Lexi was fairly humming with excitement when she sat down at the dungeon bar. So many reasons she couldn't keep the grin off her face. 

It was her first time being at a public BDSM club without a mask. It was somehow freeing knowing that everyone here could see her real face. That these people wouldn't judge her. She didn't have to hide from them. 

She was excited because her submissive's bracelet now had a green bead threaded through it. Not that she needed to wear her submissive's bracelet anymore. They were really only for people who didn't have their own Dom. Submissives who were looking for someone else to play or scene with. 

Lexi only planned to show the green bead to Jackson, make sure he understood it meant she was more than happy for him to have sex with her in a scene, then planned to take the bracelet off completely. After all, she was wearing his collar. 

It was more a necklace than a collar. But they'd both understood the significance when he'd put it around her neck that day. They were both agreeing there wouldn't be anyone else, except if Jackson decided to share her. It wasn't a permanent commitment, but it was an understanding.

And it meant everything to Lexi.

She drank a sip of her soda as she waited. She'd taken off her trench coat and left it with the coat check. Instead she was only wearing a soft pink teddy, completely sheer over her breasts and pussy. Just like the one in the very first scene she'd written for Jackson. Would he remember? If not, she would certainly have fun reminding him. 

She was very much hoping they could reenact that scene tonight. It was her personal favorite.

But most importantly, Lexi was excited that tonight, once they got back to Jackson's suite, she would be able to tell him how she'd caught a thief he hadn't even known about. Her software plant had worked. She had the information she needed to figure out who was skimming money from Calder Enterprises. 

She could just imagine Jackson's face when she told him. Gave him the proof. Of course, before she did that she would actually look over the data and figure out who it was behind it all. But that wouldn't take long. She would've done it before arriving here, but didn't want to take a chance on being late to meet him.

Jackson would be proud of her. She could admit to herself that she wanted that. In the bedroom, or in a club like this, where he was the dominant and she was the submissive, she didn't mind giving in to him. Didn’t mind letting him control her, command her. But professionally she needed to know she was his equal. That he knew that and respected it. That he understood what she could do and value her for that. Otherwise no relationship between them would work.

She was so excited about this she might not be able to scene with him without telling him first. She saw her nipples poking out of the sheer pink teddy. No, she would definitely be able to scene with him first. Especially if it was this one.

“Don't you just look like the cat that ate the canary?” 

Lexi stiffened. Magic Mike still trawling the bar like he had been last a few days ago.

“Yes, Master Magic. Just excited about tonight's potential,” she said. 

Mike moved in closer and Lexi resisted the urge to cringe away.  

“How do you know my name?” 

Lexi realized he didn't recognize her without her mask. She turned so she could more clearly face him even though it meant he could see her entire body through the flimsy material. It didn't matter, he'd seen her in much less. 

But somehow without Jackson here now she just felt vulnerable.

“Alexandra?” Mike's eyes widened, color draining from his face. She hadn't quite expected that reaction.

She nodded.

“But you're not Alexandra Silver. I've seen pictures of her.”

“No, I'm Lexi Durham, Alexandra's partner. She's the face and spokesperson behind our company, I'm more of the brains.”

Mike was staring at her in disbelief. “I thought you were Alexandra Silver.” His voice was hoarse. 

Lexi had no idea why he would even care so much. “Most people assumed it, and I didn't correct them.”

Mike came to stand right next to her barstool. Lexi looked around, hoping Jackson would be here soon. It was already five minutes past when they were supposed to meet.

“There are no pictures of you in you in your company’s files. You're buried pretty deeply and there's no pictures of you.” Mike’s voice was a little choppy.

They were hidden because she hadn't wanted Jackson to know how big a part she was part of SilverSystems if he ever checked into her. So she'd made sure she was pretty buried. That unless someone knew she worked there, no one wouldn’t find her.

But why would Mike know that? She looked over at him. “You were reading up on SilverSystems?”

He just smiled in what she was sure was supposed to be a charming way, but somehow made her feel less comfortable. He walked down the bar a few feet and got the bartender’s attention, asking him for something. The bartender grinned and nodded, and walked away. A few minutes later he returned from the back with something in hand, and gave it to Mike. Then the bartender winked at Lexi.

