Commanded (10 page)

“Yeah, I suppose it is.” It almost seemed as though in this moment she’d gained a
friend that she’d wanted for two years, and she couldn’t help but smile in return.
“But I don’t know why you didn’t think you could tell me this.”

Porter gave her a measured look. “What if it bothered you? You do work for me, Chloe.”

She half shrugged. “I guess you’re right.”

There was another pause as his eyes became curious. “But my lifestyle doesn’t bother
you?”

“No. I’m not bothered at all,” she replied easily. “It makes me curious, which is
why I’m asking you and Kenzie to take me to understand it all better.”

Porter inhaled a deep breath, then let it out slowly; the sunbeams from the window
highlighted the blond in his hair. “How does Sawyer feel about you going to a BDSM
club? Have you talked about it?”

“Kinda.” She told the half-truth breezily. “He said he didn’t expect me to go.” She
left out the part where he’d said he didn’t want her to go to a club.

“If you’re curious Chloe, I don’t mind taking you.” Porter rose from his seat, pushing
the chair into place. “But let me run it by Sawyer first.”

“God, no!” Chloe exclaimed, jumping to her feet.

He raised an eyebrow. “Why?”

“Because how embarrassing is that?” Chloe’s voice was high and rushed. “ ‘Oh, yes,
let’s date, but can you take me to a BDSM club because I have no idea what it is and
want to know if I can handle that side of you?’ No, Porter, I don’t think so.”

Porter barked a loud laugh. “I suppose I see your point.” He regarded her in his intense
way, then tapped his fingers on the desk. “Be ready at eight tonight. Kenzie and I
can take you to a public club here in Vegas.”

“Why not your club?” Chloe asked.

“It’s exclusive, I’m sorry to say.” Porter smiled at her before walking away.

Nerves fluttered through Chloe.
Am I really going to do this?

“Oh, and Chloe…” Porter stopped at his office door and turned to her. “When attending
a BDSM club, tight, revealing clothing is best.”

Hell yeah, I am!

Something has come up that I need to do tonight. Shane called to say that Travis was
searching on his computer for how to make meth. That’s all he’s got right now. I’ll
text ya when I’m on my way to your house, okay? I won’t be long. Promise.

The message from Chloe earlier in the day still grated on Sawyer’s nerves. Hours later,
driving alone at night, he didn’t like the fact that he didn’t know her whereabouts.
Nor did he enjoy knowing that it wasn’t his place to ask her.

The Dom in him wanted to know where she was right
now
. The man in him told him not to come on too strong. Yet even that concept seemed
foreign to him. He hadn’t been in a vanilla relationship in so long that he had to
remind himself that Chloe wasn’t a submissive who had signed a confidentiality agreement
to allow him to dominate her.

As much as his thoughts spun, he couldn’t stop thinking about how he hadn’t minded
vanilla sex with her. Not to say that kinking things up with her didn’t interest him,
but vanilla sex with her hadn’t bored him.

In fact, he’d enjoyed his time with her. A lot.

Forcing himself to put her out of his mind for the time being, he took a hard right
and drove past wrought-iron gates up the circular driveway. Club Sin, with its grandeur,
was a sight to behold. The redbrick Queen Anne mansion with its large windows and
impeccable gardens sat well back from the road.

Sawyer wasted no time parking his truck behind the other cars and entering through
the front doors. Richly designed, the mansion showed off the extent of Dmitri’s wealth.
Sawyer understood why Dmitri lived for the finer things in life, but Sawyer had never
wanted that life. Sitting behind a desk didn’t appeal to him, no matter how much money
a man could make.

His shoes clicked against the hardwood floors as he entered through the hallway. Surrounded
by stone walls, he trotted down the stairs until he encountered the wrought-iron door.
Jaw tight, he wrapped his hand around the cool door handle and opened the door.

The moment he entered Club Sin, the sounds of pleasure, pain, and everything in between
breezed across him like a gust of warm air. Instant guilt followed. Not the feeling
he’d expected as he walked through the doors of his beloved club.

