Welcome to Serpent's Kiss (Serpent's Kiss #0.5) (2 page)

She lowered her mouth over one of his nipples, grazing it with her teeth. This time, he tilted his head back. He would have been looking at the eyebolts in the ceiling if not for the fact that his eyes were closed. Ryan embraced everything she gave him. It was one of the reasons she enjoyed playing with him.

Keeping her lips on his skin, she reached between them and ripped off the three clips she’d attached to the underside of his cock in quick succession. Before he had time to recover, she wrapped her hand around his length and began scraping her nails along his erection with each pass of her palm. Katrina increased the suction of her mouth, biting down every now and then. He was trembling and completely at her mercy. She loved it.

There were still two clothespins attached to his testicles. She switched her mouth to his other nipple, treating it to the same sucking and biting as she had the first. He was close. Very close. It wouldn’t take much to send him over the edge.

With her free hand, she began playing with his balls, toying with the clips. His cock was pulsing in her hand. Their play agreement didn’t include her having control over his orgasms. He could come whenever he wished. Ryan, however, tended to like to draw it out for as long as he could. He was a masochist that way—another reason he made a good play partner.

She kept up her actions until she knew he was right there, teetering on the edge. Without warning, she bit down hard, sinking her teeth into his chest at the same time that she yanked the two clothespins from his balls.

Ryan arched his back, letting out a strangled cry as he let go. His climax covered her hand, and a few drops landed on the leather corset she was wearing.

With the hand that wasn’t covered in spunk, Katrina leaned down and freed him from the spreader bar. Then she stood and walked around to his backside to remove the butt plug from his ass. Once that was extracted and set aside, she reached up and unhooked his cuffs from the chains that held him upright. He sagged a little, but otherwise held himself up. She led him over to the couch along the far wall and draped a blanket over his shoulders.

She sat down beside him, checking to make sure he was coming back down from his high. He seemed fine, so she went to clean herself up.

“I made a mess, didn’t I?” he asked.

“Just a little.” It wasn’t the first time a man had come on her, and she was positive it wouldn’t be the last. Sure, she could have stepped out of the way, but where was the fun in that?

 When she returned to the couch, she brought a bottle of water and some chocolate with her. He might not be her submissive, but as his play partner it was her job to take care of him after.

He took the offering and downed a good portion of the water in one gulp. “Thanks.”

“How are you feeling?” she asked.

Ryan snorted. “Like all my bones have turned to Jell-O.”

She gave him a knowing grin. “Relax up here for a bit. I’m going to go downstairs and check on Brandon and Ali’s progress. If you need anything before I get back, just holler.”

When she moved to stand, he placed a hand on her arm, stopping her. Katrina met his gaze.

“Don’t you want me to take care of you?”

While she never allowed her play partners to penetrate her, she did occasionally have them preform oral favors. Ryan was a huge fan of cunnilingus, and he had a very talented tongue. As tempted as she was to take him up on his offer, she had a few things she needed to do before the club opened at seven o’clock. Katrina knew if she gave in and let him pleasure her, one orgasm by Ryan’s talented mouth wouldn’t be enough.

“Not today. I have some work to do.” She placed his hand back in his lap and headed toward the door. “Take your time.”

Once she was outside the room, Katrina made a beeline for the stairs. As she descended, Brandon waved her over. “Mr. Monroe called while you were upstairs. I told him you were busy and would have to call him back.”

Peter Monroe was the private investigator she used for the club. All members had to pass a background check as well as a medical exam. You could say it was overkill, but most of her members appreciated the care she took with both their privacy and their safety. Even so, the one mistake she’d made in that department plagued her regularly. She’d vowed never to let someone slip through the cracks again. “Thanks. Everything all right down here?”

“We’re good. Ali is almost finished cleaning the main floor. Should I send her upstairs or wait a while?” Brandon asked.

“Have her wait fifteen minutes and then come on up. We should be finished by then.”

“Will do.”

As she started back toward the stairs, Brandon’s voice stopped her. “By the way, you missed a spot.” He had a smirk on his face, and he was looking in the direction of her leg.

