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I dropped onto the couch.

I hadn’t bothered to remove my shoes when I entered the door.

That told me how exhausted I was.

I nearly always took my shoes off, even though I had hardwood floors throughout my house.

I did have enough sense not to put them on my coffee table.

I reached up and jerked to loosen the knot of my tie.

It felt like it was strangling me.

I’d been carrying my suit jacket, which was tossed over the back of the couch. My briefcase ended up on the floor at the entrance to the hallway. I’d take it to my office when I went that way.

My exhaustion was more mental than physical.

It was Friday, and I’d been in court on and off most of the week in a copyright case.

A famous singer and an upcoming one were battling for the rights to a song.

Both claimed they wrote it, and the lyrics belonged exclusively to them.

They sued each other for it.

The lesser-known singer was my client.

I’d been warned not to take the case because if I did, I’d lose, and my reputation would take a hit.

I hadn’t listened.

After I spoke to my client, heard the story, listened to her voice, and watched her body language, I was confident she wasn’t lying.

After months of back-and-forth and now the hearing, those who told me not to take the case were eating their words.

We’d won, and the hefty settlement would be a perk for both of us.

I scanned my living room as I lay there relaxing, trying to get my brain to stop thinking about it and focus on something else.

It was those thoughts that led me to think about my home.

My house was in the perfect location for me and my work.

Hermitage was only about fifteen minutes from downtown Nashville.

And even though many of my clients lived in Brentwood and Franklin, other suburbs of Nashville to the southwest of the city, they weren’t far, merely twenty or thirty miles by car.

I was lucky to find my house seven years ago.

The previous owners kept it in excellent condition and were happy to sell it to someone they believed would take care of it.

The value of the property increased year over year.

It wasn’t the largest or fanciest house in the area, but it was more than adequate.

It had four bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths, and twenty-two hundred square feet—more than a single man needed, but it was more than my home.

It was an investment.

It had a homey feel, and the outside made you think of a family living there.

The blue-gray painted siding, white trim, extended front porch, wooden garage door, and white fencing around the property gave it that vibe.

Despite what some might believe, I didn’t hire someone to mow my lawn or clean my house for me.

I enjoyed the yard work, and the inside, with only me, didn’t get very dirty.

Before she married Hoss, I asked Cady if she’d live here with me.

It would be bigger and better than her tiny apartment, allowing her to spend more money on her animal clinic.

She thanked me but said no.

She reminded me of what it was like to live together growing up.

When we were, it was us against our parents.

These days, we’d be against each other if we got on the other’s nerves.

However, my house dimmed considerably compared to the mini-mansion she lived in with Hoss in the affluent Belle Meade area.

I didn’t envy her. She wouldn’t let it go to her head, and he’d worked hard for it.

I sat there for half an hour before I had the energy to get up and start my nightly routine.

I removed my shoes and put them away with my jacket.

My tie and other dress clothes were removed and divided between the laundry baskets.

The bulk of them went into the dry-cleaning basket.

I washed the regular stuff I put in the other one.

Pulling on shorts and a T-shirt, I went to the kitchen to prepare dinner.

I laid out food to defrost in the fridge last night.

Tonight’s menu included pork chops, mashed potatoes with gravy, and steamed broccoli.

One thing I could thank our mom for was that she taught both her children to cook.

That was despite our dad yelling that she would make a sissy out of me by teaching me how to do it.

He thought women did the cooking, cleaning, and child-rearing while a man worked and sat around watching television or hanging with his buddies.

Dad would’ve been happy with a nineteen-forties or fifties wife.

To keep the peace, Mom tried to a large degree to be that, but she rebelled in small ways, like teaching her son to cook and dance.

Less than an hour later, because I had peeled and chopped up the raw potatoes last night, I sat down to a delicious meal. I savored it and took my time. When I was done, the mess was cleared, and dirty dishes went into the dishwasher. Sitting in my chair in the living room, I turned on the television to see if there was anything on to watch. As I flipped through the channels, I was disappointed. Nothing. Finally, I found and turned to a documentary on the history of Tennessee.

