“How are you doing, Michael?” Charlotte purred as she led her sub around the pit. It was his first night in the club with play privileges, and his third visit to The Covenant during open hours. However, he was still like a kid in a candy store, his wide-eyed gaze was all over the place as he gaped at one scene after another, still trying to wrap his brain around the different types of play. She chuckled to herself. Pretty much everyone new to the lifestyle reacted the same way during their first few visits to a club.

“I’m good, Mistress Charlotte.” He frowned as he looked down at her. “Am I doing anything wrong?”

“Not at all.” Giving him a saucy smile, she ran her fingers down his bare chest. He’d dressed in a faded pair of snug jeans and nothing else, as per her orders. She knew it would take him a while to get used to being in public with fewer clothes on, however, for now, that was fine with her. She liked knowing she was the only one who got to see him completely naked. “But don’t worry—I’ll look forward to punishing you if you do.”

“Thank you, Ma’am. I’m sure I’ll look forward to it, too.” The corners of his mouth ticked upward, but the smile didn’t quite reach his eyes and her gut clenched. Something had been bothering him for the last few days—he’d been quieter than normal— and although she’d asked him several times if something was wrong, he’d only stated he had a lot on his mind. She’d debated whether or not to push him further, but had held off until now—wanting to see if he’d spill his guts without her persuasion. It was her responsibility to ensure the emotional well-being of her sub was taken care of. His evasive behavior would cease tonight. Once they got into the playroom all bets were off. They weren’t going to leave there until she knew what was wrong—only then would she know how to resolve it.

She strode past several more scenes, and he respectfully stayed on her heels. She’d gone through the club protocols extensively before his first trip to the club. She knew some things would take him out of his comfort zone and would be awkward for him at first, but she’d also agreed to no public humiliation in their contract. Many of the subs she’d been in contracts with before had wanted that, so she’d complied—it hadn’t mattered to her one way or the other. It’d been all about giving them what they needed. But with Michael, his needs were different than the masochists in the club, and she’d gladly modified for him. That didn’t mean she wasn’t going to push his limits.

It had been a little over two weeks since Jenn’s party had ended in bloodshed. After the police had arrived and taken the two remaining suspects into custody, it hadn’t taken Detective Isaac Webb and his partner long to find out where Jose’s fiancée and child were being held. The local SWAT team had been dispatched, and the hostages were rescued without further violence.

After Jake had called 9-1-1 that night, his next calls had been to Ian and the rest of his teammates. They’d all shown up at the pub as fast as they could. Kat had been the lone significant other to come along. Boomer had allowed his wife to accompany him only after being assured the danger was all over. All the other Trident women, either pregnant or with little ones, had stayed home, impatiently waiting for word that everyone really was okay. While the hostages had all seemingly recovered from their ordeal, Charlotte knew Jenn was feeling more frustrated than ever about Doug Henderson. The man had comforted Ian’s goddaughter and held her tightly in those minutes following the gunshots, but after the rest of her uncles had arrived on the scene, the bodyguard put distance between them again. Jenn’s disappointment had been evident—at least to Charlotte—but she also hadn’t seen what the Domme had noticed. There had been a silent war raging in the man’s eyes. He felt more for Jenn than the young woman realized, and for some unknown reason, he was fighting it. Was it the age difference between them or the fact she was his boss’s goddaughter? If Charlotte had to guess, it was a little of both.

The pub had been closed for three days—two for the police investigation, and one more for a crime scene cleanup company to expunge all evidence of the incident from public scrutiny. Brody Evans had retrieved the video and audio recordings from the pub’s security system he’d designed and handed them over to the detectives. The footage had told the whole story and satisfied the district attorney that no one other than the two remaining suspects would be charged in the events leading to the deaths of their comrades.

Mike had made sure all his employees were compensated for their unexpected time off. He was once again looking for a new sous chef and had surprised Charlotte by saying he’d still consider another ex-con. His reasoning was, if it hadn’t been for the threat against his family, Jose probably would have been with him for a long time. He’d been a hard worker, looking to better his lot in life, and had gotten caught up in a situation where most people would have responded the same way, by doing what they thought best to save their loved ones.