Mike walked back over to her, taking a sip of water that the bartender had also provided.

“What was that all about?” She knew she should be more respectful, more submissive in tone, but couldn't bring herself to be. She's never been attracted to Mike, but tonight she seemed almost repulsed by him.

Was this because of Jackson? Was she going to be repulsed by anybody who wasn't him?

Hopefully he would get there soon, rescue her from Mike again. And she would be very sure never to tell Jackson that if he truly wanted to punish her for something he could lend her to the other man for a few hours. A shudder ran through her. God, that might be a hard limit for her.

“You've been playing with Calder all the last few days,” Mike said, entering her personal space, oblivious to her discomfort. “Ever since your scene with him and Donovan Parnaby.”

“Yes, we’re exclusive now.” She prayed that was true, and even if it wasn’t, she was still going to use it to get away from Mike. She touched the necklace around her throat in reference. Where was Jackson?

“I don’t see Calder here right now.”

“He will be here soon.”

“Sir. He will be here soon, sir.”

Lexi had had enough. She’d tolerated Mike for months, but tonight didn’t have it in her to do so. She didn’t know why Jackson had gotten held up, but she knew he would not want her to be sitting at this bar, uncomfortable.

“He will be here soon, sir. If you will excuse me, sir.” She got up. She would find some other submissives to sit near. Jackson would find her when he got here.

“Why don’t we get you ready for him,” Mike murmured close to her ear. Before she knew what he was doing, he had slipped some cuffs around her wrists, attaching them together behind her back.

“Hey!” She didn’t care if he was really trying to get her ready for Jackson or not, she wasn’t comfortable with this. 

“I think this ball gag will help too.”

Before she could signal to anyone what was happening, he pulled out the ball gag that the bartender had given him and slipped it into her mouth, attaching it behind her head, rendering her mute.

When he pulled her down off the barstool, Lexi began to struggle. The bartender looked over and she attempted to communicate her panic with him.

“I told you she was really into the non-con scenes, Anthony. I’m taking her over to the scene room.” With a laugh and a smack on her ass, Mike hoisted her over his shoulder.

She was helpless.

“Make sure she has a squeaky toy,” Anthony the bartender said. “House rules.”

“Absolutely. I wouldn’t dare break any of the rules.”

Lexi started squirming, trying to get Anthony’s attention to let him know she was in trouble. But Mike kept shifting her around, under the guise of being friendly and talking to people, not allowing her a chance to get anyone’s attention.

What was happening? Surely Mike understood she didn’t want to do a scene with him. 

When they walked by the scene area she was relieved when he didn’t stop. Until she realized he was heading for the back exit with her. She began to struggle in earnest. His hand cracked down painfully on her ass, but she didn’t let it deter her from her struggle. She needed to let someone know she was in trouble and not leaving here of her own free will. She only needed one person’s attention, and it would be enough for them to call into question Mike’s actions. Subs tended to look out for each other, to make sure no one was caught in a situation exactly like this.

Unfortunately, Mike knew that, and just as she was lifting herself off his back to try to signal someone, He shifted her down into his arms.

The hand of his arm holding her legs, grabbed her pinky finger. 

“If you move again, I’ll break this finger. Then I’ll start on the next.” He said it with a friendly smile on his face.

She jerked, calling his bluff, trying to get away from him before they got out of the dungeon area. He shook his head.

And agonizing pain radiated from her finger. She could feel the bone break and screamed, the gag completely muffling the sound. 

“Want me to break the next one?”

Tears poured out of her eyes and she stopped fighting. She was too vulnerable here. He had to put her down sometime, and she would be ready to fight then. He kept her hair covering her face as they passed fewer and fewer people on their way out.

“You know, the fact that you always wore the mask really helps me in this situation. Nobody knows what you look like.”

Lexi was just trying to focus on breathing through the pain. What the hell was Mike doing?

