her for permission to look at her questionnaire, he wanted to hear it from her.
“In college, my roommate and her boyfriend were into kink. I was curious, so she loaned me some books, and we chatted about it.”
“What kind of books?”
“BDSM for beginners, BDSM for the novice, Dominance and submission, books on those subjects.”
“What did your friend tell you about kink?” Was her friend into safe, sane, and consensual? He thought yes based on the books, considering the actual bookBDSM for the Novicewas written by Max under a pseudonym.
“She told me how everything is consensual. If someone doesn’t ask specifically for consent, then a sub should walk away. She also said how relaxing and stress relieving it was for her. She was able to forget about work and just be herself.”
“With the right people, the lifestyle is very beneficial.” He was glad her roommate had a good experience. So many people didn’t.
“Did you go to any clubs in Seattle?”
“I went a couple of times.” Her chin lifted, and she crossed her arms over her chest.
“What happened?” By her defensiveness, something had happened.
“It wasn’t for me.”
She wasn’t giving him much. “Tell me more?”
Brianna sighed. “The truth? Most of the men were assholes.” Her arms fell to her sides, and she leaned forward. “I felt like shark bait, and it wasn’t a good feeling.”
“None of the men asked for consent?” It was a guess, but he had a feeling they hadn’t.
“Not a single one. After the fifth guy made demands, I walked out. Some of the men’s comments to me were not nice.”
Rafe’s temper flared. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s not your fault.” She waved a hand in the air. “I don’t feel that way here.”
“Good. Max strives for safe, sane, and consensual.”
“With the extensive classes, background checks and stuff, I’m not surprised.”
Rafe smiled. “Once in a while, someone will slip through. I’ve heard Max used to rent out the club to other kink groups, but he stopped the practice after some issues. Max values his club and his members.”
“He does. He talked with me at length before he even agreed to let me fill out the paperwork to join. It made me feel safe.”
“If you decide you want to hang out with me and I do anything, anything at all, that makes you feel unsafe, tell me. I’m pretty good at reading clues, but we all miss stuff.”
“Thank you. I appreciate that.”
