Playing With Seduction (4 page)

There was no return address. Nothing to indicate where or who the piece of mail had come from. Frowning, she opened the flap and removed the heavy card stock tucked inside. Her heart raced as she read the word
Welcome
embossed in black across the front, then below that, an invitation to The Players Club, a private, members-only sex club in Fallbrook.

Excitement and nerves swirled in her stomach at the thought of using the invitation in her hand. She read the details once more.
Your presence is requested at the annual fund-raising silent charity auction, A Night of Pleasure, where you will be auctioned off as a plaything to one lucky bidder.
The date was this Saturday, at eight p.m.

Oh, wow
. She wasn’t sure how she felt about the auction and being bid on by a stranger—apprehensive, aroused, and thrilled were all applicable emotions—but she was curious enough about getting a peek inside the exclusive Players Club and all its debauchery to consider going.
Maybe
.

First, she needed to find out who had sent her the invitation. It had to have been either Jillian, Raina, or Paige, since the three of them had already been there and had access to the club’s amenities through the men in their lives. And since she was seeing them tonight at their get-together, one of them was going to have to fess up.

*     *     *

Kendall took a
drink of the peach mojito that Paige had made for everyone, while glancing over the rim at the three women sitting on the couch across from her: Paige, Jillian, and Raina. Stephanie and Summer sat in chairs on either side of Kendall, the six of them making a tight-knit circle in Paige’s living room.

The last piece of gossip had died down, as had the laughter and ribald comments when Summer had told them about a prominent councilman coming into Couture Corsets to supposedly buy a corset for his wife, except he’d gone into the dressing room to try it on himself. The rumors that the older man liked to cross-dress were apparently true.

Swallowing the sweet taste of crushed peaches and smooth rum, Kendall set her glass on the table next to her chair and eyed the women on the sofa. “So, which one of you mailed sent me an invitation to The Players Club?”

The three women looked at one another, an array of confusion, surprise, and bemusement flitting across their faces as each one waited for the other to speak up.

Jillian was the first to respond. “I didn’t do it.”

Paige shook her head. “Neither did I.”

Everyone glanced at Raina expectantly, but she held her hands up in denial, too. “Me, either.”

Kendall had a hard time believing any of them, considering how they’d each come to receive their own invitations to the club—from each other.

“Well, Stephanie and I certainly don’t have access to the club,” Summer said as she refilled her glass from the pitcher of peach mojito sitting on the coffee table. “So, if the three of you didn’t do it, who did?” she asked, genuinely confused.

“Oooh, I love a good mystery.” Stephanie sat forward, her tone intrigued.

“Maybe someone here
wanted
it to remain a mystery,” Raina suggested. “And that’s why the invitation was mailed instead of presented in person.”

“But who, and why?” Kendall persisted.

“Who cares who or why?” Paige said, dismissing those details as inconsequential. “I’m more interested in knowing if you’re going to go.”

“Me, too,” Summer chimed in, and grinned at Kendall. “And if your answer is no, you can just pass along the invitation to me.”

“You are
so
going,” Stephanie said, a sudden wicked gleam in her eyes. “Remember that conversation we had about Grant the chiropractor the other day?”

“How can I forget?” Kendall teased sarcastically. Her friend had given her a whole lot to think about—attraction, desire, sparks. None of which she’d felt with Grant. And everything she’d experienced, and more, with just one kiss from Jase. A kiss that made her hot and restless just
thinking
about it.

Stephanie finished off her cocktail and kept going. “Well, before you decide to get all serious with Mr. Serious, I think you need to at least experience one night of scorching hot, no-holds-barred sex with some divine male creature whose sole purpose is to worship your body and grant you as many orgasms as your heart can handle.”

Kendall laughed. “You are so outrageous.” But damn if that didn’t sound . . . deviously naughty, and fun.
A Night of Pleasure
, as her invitation had stated. One evening, auctioned off to a stranger. No names exchanged. Just wild, anonymous, anything-goes sex to end her two-year drought before she settled down with someone dependable and stable. It was her golden opportunity to experience the kind of passion and lust she’d only fantasized about, and maybe, hopefully, a night of abandon would also finally get Jase Burns out of her head so she could focus better on the feelings she might be able to develop for Grant.

A slow, exhilarating sensation slid through her. She’d let her friends play their games. It really didn’t matter which one of these women had sent her the invitation. She’d just accept the gift for what it was and be open to all the possibilities. She’d throw her normal reservations away and
go for it
.

With that thought in mind, Kendall lifted her glass for a toast. “I’m doing it. I’m going to The Players Club,” she announced, which earned her big smiles of approval from the other women. “Here’s to a night of pleasure.”

Six glasses clinked together as Jillian added cheerfully, “To finding a man who will rock your world and leave you utterly, wonderfully exhausted and satisfied.”

“To being bold and brazen and very, very bad,” Raina said, waggling her brows playfully.

“And of course, to as many orgasms as you can handle!” Stephanie shouted above all the laughter, and all six of them let out a loud, raucous, and agreeable, “Cheers to that!”

K
endall arrived at
The Players Club forty minutes before the silent charity auction was scheduled to begin in order to attend the mandatory first-timers’ orientation for anyone who’d never been up for bid before.
Yeah, that would be her—both a club and auction virgin,
she thought wryly as she listened to the activities coordinator give the men and women in the room an overview of the process and what to expect once the silent auction began and after it ended.

The exclusive establishment was all about safety, uncompromising rules and standards, and consensual encounters, with a universal safe word everyone was required to immediately heed if any situation became too uncomfortable or intense. Their strict policies were put in place to protect members and to assure that even though someone was the highest bidder, if there were any doubts or reluctance about being with the winner intimately, the participant had the right to decline the offer, which put Kendall’s mind at ease.