Sure enough, on the inside of her thigh was a small amount of Ryan’s cum. She grabbed a paper towel from the bar, dipped it in some water Brandon had sitting close by, and removed the evidence of her afternoon adventures. “Happy?”

Brandon chuckled. “I think the better question would be, are you happy? You’ve obviously just had more fun than I have.”

She gave him a wink. “True. Speaking of which. . . I need to get back upstairs.”

He nodded. “Tell Ryan to stop by when he’s done. I wanted to ask him something.”

“Sure.”

***

When Katrina ambled back into the upstairs room, Ryan was pulling up his jeans. He really was a fine specimen of a man. She’d suggested he try playing with a few of the other Dommes at the club, but every time she brought it up, he shrugged and said ‘maybe’. Then, he would change the subject.

“Looks like you’ve got your sea legs back.”

Ryan turned around. When he saw it was Katrina, he smirked. “I’m still a little wobbly, but I don’t think I’m in danger of falling down, at least.”

She nodded. “There’s more water in the fridge. Make sure you drink another bottle before you leave. Also, Brandon wanted you to stop by the bar on your way out. He says he needs to talk to you.”

“I’ll clean up here and then head down,” he said.

“Very well. I’ll be downstairs if you should need anything else.”

He met her gaze and then began gathering the clothespins from where she’d discarded them on the floor. Part of the arrangement she had with the subs she played with was that they were responsible for cleanup of all toys and the space in general. Ali would go through and make sure the other rooms were satisfactory, but Ryan would take care of this room. Katrina knew he’d make sure everything was perfect. Ryan wanted to please her. She only hoped it didn’t become more for him. Not only was he thirteen years younger than she was and in a completely different place in his life, but she had no desire to take on a permanent submissive.

Heading back down to her office, Katrina shut the door and took a seat behind her desk. She knew Peter Monroe’s number by heart and dialed it quickly.

“How’s my favorite Dominatrix?” he boomed.

Katrina rolled her eyes. “I’m not a Dominatrix. How many times have I told you that?”

Peter snickered.

She leaned back in her chair and shook her head. “You’re impossible.”

“Ah, but you love me anyway.”

It was true. Peter had worked for the St. Louis Police Department with her husband, Doug, for almost twenty years before Peter had decided to become a PI. According to him, it was better pay, better hours, and there was less danger of getting shot at. “We’ll see about that. I need another background check run on an applicant.”

“What’ya got?”

She gave him Drew Parker’s name, address, and place of employment.

“I should have something for you by the middle of next week. If he’s on the city’s payroll, it shouldn’t take long to verify most of this.”

“Thanks, Peter. Call me if you need anything else.”

After finishing her call, Katrina filed Drew’s application away and locked up. She wanted to go home and change before the club opened later that night. The session with Ryan had left her sweating and smelling of sex. It had been nice at the time, but she’d rather not feel that way for the next six hours.

When she walked back into the club’s main room, Brandon and Ryan had their heads together at the bar. “I’m heading out. I’ll be back before we open.”

They both looked up, and Brandon nodded. Ryan. . . well, she couldn’t tell what he was thinking.

Deciding it was probably best she didn’t know, Katrina made her way out the front door and over to her car, which was parked in the lot that ran along the side of the building. The club was near the center of downtown. Given it was late afternoon on a Friday, there was a lot of traffic. All that would change in a few hours when people migrated to their homes in the suburbs. By the time the club opened, the surrounding streets would be close to deserted.

She lived in a condo roughly ten miles from the club. It was close enough that she could get back and forth quickly if needed, but far enough that she wasn’t tempted to spend more time working than necessary.

As soon as she walked in the door, her phone rang. It was her son, Nathan. He was a senior at Indiana University. It was hard to believe he was all grown up and for all intents and purposes out on his own.

By the time she hung up the phone, it was after six. She raced through her shower, changed into some comfortable club wear, and did her hair and makeup. Swiping her keys off the kitchen island where she’d left them, she headed back to the club.

