Page 4 of Going Deep (Odyssey #3)

T wo weeks later on a Friday night, Ginger was sitting in the back of Simon’s car, vacillating between being so anxious she wanted to throw up and so excited she wanted to scream. “ I can’t believe I’m finally doing this.”

Next to her, still gloriously tanned from her honeymoon, Anna smiled. “ Excited ?”

“Are you kidding?” Ginger realized she was twisting her fingers together and forced them apart. “ I’m coming out of my panties, here.”

“You wore panties?” Simon asked from the driver’s seat.

She grinned at his reflection in the rearview mirror. “ It’s a figure of speech."

On her other side in the back seat, Lola laughed. “ You went commando?”

Ginger shrugged. “ It seemed like the thing to do.”

Lola laughed again. “ Oh , it’s definitely the thing to do.”

“I thought you’d be more nervous,” Anna chimed in.

“I am nervous,” Ginger admitted, one hand pressed to the butterflies in her belly. “ But it’s good nervous, and I’m not allowed to play tonight, anyway.”

She paused to frown. “ Why is that again?”

“Baby steps,” Lola reminded her. “ Plus , your paperwork isn’t complete.’

“I filled out the list,” Ginger protested. “ What else is there?”

“The blood test.”

“Oh, right.” Ginger shrugged. She’d been hoping to skip that, since her doctor was back in Ohio . “ I don’t see how it matters, since I can’t afford a membership.”

“You need to complete it to play, even as a guest,” Lola reminded her. “ You remember the rest of the rules?”

“Oh, um.” Ginger struggled to focus. “ Don’t touch anyone without permission, don’t interrupt a scene unless someone’s on fire.”

Grant turned to smile at her from the front passenger seat. “ Even then, ask first.”

She stared at him. “ I was joking.”

“I’m not. Fire play has gotten popular in the last few years.”

“Jeez.”

“Relax,” Anna told her with a pat on the shoulder. “ You’ll be fine. And you look amazing.”

“Smokin’ hot,” Lola agreed, “if a little on the conservative side for a submissive.”

Conservative? Ginger looked down at her skirt.

The narrow leather skirt came to the top of her knee, so she supposed the length could be considered conservative.

But the zipper ran from the hem to the waist along the front of her right thigh, and could be raised from the bottom and turned into a slit that could go up one inch or twenty.

So how conservative it was sort of depended on how well the zipper stayed put.

Her top was aqua blue, a little brighter than she normally wore, but both Lola and Anna had given it the thumbs up, and she trusted their judgement.

One side was long-sleeved, the soft, stretchy material reaching down to cover the back of her right hand.

Her left shoulder was bared, the diagonal neckline disappearing under her left arm, and Lola had loaned her an arm cuff in hammered silver.

The shirt was both stretchy and clingy, and made it very clear she wasn’t wearing a bra. She’d suggested going out and buying a strapless one, or something that could be converted to accommodate the one-shoulder top, and had been soundly voted down by her friends.

Her shoes were simple, black patent leather with thin straps that buckled around her ankles. Since the heels were a needle-thin three inches, she was grateful for the extra stability.

She’d styled her shaggy pixie cut so it looked like she’d just tumbled out of bed, and Anna had done her makeup, making her eyes look bigger and her mouth softer. She’d been afraid it would look overdone, but pulled together the entire look was soft, a little sultry, and okay, very sexy.

She glanced at her friends. Lola wore black leather pants and a dark red leather bustier that matched her lipstick and her nail polish.

Her shoes brought her height all the way up to five foot five.

Anna had on a black dress in stretchy Lycra , strapless and very, very short.

She wore boots that came to her knees with three-inch heels, and had a leather collar wrapped around her neck.

More than a piece of jewelry, Anna had explained, the thin red leather was a symbol that she belonged to someone.

Grant insisted she wear it at the club, as its presence not only warned others that she was taken, but it also increased her sense of submission.

A tangible symbol of the control he held over her, and the trust she placed in him.

Ginger had found it almost frighteningly erotic.

She looked up as the car pulled up to the entrance of the club, and the valet opened the door for them. She concentrated on breathing as they got out of the car and made their way up the steps to the heavy double doors that guarded the entrance.

Lola smiled at the man at the door. “ Axe , how are you?”

The giant with white skin, black eyes, and a shaved head nodded. “ Can’t complain, Lo .” His eyes darted to Ginger standing behind them. “ Bringing a guest tonight?”

“This is Ginger ,” Simon said, putting a protective hand on her bare shoulder. “ She should be on the list.”

