Black Velvet (2 page)

She sure as hell wasn’t going to climb twelve flights of stairs to leave the elevator free for them to use. If they didn’t like it, they’d have to wait until it came back. When a petite blonde woman climbed in and smiled, Joy froze. She recognized the she-wolf as a woman who worked at the coffee shop on Pine. She lived in the building too but had never glanced at her, much less smiled.

“Hi, I’m Nickie,” she said as she held out her hand.

Joy blinked a couple of times before taking it. “Joy.”

The woman’s smile faltered a little. “Listen, I know who you are. And I’m tired of this game everyone seems to be playing. I have no intention of being in competition with you—ever—so I see no reason we can’t be friends. I was coming up to your floor. I brought some cookies home from work, and thought maybe we could share?”

Joy waited for a moment, not quite believing what she had heard when the woman showed her the bag she was carrying.

“I’d like that. Thank you.”

It wasn’t long before Nickie had her cracking up over a tall glass of milk, and the best chocolate chip cookies she had ever tasted. She hadn’t even realized a couple of hours had passed until Nickie glanced at her watch and jumped up.

“Oh, crap, I have to go. I’m expected somewhere in a little over an hour,” she said.

“Yeah, me too. Hey, do you know this address? Warren asked me to meet him there at eight. I don’t even know where I’m going, much less what to wear.” She pulled out the piece of paper still tucked in her pocket and handed it to her new friend.

Nickie’s eyes widened. “Yeah, I know the place,” she said with a grin. “And Warren is meeting you there? Interesting.”

“Yeah.”

“Show me to your closet. I can help you choose something,” Nickie offered.

Joy led her to the bedroom and opened the closet door. It was much bigger than most apartments boasted, but if Nickie noticed, she didn’t mention it. Joy had the second best apartment in the building. And she fully expected to be booted from it as soon as a smaller one became available, but until then, she’d enjoy it. The only person who had a bigger place was Warren, one floor up from hers.

Nickie took a moment to peruse all the available choices and finally settled on a white garment. “This,” she pulled out a form fitting dress that revealed as much as it covered. “And these,” she said, pulling out a pair of killer white stilettos.

“Are you sure? I mean, I’ll wear it if you think it’s appropriate, but this isn’t a date.” If anything, it was as close to the opposite of a date as it could get. Warren hadn’t shown her any sign of interest at all, except to help her workout.

“I’m sure. Do you have anything pretty to go with it?” Nickie giggled before continuing. “Underneath, I mean? You can’t wear granny panties with a dress like this.”

“Uh, yeah, I do.” Joy smiled at her new friend.

“Great, hey, if you need a ride, I’ll take you. That’s where I’m going. I’m supposed to be there at seven thirty, but my date will wait.”

“Oh, no, I’ll take the city bus. Don’t change your plans for me.”

“I insist. I promise he won’t mind. Meet me in the lobby in an hour.”

Warren sat in the viewing room, waiting. If any of the other Doms were surprised to see him in there with them, none of them let on. He glanced at his watch. Five more minutes until eight o’clock. He wouldn’t punish her for tardiness when she didn’t even know the rules yet, but damn, he couldn’t wait to see her again. At one time, he’d have relished starting off a session with a spanking, but the last thing he wanted to do was deliver anything but pleasure during their first encounter.

His finger stroked the controls in front of him as he watched the screen. He had considered sending her a message so she’d know what to expect but then had thought better of it. His future mate had to be able to handle herself at all times, and he wanted to see how she would respond to something totally unexpected.

A soft ping alerted him someone had entered the club’s outer doors. He held his breath for a moment, then another. When no one opened the inner doors, he tensed. Maybe she wasn’t going to show up at all.

Next to him, a man in a crisp, black suit cleared his throat. “Sir, there seems to be a problem. A woman is attempting to gain entrance and is now threatening our guards.”

Warren kept his face a straight mask. “Is that right?” He looked at his watch again. Two minutes to eight.

“Yes, sir. She insists you invited her here tonight.” The man pressed a button on the controls. “Have a look. Do you recognize her?”

The screen switched to a different camera, and the front entrance came to view. Joy stood there, with her hands in the air, speaking, or more likely yelling by the looks of things at a huge wolf who was trying to keep her from going in without looking at her.

“Is there any way I can hear what she’s saying?” he asked.

“Yes, sir.” The man pressed another button, and the audio turned on.

“I swear to God if you make me late, and I’m in trouble with our Alpha, I’m going to come back here and skin your hide. He told me to be here for eight. I bet I’m already late. Just let me in. I can ask him to come and give me clearance when I find him. Or I’ll get my friend Nickie. She should be in there somewhere.” When the guard didn’t budge, she stomped her foot.

“Look, he gave me this note with the address on it and told me to meet him here.” She dug the paper out of the small clutch purse she was carrying. “See? Black Velvet, 2238 Riverside Drive.” She shoved it in the big man’s face.

The guard’s gaze darted to the camera. “I’m sorry, what did you say?”

“I said, I’m supposed to be in there,” she said, pointing to the closed door, clearly exasperated. “He gave me the paper, with this address, and Black Velvet written on it. Please, you have to let me in.”

The guard looked at Joy for a moment, before dropping his gaze to the floor.

“I take it you recognize her, sir,” the man in the suit asked him.

“Yes, she’s my guest this evening, please let her in,” he instructed.

The man in the suit dug a walkie-talkie from his pocket and pressed a button. “She’s clear, let her in, Bryan,” he instructed.

The guard visibly relaxed. “I’m sorry for the delay, Miss. Have a great evening,” he said before stepping aside and letting her in.

Everyone in the room had gone silent watching the display on the screen. One male close to him whistled when he saw Joy walk through the inner doors, his hand coming to rest next to his controls.