I’d been watching it for about half an hour when my cell phone rang. I wasn’t expecting anyone to call tonight. Glancing at the time, I saw it was eight o’clock. I picked it up off the end table and saw Cady on the screen. Wondering what she wanted, I answered it.

“Hey, Cady, what’s up? Don’t tell me you’re bored and need to talk to your brother. Only married three months, and Hoss has you seeking others,” I joked.

She chuckled softly. “No, Hoss hasn’t bored me already. And I don’t have to have a reason to call you. You’re my brother. However, in this case, I do have a reason. And you can’t say no.”

“What is it? And why can’t I say no?”

I asked suspiciously.

“Because I say so. Get dressed and get your ass to Lustz,”

she ordered.

“Why would I go there?”

I hadn’t been there much in the past four months. It was flat and dull, not that I told anyone that. If asked where I’d been, I used work as an excuse. I had the feeling that wouldn’t get me out of it this time. I recognized the tone of Cady’s voice.

“Carver, you’ve been avoiding Lustz since before the wedding. I told you. Even if we’re there, I don’t care what you do. I won’t make it uncomfortable. If you want to have sex with someone in the open, just tell me, and I’ll make myself scarce because I don’t need to see your bare ass, but that’s my only restriction. However, I promise Hoss and I won’t do that to you. It’s the Fourth of July on Monday. Mikhail is having a holiday celebration at the club all weekend. You’ve got to come. Tajah said she asked you, and you told her maybe. Come on. Does having me there ruin it for you?”

The worried tone at the end told me she thought it was due to her that I wasn’t going there. Despite telling her several times it didn’t bother me, she still thought I was lying.

“Cady, it’s not you. I think of Tajah as a sister, and her being there with Mikhail doesn’t bother me. I swear that’s not it. I’ve not been in the mood, and combined with work, I’ve not been there.”

“I’m not taking no for an answer, brother. I want to see you here tonight, and you need to have fun. If you’re not concerned about me finding out what your kinks are, then prove it.”

Knowing I was backed into a corner, I sighed. “Fine. Give me an hour, and I’ll be there. I need to get ready. I’ll come for a while, but I’m coming home if I don’t find anything to grab my attention.”

“Two hours. You have to stay at least that long to know sufficiently if it’s a no-go,”

she countered.

“Deal. Now, let me get off here so I can get ready, and we can get this over with. I’ll see you around a quarter after nine or so.”

She let out an excited squeal. “I can’t wait. Bye,”

she said. Before I could say goodbye, she hung up.

Turning off the television, I got up to get showered and changed. As I stood under the hot water, I wondered why she was so eager for me to be there. I questioned if she might be up to something. With Cady, anything was possible. Add Tajah to the mix, and it was a definite possibility.

***

Despite it only being after nine o’clock, Lustz was pretty packed. It must be due to the party weekend Mikhail had in store for them. Likely, he’d have specials going on and other treats. I had to give it to him. The man knew how to run his business. And he did it in a way that was classy and not sleazy. So many people who had no understanding of our lifestyle thought it was dirty, depraved, and sleazy. They expected to walk into your worst image of a strip club combined with a brothel or something along those lines.

Many professionals and well-known people came here to relax and live out their desires and fantasies. As a lawyer, one would assume I’d never enter a place like this. Wouldn’t the public be shocked to know there were judges, moms, dads, doctors, schoolteachers, and more who came to play? It showed how narrow some people’s minds were. I paused in the car before getting out to text and let Cady know I was there and would see her downstairs. She answered within seconds, saying, “See you there.”

I was greeted at the door by the doorman who replaced Hoss. Since we’d only met once, he had to verify my identity before he let me inside. The greeter at the table with the beads and bracelets was Babs. She’d taken Laura’s spot, the previous greeter. Laura had gone off the deep end due to her obsession with Mikhail and burned down his house while he and Tajah were in it.

As I opened the inner door to enter the actual first floor of the club, I was hit by the tornado that was my sister as she flung herself at me. I barely had time to brace myself and open my arms to catch her. She giggled. Hoss was coming up behind her, and Mikhail and Taj were next to him.

