Six weeks later
“IT’S YOUR FOURTH session with me, Twyla,” Doc states from his leather chair across from where I sit on the matching sofa in his office. “The first thing I always do with all prospective members of Club Alias during this last appointment is go over everything we’ve learned throughout our time together.”
“Sounds good to me, Doc,” I reply, watching him pull his ever-present notepad off his side table and into his lap.
“This’ll be a first for me though because I’ve never had someone’s partner join us for one of my sessions before,” he adds, sending a small smile in Seth’s direction, where he’s lounging on the cushion next to me.
“Saves time, bro. Now I won’t have to waste an hour watching the video since I’ll be here to hear everything in person. You know what I could be doing with that extra hour?” Seth asks, turning to me and wiggling his eyebrows.
I roll my eyes and swat his chest. “Behave. This is serious business. I want to be treated exactly like every other member of your club. No special treatment just because I live there.”
“Trust me, doll. The submissives at the club can’t even dream up the special treatment I’m gonna give you as soon as Doc gives us the official green light,” Seth murmurs seductively, and my face heats as Doc watches our interaction.
I clear my throat. “You were saying?” I prompt Doc.
He smiles faintly, shaking his head. “Session one, we talked about your childhood. You grew up with two loving parents, now married for twenty-eight years, and a sister two years older than you who you are very close with.”
I watch him closely, trying to see any change in expression when he talks about Astrid, but he’s damn good. The man has a professional poker face that could rival Seth’s. The only thing I notice is his eyes soften a bit at the mention of my sister.
“Session two, we talked about your high school and college years, and your professional career as a chemical engineer. Another first for me when initiating a member into Club Alias: you were a virgin until recently, so there was no sexual history for us to cover during this session. This is normally when a prospect and I delve into the reasons they are drawn to the BDSM lifestyle, but in your case, the reason is currently ogling you and giving me the overwhelming urge to disinfect my couch,” Doc grumbles.
I could feel Seth staring at me for the past minute, but I had locked eyes on Doc as he spoke, doing my damnedest to ignore my goofy-ass boyfriend. Now, I squint my eyes and turn my glare on him, immediately dropping the mock expression of anger and bursting into laughter when I see what he’s doing. He runs his fingertip around the inside of his plump lips, flicking his tongue raunchily as he stares me straight in the eye. Now that he’s got my attention, he grinds his hips as he continues whatever he’s doing to his mouth, the movement accentuated by his camo fanny pack. One of thirteen in all different colors I discovered when I moved in with him two weeks ago.
“What in the world is wrong with you, Seth?” I giggle. “This is serious!”
“I don’t know, doll. Doc said virgin, and all of a sudden I wanted to take this dee-yock”—he humps the air, making the fanny pack bounce—“and put it in yo’ vag. We need to hurry this up, ‘cause I’m fixin’s to fuck ya.”
I slap my hand over his mouth in an attempt to get him to stop, but he just licks my palm, and I pull it away to wipe on my denim-covered thigh. “I’m sorry, Doc,” I tell him, trying to keep a straight face.
“Uh-uh, lovely Twyla. You know the rules. Name the movie. You have to name the movie when it’s one I’ve made you watch… or a good spanking is in order.” He says the last part with a British accent after reminding me of the game we’ve been playing for over a month.
I groan, giving in because I know he won’t stop until I do. “Wanderlust. And the spanking reference is from Bedazzled.”
“God, I’m so hot for you right n—”
“Seth!”
“Fine. I’ll be thinking of your reward for getting the bonus movie.” He settles back against the cushion.
When I look at Doc again, ready to apologize once more, I’m surprised to find there’s not a spec of annoyance on his face. His eyes are laughing, and the corner of his lips is turned up as he looks to Seth and me. He seems to nod to himself, and then picks up where he left off.
“Session three was different than the others. In depth, we went over recent events that could’ve had lasting damage on your feelings about the BDSM lifestyle. You got emotional talking about the things that had gone through your mind while held against your will,” Doc says gently, and Seth reaches over and takes my hand. When I look at him, his face is sober.
“You are a very strong woman, Twyla,” Doc continues. “And remarkably selfless. In the middle of being hurt, it was fear you felt over Brandon taking Astrid back that scared you the most. And after nearly half an hour of physical torture, when Seth came in and rescued you, you still had the mind to call him by his Dom name, Seven, so your attacker wouldn’t learn his identity, keeping him and his business safe from that information getting out. These things added to the fact you had quit your job in California and moved across the country in order to help your sister escape an abusive relationship… you are quite an extraordinary person.”
