“It looks like a bar.” Abby glanced around, disappointment settling in. She was wearing these god-awful heels for this?

She took it all in. It was a decadent bar, but it was just a bar as far as she could tell. There was a certain Roman orgy scene going on. All the seats were chaise lounges or large ottomans. The room was dominated by a huge chandelier with real candles providing the illumination. The small tables were covered in plates of fruit, cheese, or chocolates. Finger foods. They were all things that were easy to feed to your lover.

Sam shook his head and gestured around the room. “This is the outer room, baby. Consider it a staging area. People mingle here before and after.”

“Before and after what?”

“Before and after they play,” he said with a wicked smile.

“Sam! Oh, my god, Sam Fleetwood?”

Abby looked over and a statuesque blonde was making her way toward Sam. Like most of the people around them, she wore very little in the way of clothing. The blonde had on leather boy shorts and a black leather bustier. Her long, long legs were covered with fishnet hose and ended in stilettos. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a severe ponytail that accentuated her amazing bone structure. She could be a model.

Sam flashed the woman an open grin that let Abby know he considered her a friend. Abby did not fail to note that the woman had a perfectly toned body.

Stop it. He’s here with you. He married you.

Only Jack had married her, too, and he wasn’t here.

The blonde threw herself into Sam’s arms.

“I can’t believe you’re here.” The blonde was breathless as she hugged Sam. “Julian said there were some special guests coming tonight. I didn’t know he meant you.”

“I think he probably meant Jack,” Sam said with a self-deprecating laugh. He gently pulled himself out of the embrace. “He’s here somewhere, more than likely with Julian. Laura, this is my wife, Abigail. Abby, this is an old friend of mine, Laura Michaels.”

Laura turned to Abby. The smile on her face seemed genuinely warm and she held out a hand.

Abby shook her hand. “It’s nice to meet an old friend of Sam’s.”

“I couldn’t believe when I heard they finally found a woman they wanted to marry.” Laura leaned in as though telling a secret. “I figured Sam would, but Jack? He was always so picky. You must be an amazing woman.” She turned to Sam. “Is Jack going to be in the dungeon tonight? Did anyone warn the Doms? Jack can be hard on them if he thinks they’re not using the proper techniques.”

“Who’s the in-house now?” Sam asked.

Abby had never heard the term. She glanced between Laura and Sam, hoping someone would give her a definition.

“That used to be Jack’s job,” Laura explained. “The in-house Dom is the one in residence. He makes sure all the dungeon security is properly trained, and he gives classes for clients. He runs scenes.”

“Like spanking and stuff?”

“If that’s what the client wants,” Laura agreed. “Sometimes it’s as simple as a spanking. Sometimes it’s more complex, with scripted dialogue and practicing before going public. It can get complicated. Leo Meyer is the Dom in residence.”

Sam nodded. “I never met him. Julian trained him, so he must be good.”

Laura smiled but noticed someone waving at her. “I better get to work. It’s good to see you, Sam.”

She nodded to Abby and went on her way.

“So…” She watched the blonde retreat.

Sam tried his high-voltage smile on her. When she didn’t return it or move to another subject, he gave her his sad-puppy smile. “Yes, I slept with her. It was a long time ago. I slept with everyone. You know that about me.”

“I know you had a blonde habit before.” There was no real heat behind the accusation. That was all in the past.

Sam ran his hands through her hair. “Now I only like redheads.”

“I know,” she said, leaning into him. “I’m sorry. I’m being ridiculously jealous.”

Sam gestured up and down his body. “Baby, if you weren’t, I’d call you crazy. This is a whole lotta man right here.”

Abby snorted. “Show me the rest of the club. If this is a staging area, where’s the rest?”

Now that she listened carefully, she could hear thumping music coming from somewhere. The music in the staging area was low so people could talk. It was sexy but quiet. She glanced around the bar area. There were several couples sitting and talking. Many of the women reclined at their men’s feet. They didn’t speak but rested their heads against the men’s thighs.

She liked the picture. Jack used to insist on it. It was one of the surefire ways to get him to relax. She would take off her clothes and rest at his feet, her head in his lap. The last time she had tried it was months ago. Jack had pulled her up and told her he didn’t want her to get cold. He also didn’t want her uncomfortable. He’d gotten her dressed and sat her beside him.

She hadn’t tried it since.

Sam was watching her closely. “Do you want to sit down for a minute, baby?”

She shook her head. She knew what Sam would do. He would try to be Jack for her. He would try to fill that role. But she needed them both. “No, I think I’ll need the drink more after. Let’s go look around.”

