The door leads into a small entryway, with a woman standing before a podium. It’s so dark I can barely see her. She wears a tight, leather dress and gloves, and gives Crimson a nod of recognition as weenter.
“We’ve been expecting both of you,” she says curtly. She pulls out a clipboard and a pen, which lights up so I can read the form attached to the clipboard. She hands me both. “Please take your time to review all of the details before signing. If you have any questions, I’d be happy to answer them.”
“Thank you,” I whisper. My voice is so quiet it’s amazing she can hear me at all, but then again, it’s possible she’s got magically-enhanced hearing somehow.
My thoughts are so hazy with anticipation it’s difficult for me to focus, but I pull it together and somehow make it through the long, detailed waiver. I sign it at the bottom, noticing that the ink in the pen is dark red.
I hand the clipboard back to the woman at the podium, trying to keep my hands as steady as I can.
“Enjoy,” she says, with a knowing smirk.
I feel a firm hand at my low back again, and I look up shyly at Crimson. Her presence is both grounding and exciting. I really hope I don’t disappoint her tonight. I’ve never imagined I would ever be someplace like this, although I can’t deny that I’ve fantasized about it.
She leads me gently down a narrow hallway. There’s a glow of crimson at the end of it, and I can hear soft, sensual music playing, quieter than in the club, but somehow just as tantalizingly sexy. A low moan floats down the hallway, making my heart flutter. I’m both eager and terrified to make it to the end…
We step out into a wide, high-ceilinged room. Everything glistens in slick, shiny black and red. Low, velvet couches are arranged throughout the space. There’s no bar or DJ booth, but there’s an ebony cross at the back of the room, chains hanging from its tips. Someone kneels across a leather-upholstered bench, their wrists fitted in snug cuffs. A woman stands over them, wearing a tight lace dress that leaves little to the imagination, holding a slim, black whip. She brings it down sharply on their already-red ass, eliciting a gasp of pain and pleasure.
I swallow, leaning in to Crimson, unable to take my eyes from the scene.
She bends her head down. “How are you doing?”
“Good,” I squeak, then I clear my throat, trying to collect myself. “I’ve…just never been someplace like this before. But I like it!”
“Come,” the vampire says, and she puts her hand out for me to take.
I blink up at her in surprise. We’ve never held hands before. It feels special, intimate. She leads me slowly to a quiet corner of the room, where there’s an empty couch. There aren’t many other people close by, and it’s dark so that we can’t be seen. I appreciate that she’s trying to make me feel more comfortable, although there’s a little twinge of disappointment in my stomach that we’re not more visible. I like the idea of other people seeing us together.
We sit down beside each other to watch what’s going on. The room is busy, but not crowded. There are others, coupled and in groups, that watch from couches while kissing, having sex, or sharing blood. Crimson keeps holding my hand, clasping it in my lap, which makes me feel all gooey inside.
I spot another cross, a little closer to us, where a pale woman is chained. She has straight, strawberry-blond hair and lean limbs. Her small, perky breasts have tight, dark pink nipples that are affixed in shining metal clamps. I feel my own nipples harden in response, and I shift a little, wondering if that’s something that I’d like.
The woman is being attended to by two vampires. One of them, a woman in a tight red catsuit, has her fingers in the woman’s mouth, bringing them in and out slowly. Another kneels down, his head at the woman’s thigh as he drinks her blood. The woman has her eyes closed tightly, her brows knitted, an expression of ecstasy on her face.
My eyes travel back to the woman in the catsuit, and I realize suddenly that it’s Sabina, her silky black hair tied up in a neat bun at the base of her neck. She doesn’t notice me. Her eyes are locked on the the human before her as she presses her fingers deeper into her throat.
Seeing Sabina here is exciting, and I squirm a little in my seat, shifting toward Crimson.
She senses my impatience, and gently brushes the dark waves away from my face, bringing her mouth to my neck. She kisses and sucks at me, and I can feel her fangs beginning to emerge, teasing the soft skin of my throat. Her chilly fingers slide up the inside of my thigh, caressing me and bringing an urgent warmth to my core. The soundtrack of moans and gasps from the other living humans heightens my desire, and suddenly I get a little jealous of the others who are on display.
“My king…” I whisper softly.
“Yes, sweet one?”
“I’d…like to show everyone my devotion to you, sir.”
She lets out a low, rumbling growl in my ear. I can feel the wetness drippingdown my thighs already.
“What’s your word?” she rasps.
“‘Thorn,’” I answer.
“And you’ll use it if you need to?”
“Yes, sir.”
We’ve slipped easily into our roles, complementing each other perfectly. She stands, and offers me her hand. I’m glad for her steady touch, since I’m feeling a little weak in the knees.
Crimson leads me into the center of the room, toward a large, round bed, with a velvet red bedspread. It’s a perfect circle, on a raised platform so it can be easily seen by the others in the club. My heart starts to pound. A tantalizing mixture of nerves and excitement fill my stomach, and I know Crimson can sense it. She seems to grow in power and strength with each step she takes, her dominant presence filling the cavernous room.