The BDSM stations remained the same, the black couches still were at the center of
the dungeon, and Club Sin members were engaging in kinky sex. But he knew that he’d
let the members down by not stopping by last weekend, even though with his sister
in the hospital he’d had a good reason. The members counted on him. As one of their
leaders, he had an obligation to them.

With a heavy feeling in his gut, he headed through the dimly lit space, spotting a
very pregnant Ella on one of the black couches in the center of the dungeon, with
her husband, Kyler, sitting on the armrest. His gaze slid past them to the dark-haired
Aidan and the brunette, Cora, sitting on the opposite couch. Next to them on another
sofa sat Dmitri along with his submissive, Presley. As far as friends went, his were
a close-knit group, and a good-looking bunch. The men were fit, handsome in their
own right. And the ladies were lovely, dressed in very little.

When Sawyer followed their gaze toward the stage area of Club Sin, he understood what
held their attention. The submissive Amanda hung from the ceiling in suspension bondage.
One leg was arched back, her foot touching her head, while the other leg had been
bound at her knee. Bound and locked into pleasure, she was spread wide as the Dom
Max thrust between her thighs.

Not long ago, Sawyer would’ve been that Dom suspending a woman in the air. He smiled
to himself, pleased that the Dom he’d mentored, Max, had used the lessons Sawyer taught
him. Amanda’s skin was red in the places Max bound her, but her circulation wasn’t
cut off—which would have given her skin a blue tone—since the ropes evenly supported
her.

As Sawyer approached the couches circled around the coffee table, Dmitri’s sharp blue
eyes focused on Sawyer and crinkled in the corners. “Good to see you, Sawyer.” He
was an imposing man, always had been. His features were strong and chiseled, giving
him the air of a leader. “How is your sister?”

All eyes went to Sawyer as he took a seat beside Dmitri, while the pretty Presley,
with her long dirty-blond hair, slender figure, and stunning emerald eyes, remained
perched on the armrest. “I went to see her before I came here. She seems better.”

“I’m so sorry about what happened to her,” Presley said, her long locks covering her
bare breasts.

Sawyer wondered what Presley had done tonight to annoy Dmitri. It wasn’t often she
was bare-breasted in the club, which indicated she was receiving a punishment. He
smiled at her. “Thank you. My sister is a tough girl. She’ll get through this.”

A low grunt caught Sawyer’s attention. He turned, spotting Max bucking and jerking
with his orgasm.
Just another night in Club Sin,
he thought happily to himself. His attention turned back to the group when Ella said,
“Kyler said her injuries were terrible. Is she healing well?”

Sawyer nodded at her, pleased that his friend Kyler had found himself such a beautiful
wife. Ella had old-soul, expressive eyes and soft honey-colored hair. Sawyer was thrilled
for them and anticipated holding their baby in his arms. “It’ll take some time. I
think the most painful thing for her now is her broken ribs.”
Her heart
would have been the truth, but he had no business sharing that.

While that thought weighed on him, he also knew his baby sister. She’d bounce back
from this and somehow be stronger because of it. “I’m sorry that I haven’t been here.”
He paused, then added for good measure, “I suppose I’ll also apologize for not being
here tomorrow night, since I suspect I’ll be busy trying to find Travis.”

“Oh, stop it.” Dressed in dark green lingerie, the brunette, Cora, flicked her hand.
“Your sister comes first. Everyone understands that. I think it’s sweet you came by
at all.”

He smiled and bobbed his head in thanks, appreciating the compassion in Cora’s blue
eyes. She was a looker, and Aidan had garnered himself a stunning wife. Yet somehow
all the sympathetic expressions offered him only made him feel shittier. He felt he
was letting them down by not being here. They depended on him.

Dmitri was watching Sawyer’s expression, and he said to the group, “Ladies, please
excuse yourselves for a few minutes.”