“Whoa, watch it there. What have you done, Hoss? Let her have too much candy? She’s hyper,”

I said as I winked.

Cady pulled away far enough to allow her to thump her fist lightly on my chest. “Don’t say that. I’m not a child. I’m happy, that’s all. It feels like I’ve hardly seen you since we got back from our honeymoon. I’ve got so much to tell you. Oh, and you have to come by and see the new clinic. We’ll be moving in and opening it in less than two weeks. It’s in an ideal spot. I love it. We’ve already had people reaching out and asking how soon we’ll be open so they can bring their pets to see us. We’re taking appointments.”

Since she was small, she adored animals, so becoming a veterinarian was ideal for her. Of course, if you asked our dad, he’d say it was a huge mistake. Dad hated animals and had never allowed us to have any, though Cady snuck hurt ones in all the time to nurse back to health. He thought being a lawyer was okay, but not the kind of law I practiced. He believed there was more money and prestige in defense law.

I shoved those thoughts away. “I promise, I’ll come check it out. Do you have your second vet hired?”

“Yep. His name is Donald Greenfield. He goes by Donnie. We like him a lot. He’s stoked about the clinic. But that’s not what we’re here for tonight. It’s all about having fun, relaxing, and letting yourself enjoy the night. Come. Let’s see who’s here and what’s happening,”

she swiftly changed the topic.

Cady moved back. Hoss wrapped his arm around her. He held out his hand to me. We shook. Mikhail did the same right before I got a hug from Taj. With that out of the way, we began to circulate. The first floor was crowded with people. The music, conversations, and laughter mixed into a medley. The energy was high. I could feel it.

We spent well over an hour on that floor. I thought they’d leave me after a while, but they stayed nearby. Even Tajah and Mikhail didn’t go far. I was greeted by numerous people I knew. They asked how I’d been and where I’d been hiding myself. I told them the same story as I told my sister. Work had been busy, and I’d been tired.

I had a drink, one of the two I’d be allowed if I chose to go upstairs, which I knew would happen. A couple of women I’d played with in the past had quietly asked if I would be playing tonight. I told them no. They’d walked off disappointed. Sadly, their question hadn’t sparked anything inside of me.

Finally, we reached the second floor, where the real action and entertainment happened. If all you wanted to do was talk, dance, and drink, then downstairs was ideal and better than most bars and nightclubs. The energy up here was more intense. But there was this other feeling I was getting tonight. It was one of expectancy, but of what, I had no clue. Up here, we ran into more people we knew, both patrons and staff. I didn’t mind talking to them, but it wasn’t the cause of my feeling of expectancy.

I checked out the scattered titillation shows on the small, raised stages. A guy was on one of them doing a very sexy dance that had a crowd of ladies and some men drooling. Further along, there was a couple I knew well. They were a staple at Lustz. It was Sam and Justine. He was a brat tamer, and she was his brat. Most people who didn’t know them assumed they were a couple outside the club, but they were wrong. They were play partners only.

Justine was sassing Sam, and he was beating her bare ass with a crop. It was beet red, and you could tell it hurt, but she kept giving him her attitude, so he kept going. I saw my sister shiver. She exchanged a look with her husband. I looked away. I didn’t need to know what those two did. However, Hoss was a handler, not a tamer.

I was about to suggest we move on when the sound of raised voices got my attention in another scene. People were gasping and murmuring in awe and delight. Making my way there to see what was happening, I moved to where I could see. It was immediately evident to me that this was a scene between a Domme, a Female Dom or Dominatrix as some were identified as, and a male submissive, a sub. Whatever terms were used, the woman was the one who was the top, and the man was the bottom.

When I first began learning about the BDSM life in college, there were so many terms to know. Just the terms top and bottom had to be defined for me. The top was the one who gave the physical or mental sensations or acts in a scene, while the one receiving them was the bottom. In this case, the male was in a chair and was ordered to sit still while the Domme was shaving his face. She was using a handheld disposable razor, so while a nick was possible, it wasn’t as dangerous as a straight razor would be.