My face heats at the praise. It feels weird getting kudos for just being who I am as a person. “Thanks, Doc,” I murmur, feeling Seth squeeze my hand. “I mean, I think I got pretty lucky. It could’ve been way worse. Yeah, it sucked being knocked out and beaten to hell for half an hour, but at least he didn’t… um, yeah. Thank you.”
“While you shouldn’t minimize what happened to you—no one should ever have to go through being kidnapped and physically harmed—you’re also very right. It could have been much worse. And thankfully it wasn’t, which is why I believe you’ve bounced back pretty quickly,” he agrees, and I nod. “Also in our last session, you confided you couldn’t understand how Seth could love you so instantaneously, even though you felt the same way about him in the same short amount of time. I hope you can now see why a person like him, one who had been used and taken advantage of for so many years, could be so drawn to a genuinely selfless, caring woman such as yourself.”
I shift in my seat, embarrassed over Doc talking about that in front of Seth, even though I know all three of the other partners of Club Alias besides Doc would be privy to videos of our sessions. It’s part of the rules for membership so they would know all their members’ pasts as a safety precaution during business hours.
Seth lifts my hand to his lips, speaking over my knuckles in that sweet way he does. “I love you for many more reasons than that, lovely Twyla, but your beautiful, generous soul is one of my favorite things about you.”
My heart swells inside my chest, and I get choked up, tears springing to my eyes. It never fails to shock me whenever he so openly expresses his feelings, especially when it’s in front of his friends.
“Another one being dat ass,” he adds, making me snort.
He’s always good about adding just enough humor when things get serious, a facet both my sister and Doc think is a reason why Seth and I fit so perfectly. He brightens up my once dull, regimented life, while I’ve given him someone to trust in, who gets to see deeper than just his sexy and funny exterior. I understand his intellectual side where most people don’t, allowing him to open up to me about more than sex and pop culture.
“So for the rest of the session, I’d like to talk about where you two see yourselves fitting in to our BDSM community. Twyla, you have shown classic character traits of a submissive, which pairs perfectly with Seth’s dominance. But you also bring out a side of him he’s never explored before—making love, being intimate with emotions involved. And from what both of you have told me in separate sessions, that side of your sexual relationship has been flawless,” Doc says.
I look over at Seth, a smile tugging at my lips. I feel ridiculously giddy over the fact he had told his friend he enjoyed having sex with me, even though I knew from the frequency in which he wanted to make love to me that he couldn’t be hating it. He gives me his evil grin, making my core clench.
“Twyla, having never practiced a D/s relationship before, how do you see BDSM playing a part in your life?” Doc asks.
“Well, I’ve done some research, and I know there are couples who live the lifestyle 24/7. I don’t really see that as something I would enjoy, so I would definitely lean toward the other side of the spectrum, our D/s relationship being only in our sex life. And not all the time then either. I very much love the vanilla sex we have, which feels weird calling it that because there’s nothing plain and boring about it. But I want to learn to be a proper submissive for the evenings I spend with him at the club,” I explain, and side-eye Seth when his arm shoots into the air.
“Ooo, pick me, pick me!” he chants, and Doc lifts a brow at him.
“Is there something you’d like to add, Seth?” he asks sarcastically.
“Yus!” Seth says victoriously. “I have an idea, Doc. Tell me if you think it’d work. Okay, what if we save the BDSM part of our relationship only for the club. That way there is a clear line there. Unless, of course, we both wanted to explore it elsewhere.”
Doc nods thoughtfully. “That could work. And like any scene, if you’d want to act one out somewhere outside the club, you’d discuss it in detail first. But it would be good to establish that whenever the two of you are inside Club Alias, you are Twyla’s Dom and she is your sub. It’s still very important that she calls you Seven there, and making it a rule that you are in your D/s personas while you are at the club will make it easier to not slip up. Twyla, would you agree to this?”
“Definitely,” I state. “When he asked me to consider becoming a member, that’s what I had expected anyway. Seth is a Dominant. That’s part of him as a person. That’s who he is when he is at Club Alias, and I understand in order to share my life with him, I’ll be his submissive while we’re there. Happily. Very, very happily. I’m excited about learning everything Seven, the Master, has to teach me, and much more than just sex toys.”
Suddenly, I’m yanked across the couch and find myself in Seth’s lap, and before I can scold him for interrupting my therapy session yet again, his lips are on mine, and I forget all about what we were talking about.
But the kiss ends as swiftly as it began, and I’m transferred back to my spot on the couch, with Seth’s arm across my lap, his big hand wrapping around my knee in a sweet show of possession.
“Well, now that all of that is established, there’s one last thing I’d like to discuss. And it’s actually a good thing Seth is here so we can hear his input,” Doc tells us as if nothing happened.