Kisses were exchanged before the women left the sitting area, traveling across the
room toward a scene between a young submissive and the only other single Club Sin
Master, Miles. Yet Sawyer knew the only reason Miles had been single for so long was
because he worked too much. As far as Sawyer had heard, Miles was looking to sell
his construction business and focus more on his private life.

“What’s with the guilt?” Dmitri asked sternly.

Sawyer looked at his friends, finding all the Club Sin Masters watching him curiously.
“Nothing.”

“Liar,” Aidan snorted, shoving his fingers through his jet-black hair. Tall, muscular,
and stern-faced, he had the air of a Dominant. “You look like you’ve swallowed a nail.”

“Like I said, I felt bad that I haven’t been here,” Sawyer said. “I know this weekend
was supposed to be my weekend.” Which meant he had been required to play with a submissive
and show off his skills as a Dom, both to give the crowd a good show and to teach
them.

Kyler narrowed his eyes, staring in the way he usually did when he wanted to prove
a point. “Well, as the saying goes, better late than never. Put on a show now. I’m
sure any of the submissives would be happy to be your sub for the night.”

Tension filled Sawyer’s chest. “I’m not…” Chloe’s smile flashed through his mind,
as did the sensation of having her lush body beneath his. “No. I can’t.”

Dmitri grinned. “Ah, so
that’s
what it is. Porter’s little employee has stolen our Sawyer away.”

The men laughed, yet somehow Sawyer didn’t feel amused. Instead, Dmitri’s words had
only increased the tension swelling inside him
.
“I’m not sure where things are going with her,” he said, instead of saying he thought
only of her. “Chloe isn’t knowledgeable about our lifestyle yet. She wouldn’t understand
that if I played with someone it wouldn’t be sexual, only a flogging or bondage.”

Kyler waggled his eyebrows. “I remember having one of those new girls myself and bringing
her here. Do tell, is that in Chloe’s future?”

Sometimes Sawyer wished Kyler knew how to shut up. His good friend often had a way
of getting a point across through very annoying questions. “I haven’t figured that
out yet.”

“Is she kinky?” asked Aidan.

“Right now she’s too innocent to be considered kinky.” Sawyer liked her that way,
too. He found her innocence endearing. “But she’s sexually submissive, that much I
do know.”

Dmitri smiled in his confident way. “Then there is hope for her after all. You’re
more than welcome to bring her into the club whenever you want.”

No one said,
She must be special if you’re dating a vanilla girl.

In all the years that Sawyer had known these men, which was about as long as he’d
been in the BDSM lifestyle, he’d never had a serious girlfriend. And now he began
to understand why that was: his heart craved a woman who couldn’t be found in a BDSM
club, because any woman there simply wouldn’t be innocent enough. “Thanks for the
offer. But I’m going to see how things with Chloe develop. I don’t want to rush her
into this.”

Kyler barked a laugh. “Buddy, say goodbye to your single life. You’re talking like
a man who might as well go buy a wedding ring.”

Loud masculine laughter filled the air around Sawyer. This time he laughed with them,
realizing how amusing it was that he was so wrapped up in a vanilla girl. But he also
realized there was nothing wrong with that.

When the laughter faded, he began to glance around the club, trying to picture Chloe
there. Her beauty and light would bring more warmth to Club Sin. Her lush body would
look perfect in lingerie like the kind the submissives were wearing. Even seeing Presley,
Ella, and Cora over by Miles’s scene made Sawyer think Chloe would fit in there fine,
because he knew she’d get along with them well.

Yet somehow he couldn’t see Chloe becoming a member of Club Sin.

He continued to scan the club, and only then did he realize two people were missing.
“Where are Porter and Kenzie?”

Kyler answered, “Porter called me earlier and said he wouldn’t be able to make it
until later tonight. He had an obligation to take care of.”

“An obligation?” Sawyer frowned.

Aidan nodded. “He texted us, too, saying that he and Kenzie needed to do something
for a friend.”