That was one thing that caught my attention. Some Dom/sub, D/s relationships were about humiliation or servitude of the sub to the Dom. This was different. The Domme was the one providing the sub with something that he needed or wanted. She was controlling it and him for his own good. She got her satisfaction differently. One that I found, I was instantly fascinated with. However, it was clear he wasn’t listening. He kept squirming when she told him to stay still.

The other thing that struck me, and was a harder hit, was the impact of the Domme herself. I’d seen and played with plenty of sexy, desirable, beautiful, and captivating women. And they were that way for various reasons, not just their looks and what some assume was outer beauty in a perfect body. Who was to say what a ten was for someone else?

This one was dressed in a sexy, skintight outfit, which showed off her body. She wore boots with stiletto heels that added several inches to her petite frame. While she was petite, she had an ass on her. When she turned to look out at the audience, I became rooted to the floor. Her outfit couldn’t contain her generous tits.

In addition, she wore a black, lacy, and sexy mask over her eyes. It made her features pop. She had dark brown hair that was just short of black. It was long and straight, hanging to her mid-back. Her skin was a color I’d call honey. Not exactly tanned, but not pale either. It was like the sun kissed it a few times, leaving a golden glow behind. Her dark brows, lashes, and eye mask made her light peridot green eyes glow. Her nose and lips were ideally shaped for her oval face. A slight smile turned up the corners of her mouth before she faced him again.

“I told you, sub. Stay still. You need to be shaved, and you didn’t do it today. You must do it daily, or your skin will get irritated. If you don’t stay still, I might cut you,”

she ordered. She didn’t raise her voice or say it angrily. The sound of her voice sent shivers of awareness through me and made a need to awaken in my body.

“Yes, Venus. I’m sorry,”

he said back to her.

Venus? Was that her name or just what he called her? I didn’t recognize either of them, so they were probably new partners to join the club. Disappointment pushed out the awakened sensations. If they were a dedicated couple, then there was no chance I’d ever get to scene with her. It was doubly upsetting to know that. For a brief instant, I thought I might have found someone I could play with if nothing else. I hadn’t dared to hope for more. With my hopes dashed, I went to turn away. I stopped when she reprimanded him.

“Look what you made me do. You moved, and I cut you. Let me take care of this, and then you know what this means. You didn’t listen even after you promised me again. You need to learn to follow through with what you agree to do,”

she said sternly but not nastily.

She wore a pair of latex gloves. When engaging in anything that might result in breaking the skin and contact with blood, it was wise to wear them. She wiped the cut with a small square pad. He hissed, so it must be an alcohol pad. Next, she picked up a small tube of something and squeezed a tiny bead of ointment out on her finger, which she dabbed on the cut. Once that was done, she took off her gloves, with the pad wrapped in the palm of one, and the other glove enveloped the other. The way she did it was so smooth. I knew she had a lot of practice.

She came around to stand in front of him. I was off to the side so that I could see her disappointed look. “What did we say would be your punishment if you don’t follow the rules we set up for this?”

She asked him. You could hear the demand there, along with unhappiness.

He didn’t answer at first. She hiked up an eyebrow and waited. He sighed. “You’ll give me five lashes on my bare chest across my nipples,”

he mumbled.

To me, that didn’t sound terrible or much of a punishment, but the expression on his face and the way he said it made it clear it was to him.

“I’ll do what?”

she asked with a hike of her eyebrow.

“You’ll give me five lashes on my bare nipples, Venus,”

he repeated the punishment and added her name. He said it louder so those standing there watching could hear him.

“Then you know what to do. Take off your shirt,”

she ordered.

He slowly rose from the chair. While he was removing his shirt, she reached behind the table where she had her items and came up with a crop in her hand. I could see this being a good basic tool to get the job done, but I wasn’t sure it was something to be so reluctant about.