“Don’t even think about it,” Warren said with enough of a growl to warn the other males from attempting the same. “She’s mine.”

He watched as the hostess greeted her at the door, and led her to a private room. The moment her door closed, he pressed the button locking in his claim. The other men wouldn’t get to look at her, let alone touch her unless he asked them to.

She stood there for a moment with her head held high, observing her surroundings. Just looking at her took his breath away. The dress she wore fit her like a glove. Each luscious curve was on display. The sides and bodice, made of see-through lace, gave him a sexy glimpse of creamy skin. Only a strip of white beneath the lace made the dress wearable in public. As it was, he could see a generous amount of cleavage. And if it weren’t for the all-important interview, he wouldn’t be sitting there waiting for her. He’d have her in one of the private play rooms already and seeing that gorgeous dress of hers firsthand, or better yet, he’d be taking it off her.

She noticed the camera, and tilted her head to the side as she contemplated it, then turned and went to the desk. Taking a seat, she crossed her legs and glanced at the dark screen. Smoothing the short dress on her thighs, she glanced around. Not that there was a lot to see in the interview room, but she took it in all the same. She shifted in her seat, bringing his attention to her legs and the shoes that gave her the extra height she didn’t normally have. His groin tightened.
Fucking stunning.

“Hey, Warren, you old dog, I didn’t think you played with us lowlifes anymore.” A sweet feminine voice came from behind him.

“Mistress Nicole, always lovely to see you,” he said as he stood and gave her a peck on the cheek. The little blonde was cute as a button, and one hell of a Domme, but not at all his type. His gaze flicked back to the screen.

“She’s a pretty one, and nice too,” Nickie told him.

“You know Joy?” he asked, as he pressed the button to light up the computer monitor in the room where Joy sat.

He watched, as did Nickie and most of the men, as the intro page lit up the screen. Joy’s eyes rounded, her eyebrows shot up, and her lips parted in an o before she glanced up at the camera, her cheeks flushed.

“I met her today. I like this one, Warren. Be nice to her,” Nickie warned before she sauntered off to her own view screen.

Joy’s heart beat so hard she was sure they, whoever
they
might be, would be able to hear it. A room, such as the one she was sitting in, had to be wired for sound. She’d already spotted the camera. She sat at the desk, waiting. The woman who had brought her in had told her someone would come for her soon, but that was it. Surely Warren wouldn’t hold her being late against her when it wasn’t her fault.

She uncrossed and crossed her legs again. The deep, red walls weren’t garish or glaring, but rich and luxurious. The chair she sat on was soft enough to be comfortable, yet firm enough to maintain proper posture, and considering what she’d worn, she couldn’t afford to slouch without giving those behind the security cameras a show.

A short while later the computer screen blinked on, drawing her attention.

Welcome to Black Velvet.
The flat screen darkened, and then a new page opened.

D/s Contract
came up in bold, black letters, making her gasp. She glanced at the camera again, her heart racing. Was she reading it right? Did it mean what she hoped it meant? When the screen changed, this time, it provided instructions on how to complete the contract.

Taking a deep breath, Joy sat a little straighter and reached for the sleek mouse and keyboard in front of her. Only one way to find out.

The purpose of this contract is to state the full mutual consent of the undersigned regarding this relationship and to explain the responsibilities and duties of both the Dominant and the submissive.

She had never entered a D/s relationship in such an unorthodox way before, and although she had some reservations, she was willing to see what happened next. Who was she kidding, she was desperate to proceed and see where this would take her.

She took her time with the contract, giving each question careful consideration. The last thing she needed was to have anything be unclear, and have issues arise later because of it.

When she’d gone through the contract a second time, reviewing all her answers, she finally hit submit. Already her nipples were hard, and moist heat pooled between her legs. She didn’t know the process here at the club, but if they were reputable, and she had to assume they were if her Alpha sent her here, they would screen each application with care.

Her old dungeon would have taken weeks, but then, they hadn’t used computers. The thought had her slumping a little in her chair. Of course, she’d wait however long it took, but knowing such a club existed in Timmins and she couldn’t partake yet was a little disheartening.

Her mind racing, she sat there while the little blue circle on the screen kept going around and around.

After a few minutes, a soft knock came at the door. The same woman who had ushered her into the room came in with a black binder and a tall glass of water.

“Master Warren has asked me to deliver these to you. Please read the pages carefully, and make notes of things you feel need further discussion.” She handed her a pen, then turned and walked out the door.

Master Warren.
The thought had her clit throbbing, and she had to stop herself from wiggling in her chair for more intimate contact.

Joy took a sip of water. She hadn’t known what to expect when she’d come out with Nickie, but her best fantasy couldn’t have cooked this up. Licking her lips, she glanced up at the camera again before turning her attention to the first page.

Three separate sections divided the binder. The first part was the contract she had completed including safe words, limits, and all the fine points of the agreement. She read through it again for accuracy.

The second was Warren’s. It highlighted all his expectations. He outlined consequences, as well as information on how to go about revising, renewing, or canceling a contract. She read each word, re-reading anything she wasn’t sure of, and making notes in the margins. When she was satisfied she understood everything, she turned to the last section.

This part was clear. It stated in no uncertain terms, that if there was suspicion of abuse in any way, shape, or form, the Dominant and sub relationship would be terminated at the discretion of the management. A newly appointed dominant and sub could not, and would not participate in scenes without video supervision until the management had determined that the submissive had experience enough to call a halt to a scene when one of his or her hard limits was tested, or crossed. If either party called an end to a scene, and both parties were open to negotiation to continue, it would be allowed, but only in circumstances where the submissive was in the proper state of mind to make such decisions without fear or coercion.