Ashley's Bend (7 page)

I was still working at the diner and had also picked up a few shifts bartending at a bar not too far from my new residence with Kelly. The Local was a nice, small hole-in-the-wall bar with dark hardwood floors and run down pool tables. The place was not lacking for aluminum beer and liquor signs by any means. The neon open sign flashed giving the room a red glow every four seconds. The lights were dim and it gave the place a tranquil feeling.

Working two jobs hadn’t been easy, but without Jared’s income, I had to find a way to support myself. I did not want anything from him. He could keep the house, what little money we had, and our furniture. They only thing I took with me were some personal belongings, my clothes, and my car.

A gentleman walked in and took a seat at the bar. I took notice that he was wearing a dress shirt and pants as opposed to the more casual attire that our regular patrons seemed to sport. He seemed out of place as he fidgeted with one of the paper napkins I had placed out on the bar.

“What can I get for you, sir?” I ask as I walked over to stand in front of him. He looked up at me with tired eyes. His dark hair had streaks of silver at the temples that gestured to me that he was several years older than I was.

“I’ll have a gin and tonic, please. With a lime.” His deep baritone voice resonated to me. I gave him a quick nod and turned to make his requested drink. Turning around to place it in front of him, I caught him staring at me. Lifting the glass to his mouth he took a tentative sip.

“Mmm, this is great, thanks,” he said to me.

“My pleasure. Let me know if I can get you anything else.”

I went about my business and served some of the regulars I had gotten to know in the few weeks I had worked there. Every once in a while, I would glance up and catch the man staring at me. It was beginning to make me feel nervous. I was tired and emotionally drained, the last thing I wanted to deal with was some creepy dude who kept staring at me.

The gentleman reached to take another pull from his drink when his phone rang. Lifting it from his pocket, he pressed the answer button, and I couldn’t help but eavesdrop on his conversation.

“Tom Preston. Yes, I’m here right now. Yes, that is affirmative too. Ok, see you soon.” He placed the phone back in his pocket and finished off his drink. I walked over to him and gestured for a refill.

“Yes, please. And please bring me a beer for my friend who will be joining me soon. Anything on tap is fine.”

“Sure thing, be right back.”

I made an order for one of the servers before filling the gentleman's request. I quickly mixed up another gin and tonic and filled a frosty mug full of beer. Grabbing both glasses, I turned around and they nearly slipped out of my hands, for when I spun around, my eyes locked with the
friend
of the gentleman.

Dominic.

“Hello, Ashley,” he said in a deep, sensual voice that resonated through my entire body.
God just the sound of this man’s voice turned me on.

“Hi,” I managed to squeak out in an almost too high voice. I never imagined seeing him so soon. It had been nearly two weeks since his little
lesson
on me at the club, but the attraction was still there. His dark molten eyes stared at me intently. My feet were frozen to the floor like large heavy sandbags. I gave myself a mental shake before my bartender customer service persona kicked in and I remembered that I was at work.

“Your friend ordered you a beer, but I can fix you something else if you wish,” I said as politely and as unaffected as I could. A smile spread across his face and he looked at me like he was a predator and I was his prey.

“The beer is fine, thank you.” I watched as he lifted the frosty glass up to his lips. I couldn’t help but stare as I watched him take a long, deep pull from his drink. The movement of his Adam’s apple as he swallowed was the sexiest thing I had ever seen. His long, dexterous fingers were so hot that I could see the beads of condensation that dripped from the glass. It was those same fingers that barely caressed my body a few short weeks ago, leaving me wanting for more.

“You ok, darlin’?” the man next to Dominic said interrupting my erotic thoughts and I flushed crimson.

“Yes, yes I’m fine,” I said as I cleared my throat from the lump that seemed to be lodged there.

“Well, I’m off. Dominic, take care and
have fun,”
the gentleman said.

What? He was leaving?
He couldn’t leave. Even though there were other patrons sitting at the bar, it felt like he was leaving me alone with Dominic. The gentleman threw down a wad of bills and turned to look at me before leaving.

“A little extra for you, dear. Thanks,” and he turned and left. I didn’t know what to do, so I started busying myself by washing the dirty glasses on the bar. The only problem with that was the sink was
directly
in front of where Dominic sat. Damn.
      

I could feel his eyes on me, boring a hole through the top of my head where I was bent over washing the glasses. I looked up briefly and yep, sure enough our eyes met.

“I’m sorry for the way I reacted at the club. If I had known about your lack of...
experience
, I would never have pulled you on stage for the lesson.”

He was apologizing to me? He didn’t seem like the kind of man who apologized to anyone.

“It’s no big deal,” I shrugged. I was trying to act as nonchalant as I could, and I hoped I was succeeding.

What were the chances of him being here while I was working? Something tells me that he was not a frequent customer in the bar and I was beginning to question whether it was a coincidence or not.