Sawyer glanced from Kyler to Aidan, seeing that neither of them knew anything more.
But Sawyer’s instincts flared. Porter and Kenzie wouldn’t miss Club Sin unless they
had a very good reason. He also knew Kenzie had no other friends outside of Club Sin.
Porter, on the other hand, was close to one person who didn’t belong to Club Sin.

A swell of anger rose up. Sawyer reached for his phone in his pocket and texted Porter:
Is Chloe with you?

A few seconds passed before Porter replied:
She is. Is she not supposed to be?

S
awyer’s jaw clenched, his fingers tightening around his cell phone.
Where are you?

A pause. Then:
Chains.

Sawyer’s red-hot anger turned into something much more personal: raw jealousy.

Dominant eyes burning with passion. Rope. Naked flesh.

A cold sweat washed over Chloe as the atmosphere at the BDSM club Chains closed in
on her. There didn’t seem to be anything special about the club—it resembled a typical
nightclub. In the center, tables and chairs were like those you’d find in any casual
nightclub. Off to the left, couches were scattered around with couples cuddling on
them. And at the very back, a bartender served alcohol to the crowd. The difference
was the BDSM equipment set up around the room.

Most women in attendance opted for tight clothing, which Chloe thought of as gothic-inspired,
while the men wore black, with the occasional guy in jeans. As much as she tried—and
hell, did she try—she couldn’t absorb all that was going on around her: a station
where the tips of needles were inserted into a woman’s breasts, another where a woman
was being caned on her bottom until it was purple and bloody, a third where yet another
woman was lying on a table as an older gentleman dragged a knife down her stomach.

Chloe didn’t like this. Not any of it.

“Don’t worry, Chloe.” Porter’s soft, reassuring voice came behind her. He nudged her
forward, directing her to follow Kenzie toward the sitting area. When she sat down
he raised his voice to be heard over the heavy metal music coming through the speakers.
“Sawyer isn’t into edge play that I know of.” He smiled kindly. “It’s pretty obvious
you aren’t, either.”

“That’s…” Chloe swallowed, glancing at Kenzie and seeing her relaxed posture. Porter’s
girlfriend was a stunning, fiery beauty. Spice lived within her, Chloe thought. The
dark red of her hair matched her quick wit and sassy attitude, and her hazel eyes
reflected spunk. And by all appearances, Kenzie, dressed in a tiny skirt and short
top, seemed bored.

To Chloe, this was anything but boring. It was eye-fucking-opening.

She admitted to them, “To be honest, I didn’t know you could go to a club to do this.
I mean, from work I understand a Dominant and submissive relationship.” She’d investigated
a few of those relationships throughout the years. She understood that sometimes letting
go and allowing someone else to be in control could free a person. But what she saw
now—the knives, the blood, the needles…“I’m having a hard time with this.”

Kenzie’s brows shot up for a moment, and then she burst out laughing. “Jesus, you
look like you’re going to pass out.” She reached out and grabbed Chloe’s hand. “You’re
fine here with us. No one is going to steal you away to do wicked things to you.”
With her smile still in place, she released Chloe’s hand and rose. “I’ll grab us some
drinks. Wine okay?”

Chloe nodded, unamused. She’d never thought of herself as pure, but she was beginning
to see what Sawyer meant. In his world, she was practically a virgin. She looked at
Porter. “If Sawyer isn’t into edge play, I take it you’re not, either?”

Porter shook his head. “Edge play isn’t part of our club and it’s not why I’m in the
lifestyle. But others here do what we do, so I thought that’s what you’d like to see.”
He gestured across the room. “See that scene going on over there?”

Chloe followed his gaze, spotting a tall, hefty man flogging a thin blond woman. Each
time the flogger hit flesh, the man smoothed his hand over where he’d hit. Chloe exhaled
a long breath; this she could handle. In fact, the longer she watched, the more curious
she became. “It appears more erotic.”

