Page 20 of Going Deep (Odyssey #3)

M ichael was watching the door.

Saturday night was usually the busiest night of the week at Odyssey , and tonight was no exception. Though it was barely ten o’clock, the crowd in the bar area was thick, his bartenders were hopping, and the dance floor was already wall to wall bodies.

He smiled at a couple of members as they walked by, chatted with others, and directed a new submissive to the bathrooms with an amiable smile. And still, he watched the door.

When she walked in, the knots he hadn’t realized were in his belly loosened.

She hadn’t seen him yet, so he leaned back against the bar and looked his fill.

She was wearing a purple halter top that molded her breasts like a lover’s hands and turned her blue eyes almost violet.

It stopped an inch short of her waistband, baring a narrow strip of pale skin and made his mouth water.

The skirt was shiny, black and short, and her feet were encased in boots of the same shiny material that stopped just below her knee and added a good three inches to her height.

Her hair was a tousled cap, her mouth was unpainted. Her skin glowed—she’d gotten some sun in the last week.

Fuck, he’d missed her.

He pushed away from the bar, but before he could cross the room, he felt a hand on his shoulder.

“Michael, how’s it going?”

He glanced over. “ Ben , good to see you. How are you?”

“Good, I’m good.” The other man grinned, blonde and handsome as a movie star, and twice as charming. “ I’ve been meaning to ask, who’s the new girl?”

Michael kept his face carefully impassive. “ New girl?”

Ben jerked his head at Ginger . “ Yeah . The stacked blonde.”

Michael raised an eyebrow at the description, but couldn’t dispute it. “ She’s a friend.”

“Oh?” Ben’s eyebrows rose, a knowing gleam in his eye. “ I should have known you’d get there first.”

Michael frowned slightly. “ She’s new to the scene.”

“Really?” Ben pursed his lips, studying Ginger , and the gleam in his eye had Michael clenching his teeth. “ I don’t usually like playing tour guide, but I’d make an exception for that.”

“Generous,” Michael drawled. “ But I’ve got it covered.”

Ben shrugged. “ Well , when you’re done with her, put in a good word for me, won’t you?”

Michael sent him a tight smile. “ I’ll be sure to do that.”

“Good to see you, man.” Ben clapped him on the back again and, with a last, lingering look at Ginger , sauntered away.

Michael drew a deep breath, shoved his annoyance aside, and started across the room. Ginger was trying to make her way to the bar, but every few steps someone would approach her. Annoyance nipped at him, held at bay by the fact that she brushed aside every single advance.

He glanced down at her wrist. She was wearing a white bracelet, plain.

Axe gave one to every unattached submissive who walked in the door, so it wasn’t a surprise to see it on her wrist. But it was also a walking advertisement to other Doms .

He was going to have to declare her off-limits for the time being.

He came up behind her just as she was declining another offer, and when she turned, she bumped into him.

She let out a startled squeak and immediately started to apologize. “ I’m so sorry, I didn’t see—oh, Michael !”

She smiled at him, eyes sparkling. “ I didn’t see you there. Were you lurking?”

“I was walking,” he said, amused. “ You weren’t looking. And I think you’ve forgotten the rules.”

Confusion clouded her gaze for a moment, then understanding dawned. “ Sorry , Sir .”

He flicked a finger over her chin. “ Better . Don’t forget again.”

“I won’t, Sir . Did you have a good trip?”

“It was…” Tedious . Boring . Lonely . “ Productive .”

“Well, that’s good.” She tilted her head, curiosity in her bright eyes. “ Isn’t it?”

“It is.” Well aware of the eyes on them, he held out a hand. “ Come back to the office with me for a moment. There’s something I need to handle before we go upstairs.”

She put her hand in his. “ Okay .”

He steered her in front of him, past the bar and down a short hallway that led to his private office. He punched in the code for the lock, then ushered her inside. “ Stand right there, darling. I’ll just be a moment.”

He crossed to the desk and punched in another code to unlock the bottom drawer. He pulled out what he needed, then closed and relocked the drawer before coming to stand in front of her.

He held out his hands. “ You know what these are?”

She looked down at the leather collar and cuffs in his hands, then up at him. “ Yes , Sir .”

“Most often you see collars in BDSM relationships as a sign of ownership.”

Ginger nodded. “ I know.”

“That’s not what this is.”

For a second, there was a flash in her blue eyes, annoyance or irritation or something equally sharp. Then it was gone, replaced by mild curiosity and perhaps…amusement? “ Then what is it? Sir ?”