“The man that just left was Tommy, our investigator for the club. He does all the background info and other checks for any person who applies to be a member at The Celtic Knot. I had him find you for me.”

Holy shit! He had me hunted down?

“I wanted to be able to give you this,” he said as he reached behind him and pulled out an envelope from his back pocket. I recognized it as the same colored envelope that Kelly received the invitation to the club in. I gazed up at him in shock. Was he giving me another invitation to the club?

“What is it?” I asked him. He leaned in so that our faces were close, so that our conversation was not heard by the others at the bar. My gaze fell to his lips and I had an instant urge to devour his mouth and to memorize his taste.

Why the hell do my hormones go rampant around this man?

“This,” he said as he slid the envelope across the bar to me, “is an invitation to our first submissive training at the club.”

My mouth dropped opened in shock.

They have trainings for that sort of thing?

He lifted his hands up to place them under my chin and closed my mouth. The skin there burned from the brief contact. I tried to hold back a shiver that threatened to course through me.

“I would really like it if you would consider joining.”

Holy fucking hell! He
wants
me to join?

“I...I don’t know. Dominic, I’m not a submissive,” I whispered.

“That is what the training is for, doll,” he said as he winked at me. Actually winked at me. Was he flirting?

“Look, Dominic, I am just getting out of a marriage. The ink hasn’t even dried on the request for a divorce yet. I am not looking at getting into a relationship any time soon,” I said with honest abandonment. I was not ready to put myself out on the line for another man yet, or ever again.

“I
don’t
do relationships. It is just sex, Ashley. I know you can feel the attraction between us. I just would like to explore that with you. I can show you so many ways to feel good, Ashley. There are so many things that I can show you, teach you,
do
to you.”

Oh my
. My belly clenched and I could feel the dampness start in my panties. Things he could
do
to me?

“Excuse me miss? Can I get another beer?” one of the other bar patrons beckoned over to me. I had been so caught up in my conversation with Dominic, that I completely forgot that I was at work.

“Yes of course, I will be right there.” I turned back to Dominic who had stood up from his bar stool. He looked me in the eyes and then handed me a wad of bills.

“Just think about it. I will expect your answer in a week, Ashley. I am a very impatient man. Remember that,” and he turned and walked out of the bar. I walked over to the cash register to clear out Dominic’s tab. That was when I noticed that he had placed two, crisp one hundred dollar bills in my hand.

What the fuck? Did he just give me nearly a two hundred dollar tip?

He only drank one beer. I rounded the bar and ran out of the front door to try and catch him. I am not a charity case and I would not be bought to join some weird, sex crazed, BDSM club. No matter how much I thought I wanted to. Once I reached the door, I quickly looked around to see if I could find him. It was no use. He was gone.

She was fucking married? This situation just gets better and better. It proved that Ashley was one of those happy-ever-after kind of girls. I, Dominic Michaels, was a happily-
never
-after kind of guy. The only reason I wanted her to agree to the submissive training program was because I wanted to fuck her. I did not fuck non-submissive women. I didn’t even stick with one submissive for an extended amount of time. Two to three months was my maximum. In past experiences, feelings can start to develop after more time than that. I did not have the time or the need for feelings.

So why was I hoping that she would accept the invitation so badly?
Fuck
, I needed to get this girl out of my mind. The best way I could do that was to find someone else to lose myself in. I was an expert when it came to covering up my issues with sex. It had been my outlet, my release for as long as I could remember. Yes, fucking her out of my head was just what I needed.

I drove like a man on a mission back to the club. I couldn’t wait to walk through the doors. I had never needed a release so badly. My body was wound up so tight, I could feel the rivets of sweat as they rolled down my spine.

I made it to the club in record time. Bursting through the door, I gave a nod to Knox who was manning the entrance tonight.

“I will be busy for the next hour. If you need me, I will be in The Rapture.” Before I even had the chance to make it through the doors, Knox grabbed me by the shoulder to stop me.

“
The
Rapture,
huh? Must be pretty serious. Wanna talk about it?”

“No,” I barked at him and shook out of his grasp before storming into the club. Rebecca, the same house submissive that showed Ashley and her friends around the club was working reception.

“Get me a sub in The Rapture, now.”

“Yes, Sir,” she replied and didn’t ask another word. She knew better. She was trained well.

A gorgeous brunette was waiting for me lying face down on the bed just as I liked when I entered The Rapture. Her hands were clasped behind her back and feet were spread wide. I quickly removed my clothes and made my way over to the bed. Most of the time when I took a woman it was from behind. I did not want to look at their face while I fucked them. They say that the eyes are the window to the soul. I had no desire to see that shit. If they were facing away from me, then I did not have to see the emotions on their face. I knew that it made me a cold-hearted son of a bitch, but that was just the way I was hardwired.