When he was bare from the waist up, she made him face the spectators. She stood off to the side and slightly in front of him. You could see he was tense and wasn’t happy about it. She gave an experimental swing in the air. He jumped. The sound the crop made, humming through the air, made me begin to grow hard. I could almost imagine what it would feel like on my skin. I inched closer.

“This is for not listening to me when I told you four times not to move. As a result, you made me cut you. I’m disappointed. I didn’t want to harm you. You know I don’t like that. I want you to look at me while I do this. Are you ready?”

As she said it, she placed a hand on his arm. I tensed at the contact. However, I had no idea why.

He hesitated and then said, “I’m ready, Venus.”

The sub barely got those words out and took a breath before she lashed his chest. It wasn’t an extremely hard swing. I would rate it as a three. However, the way he hissed and flinched, you’d think it was a seven. The Domme kept her eyes on his. She walked to his opposite side, switched hands, and landed the second lash. Whoever she was, she had great control, and her strikes landed right on his nipples on top of his nubs. He flinched harder, but I would give it a four or five rating this time.

She kept an ongoing dialogue with him. She repeated why he was being punished, how disappointed she was, and how he had been given more than one chance to listen. Her next two strikes were even harder. He was hunching his chest, his face was red, and I thought he was gritting his teeth. As for me, I was sporting an erection and wished again it was me she was lashing. When the final lash landed, he swore and stumbled to the chair where he left his shirt. He snatched it up and stormed off the stage without a word or glance at her.

This had the crowd murmuring. Most were grumbling sounds about how he was acting. He hadn’t even said anything to the Domme or allowed her to perform aftercare. I noted the shocked expression on her face, which was replaced with worry. Before anyone moved or I could second-guess myself, I hopped up on the stage and went to her. She had her back to the crowd and was fiddling with the items on her table.

“Hey, you did nothing wrong,”

I informed her.

She startled before turning to face me. Surprise overtook her troubled expression. “I-I’m sorry, what did you say?”

she asked.

“I said that you did nothing wrong. He agreed to the punishment. He shouldn’t have reacted like that. He’s being a petulant child if you ask me.”

Her shoulders sagged. “He did agree to them, and I thought I was more than clear, but maybe I wasn’t. I’ll let him collect himself. Thank you for saying that, though.”

“You’re welcome. You’re new here. Let me introduce myself. I’m Servass.”

I held out my hand to see if she’d shake or not. Some people avoid physical contact with anyone other than their partners or significant others. I used the name Servass because it was the name I chose for my club name. It was Dutch for servant or follower. I thought it was a funny play on words. I was happy when she reached out to take my hand.

She smiled as she reached for mine and said, “My name is Venus. Nice to meet you, Servass.”

I couldn’t say anything back for a few heartbeats because a surge of energy or something hit me when our hands connected. I’d never experienced anything like it. I heard her swift inhalation at the same time. I wondered if that meant she felt it, too. Her eyes widened, and her hand trembled in mine. I tightened my grip slightly in case she tried to disconnect us. She didn’t.

“The pleasure is mine. How long have you been coming to the club?”

I asked after I had recovered my wits a bit.

“Not long, I joined—”

she was interrupted by others joining us.

However, I couldn’t chase them off. It was my sister and Tajah. They were grinning. When Venus saw them, her smile widened, and the next thing I knew, they were all three hugging each other. I had to fight not to let my jaw drop. What the hell?

I stood there impatiently waiting for them to part so I could find out how they knew her, and plotting how I’d pump them both for information on Venus later.

As they moved away from each other, I glanced over at Cady and Taj. They both smiled at me. Before I could ask how they knew Venus, Tajah explained.

“I’m so glad you two met. We were hoping to introduce you. Servass, Venus joined the club a few months ago. How long has it been?”

she asked Venus.

“It’s been three and a half months. It was mid-March,”

the Domme said.

“Wow, it feels longer. She came to do the tour, and Mikhail and I showed her around on her first night here. After that, she and I went for coffee. The second time we went for coffee, Cady came along. I’m so happy we did,” Taj said.