“My cabin is pretty crappy,” he said. “Plain. But a buddy who’s in Dubrovnik tonight has an aft cabin. Right at the back of the ship. Gives him a great view of everything.”

He continued to walk down the hallway with her. When they heard someone coming in their direction, he slid her feet to the ground, and pushed her up against the hallway wall. Making sure her hair was surrounding her features the whole time, he pushed her face into his shoulder and began kissing her neck. She struggled as the couple walked by, trying to get their attention, but when they just murmured in appreciation she realized it just looked like she was encouraging Mike’s amorous attentions. They couldn’t tell she had a gag on.

Once they passed, he continued to drag her down the hall, until they arrived at the cabin door he opened it and pushed her inside.

“When I heard Alexandra Silver was on the ship, I wasn’t worried. One does not have to search into SilverSystems very long to figure out that she is the face behind the company, but not the brains.”

Had this maniac really brought her here, broken her fucking pinky, just to talk about her company? He pushed her onto the couch, tears flooding her eyes again as her broken finger hit the back.

“I thought I was done for. Thought someone else was using your systems to figure out that it was me stealing from Calder. Maybe his own security team piggybacking off your systems. But it wasn’t, was it? You were the one who set up the sting, weren’t you?”

He sat down on the couch next to her, removing the gag, but holding a pillow in his hand. “If you scream, this is going over your face, and I can’t guarantee I’ll remember to let it up before you suffocate.”

Lexi shook her head, trying to think clearly through the pain. “You’re the one who’s been skimming from Calder Enterprises?”

“Yep. Did Jackson bring you here to help him figure it out or were you working on your own?”

“Jackson knows everything,” she lied immediately. “I got the data I needed tonight, but just hadn’t had a chance to look through my copy. Jackson already has it and his security team is probably looking for you right now.”

“Interesting how I ran into Ian and Quentin Damascus, his heads of security, five minutes before you arrived at the dungeon and they didn’t mention anything.”

Shit. “Fine, you caught me.” She tried to keep her voice is sturdy as possible but her teeth were already chattering she was so afraid. “But the information is on its way to them.”

“That’s unfortunate. More work for me. Now I’m going to have to make it look like you’ve been stealing from Jackson, and tried to pin it on me. And that you were so overwhelmed with guilt that you killed yourself.”

“Wh-what?”

He ripped off the necklace, the collar, Jackson had given her and threw it on the ground. “Let’s get rid of this first. I can’t stand to see his mark of possession on you. It should’ve been me you were with all along.”

His fingers gripped her jaw with a bruising grip. “Too bad you couldn’t just leave a good thing alone, Alexandra Durham. But I can’t let them start looking into me. Calder isn’t the only person I’m skimming from.”

He trailed a finger down her cheek and Lexi flinched away. “Don’t touch me.”

He shook his head. “I would’ve liked to play with you. Make you know some real pain. Not this sissy stuff Calder is into. I’ve had to keep those darker tendencies under wrap. It’s hard to find good pain sluts. But God, how I love to feel your bones snap. Maybe I should do the other pinky.”

Lexi threw herself from the couch onto the floor to get away from him, and Mike laughed.

“It’s really too bad I don’t have much time. The things you could suffer at my hands in twenty-four hours?” The man actually licked his lips.

Lexi scrambled back as far as she could as Mike stood. “But sadly, if Anthony realizes you’re the one Jackson is looking for when he gets to the dungeon, he might mention that you left with me. So, no time for fun.”

He walked over to the bedside table and got out a clear plastic bag. “Have you ever done any breath play? Some people really like it. It’s supposed to intensify an orgasm significantly. Having someone choke or suffocate you during sex until you’re right at the brink of passing out, but then they let you have air at the very last second, just as you orgasm. I hear it’s amazing.”

She shook her head. “No, I’ve never done that. I don’t want to.”

“Well, we’re going to try it, except I’m not going to let you have air at the very last second. Dying probably doesn’t help intensify an orgasm.” He shrugged. “But I’ve got to get you thrown overboard before Calder comes looking for you.”

As he moved to put the bag over her head, Lexi did what she realized she should’ve been doing all along. She screamed.