“Okay,” I prompt, suddenly nervous about what he might say because of the serious look on his face.
“Twyla, what Brandon did to you in that place, I want you to understand that never would have happened at Club Alias.” Doc’s tone is imploring, and my pulse quickens at this change in subject. “We have strict rules at our establishment. The Dom’s there are all highly trained in the devices and equipment we have in our playrooms. In order for a Dom to even be allowed into one of the different themed rooms is if he has been certified in all the things that room has to offer. We have security and documentation in place to ensure a Dom who isn’t trained in, say, a violet wand, will never be allowed in the playroom that holds that specific device. This keeps the submissives from being hurt by someone who doesn’t know what they’re doing. Also, another reason that never would’ve happened at our club is because our playrooms do not have locking doors. There are curtains that can be closed for privacy, but even so, there are also security cameras inside each room. We take every precaution to make sure Club Alias is a safe place for people to explore their alternate lifestyle.”
“That’s very reassuring. Thank you, Doc.” I look over at Seth. “I might have to get used to the idea of people being able to watch us while we’re using a playroom though.”
He squeezes my knee. “This is where you could apply your special treatment card I was trying to give you, doll. Perk of being the owner’s woman. If you don’t want anyone watching what we do behind the closed curtain, my partners will respect your wishes. But you’d be surprised what a rush it can be acting out a scene in front of an audience. They are not there to judge. The good thing about such a strict membership process is we’ve established a group of like-minded people with a passion for what we do. They see nothing but beauty in the scenes, the bodies and actions like living art. So if you ever wanted to try that, it’s always an option later on, when you’re more comfortable.”
My eyes have gone half-mast listening to Seth’s deep voice talking so passionately about his club. The way he spoke made it sound sensual and invigorating, instead of dark and potentially humiliating.
He reaches up and pushes my glasses up my nose before running his fingertip down the bridge, something he does when he just wants to touch me in any way he can.
“Now that we’ve made that clear, Twyla,” Doc says low, as if trying not to break the trance Seth has lulled me into, “I wanted to suggest your Dom acting out a scene with you. Specifically one incorporating the tools and device that were used on you at the other club.”
That gets my attention, and I reach for Seth, wrapping my hand around his thick bicep for comfort. “I….” I don’t really know how to respond to that. The objects Brandon had used on me were terrible, painful things that I saw no way they could ever be pleasurable.
“The man by your side, the one you have given your heart to, put your trust into, the one who rescued you from the person who hurt you so badly… he is a Master in every single item at our club. He trained at one of the most highly respected schools for Dominants in the country, if not the world. I believe it would be very beneficial for your healing if you would allow Seven to demonstrate the way those tools are meant to be used—to bring pleasure,” Doc explains, and goose bumps rise on my flesh as he uses Seth’s Dom name. There’s power in it, and nothing but true respect in Doc’s words. It’s easy to forget how impressive the Seven side is when I’m so used to only being around my sweet Seth.
My Seth. I trust him with my life. So I should have no problem trusting him with my body. I’ve given myself to him over and over, letting him take me to heights I never thought possible. And that’s with him making love to me, something he’d never done with another person before, making him unpracticed in a way. I can only imagine what he could make me feel by using skills he had mastered.
“It would be at the club?” I ask to confirm.
“Yes, and you can choose what would make you more comfortable—just you and me, or we could have Doc there or watching through the security camera. You can also choose whether it’s just a demonstration of the tools, or if you’d want it to continue into something more. All up to you, doll,” Seth tells me.
I nibble at the inside of my cheek, thinking it through, and then finally come to a decision. “Okay. I’d like for it to start out as just a demonstration, with Doc observing behind the camera just in case I freak out and you need backup. If it turns into something more, you give him a signal, and the camera shuts off. I don’t think I’m ready to be an exhibitionist just yet.”
“Deal,” Seth agrees.
Doc nods. “In that case, I officially clear you for membership at Club Alias.”
I smile nervously as Seth whoops and does a fist pump into the air. “Shake and bake, baby,” he says in a thick southern accent, rubbing his hands together.
And even though I’m anxious as hell, I’m also pretty excited, so to assure him I’m really in this for the long haul, I lean over and kiss his cheek, whispering, “Talladega Nights.”
He pulls me to him, tickling my ribs and making me squeal. “I’ll take care of you, Twy. But we might as well go ahead and set up our signal for Doc to turn off the cameras, ‘cause I’m gonna be all up in yo’ vag.” He stands up, pulling me with him, and leans over to clap Doc on the shoulder. “See ya tonight, bro.”
Oh, fuck.