“Precisely. It’s about a connection and building endorphins.” Porter paused as Kenzie
returned with one beer and two glasses of wine. “Thanks, darling,” he said to Kenzie
before adding to Chloe, “People in the BDSM lifestyle will have their own personal
desires and fetishes. It so happens that those in our club prefer the D/s relationship
mixed with a softer form of BDSM.”

Chloe watched the man flogging the woman’s body, turning it a deep shade of red. She
surmised that if a man wanted a flogging to be painful, it could be, but this woman
wasn’t flinching in pain. In fact, she swirled her hips with each hit. Addressing
Kenzie, Chloe asked, “How much does that hurt?”

“For me, that would tickle and probably annoy me.” Kenzie grinned.

Porter chuckled.

With growing curiosity, Chloe examined the flogging again. She’d never thought about
partaking in BDSM. She supposed she didn’t understand it. If she loved someone, she
guessed she’d do it. But as she watched the man whack the woman’s bottom, she couldn’t
see herself in that position. And, if she were being honest with herself, none of
this aroused her.

On the contrary, she’d never been drier.

She heard sensual moans and slaps of skin against skin, and she wasn’t turned on.
Not even a bit. No tingles between her thighs. No heat on her face.
Nothing.
And as the man stopped flogging the woman and began fucking her instead, Chloe’s
blood ran cold.

Sawyer hadn’t been wrong—she
was
too innocent. She’d never allow a man,
any
man, to fuck her in front of others.

Suddenly she realized how ridiculous she must look. Wearing a short black shirt and
tight blouse showing only a little cleavage, she didn’t fit in. Her palms grew sweaty
and her fingers tightened around her wineglass.

To her left, a woman dropped to her knees, while a man held her head and pumped his
cock in between her lips, using her mouth for his enjoyment. Yes, this was all consensual,
but it wasn’t Chloe.

I can’t be this woman. Not for Sawyer. Not for anyone.

Her heart thumped as she scanned the room, feeling as though a spotlight were shining
on her. Did everyone here know she was an outsider? The room started to feel smaller
and the noises sounded louder. Her attention drifted back to the man thrusting inside
the woman who’d been flogged. The woman screamed her pleasure, but Chloe knew she
didn’t want anyone else to hear her moans. Those noises belonged to the man she loved,
only and always for him. The room seemed to spin around her. She picked up her wineglass
and downed half of its contents.

When she lowered her glass, Porter asked, “Are you all right, Chloe?”

She glanced from Porter to Kenzie, who both were watching her closely. “I…”

Porter frowned, then rose. “Not comfortable here. Let’s go.”

Chloe stood up, but her mind spun with questions.

What does this mean for Sawyer and me?

She couldn’t be this woman for him.

Should I end things with him?

As the man pounding into the woman began grunting with his orgasm, Chloe’s heart raced.
I need to get out of here. I have to think.
She gulped, needing the air to be fresher. Turning on her heel, she strode toward
the door…and that’s when she ran into a brick wall.

A wall that happened to have strong arms and smelled a lot like Sawyer.

Sawyer had spent years training to control his emotions. He possessed the ability
to slow his heartbeat in tense situations. But now? His training vanished as an upset
and confused Chloe pressed herself against him. Yes, she’d accidentally walked into
him, but within a second she realized who held her, and she sagged against him in
relief. Anger burned through him, even if he was unsure whom to be angry at. He wrapped
his arms around her and held her close.

It took only a few seconds for her to straighten up and stand firmer, but those seconds
mattered. To him. And to her.

Well aware that Porter and Kenzie were watching them, he tucked a finger under Chloe’s
chin. Her eyes, reflecting insecurity—an emotion he’d never seen from her before—stole
the air from his lungs. “Are you okay?”

“Yes.” She looked down. “Yes. I’m fine.”

Red-hot rage soared through Sawyer’s veins at the sight of her shrunken posture, the
insecurity visible on her face, and at her evident discomfort. This was exactly what
he hadn’t fucking wanted. And it wasn’t that he didn’t understand, because he did.
She didn’t belong in his lifestyle.