As for the young widow, there was no family she was close to, and Jake had been worried she might be subjected to a vengeful retaliation from the rest of Ace’s gang. Calling in a favor, Jake had arranged for her and her son to be relocated to another state through an organization called Friends of Patty. While they usually helped victims of domestic violence to disappear for their own safety, the local chapter had agreed it would be best to help Jose’s fiancée and child start over somewhere else.

Stopping at an occupied spanking bench where Devon Sawyer had his wife strapped down, Charlotte snatched a pillow from a nearby chair and dropped it at her feet. “Kneel and watch, my sweet.”

Pride and satisfaction welled within her as Mike didn’t hesitate to do her bidding. She’d upped his training, and it appeared the difference between private and public play hadn’t bothered him when it came to certain commands. After his initial unease on the first night they’d walked around the crowded club, he’d relaxed. It’d helped when he’d realized no one there thought less of him for submitting to a Domme. In fact, there’d been appreciative looks sent his way from several women and men, who were either Dominants or submissives. He’d stepped up his workouts with Jake, Nick, and some of the other Trident Security men on most mornings, and his abs were more noticeably cut. Charlotte loved them but had made sure he’d been doing it for himself and not just to impress her. Since he’d been working out for months before they’d entered into their relationship, she’d believed him when he’d said it was 75% for himself and 25% for her. Had the numbers been different, she may have thought he was lying.

The club was in full swing tonight. Between the people in the pit, bar area, and garden, there had to be over 200 members present, and that didn’t include whoever was already playing in the two dozen private play rooms. Charlotte had reserved one of them for her and Mike. They had another fifteen minutes or so for the room to be free and cleaned—enough time to watch the scene before them.

As they watched Master Devon spank his pretty wife’s bare ass with a paddle, Charlotte moved closer to Mike so her leg brushed against his arm. When he glanced up at her, she nodded once, and he wrapped his arm around her calf, gently stroking her skin. She’d found out he enjoyed touching her as much as possible. With some subs, she would have deduced they were “clingy,” but not so with Mike. It just pleased him to have that physical connection between them, especially after their ordeal. Many nights they’d just cuddled on the couch at her house or his condo, binging on some Netflix shows and Häagen-Dazs. It turned out Mike was just as comfortable being a homebody as Charlotte was. On nights when he’d worked late at the pub, they’d talk on the phone for a bit before she started to feel sleep pulling her under. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d spent so much time talking and hanging out with her submissive outside of play, but Mike had become much more than just her submissive. He’d wormed his way into her heart. Her entertaining distraction had become a permanent one. With her other subs, it had been easy to dismiss them in her mind while she’d been at work, however, thoughts of Mike were constantly popping into her brain throughout the day. She found her heart rate spiking any time her cell phone pinged with a text, or the screen announced an incoming call from him. Sometimes it was to ask a question, other times it was just him wanting to say hello and hear her voice.

Placing her hand on Mike’s head, Charlotte stroked his hair as Master Devon reddened Kristen’s ass. Charlotte knew why the Dom was subjecting his sub to a public spanking tonight, even though it was on her yellow limit list and he didn’t do it often. He’d been frustrated to find out she was overstressed and not sleeping well, and had been hiding those facts from him. With caring for their infant son, a deadline for her latest book coming up, signing events, Devon’s busy work schedule, and their lack of playtime lately, she hadn’t wanted to tell him she was nearing a meltdown. When Devon had overheard her crying to Angie and Fancy, he’d been angry but more concerned than anything. As her Dom, he should have been the first person she’d told—it was his responsibility to take care of her, and he couldn’t do that properly if she hid things from him. So, tonight, she was paying for it and being reminded that lying to her Dom by omission was still lying. The punishment would also give her the release she needed to destress.

Another crack sounded, followed by Kristen’s shrieked, “Eleven!” A choked sob escaped her as tears rolled down her face. Devon stroked her back as he leaned down close to her head and spoke softly to her. After several nods of her head, and words that no one but her Dom could hear over the club’s music, he retook his position behind the bench and swatted her ass again. “Twelve!”