Suddenly unsure of his ground, he cleared his throat. “ I should say it’s not a sign of permanent ownership.”

That was definitely amusement. “

“You’ve trusted me to guide you through this initial phase of your exploration into BDSM ,” he continued, struggling to keep his balance.

She nodded. “ I have.”

“As a symbol of that trust, it would be appropriate for you to wear my collar while we’re in the club.

“You could play with others, should you wish,” he went on, though the words felt like razor blades in his throat. “ But the collar would put you under my formal protection.”

“I see.”

“I also think it might be a good idea for you to see how you feel in a collar,” he went on, more confident now. “ If you find a long-term relationship within the scene, it’s likely to come up.”

“I suppose it might.” She stared at the collar for a long moment, then looked up. Her eyes were solemn, all traces of amusement gone. “ All right.”

“All right, what?” he prompted.

She drew in a breath. “ All right, Sir , I will wear your collar while we’re in the club.”

Choosing to acknowledge the emotion rushing through him as satisfaction rather than relief, he nodded. “ Then kneel, please.”

She sank to her knees gracefully, keeping her eyes up and on his. He bent, placed the narrow band of brown leather around her neck, and buckled it into place.

He ran a finger around the leather, hooking a finger in the D ring and giving it a light tug. He smiled into her eyes. “ It looks good on you.”

Her lips twitched. “ Yeah ?”

“Very good. And I like this.” He tugged harder, smiling into her eyes as he used the D -ring to bring her to her feet.

“That’s because you’re a pervert, Sir ,” she said, and he laughed.

“Guilty. One more thing,” he said and wrapped her wrists in the wide cuffs that matched the collar.

“And what are these for?” she said curiously.

“For fun,” he told her with a wink, and hooked the cuffs together in front of her. “ Let’s go have some.”

The soft leather on her neck was almost like a hug.

Just snug enough to feel every time she swallowed or moved her neck.

Combined with the restraints around her wrist, it felt like it had being in bondage that first night.

Oddly calming, strangely centering. And hot.

Very hot. She was so wet under her tiny skirt she worried she was squishing as she followed behind him, but thankfully the music was too loud for anyone to hear.

He kept his hand on the links holding her cuffs together, using them to pull her through the club. He stopped briefly at the bar, gathered his bag, then headed right for the stairs to the second floor.

The play area was crowded, with plenty of people milling about, observing the various scenes in progress. A loud crack from one corner made her swivel around, her eyes widening when she saw a tall Dom wielding a short whip.

Michael noticed her wide-eyed fascination and leaned down to speak softly in her ear. “ See how the area around him is roped off?”

She nodded faintly, noting the large space marked off by velvet ropes. The crowd gathered was staying respectfully on the other side, though they were three deep behind the ropes.

“That’s so he doesn’t accidentally catch someone on a backswing,” he explained, and as they watched, the Dom sent the whip flying toward the naked woman chained to the wall with another loud crack. She flinched, expecting to see blood fly from split skin, but only a tiny red mark appeared.

“Edward is very good with a whip,” he said. “ The crack is just for show.”

“Wow,” she murmured as the whip flew again, and another small red mark appeared on the submissive’s ass.

He laughed, low and deep. “ Is this a new area of interest?”

She swallowed convulsively.

“Hmmm.” A speculative look came into his eye as he watched her face, and she took a hasty step back.

He laughed and tugged her back. “ I’ve got other plans for you tonight. Come .”

He strode over to the far corner of the room to a small area by the stairs, and set his bag down next to a waist-high padded bench. Using his grip on her cuffs, he pulled her around so she faced the bench, her back to the room.

With a flick of his wrist, he unclipped her cuffs. “ Strip down, darling, and hop up on the bench.”

She glanced around, trying to see if anyone was watching, and his hard fingers on her chin turned her back to face him.

“Look at me,” he told her, eyes glittering with intent. “ I’m all you have to worry about right now.”

She gave him a short nod, and he released her chin and stepped back. He crossed his arms over his chest and waited.

She drew a deep breath and reached for the hem of her shirt. Arms crossed, she started to yank it over her head, but his harsh “ Stop ” stilled her hands.

At her questioning glance, he smiled. “ Slower . Less race, more striptease.”

Strip tease? Oh , sweet mother of God . She shot him an are you fucking kidding me glare, and he chuckled.

“You keep looking at me in that tone of voice, darling, you’ll earn yourself a reprimand,” he warned. He jerked his chin. “ Go on, now.”