Seeing her wide eyes begging him to take control of this situation, he wrapped his
arm around her waist. “Let’s get you out of here.” He slid his glance to Porter, who
was watching him. Sawyer narrowed his eyes at his pal. He planned to make Porter answer
for this.

Now, though, he stayed focused on Chloe and hurried her past the bouncers at the door.
With Chloe tucked in next to him, he noticed her long intake of breath when they got
outside, as if she’d been starved of air. His anger doubled. How fucking dare Porter
do this?

Within minutes Sawyer reached his truck, opened the passenger-side door, and helped
her in. “Stay here,” he told her. “I’ll just be a minute.” He left the door open,
hoping the fresh air would help take her mind off whatever thoughts were running through
her head. He fisted his hands and approached Porter and Kenzie, who stood at the main
entrance of Chains.

“Tell me what the fuck you were thinking,” he demanded when he reached them.

Kenzie’s brows rose. “That’s my cue to leave.” She released Porter’s hand. “I’ll be
over here in the safe zone, saying goodbye to Chloe.”

Sawyer didn’t glance over his shoulder as Kenzie went across the parking lot. He stayed
focused on Porter, who in turn was glaring at him. Tension tightened his muscles,
and adrenaline was rushing through Sawyer’s veins. Perhaps it wasn’t his finest moment,
but his anger wanted to direct itself at Porter.

“Chloe asked me to take her here, so I did.”

Sawyer’s jaw clenched. “Did you know that I’m seeing her now?”

“I did.”

“Why didn’t you run it by me? You know better,” Sawyer growled, his fingernails biting
into his palms.

Porter squared his shoulders. “Chloe came to me and said it embarrassed her to ask
you to take her. She wanted to understand the lifestyle.”

Sawyer jabbed a finger toward the front door of Chains. “
This
is the place you thought would be a good example to show her?”

“It’s the
only
place I could take her.” A muscle in Porter’s jaw twitched. “Would you have preferred
that she come alone?”

Sawyer knew deep down that Porter had a point, but his anger was too strong to acknowledge
that. Not giving a shit if anybody walking by overheard him, Sawyer snapped at Porter,
“You overstepped your bounds tonight.”

“By being a supportive friend to Chloe?” Porter took a step forward. “I don’t know
what’s crawled up your ass tonight. But I’m going to stop you now because this conversation
won’t lead anywhere good.”

“Chloe is not to come here again.” Another Dom had handled
his woman
, and that bothered him. It was unforgivable, in fact. “I don’t care if she asks you
or even if she fucking begs you, she will not set foot in any club. Understand?”

Porter nodded. Without another word, he strode over to Kenzie, took her hand, and
led her off down the street, away from the club. Sawyer’s insides trembled with his
wrath. He drew in a deep breath and returned to Chloe, who was staring at the dashboard
of his truck.

He placed himself between her and the door. “I did not want you here.”

“But I wanted—”

He arched an eyebrow sternly. “I did not want you here.”

She sighed, and her eyes searched his for a long moment before her lips closed. A
long tense couple of seconds passed before she whispered, “Why are you so angry at
me for coming here?”

Why, indeed?

He gripped the door with his fingers so damn hard that they hurt. Her question bounced
around in his mind. It pissed him off that he didn’t have an answer to give her. “I
can’t do this right now, not when I’m this fucking mad.” He slammed her door shut,
then strode around to the driver’s side.

Only after he slid into his seat and started up the truck did Chloe speak. “I think
we need to talk.”

He glanced sideways at her, unsure what she meant by “talk.” Was she going to end
things between them or straighten things out? Truth be told, he couldn’t handle either.
“I don’t want to talk to you about this right now. Let me calm down. Please.”

She folded her arms and stayed silent, and he leaned forward and turned up the radio.
He understood why she was angry at him for not discussing this now, but sometimes
taking control of a situation to ensure it didn’t get worse was the lesser of two
evils.