There wasn’t long to process the shock of Lucy being in a sex club—outwardly promoting that she was submissive—because my body was too busy reacting to what she was wearing. Or, more accurately, not wearing.
A sheer black dress clung to her body, barely held up by thread-thin straps, just long enough to cover her ass. From the front, several gems formed triangles to cover her nipples and the apex of her thighs, giving the illusion that she wore nothing beneath. When she walked through the room, I caught a glimpse of her from behind, the back of the dress featuring another gem pattern of a straight line down her ass crack, the bottom curve of her ass visible through the fabric. There was no illusion—she was bare beneath the see-through dress.
Silently telling my dick to calm down, reminding myself this was Lucy, I watched her take a lap around the room before sidling up to the bar at the opposite end of where I sat.
Growing up around bored rich kids, I knew they were always looking to try new things, pushing boundaries. When you had too much money and a lack of parental oversight, there was a tendency to think you were invincible—the standard rules of society didn’t apply. They were always chasing a new high. Maybe that’s what this was for Lucy. I wouldn’t put it past her to be down here because she felt it was some new fad, and she was missing out. She wouldn’t survive down here if that were the case.
Just to be safe, I scanned the rest of her body for any indication that she was currently involved with another Dom. The last thing I needed was to piss someone off and get my membership revoked, considering I was in a fighting mood.Lucy entered alone, and there didn’t appear to be any kind of identifying jewelry on her body, but that wasn’t a sure sign that she was unattached. Knowing the brat she was, she could be toying with her Dom as an act of defiance.
My jaw clenched thinking about her with another man when she was promised to me, even if I didn’t want her. I knew I was being irrational, seeing as I was sitting at the bar in the same club, specifically looking to get laid. It was the principle of the thing—I was willing to be faithful once we were bound, but it didn’t look like we were on the same page. Maybe I could use that as a dealbreaker and end this waking nightmare.
Intrigued, wondering how committed she was to this world, I told the bartender to let her know her drink was on me. It wasn’t uncommon as an icebreaker for casual play. When he placed whatever clear drink she ordered in front of her seat and indicated that it was taken care of, her blue eyes looked right at me. Lifting my glass of whiskey in her direction, I took a sip while she undressed me with her eyes.
Even from this distance, I could see her shifting in her seat. Well, well, well. Little Miss I Hate You was turned on. I could work with turned on—down here, I made a living with turned on.
Lucy lifted her drink in my direction, essentially inviting me to join her.
How could I refuse?
Pushing off my stool, I slowly stalked to where she sat, sipping her drink. The closer I got, the more confident I became that she’d recognize me as easily as I had her. My body was tensing, bracing for her to make the connection between the masked stranger and the man she claimed to hate.
Stopping before her, Lucy flashed me a smile. She didn’t recognize me. “Thank you for the drink. I’m Ari.”
Ari, huh? No one used real names down here—everyone used an alias, but I saw right through hers. One of her middle names was Arabella, so she’d shortened it. Clever.
Taking the black-velvet-lined barstool next to hers, I decided to try a new alias with her, a play on my name as she’d done with hers.
Dropping my voice an octave to avoid her recognizing my voice, I introduced myself. “Tony.”
Her fingers toyed with the rim of her glass. “Tony. I like that.”
She really had no idea it was me. This was wild. I’d already come this far, so why not take things further? I’d be lying if I said the idea didn’t intrigue me. Seeing if I could command Lucy Remington’s body seemed almost like a challenge. Beyond that, I wanted to find out if she would obey. She would never grant the real me that level of trust, but I could see what I was working with should things proceed with our arranged marriage.
Boldy, I dropped my hand to rest on her bare thigh, where her short skirt had ridden up while she sat with her legs crossed at the bar. Her skin was soft, smooth, and surprisingly warm, considering she’d just entered the club from the cool night air. Lucy leaned into my touch, positioning her upper body closer to mine. The signals were clear—she wanted this.
Curious, I asked, “Are you a new member? I haven’t seen you around before.”
Her brilliant blue eyes never left mine as a corner of her lips turned up. “No, I’ve been a member for a while but travel a lot for work. I don’t get down here as much as I’d like these days.”
How long was a while? Months, years? Perfect Princess Lucy was not as she seemed. But then again, neither was I.
On to the next question. If I saw any red flags, I would pull the rip cord and end this charade. For all I knew, she was trying to trap me, using my private life to deem me unfit to marry.
“Are you looking for a permanent partner or more interested in play for the evening?”
Reaching out her hand, she caressed my arm from my shoulder through the thick material of my suit jacket down to where my hand rested on her thigh, where she proceeded to move my hand further up and under her dress.
Voice breathy, she responded, “Play.”
Jesus, I did not expect her to be so bold. One final test before I took her behind closed doors. “Limits?”
Blue eyes flaring, she smirked. “None.”
None?
I felt my jaw drop slightly. Lucy always struck me as the type of girl who had sex with the lights off, the sight of a penis too offensive for her delicate sensibilities. Now, down here in the sexual underworld, she was saying nothing was off limits?
There was some dark shit that went down behind closed doors. I’d never been the kind of man who got off on their partner’s pain, but I knew those who did. I got off on the control, nothing more. If I saw a need to punish, I did so in ways that wouldn’t leave marks. But for Lucy to say she was open to all this world had to offer was shocking. Had she been struck by a member in the throes of consensual sexual play? Had she liked it?
