Page 15 of Dark Rules

I wasn’t going to risk a replay of the past, and I certainly wasn’t going to start a relationship I might not be around for. I had work to do, places to go, and success to maintain. A woman would only complicate that. She’d come to resent me, she’d learn to hate the things that took me away from her, and that wasn’t fair.

I thought about Mom, taking care of Dad with so much love in her heart that she wouldn’t let anyone else near him, and I didn’t want to do that to a woman who had come to love me. I wasn’t sure I was even capable of loving a woman. I’d never been in love before.

Sure, I’d loved Mom and Dad, but that was familial love. Being in love was something I’d managed to avoid completely and with good reason. I felt my eyes narrow and refocused on the waves that crashed before me. Don’t think about it, I told myself, and closed my eyes.

Just enjoy the next two weeks, and then, let her go. She was only a woman, dance with her, fuck her to incredible heights, and then, let her go. Simple, uncomplicated, just the way you liked it.

Then I remembered the way she smiled with a sweet tilt at the corners of her mouth. No matter what had made her smile, something I’d said or done to give her sexual satisfaction, that sweet tilt was there. Would I ever be able to forget that?

Some odd ache filled my chest, and that made me nervous. Even a little angry. What was wrong with me? I’d taken the woman’s virginity, and now I’d turned into some kind of sap? My fingers came out of my pants and dug into the sand beneath me. Maybe that was the problem. I’d taken her virginity and hadn’t really thought about it.

A woman’s sexual experiences didn’t matter to me. She could be an expert or totally untouched; I didn’t judge them on that. But something about the fact that it had been me who had her first really did it for me. I’d been the only man to know her in that way, I was the only man who had fucked her; I’d brought her into the grownup world of sex.

For that matter, I’d been the first man to ever touch her anywhere. In this day and age, it was next to impossible to find someone completely ignorant about human sexuality. Stephanie had known what she wanted and what she didn’t want, so she’d researched somewhere along the line. But it was me who had given her those pleasures first. It was me who had shown her what she liked and didn’t like. It would be me who took her even further.

For now, at least. Later, she’d find someone else and maybe take a new path. Something about that pissed me off, though. I didn’t want to admit it, but the thought of anyone else putting their hands on her made my fingers ache to connect to that someone’s face. Fuck, I was in real trouble.

I pulled my knees up and put my arms around my legs. Instinctively, I’d moved into a position of watchfulness. I’d break anyone’s hands that came near her, and that wasn’t me, but I had a feeling I’d already changed. I’d have to try to pull away, to keep her at a distance, but if I was protective of her, of what was mine, for now, then I was in too deep already.

Emily

“I’m keeping this one.” I’d watched as Dylan took a small flip phone from the collection of objects we’d placed in a basket as we walked through the metal detector at the club. It was on the outskirts of town and looked like any other anonymous building. It was nicer than Elmo’s, the club where I’d met Dylan, but it was of similar style inside.

Unobtrusive, tasteful, and done with an eye to relaxation, the place could have been a spa. If there’d been spa workers offering legitimate massages, I wouldn’t have been surprised. Instead, the only workers I saw were security staff, bar staff, and someone who passed with a tray of food in one hand. We walked from the entrance and in through a narrow corridor that opened to a room that was small but got the point across. You chose your destination at the beginning of the night. A small door to the left had a bathroom sign tacked to it. The only entrance then was the door on the right.

I looked at Dylan, a smile in place. It felt a little odd not to have my bag or phone, but I knew I could live without it. Why had he kept this other phone? I had to wonder but assumed it was something to do with his father. He’d left me early this morning and had called me later to tell me about his call with his mother.

That had surprised me. Not that he’d called me, but that he’d discussed something so private with me. I’d thought he’d only said anything because he wanted to prepare me if he had to go back home. Otherwise, he probably would have kept it to himself. Dylan would let little things slip through every now and then, but not often.

We’d already booked our evening here, or I’d have told him we could have stayed at home if he was so worried. I hadn’t even known the phone existed until he’d pulled it from his pocket. Maybe I should say something.

I moved up beside him and pushed my head close to his. He leaned down to listen as I spoke softly. “If you need to go home, or if you’d rather we go somewhere else tonight, we don’t have to stay here. This can wait.”

“No, it’s fine, pet. I just want to be reachable if Mom needs me, that’s all.” He placed a reassuring hand against my arm, and we moved up to the table where a young woman with black hair and heavily made up eyes sat. Her eyes were an unusual shade of green, almost aqua in color, and I wondered if they were contacts.

“Hi there. Have you been to Whispers before?” She gave a smile filled with perfectly straight, white teeth and looked up at us with curiosity.

“No, we haven’t,” Dylan answered. I let my head fall timidly in my role as his sub now. I wanted to play it perfectly in public.

“Awesome, it’s your first time.” She gave Dylan a wink and then sent one in my direction. I felt my cheeks flame, and I wondered if it was obvious that I’d been a virgin until last night? I knew it wasn’t, but still, the comment made me blush as my body remembered the moment Dylan thrust into me for the first time.

“What we offer here is every couple’s fantasy. Whether that fantasy is the opportunity to watch others, be watched, take part in group sex, or just sit back and have a drink as they explore; we have it all here. Sometimes we have more of one thing than the other, and sometimes we’ll have a special new kink come in, but we try to match up people that have similar, um, interests.” She gave us a rather coquettish smile, and I felt at ease at last.

“It’s about the fun here, the exploration, and the satisfaction of our patrons. We have three rules: no means no at all times, no exceptions at all, and you are to treat other patrons with respect. They are not employees and should not be treated as slaves. Which brings me to the final rule, those who are staff are off limits. No sex, at any time, of any kind. Am I clear?” A very black eyebrow came up then, and we both agreed.

I bit the inside of my lip between my front teeth to smother a giggle that wanted to escape. It was a nervous giggle; it would have been a display of my innocence, my nervousness, and I didn’t want to come off as a complete novice.

“So how does this work then?” Dylan asked, and we both looked up at pictures behind the woman.

“Well, you’ve already signed up for your memberships, and let me see,” she paused and looked down at the screen of the laptop in front of her. “Yes, you’re premium members, so you can wander around until you find what you like. There’s no need to order a package, unless you want something specific. Then we’ll have to arrange that with another couple.”

“I think we’ll just have a look around for tonight,” Dylan said, his husky voice even a rumble from his chest.

The woman nodded and looked at her laptop, typed a few keystrokes, and then reached into a drawer. She was efficient, professional, and set us both at ease. With a cheerful smile she placed stamps on our hands, and then pressed a button on her desk. I heard a buzzing sound over by the door, and Dylan looked at the woman.

“You can go in now. Welcome to Whispers; I hope you enjoy your time here.” It was only then that I saw a nameplate was pinned onto her black top. Emma was printed on the almost invisible clear plastic. The name was printed in black and against her shirt; it barely showed up.

Dylan took my hand, opened the door with his free one, and we walked into a wall of sound. People crowded a large room, painted black, with multiple colors of lights placed in different areas. A band was on the stage toward the back, and we walked toward the bar on the right.