Charlotte glanced down and frowned. Mike’s gaze was on the scene, but he didn’t appear focused on it—his mind was somewhere else. She’d been walking around with a crop in her hand, mainly because it went with her sadistic, dominant persona, and she touched the tip of it to the underside of her sub’s chin and lifted. His gaze rose to hers, and her heart clenched when she saw the anxiety in his eyes despite the smile he gave her. Damn it. Kristen wasn’t the only one hiding things from her Dom. It was time for Charlotte to find out what was bothering Mike. Checking the small watch she had clipped to a belt loop on her black, leather pencil skirt, she saw their room should be ready. She held out her hand, and Mike took it and got to his feet. Without a word, he followed her to the playrooms.

* * *

With every step he took bringing him closer to the playrooms, Mike’s anxiety grew. In three days, the contract he and Charlotte had signed would be up, and not once had she mentioned renewing it. If she didn’t want to sign a new contract, Mike didn’t know what he was going to do. He’d fallen head over heels for his pretty Domme, but doubted she felt the same. Yeah, they’d spent a lot of time together the past few weeks, but any time the question about their future was on the tip of his tongue, he’d swallowed it. Never had he felt the loss of a woman deep in his soul, however, that’s what he felt now, and he hadn’t exactly lost Charlotte yet—but he would in three days. That is, unless he manned up and told her how he felt while praying she didn’t shoot him down. Nick had told him the Domme rarely “dated” a sub, so maybe Mike had that in his favor. And they were definitely dating. Play was not the only thing on the agenda when they got together, and snuggling together on the couch, watching TV, and pigging out on ice cream had quickly become one of his favorite things to do with her.

After they entered their assigned playroom, Charlotte closed the door behind them and the volume of the club music dropped dramatically. Mike glanced around and figured out this room’s theme was a classroom—well, if classrooms had beds in them, of course. With Charlotte’s tight, leather skirt, sheer, button-down, white shirt over a lacy, black bra, high-heeled shoes, and hair up in a bun, she was the quintessential teacher or professor. Damn, she was so freaking sexy—on the outside and inside.

“Strip, then stand and present at the foot of the bed, Michael, while I get a few things ready.”

Her tone was cool and had Mike’s gut roiling. He cleared his throat. “Um . . . permission to speak, Mistress Charlotte?”

Standing in front of several cabinets, she glanced over her shoulder at him, her eyes narrowed. “Permission denied. I gave you an order, subbie.”

His heart sank. Well, if he only had three days left on their contract, he was going to store up as many memories as he could to get him through the lonely nights that were ahead of him. “Yes, Ma’am.”

Removing his jeans—he’d gone commando per her orders—he folded them neatly before placing them on a nearby chair. Stepping over to the bed with its clean sheets, he faced away from it, put his feet shoulder-width apart, clasped his forearms behind his back, bowed his head, and waited.

Charlotte opened and closed several cabinet doors and drawers, retrieving several items, before moving about the room—all in complete silence. Finally, she stopped in front of him. “Lie down on the bed, Michael. Arms and legs spread out to the four corners.”

After he complied with her order, she went to each corner of the bed and attached leather restraints to his wrists and ankles. This wasn’t the first time she’d done this to him, so he was positive his anxiety didn’t have anything to do with the fact he was at her utter mercy. He swallowed hard as she ensured each cuff wasn’t cutting off the blood flow to his hands or feet. “Bend your knees and place your feet flat on the bed, Michael.”

When he followed her command, she nodded then turned to retrieve several items she’d left on the countertop. Moving back to the side of the bed, she showed him what was in her hands.

Oh, shit. While he’d never used one before, he immediately recognized the anal plug she held. And from the looks of it, the thing vibrated. She also had a blindfold, a bottle of lube, nipple clamps, and a cock ring. The toys were on his yellow list after she’d explained the night they’d negotiated their contract how they would amp up his orgasms during play. “First, I’m going to decorate you, my sub, and then . . . well, I’ll tell you what’s next when I’m done. What’s your safeword?”

“Red, Mistress.”

“Very good. If you need me to slow down, but not stop, use the word yellow.”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

Setting everything but the blindfold on the bed next to him, Charlotte stretched the elastic of the blindfold and pulled it down over his head, covering his eyes. She ran her hands over his arms, shoulders, chest, thighs, and calves, and he relaxed into her touch. He now knew what Nick had meant when he’d said Jake grounded him during a scene, because that was exactly how Charlotte made Mike feel right now. He was under her spell and didn’t want to be anywhere else.

