Page 66 of The Toy Maker

A mischievous gleam sparkled in Kitty’s eyes before she led me down the stairs. “Believe me, you don’t have to worry about heads where we’re going.” She turned back and winked at me.

I rolled my eyes, half-smiling despite my anxiety, and smoothed my dress as we walked. My heels clicked against the wooden stairs, and each step took me further from my mother and closer to whatever strange, unpredictable night Kitty and Sarah had in mind.

At the bottom, I took a deep breath, bracing myself for whatever came next.

TWENTY-FOUR

Sarah and Jadewaited by the entrance to the exclusive club, their faces glowing with devious grins. The hidden doorway was a few paces down an alleyway. Our heels rapped against the uneven asphalt as Kitty grabbed my hand, pulling me forward like she couldn’t wait.

Fluorescent lights flashed around the edges of the door. In the center was a small window covered by a wooden panel. After a few moments spent shifting on my heels, the panel slid open. A rough voice questioned our presence.

“Name?” The coldness in his tone made me want to run, but I stayed put, forcing myself to take a steady breath and zip my lips.

“Sarah James plus guests,” Sarah said smoothly, her golden eyeliner catching the faint light as she tilted her head confidently.

The man scanned us for a long moment. “Password?”

My mind drifted to the forts my brother and I used to build as kids. Our passwords were always silly and impossible for adults to guess. But when Sarah pouted her lips and purred, “Please, mistress, let me come… in,” I nearly choked.

My eyes widened at the response. This wasn’t just a club. If that was the password, then we were begging to enter a dominatrix dungeon.

I caught Jade’s eye, and she winked, confirming my fears.

The door creaked open, and the group ushered me inside before I could change my mind.

The dimmed lights immediately set an aura of mystery, and I struggled to see my surroundings. Pillars came down in the corners of the room, and obedient subs decorated them. Several slaves were tied down and tormented by their masters.

I pulled Kitty to my side, struggling to form a sentence. “What the ever-loving fuck,” I sputtered in disbelief of what I was seeing.

I swallowed hard, trying not to focus on the chains, collars, and the large, empty cage on a pedestal in the center of the room. At the moment, the steel bars were empty, but I assumed I would witness the show.

Kitty laughed. “Don’t worry, no one is going to paddle your ass unless you ask them to,” she promised. But an evil gleam stared back at me. “Unless you’re a bad girl.”

I knew I shouldn’t be so stunned by large, erotic buildings with low morals; after all, I worked in one. Yet something about the club made my mouth dry and my stomach churn.

My focus shifted to the chains and leather collars.

“I thought men would be here.” It would be challenging to get drunk and have a one-night stand without any guy to drool over my chest. I scanned the room for anyone who wasn’t crawling on the floor, tied to something, or didn’t have a flogger in their hand.

“Therearemen here.” Kitty pointed to the men crawling beside their mistresses. “Kinky people are still people. Discriminating isn’t nice, Tara.” She laughed at my open mouth.

“Why are we here?” I asked with as much patience as I could muster. After leaving the security of my couch, I didn’t expect to get carted off to a sex dungeon.

She shrugged. “It’s a nice place to relax and not get hit on by every sleaze that walks in. We scoped it out a few days ago.”

“I thought this place just opened,” I retorted.

“Yeah, a week ago.” Kitty sensed my frustration and ordered two drinks.

I hoped one of the shots would take the edge off.

By the time we escaped the crowd around the bar, Sarah and Jade were already perched at a high-top table.

“Hey Virgin Mary,” Jade teased as I claimed a seat between Sarah and Kitty.

An almost buzzed Sarah cooed before taking another sip of her martini, “We should buy her an hour with Anna.”

That name piqued my curiosity. It couldn’t be…