Red Handed (15 page)

“What do you think?” The hand at her waist revealed two silver balls. “Was the game worth the punishment?”

The satisfaction of exhibition plus two amazing orgasms? “Um . . . I'm going with yes. Totally worth it.”

“I'm glad.” He kissed her forehead. “I have to go upstairs. Go to the corner and touch your nose against the wall. Count to one thousand, and then you can finish up your night's assignment.”

“Will you be back down tonight?” she asked. If he left for the night, she'd lose her chance to convince him to take her upstairs to his residence.

“I'm not sure.” He swept some stray hairs off her face, and a slight frown etched lines on his forehead. “I've got a meeting, and I'm not sure how long it will take. That doesn't mean you get out of your punishment. I trust you.”

Guilt over lying to him and panic that she'd miss an opportunity to seduce him slammed into her, causing her stomach to churn and her chest to constrict. After she finished her service for the night, she'd search him out. It wasn't as if she wanted to go back alone to her room, where she didn't feel safe.

Unable to form a reply, she simply nodded and padded off to stand in the corner. As she silently counted to one thousand, her breathing stabilized and her body relaxed. By the time she finished, she felt reenergized.

Danielle handed a good-looking man working with ropes a cup of water and headed back to pour additional drinks for the members. Waitressing sure beat cleaning bathrooms.

Bending to retrieve ice from a small cooler, she felt a shift in the club's energy, and her body shivered as if she'd submerged herself in ice. She sensed someone watching her, and she intuitively knew it wasn't Cole. She slammed the cooler shut and twirled on her bare feet, scanning the room for the threat.

At first glance, there was nothing out of the ordinary. A Domme pegged her sub while another man slapped his face with his cock. From her front and her back, Ryder and Morgan flogged a blissed-out looking Gracie, who was clearly floating in sub-space from the beating. A woman dressed as a cat licked a man's feet. There were several other scenes, but none of the individuals paid Danielle any attention.

A large man led a skinny blonde by a leash that was attached to her metal chain collar. She crawled across the floor, red welts and perfectly round bruises covering most of her body. Recognition slammed into her as he steered the woman toward a hallway. This was Rinaldi's bodyguard. That meant . . .

Rinaldi stepped out of the shadow, his gaze planted on Danielle.

Even as the naked blonde passed him on her knees and he spoke to the bodyguard who then took the slave inside a private room, he never took his eyes off Danielle.

He smiled at her, a smile filled with promises of pain and suffering.

He obviously wanted her to know he was watching her, but why? It was as if he was waving a red cape to entice the bull, but who was the bull?

Cole had warned Rinaldi to stay away from her, and though he'd brushed it off when she'd pressed, she couldn't help thinking Cole knew more than he'd said about the sadistic man. Although it was possible she was overacting, her instincts encouraged her to tell Cole about . . . what exactly? That he'd stared and smiled at her? It sounded so silly in her head, but then she remembered how enraged Cole had become when Rinaldi had spoken to her. Besides, this gave her the excuse she needed to go upstairs and see him.

She scoped out the room and spotted Master Michael by the women's lounge. Requiring approval of a dungeon monitor, she sidled up to him. “May I be excused from my duties for a few minutes while I go upstairs? I need to speak with Master Cole.” When he frowned, she added, “It's urgent.”

He glanced at his watch. “Fifteen minutes. You're to go to his office, and if he's not there, you must immediately return to the dungeon. No running around Benediction looking for him.”

“Thank you. I'll be right back.” She headed for the stairs. Unease slid down her spine as the feeling of being watched continued. But when she looked over her shoulder to where Rinaldi had been standing, he was gone.

Chapter Sixteen

N
IBBLING ON HER
thumbnail, Danielle passed the full den of mingling members and headed toward Cole's office. She rounded the corner of the hallway and stopped short at the sight of Cole hugging and kissing the cheek of a woman she didn't recognize. A heaviness settled in Danielle's chest, and her stomach burned as if she'd swallowed acid.