Sam took her hand and led her toward a short hallway. There were sconces on the wall giving off soft light. There was a big guy at the end of the hall. He was large and bald. The ropy muscles covering his body told Abby he spent a lot of time in the gym. He looked at them and frowned.

“Where’s her collar?”

Sam’s eyes went straight to her neck. He hesitated and looked to Abby for guidance. “I didn’t think about it.”

The bouncer shook his head. “For that matter, where’s yours, sub? Where’s your Dom?”

Abby started to tell the asshole off. Sam stopped her by seeming to grow about a foot.

“She’s mine. She doesn’t need a fucking collar if I say she doesn’t need a collar,” Sam said between clenched teeth. “I’m a VIP guest here. Is this the way Julian has his employees treat his guests? If that’s so, perhaps I should give him a call. I have his personal number. He can be down here in minutes to clear this up. Do you need me to call him?”

She held her breath as the bouncer actually cast his eyes away from Sam. “No, Sir. I apologize for any misunderstanding. Please enjoy your evening.”

Sam pulled her along into the next room.

“Wow. That was impressive.” She’d never seen Sam act that way before.

“I watched Jack do that for a long time,” Sam admitted. He ran his hand along her throat. “I should have gotten you a collar. I wasn’t thinking.”

Abby put her hands on his waist. “Just talk like you did to the last guy, and I doubt anyone will give us any trouble.” She looked around. This was a huge space. Like the bar before, it was richly decorated, though carpet had given way to hardwood floors. There were various spaces set up with different themes. She recognized some of the settings. “It’s a playroom.”

Sam nodded. “It’s a really big playroom. This is the milder of the two levels. This is for more playful scenes. The dungeon is one floor down. On this level, there’s the bar, the playroom, several private dining rooms, and other spaces. Do you see the doors in the back?”

She glanced toward the back of the softly lit room.

“Those are privacy rooms, but you should know there are mirrors that let people watch. It gives the illusion of privacy. The red door leads to the orgy room. It’s nothing more than a big old bed. If you walk in, expect to get fucked and fucked well by whoever happens to be there.”

She felt a hitch in her breath. Maybe she wasn’t as ready for all this as she thought she was. “I think we should avoid that room.”

“Good call.” Sam looked like he was enjoying rocking her world a little bit. “How about we watch for a while?”

She nodded and let him lead her. She felt like Alice in a really horny Wonderland. A Domme in full leather regalia led her two male subs around on leashes. They crawled quickly behind her, trying to keep up with their mistress.

“Don’t look her in the eye,” Sam warned.

She sent her eyes straight to the floor. It would be hard, but she had to remember the rules. Sam had spent a lot of time explaining them to her. She was to keep silent unless he gave her permission to speak. He was in charge of her. She wasn’t to look any of the Doms in the eyes. They would view it as a challenge. She was never, never to wander off on her own.

Sam stopped. “This looks like fun.”

Abby took in the scene in front of her. It looked like it was just beginning.

“You called for me, Sir?”

There was a young woman in an approximation of a 1960’s women’s business suit. She carried a small steno pad. There were two men in the scene as well. They both wore suits in keeping with the time period. One sat behind a desk while the other occupied a large leather armchair. They both considered the young secretary.

“Yes, I did, Marilyn,” the “boss” said. “We have a very important client here today. He needs to understand why he should sign with our firm rather than one of the other firms.”

The scene went on. Abby felt a hand at her side. She turned to see Sally the sub watching, too.

Her eyes were full of mirth. “They watch too much Mad Men,” she said quietly, so as not to disturb the scene. “Julian is struggling to keep up with the pop culture elements seeping into the lifestyle. It used to be simpler. All a club had to have was a gyno office, a classroom, and a dungeon. Then the geeks took over. You should see the Harry Potter room. Those people are freaks. And I should know.”

Vaguely, Abby noticed the secretary was taking off her top. The “boss” had a paddle in his hand. She looked back at Sally. She was dressed similarly to Abby, though she was all in black. Sally was wearing a bra instead of a corset. Abby noticed that two small chains came out of the bottom on the bra and made their way past Sally’s navel down into her skirt. She had a pretty good idea where that treasure trail ended.

Sam was watching the scene avidly as Sally continued to whisper. “Seriously, some of these people are geeks of the first order. Julian took me to see Avatar and at the end he cried. And not because of the story. He knew. He’s invested in blue body paint and a bunch of kitty cat tails. He’s opening the room in a month. He hates James Cameron.”

Abby wanted to laugh and ask questions, but they had to get a few things straight. Sally the sub had been a naughty girl. “Did you offer my husband a blow job?”

Her eyes went down, and she chewed on her bottom lip. “Julian told me to be nice to him. It was the nicest thing I could think of.”