Her hands left him, and the bed dipped by his feet as she climbed up between his legs. Mike moistened his suddenly dry lips but remained quiet. He heard her flip open the top to the lube. Several seconds passed before she took hold of his semi-erect cock and placed the cock ring over the tip, sliding it down his shaft to the root.

“The lube will help me remove it later. It should feel tight but not painful. Give me a color, Michael.”

“I-I’m green, Mistress.” And also getting extremely hard, the ring tightening around the base of his cock. He’d learned the ring was intended to restrict the blood flow leaving his cock after it was fully erect. The result would make his orgasm more explosive when he was finally allowed to cum.

Charlotte released him, but he didn’t have to wait long to find out what she’d been planning to do next. Using the tip of the anal plug, she spread the cool lubricant over his anus. His hips bucked, and his sphincter clenched instinctively.

“Uh-uh, subbie. Relax. You’ve had prostate exams before with your doctor—this is no different. Well, actually, it’s a helluva lot better.”

“Yes, Ma’am,” he responded through gritted teeth as he forced the tension from his muscles.

To his relief, she didn’t immediately thrust it into him, instead, slowly working the lube past the tight ring. He bit his bottom lip as he felt her exert a little pressure then release, each time pushing the toy a little further into his hole. As she worked his ass, his cock hardened until he was fully erect. The ring around the base was working—it was snug enough to be just below the point of pain. He felt a drop of pre-cum ooze from his slit. It also didn’t escape Charlotte’s notice because the next thing he knew, she had his dick in her hand and her tongue swiped over the tip. She took advantage of the mind-numbing distraction, and plunged the plug into his ass, before turning it on.

“Oh, shit!” Whatever he’d thought it would feel like, didn’t come close to the sensations coursing through him. The nerves in his rectum lit up, and he almost shot his load right then and there. In fact, he was sure the only thing preventing it was the cock ring.

“Clench around the plug, Michael. I can guarantee you won’t like the punishment you’ll receive if you lose it.”

His jaw was stiff, and he was breathing heavily through his nose as he tried to keep the foreign object inside him. Once again, he willed the muscles in his body to relax. After a moment, he was able to respond to her. “Yes, Mistress.”

Her hand let go of the plug, leaving the round lip flush against his ass. He felt the bed dip as she crawled up his body and straddled his waist. She’d pushed her skirt up high, and the silky skin of her legs tantalized his torso. Flatting her hands, she ran them over his nipples, before plucking them. They peaked under her touch as she rolled them between her fingers. He gulped when one hand left him.

“Deep breath, Michael. It’s going to hurt a bit, but reach past the pain.”

“Y-Yes, Ma’am.” In a flash, the rubberized tip of a clamp closed around his nipple. “Oh, fuck! Damn, that hurts!”

“Breathe, Michael.” She reached back and grabbed his cock, dragging her soft hand up and down his hard flesh.

The distraction worked. His brain was quickly becoming a pile of mush. When she applied the second clamp, the pain barely registered in his mind. All he could concentrate on was where Charlotte’s skin was touching his, and the pleasure racing through his body, screaming at him to cum.

Charlotte’s nails scored his sternum. “Now that you’re at my mercy, and properly prepped, I believe you asked for permission to speak, earlier. It is now granted. What’s on that intelligent mind of yours, Michael?”

“Huh?”

“You wanted to tell me something and you better make it quick. That cock ring can only stay on for twenty minutes. It’s much easier to remove if you’ve already cum, however, the lube will be enough to help me remove it if you haven’t. I don’t need to tell you which one will be more enjoyable for you.”

Mike’s mind was swirling. What had he wanted to say to her? It was on the tip of his tongue. “Um . . . I, uh . . . I wanted to know what was going to happen in a few days—when we reach the end of our contract?”

“Hmm. So that’s what’s been bothering you,” she said as if he’d just solved a great mystery for her. “What do you want to happen, Michael?”

Her hands ran up and down his arms and torso, occasionally brushing against the clamps, sending erotic shockwaves through his nerves that seemed to go straight to his straining cock. He moaned before taking the plunge and answering her. “I-I want to renew the contract, Mistress, but I want to make some changes.”