Like a spy, Danielle hid her body behind the wall and peeked to ascertain the stranger's identity. She was a knockout dressed in a modest off-white pant suit that accentuated her flawless mocha skin and feminine curves. Around her neck, she wore a stunning triple-stranded diamond choker. In her hand was a black duffel bag, similar to the ones the Doms carried with their toys and equipment.

Cole ushered the woman into his office and spoke on his cell as he shut the door. “Elena and I will be upstairs in my residence. Please ensure I'm not disturbed for any reason.”

The engagement of the lock on his door sounded like a boulder dropped from a mountain.

She stopped short at the recognition that she was jealous. So jealous she wanted to storm into his office and lay claim to him. Which of course would be ridiculous and foolhardy, since not only did she not have a claim on him, he belonged to everyone and no one. He could have almost any submissive in Benediction, but they could never have him. His boundaries had assured him of that. But then who was the woman?

Someone poked her in the back. “Gorgeous, isn't she?”

Startled, Danielle flipped around and found Sedona and Cassandra standing behind her.

Had they been there the whole time? “Who is she?”

Cassandra rolled her eyes. “She's Master Cole's collared submissive, of course.”

Although Danielle didn't trust a word out of Cassandra's mouth, she couldn't help the doubt from creeping into her thoughts. “He doesn't have a collared submissive.”

“And you know that for a fact?” Cassandra asked. The redhead's eyes softened. “They have somewhat of an open relationship, at least on his end. After all, he's the owner of Benediction, and not only can he have whatever slave he wants, he has.”

With every word Cassandra uttered, the vise on Danielle's heart tightened. “He doesn't have sex with the slaves.”

“True,” Cassandra said. “He mostly gets off on watching us. Matching us up with Dominants or sometimes other slaves. That's when he becomes the director. He sets up a scene for the slaves and tells us what to do. He's done scenes with slaves, but he refuses to penetrate. That's because of her.” She pointed to Cole's closed door. “Right, Sedona?”

Sedona gave Danielle an apologetic shrug. “I can't confirm it, but she is a member of the club, and she's the only woman who he takes to his private residence. Why else would she go upstairs with him?”

“Listen,” Cassandra said, throwing an arm over Danielle's shoulders. “I know you think I'm a bitch, and well, yeah, I guess I am, but I'm going to be straight with you. Everything that happens here is make-believe. When he's touching you and saying how wonderful you are, how beautiful, how special. When you're vulnerable and in the arms of a Dom, receiving after-care, you begin to think maybe you mean more to him than just sex. Maybe it's the real deal. Maybe we could have something permanent. Then the next night, he's playing with another sub and you hear him saying those same words.”

Although the words certainly applied to Danielle's situation, she had a suspicion that Cassandra was speaking from personal experience. Could that be why she disliked her? Was it possible she had fallen for Cole as well?

Danielle toyed with her locket. Feelings were irrelevant. The only thing she should be concerned about was whether Cole had a collared slave, because if he did, he'd be much more difficult to seduce.

Cassandra removed her arm and turned Danielle to face her, gripping her by her shoulders. “Cole DeMarco doesn't only train, he remolds his trainees into individuals with self-esteem and self-worth. Just remember that.”

Sedona shoved Cassandra. “Cassandra, how's she supposed to have any self-worth if you implied Master Cole is lying to her?”

Cassandra took her usual haughty stance and tossed her hair over her back. “Not my problem if she needs a man to bolster her self-esteem. I have it, and I know the truth. Same as you.” She turned to Danielle. “Enjoy your time here. Enjoy Master Cole. But don't hang your heart on a happy-ever-after with the man, because you don't mean anything more to him than I do.”

“Have you played with anyone but Master Cole yet?” Sedona asked.

To her, Adrian didn't count, since he was a slave acting on Cole's orders. “No. He hasn't let me.” Not that she'd wanted to play with anyone else.

Cassandra and Sedona shared a look, then Sedona grinned at Danielle. “Are you finished with your assigned service?”

Her cheeks flushed as she thought about how Cole had made good on his promise to change service into sexy play. But Cassandra was right. That was Cole's job as her Master and owner of Benediction. He would do it for any slave trainee. “I took a break, but I'm supposed to deliver waters to the members.”