“Do you often blow other women’s husbands?”

She shrugged and winced slightly. “Probably more often than I think. Are you going to hit me? Julian would probably let you paddle me. We could go get one right now.”

Sam was suddenly interested in what was going on between the two women. “Who’s paddling who? Is there going to be any kissing involved in this scene?”

Abby put a hand on both of them and dragged them away from the horny advertising executives’ scene. She glanced back briefly. It did seem to be heating up. The secretary was having her bottom paddled by the “boss” while the “client” forced his large penis into her mouth. The girl could really get her jaw open. Maybe she gave out pointers.

She shook her head to get rid of that thought and turned back to Sally, who seemed a bit like an eager puppy now. “I am not paddling you.”

“Really? I don’t mind. I like it.” Her mouth turned down. “I’m sorry about the whole trying-to-blow-your-husband thing. He wasn’t interested. Neither was Sam.”

Abby looked behind her, and Sam was desperately giving Sally the silent command by drawing his hand over his throat. When he realized she was watching, he smiled angelically. “I told her no, too.”

Sally was back to chewing that lip. “I’m sorry. It’s kind of a bad habit. If it makes you feel any better, I was looking for you tonight to see if you wanted to play. I’m really good at oral sex.”

Sam’s arm went around Abby’s waist. “That’s fascinating, Sally. You know, it’s a real coincidence because Abby here does enjoy oral sex.”

Abby’s elbow found Sam’s gut. He oomphed but took it like a man. She stared at Sally, more amused at this point than angry. At least she was a persistent thing. “Maybe I don’t understand the whole master-slave relationship. I thought you were Julian’s submissive.”

“Oh, yes,” Sally agreed. She stood up perfectly straight, pride shining from her eyes. “Julian is my Master. I’m very proud to be his slave.”

“But he lets you have sex with his guests?”

Her head shook vigorously. “Never. I was shocked when he told me if I could get any of you in bed, he would allow it.” She leaned in. “I’m a terrible sex addict, you see. I’ve been through rounds and rounds of therapy. Nothing ever worked until Julian became my Master. I now go hours and hours without having sex because Julian demands it. I would never, never do anything to make him angry.”

“Because he would beat you?”

“Oh, no,” Sally argued. “I mean, he would spank me, for sure, but that’s not what scares me. He might not fuck me. He’s the best sex I’ve ever had.”

Abby exchanged a glance with Sam. She let her eyebrow drift up in a hopeful question.

“I never slept with him,” Sam protested with a laugh. “I did, however, watch some of his public displays. It was quite surprising. There’s a reason every sub who meets him begs Julian to take them on. If I’m a horse, baby, Julian must be an elephant.”

She felt her eyes widen at the thought. Sally was grinning from ear to ear, but suddenly her face darkened. Abby followed her sight line. A young, thin man in leather pants and a thick collar was staring at them.

“Jeremy,” Sally said quietly, looking at him. “I have no idea why Julian took him in. He’s all evil and stuff. He’s a terrible sub. He plays mean tricks on the rest of us and gets everyone riled up.”

“The rest of you? How many does Julian have?” Did the man keep a whole stable of lovely bodies to choose from? Could Jack have the same thing here?

“Jeremy and I are the only ones who live with him, but all the employees call him Master.” Sally’s voice took on a distinctly academic air. “He takes subs here and there for a night. He never promised us he would be faithful. Julian is up-front and honest about everything. Jeremy gets jealous about all the extras. I just hope I get to join in.”

Jeremy shot Abby a calculating glance. She remembered him from earlier. He’d been the one to deliver dinner. She didn’t like the gleam in his eyes. There wasn’t a whole lot she could do about it, however. What could he really do? Screw up their room service?

She turned away from Jeremy, who was talking to someone else now, a big, bald guy. A scene caught her eye. There was a woman in pigtails and a school girl uniform laid out over the knee of a much older man. Her bare ass was up in the air, and he spanked her vigorously. She howled her outrage.

“That’s okay?” She felt a little uncomfortable with the screaming the school girl was doing. She turned back and noted the horny ad guys had their secretary between them now. “Holy crap.” She looked up at Sam. “Do we look like that?”

Sam inspected the scene carefully. “Naw, baby, me and Jack are a hundred times better looking than those two.”

“And she doesn’t have your boobs,” Sally said with a critical eye. “As for the woman in the classroom, she specifically requested the full Britney Spears.”

“Oh,” she mouthed, not sure how to respond to that.

Sam was still watching the office scene. “I think my anal technique is way better than his.” He hissed lightly. “I never pop in and out like that. It should be a smooth glide. We’re way prettier, baby. See, you would know this if you let me tape it like I’ve been begging you to.”