She really had no idea what to expect once she was matched up with her bidder. While she was open to stepping outside her very square box and exploring other things for one night, she appreciated the safeguard of knowing she could say
red
at any time, and her request to stop any activity would be respected.

She filled out a form on her personal hard and soft limits, which would then be uploaded to the silent auction bidding app under her profile. That way, the bidder would know up front what type of play Kendall was and wasn’t comfortable with. Blood play, electro play, humiliation, and anything hard-core,
absolutely not
. Voyeurism, fantasy rooms,
maybe
. Spanking, domination, restraints, hair pulling…
oh, yes, please
, her inner hussy agreed enthusiastically.

Kendall bit her bottom lip as she recalled the way her body had pulsed with desire when Jase had tugged on her hair while kissing her, and how much she’d liked that light sting of pain, if her hardening nipples were any indication. She quickly shook her head of that thought and checked the “no limit” box for those particular items. She was here to forget about Jase, not compare his sexual expertise with other men.

Finished with the seemingly endless list—who knew there were so many fetishes and kinks to consider?—she handed the form to the coordinator, who then gave her a pin to wear with a number that matched her profile on the app. No names were exchanged with bidders unless she wanted to supply that information, and since tonight’s fling was a one-time deal, she preferred the security of anonymity.

Once everyone was done with the paperwork, they were escorted into a beautifully decorated ballroom, where other men and women were already waiting for the evening’s eligible playthings to arrive for the silent auction. Impeccably dressed waitstaff walked through the room with trays of champagne and appetizers, and a bar area was set up for those who wanted a mixed cocktail, though a two-drink maximum applied, even here at the auction.

Let the mingling begin.

After picking up a fluted glass of champagne from a passing waiter, she took a fortifying drink of the sparkling wine. She attempted to shake off her nerves as a good-looking man started walking toward her, his stride purposeful and his gaze appreciative as he took in the sexy black dress she’d worn that hugged her curves and was designed with a neckline that came together in a very deep vee in the front. The cut was so low there was no way to wear a bra. Not that she needed one with her small, firm, size-B breasts.

He stopped in front of her. Up close, he appeared to be in his late thirties, and very comfortable in this setting. His gaze quickly dropped to the pin on her dress, then rose back up to her face.

“So, Ms. Number Nine,” he said with a charming smile that instantly put her at ease. “How are you doing tonight?”

She returned his smile. “Very well, and you?”

“My evening just got immensely better.” His tawny eyes gleamed playfully, his demeanor conveying a fun, easygoing vibe. “My name is Wyatt. What made you decide to offer yourself up for bid tonight?”

“Charity?” she joked lightly. No way was she about to tell him that she was here to end a two-year dry spell.

He chuckled. “Yes, of course, it’s all about
charity
,” he agreed humorously. “But is there something specific you’re looking for tonight at The Players Club? Anything in particular you’d like to indulge in that you’ve never tried before?”

Clearly, he was a seasoned regular at the club. Which suddenly made Kendall feel way out of her league. “This is my first time here, so I’m not quite sure what I want to indulge in,” she confessed, wanting to make sure Wyatt was well aware of her own
lack
of experience in a sex club atmosphere. “I guess I’m open to suggestions, as long as we stay within my limits.”

He lifted the cell phone in his hand and used his thumb to scroll through the bidding app, then pulled up her profile based on the number nine on her pin. He quickly read her limit list while she finished off her champagne.

“Hmm,” he contemplated as he glanced back at her, definite interest brightening his gaze. “I do enjoy breaking in a newcomer. I think the two of us could have a lot of fun together.”

Wyatt was attractive enough and seemed like a good match. He wasn’t overbearing and appeared willing to stay within her comfort zone. She just wished she felt something more with him—some kind of spark, butterflies, or even sexual tension. Then again, maybe she was over-analyzing the situation and her expectations about tonight were way too high.

“Excuse me,” another man said as he gently grabbed Kendall’s arm while sending a competitive look in Wyatt’s direction. “I’m going to steal this stunningly gorgeous woman away from you.”

Wyatt raised a brow in friendly rivalry. “Don’t get too attached, Dawson. I already put in a bid for her, so she’s going to be mine.”

“Cocky bastard,” Dawson replied jokingly, and Wyatt laughed. “She’s not yours unless you’re the highest bidder at the end of the hour, which I plan to be.”

“Yeah, good luck with that, buddy.” Wyatt winked confidently at Kendall. “I’ll see you real soon, Number Nine.”

“Looks like there’s going to be a fierce bidding war over you tonight,” Dawson mused, his smile warm and friendly, his tone jovial. “Wouldn’t be the first time Wyatt and I fought over a woman here at the club. Unless you wouldn’t mind being shared?”

Kendall quickly shook her head to dispel any notion he had of a threesome. “Absolutely not. That’s a hard limit for me. I’m strictly a one-man kind of woman.”

“Noted,” Dawson said with a quirk of his lips. “Can’t blame a man for asking—and hoping.”

Picking up her hand, he tucked it into the crook of his arm and led her to a quiet sitting area, where they spent the next few minutes talking until another gentleman interrupted them and drew her away from Dawson to get to know her better.

The next hour passed much quicker than Kendall would have thought. She felt as though she were at a speed-dating event more than an auction at a sex club, but when the auctioneer announced that it was time to match up the highest bidders with the person they’d won, she was reminded of what she was
really
here for. In a matter of minutes, some man would claim her as his plaything for the night, and she figured it was a toss-up between Wyatt and Dawson.