“Me too. It’s tough sometimes to meet people you can become friends with when you’re new to a place. They’ve given me the scoop on where to eat and shop,”

Venus added.

“We’re glad to do it,”

Cady added.

“And you know, Servass, how?”

Venus asked. For once, I hated the fact that I used an alias in the club. People knew I was Cady’s brother, but did not know the details about who we were.

“Oh, yeah, sorry. He’s my older brother. We’ve been waiting for him to show his face here. He hasn’t been coming for a while. I had to practically twist his arm to get him to agree to come tonight,”

Cady told her as she shot me a frown.

“If I’d known why you kept bugging me to come, I would’ve been here sooner,”

I told Cady as I stared at Venus. Her gaze slid away from mine, and a tinge of pink spread over her face.

“He kept telling us he was too busy with work, but we knew that wasn’t it. Care to explain why?”

Taj asked.

“No, I don’t,”

was my answer.

“I can understand being busy with work. I don’t get to come as often as I’d like. It’s very nice to meet you, Servass. May I ask a favor? I’d like to continue to talk, but first, I need to check on Reef. I want to be sure he’s alright.”

She was still upset about how things went with her sub. I didn’t want to let her leave, but it wasn’t up to me.

“We didn’t mean to keep you from your partner. Of course, you can check on him. Hopefully, you’ll be able to stay, and we can talk,”

I said, even if I didn’t want her to stay if she was with someone. I didn’t see rings on her finger, but that meant nothing these days.

“I’d like that. Let me get this cleared away, and then I’ll see if I can find him,”

she said as she moved back to the table.

“Why don’t you go find him, and we’ll get one of the Disciples to clean this up?”

Tajah offered.

“Oh, I hate to ask them to do that. It’s my mess,”

Venus objected.

“It’s unusual circumstances, and it’s their job. Go. We’ll take your stuff with us, and you can get your bag from us,”

Taj assured her. After another moment of indecision, Venus nodded, thanked them, promised to return soon, and then hurried off.

While Taj was finding a Disciple to clean up, Cady and I waited on the stage. The others who’d been watching the performance had moved off. I was watching the crowd to see if I could see Venus and to watch for her return. I caught my sister smirking as she stared up at me. I pretended not to see her until it became impossible to ignore her. Finally, I glanced down at her.

“What’s got you all smiley?” I asked.

“You, brother. I can’t recall the last time I saw you so interested.”

“What does that mean? Interested? I’ve always liked it here. I enjoy coming. It’s just been hectic.”

I pretended not to understand her.

“You know what I mean. You were practically devouring Venus with your eyes. I knew when Tajah introduced us and Venus told me about herself that she was someone I wanted to be friends with. However, after discovering she was a patron here and what she was into, I wondered if she might be someone you’d like.”

“Cady, don’t. I don’t need you or Taj to mess with my personal life. Who I choose to play with or have sex with doesn’t involve you,”

I warned her.

“Are you saying that because you don’t like her that way or because you think your sister shouldn’t know what her brother likes and try to hook him up?”

“Both. And since when do you know what I like in a relationship or a casual fling?”

“You’re not as big of a mystery as you think you are. And before you get mad at Tajah or Mikhail, they didn’t tell me anything about what you’ve gotten up to here in the past. Hoss hasn’t said a word, either. I know you’re a tough, strong man. No one would claim otherwise. But our past has shaped us for better or worse. Our parents left us with cravings we generally can’t satisfy outside of those who live this lifestyle. Hoss has helped me to see that and why my past relationships never worked.”

I snorted. “Could you see Dad and Mom’s faces if they saw this place and knew we came here? We’d never hear the end of it. Maybe you’re right, and they did shape us into who we are. However, that has nothing to do with Venus.”

She laughed and shook her head.

“Fine, pretend all you want, but if you aren’t intrigued by her, then leave right now.

I’ll make excuses for why you had to leave.”

I glared at Cady but stayed where I was, earning a knowing look.

I hated how she made her point so effortlessly against me.

But I wouldn’t give up my chance to talk to Venus and learn about her, not even to save face with my little bratty sister.