Sedona linked their arms together and pulled her toward the stairs leading to the dungeon. “The rule is you can play so long as you've finished your assignment for the day. I'll take over for you, and you can play.”

“I don't know . . . ”

Cassandra joined her other side. “How's this then? You learn firsthand how to negotiate a scene, and then if you want, you can follow through.”

Danielle didn't trust her, but what was the worst that would happen? Cole would punish her? If she didn't mean anything to him, he wouldn't care. Besides he was busy with the perfect pantsuit. “Okay.”

Was she crazy? The minute she saw Cole with that woman she must have lost her mind, because she was actually taking Cassandra's advice and accompanying her and Sedona into the dungeon. Could she allow another man to touch her? She knew if Cole had ordered it, she could, but without his knowledge? She wasn't even sure she wanted to find out.

As they advanced toward the good-looking man she'd served water to earlier, she told herself it didn't matter what Cole thought because right now, he was with another woman.

“Sir Logan,” Cassandra said. “This is Danielle. She's a new trainee.”

He smiled and offered his free hand, a beige loop of rope in his other. “Nice to officially meet you, Danielle. What can I do for you?”

Logan's face lit up from his smile, light laugh lines appearing at the corners of his lips, but his eyes remained intensely serious. Too serious for someone so young. With brown hair worn in a buzz cut, he towered over her five-foot-seven-inch frame, and his simple white wife beater enhanced his firm, lean physique. But despite his attractiveness, her heart didn't thump any faster.

Sedona slid her arm around Danielle's waist. “As part of her training, she needs to practice the skill of negotiating a scene, and we thought you'd be able to help.”

“Just negotiate?” He stepped closer. “Or will I get the privilege of playing with you as well?”

She averted her eyes and checked out the floor instead. “I'm not sure. I haven't . . . that is . . . Master Cole has been present for my previous scenes, and I'm not sure how I feel doing one without him.”

He gently tipped up her chin with two of his fingers, forcing her to look at him. “Do you have permission to do a scene?”

“Sir Logan, you know she can scene so long as she has a dungeon monitor's approval, and since you are a dungeon monitor, she doesn't have to worry,” Cassandra said.

“I'll tell you what,” Logan said softly as if he and Danielle were the only two people in the room, “why don't we just talk and see where it goes?”

“Have fun. Don't do anything I wouldn't do,” Cassandra said.

Sedona grabbed Cassandra by the arm and yanked her away, both of them in hysterics. “Come with me, slut.”

Logan dropped his fingers and stepped back, keeping his gaze locked on her.

Danielle waited until the women were out of earshot. “May I ask you a question, Sir?”

“Of course. I don't follow a lot of protocol.” He gestured to the nearby loveseat, and they went to sit on it. “You can call me Logan. What's up?”

“Should I be concerned that Cassandra is being nice to me?”

He frowned. “I'm not sure. She was acting unusually supportive tonight.”

“Yeah.” At least she wasn't the only one noticing it. She scanned the room and didn't see either of the trainees. “I wouldn't put it past her to be setting me up for something.”

“Listen, if you're worried, I can call him and ask his permission first.”

“No. He's busy,” she said a little too forcibly. She couldn't bear it if Cole gave Logan permission to scene with her. It was better not to know. Besides, she hadn't decided to do a scene yet. Surely she didn't need permission to talk to Logan. “I don't want to disturb him. It's fine.”

“Right. I almost believe you.” Logan leaned into her. “Why don't you tell me what brought you to Benediction, Danielle?”

Wringing her hands together, she took a deep breath and prepared herself to lie again. “There's a man. My fiancé. Well, not really my fiancé because I haven't accepted, but he's a Dominant. No, I guess that's not really true. He's dominant but he's not a Dom. And he said it wasn't important to him that I . . . I'm here to learn more about submission.”

“That was a nice story.” He reclined and crossed his arms. “Complete bullshit, and your acting job wouldn't win any Academy Awards, but I can see why Cole would accept your application.”