Luckily, when she walked in the door, Brandon and Ali had everything ready to go. All she had to do was dim the lights and turn on the music.

“Everything all right?” Brandon asked.

She must look more harried than she thought. “Yeah, I’m fine. Nathan called to ask if it would be all right if he brought his girlfriend home to meet me over Easter weekend.”

“Wow. Must be serious. He’s never brought a girl home before, has he?”

Katrina shook her head. “Not since high school, and that doesn’t really count.”

“No, it doesn’t.”

She glanced around but didn’t see Ali. “Is Ali still upstairs?”

“No. I think she’s in the locker room changing.”

Katrina strolled over to the wall and opened the cabinet that housed the sound system. Everything was pre-programed. When she had been brainstorming ideas for the club, she’d considered hiring a live DJ. However, after hammering out the details, she realized it wasn’t worth it. The person would have had to not only pass her background check, but also be open to the activities that would be taking place in the club. . . and uphold the members’ privacy. Finding Brandon and Chase, her other bartender, had been difficult enough. Brandon was a Dom. Chase wasn’t, but he had a very open mind, so it worked.

Once the music was playing, she lowered the lights and took a final look around. Everything was ready. And according to her watch, people would begin arriving within the next ten to fifteen minutes. 

As she was coming back downstairs after inspecting the rooms one last time, Katrina ran into Ali, who looked as if she were upset. “Ali, what’s wrong?”

She shook her head.

“Come with me.” Katrina didn’t give her time to refuse. Instead, she led Ali to her office. Unlocking the door, she ushered her inside, and instructed her to have a seat. “Now, tell me what’s wrong. You look like you’ve been crying.”

Ali sighed and began wringing her hands together. “It’s nothing. I just thought this guy was interested, and it turns out he’s not.”

Although it was none of Katrina’s business and she really shouldn’t pry, she asked anyway. “Someone from the club?”

Ali shifted in her seat, but didn’t answer the question.

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

“It’s not a big deal. He says he’s not interested in me like that. It’s not his fault. He never promised me anything.”

Katrina had a feeling she knew who it was based on who she’d seen Ali hanging out with when she wasn’t manning the coat check. Maybe it was a good thing Ali would be behind the counter tonight and not mingling with the other members.

Pulling up a chair, Katrina sat down next to Ali and pulled her into a hug. Ali was in her early thirties, but there was something about the girl that brought out Katrina’s mothering instinct. “One of these days, you’re going to find a guy—the right guy for you.”

“Yeah, well, I wish he’d hurry up already. I’m not getting any younger.”

They both chuckled.

Ali pulled away, and Katrina let her go. “Thanks for listening to my problems. I should probably get out there.”

“I’ll come by and check on you later.”

Nodding, Ali exited the office, leaving Katrina alone again. One of the things she hadn’t anticipated about running a private club was the human drama—although, maybe, she should have. Some of her members were married. Others dated—sometimes seriously and sometimes not. Whenever people’s emotions were involved, there was drama. For the most part, she tried to stay out of it. Sometimes that was easier said than done.

One thing she didn’t tolerate was people who misrepresent themselves. The lifestyle was all about honesty. If all you wanted was someone to play with, that was fine as long as you were upfront about it. She’d had to revoke one man’s membership last year because he would come to the club, cozy up to a young submissive, and promise to give her the world. Then, after she played with him, he would move on to the next sub and act as if she didn’t exist. That wasn’t okay in Katrina’s book.

In Ali’s case, however, it sounded as though she’d pinned her hopes on someone who hadn’t promised her anything. Katrina remembered well enough what it was like to put yourself out there, hoping your affections would be returned, only to have those hopes dashed. It never got any easier, no matter how old you were. Ali was still young, though. She’d find someone eventually as long as she kept herself open to it.

Trying to put Ali’s man problems out of her mind, Katrina logged on to her computer and checked her email. After confirming she hadn’t received anything new, she made her way out into the club to socialize. One couple was already on the small dance floor. The few others who had arrived were either at the bar getting drinks or congregated in the various seating areas.