She narrowed her eyes. “That is not happening, Samuel Fleetwood. I know that would end up on YouTube.” Something Sally had said finally penetrated. “Do you honestly think my boobs are nicer than hers? Hers seem perkier.”

“Silicone,” Sally and Sam said at the same time.

Abby turned her head to get a good view. Sure enough, they were fake.

Sally leaned over. “Yours are so much prettier than hers. I would like to play with them.”

She lightly brushed her lips against Abby’s. Abby felt Sam get hard from two feet away.

When Sally pulled back, she looked at Abby as though really seeing her for the first time. Her eyes widened. “You’re wearing the rose. Are you sure you want…”

“Since when do subs play openly on the floor?” A large, obviously dominant man was standing over them. He was joined by an equally massive friend. Both topped out well over six four. One had shaved his head along with all his body hair. He was the one Jeremy had been talking to. The other was a strikingly attractive man with long dark hair and bright blue eyes. Though the bald guy was slightly bigger, Abby had no doubt who was really in charge. The dark-haired man reeked authority. He reminded her a little of Jack.

Sally hit the ground, sinking to her knees. It was a feat of grace in that tight miniskirt. Sally’s eyes were downcast, her palms open on her thighs.

“What’s going on, Sally?” The dark-haired, blue-eyed man stared down at the blonde. His expression conveyed his dismay. “Are you regressing? I’m going to have to tell Julian about this. He’ll be so disappointed.”

Sam slipped his hand into Abby’s. He started to pull her away, but Abby held her ground. She wasn’t going to leave Sally to the mercy of men who didn’t look like they had any. Even if the blonde had tried to blow both of her husbands.

“She was talking to us.” She stared up at the dark-haired man.

“Abby,” Sam barked.

Big Baldie’s eyes focused on her, and she suddenly knew how a fluffy bunny rabbit felt when a wolf caught sight of it. “No one gave you permission to speak, sub.”

She felt Sam pulling at her.

“Where’s your collar, little one?” Dark Hair asked.

“She’s new,” Sam said quickly. “I haven’t gotten her one yet.”

Baldie laughed long and loud. “Why the hell would you buy her a collar? Did her master send you out and you forgot?”

“She’s mine,” Sam said firmly.

Dark Hair shook his head, exchanging a weary look with his friend. “Tourists. How did you get in? It would be best if you left. I’m sorry, you’re not a Dom. You’re far too soft, and no Dom here is going to believe you can hold her. You’re going to cause me an enormous amount of trouble if you stay. I need to take this one to her rooms. It will be up to her Master to decide her punishment.” He sighed. “Given some of the play we have going on this evening, I don’t want to leave the two of you alone. Maybe you should come with me.”

“I’ll take the redhead, Leo.” Baldie gave her a leering glance that left Abby feeling slightly unclean. “She’s lovely. I’ll show her how a real Dom treats a slave.”

“Don’t you lay a hand on her.” Sam pulled Abby back against him, his arms forming a cage around her. Every muscle in his body seemed tense and ready for action. Abby felt her heart speed up. This could get bad.

Leo reached down and pulled on Sally’s collar. She immediately got to her feet. “You should be glad Jeremy told me you were slipping, dear. If you had managed to get these two back to a room, Julian would have thrown you out.”

“No, he wouldn’t.” Abby felt Sam squeeze her arm but continued anyway. She’d never been able to handle injustice. She tried to catch Sally’s attention, but the sub had her head down. She didn’t protest as Leo pulled on her collar. If Sally couldn’t speak up for herself, then Abby would. “Jeremy’s a weasel. She totally had permission to try to seduce me. Not that it was going to work. Sally, why don’t you tell him?”

Leo turned his now cold blue eyes on her. “She isn’t speaking because I haven’t given her permission to speak. She knows her place in this club, sub. Something your Dom obviously hasn’t taught you.”

She had the sudden realization that a good many people were no longer watching the scenes playing out around them. She’d managed to make her own scene.

“Knees, sub,” Leo said coldly.

She swallowed and fought the urge to get on her knees. If she did that, it would make Sam look bad. This Leo guy wasn’t her husband, and he wasn’t her lover. She didn’t mean anything to him, and she had no rights concerning this man. In her mind, that meant he had no rights over her, either.

“No.” She was pleased with how steady her voice was.

“We’re going back to our room.” Sam tried to pull her back.

Baldie reached out to grab her. “Too late, sub. No one talks to Master Leo that way and gets away with it.”

“Damn it!” Sam exclaimed. “Jack’s going to kill me.” He shoved Abby back, and with a disgusted sigh, threw the first punch.

She fell on her ass just as all hell broke loose.