“Boss said she might be in,” Axe replied without taking his eyes off Ginger . “ You look a bit different than the last time I saw you.”

“The last time?” Lola asked.

Ginger winced. “ Axe was working the night you got hurt. I’m afraid he got the worst of my temper when he wouldn’t immediately get Simon for me.”

Amazingly, the big man curved his thin lips into a smile. “ That was your worst? Hell , girl, that didn’t even make the top ten tirades I heard that night.”

Ginger smiled, relaxing a little. He was awfully sweet. “ Even so, I’m sorry I yelled at you.”

His smile widened to show even white teeth, and he lifted his gaze to Simon . “ Oh yeah, I can see what the boss is worked up about.”

He turned his attention back to Ginger . “ Don’t you worry about it, sweetie.”

Who’s worked up about what? Puzzled by the exchange but too nervous to ask about it, Ginger gave Axe a grateful smile. “ Thank you.”

He sent her a wink before looking past her to greet Anna and Grant . Pleasantries were exchanged as he checked them all in, and they were moving toward the doors at the end of the short hall that led to the main club area when Axe stopped them.

“She needs a wristband,” he told Simon , jerking his head toward Ginger . “ What color?”

“White,” he responded. “ No stripes.”

Axe nodded and pulled out a paper wristband. He gestured to her, and she held out her bare arm. He attached the band swiftly and added a little pat at the end. “ Have fun,” he told her, and turned to greet the next set of people at the door.

“What’s the band for?” Ginger whispered to Anna as they walked through the main doors.

“It’s to let other people know what kinds of play you’re available for. Unattached submissives always wear them, they’re white. Unattached Doms can wear them if they want, those bands are black.”

Ginger fingered the band. “ Why did Simon say no stripes?”

“They can add little colored stripes to show what you’re willing to do. Sex , bondage, S & M , etc. Everything has a color code. You need to wear the band, but since you’re new and you’re not planning to play tonight, no colors.”

“Got it.”

The main club level had large, three-sided bar off to one side, surrounded by small cocktail tables.

People milled about, standing at the bar or sitting at the tables.

Opposite the bar were several seating areas, low couches and cozy chairs arranged into conversation pits, and many of them were occupied as well.

Just past the seating areas was a dance floor, already crowded with bodies writhing to the beat of the music pounding out of the speakers.

“Wow.” She blinked. “ It’s pretty crowded.”

Grant chuckled, one hand curled around the back of Anna’s neck. “ This is nothing. You should see it on a regular Saturday night. Wall to wall bodies, to say nothing of the play areas.”

“Play areas?”

“Remember, there’s no play here in the main room, though they often use the stage for demos.” Anna nodded toward the curtained area past the dance floor. “ All the sexy stuff takes place on the second and third floors.”

“Right. Sexy stuff.” Ginger blew out a breath. “ You know, I could use a drink.”

Simon chuckled as Lola gave her a stern look. “ One drink. You’re not playing or you wouldn’t even get that.”

Simon laid a hand on his lover’s shoulder. “ You make an adorable mother hen, sweetheart.” He ignored Lola’s scowl to smile at Ginger . “ What can I get you?”

If she only got one drink, she might as well make it a strong one. “ Scotch . Neat .”

Grant grinned. “ That sounds just about perfect. What about you, sugar?”

Anna looked up at her husband with surprise. “ I get a drink?”

“Since we’re not playing here tonight, yes, you get a drink.”

“I’d love a vodka tonic. With a twist of lime?”

He lifted an eyebrow. “ Vodka , huh?”

She sent him a sunny smile. “ I’m planning to seduce you later.”

He curled a finger under the edge of her collar and tugged her in for a brief, hard kiss. “ Not if I seduce you first.”

Anna giggled as he strode toward the bar, Simon following to help carry their drinks, while Lola shook her head in mock despair.

“I didn’t think you two could get any cuter than you were before, but somehow you’ve managed it.”

“I know,” Anna sighed with delight. “ It’s disgusting, isn’t it?”

“I think it’s sweet,” Ginger said, earning a smile from Anna and an eye roll from Lola .

“Sometimes, when I’m cooking dinner, I whisper I love you to the food, so that when he eats it, he has it inside him.”

Ginger looked at Lola . “ Okay , that was disgusting.”

While Anna laughed, Ginger looked around again. She was starting to relax—it just felt like a regular club, nothing too scary—when she noticed several people staring at them. At her.

She lowered her voice. “ Why is everyone looking at me?”

Lola chuckled. “ It’s newcomer night, so there are a lot of regulars here to scope out the newbies. And you look hot.”