Page 13 of Teach Me (Deviant Players #1)

Chapter Seven

I opted for a black mid-thigh dress and sensible heels.

There was no need to tempt fate by combining high heels with this object tucked inside me.

The vibrator’s small size didn’t cause any issues with sitting or walking, but Dr Braithwaite hadn’t turned it on yet, and I was grateful for that as I moved around people in the town centre.

New Year’s Eve was always busy, and when I approached the bustling town square, I realised Dr Braithwaite hadn’t specified which club he wanted me to attend.

The obvious choice was Club Trinity . It was a popular destination for students, and the queue already stretched along the front of the white-painted brick building.

A few doors over was Ocean , a smaller club with all-black walls, deafening music, and no seating areas.

The Yard was behind me. It was invitation-only, so I dismissed that.

The last option was Orchid , a shabby-looking place near the taxi rank.

It was usually frequented by the troublemakers who’d been kicked out of the other clubs, so I was unlikely to run into anyone I knew.

My heart raced as I walked towards it. What if the toy slid out?

What if someone heard the vibrations? What if they heard me?

My concerns may have been unfounded. Music poured through Orchid’s open doors, a heavy bass that made me deaf to whatever the doorman said as I slipped past him. I quickly scanned the crowd for familiar faces, then headed to the bar at the back of the stuffy room.

‘Gin and tonic,’ I shouted at the barman, a guy my age with a mohawk.

As I waited, my nails drummed a nervous beat on the worn woodwork, my gaze aimlessly searching for Dr Braithwaite.

What if he didn’t show up? We hadn’t spoken since our last meeting.

What if he had ended the experiment and hadn’t bothered to tell me?

Maybe now that he knew my secret, he also thought I was inadequate. Flawed.

I knocked back half my drink when it arrived and promptly ordered another one. A man slid up next to me as I was about to pay. ‘Let me get that for you.’

‘I can pay for my own drink.’ I fished out a ten-pound note from my bra and pressed it into the barman’s hand. ‘But thank you,’ I added, not wanting to be rude.

‘Fair enough.’ The man leaned against the bar. He looked to be in his early forties, with deep blue eyes set below dark brown hair. A dimple on his left cheek revealed itself with his smile. ‘I’m Dan,’ he said, offering me his hand. ‘Are you here by yourself?’

‘No, I’m waiting—’ I squeaked when a vibration coursed through my core.

‘Are you all right?’

‘Yeah…’ The buzzing flowed back and forth between the tips of the vibrator in a constant, mind-numbing wave. I closed my eyes and bit my bottom lip to hold back a moan. ‘I’m fine. Just a little…’

The vibrations suddenly intensified. My hand flew out, grabbing the edge of the bar for support. Oh, God. This was a terrible idea. It was mortifying. Could this stranger hear it buzzing? No, Dan looked more concerned than the outrage I expected.

He grabbed my elbow when I swayed. ‘Do you need to sit down?’

I tried to smile, but it came off as a grimace when the buzzing changed to a pulsation. It ignited nerves I didn’t even know I had, and pleasure I sure as hell didn’t know how to hide. ‘Oh, fuck,’ I said under my breath.

‘Can we have some water?’ Dan asked the barman.

‘What’s the matter, love?’ Mr Mohawk asked. ‘Do you need?—?’

‘I’m f… I’m fine,’ I said between gasps.

Where was Dr Braithwaite? He had to be close enough to operate the vibrator, but I couldn’t see him anywhere. When I turned to check the darker end of the room, near the DJ, the entire vibrator lit up at once, and I groaned with need.

‘Why don’t we find you a seat?’ Dan’s hand was on my hip, holding me upright. I gritted my teeth as the pulses flowed through me.

‘No, I’m…’ My breathing grew shallow and rapid. The vibrator buzzed in time with my racing heartbeat as I scanned the room again. Where was he?

‘Here. Have some water.’

I staggered back. ‘I have to go. I have to get out of here.’

Sweaty bodies knocked into me on the dance floor. A man’s alcohol-laced laughter wafted in my face. Someone swiped my hip. Everything was unstable. Unsafe. Fear rose within me as I struggled to get through the crowd.

This was a mistake.

This was a terrible mistake.

The words repeated on an endless loop in my head as I was knocked from side to side.

I should never have agreed to this stupid experiment.

Nothing we’d done could be used in a scientific study.

It was a game – a slow seduction. Or was it something more sinister?

Had my infatuation with an older man allowed him to take advantage of me?

Maybe he wasn’t even here. Maybe the vibrator had malfunctioned, and there was no way to turn it off. The humiliation would serve me right.

The vibrations stopped so abruptly that I stumbled into a man’s arms. ‘Go back to him,’ a familiar voice rumbled in my ear.

‘Doctor Braithwaite?’ Flushed and utterly confused by his sudden appearance, I looked into his eyes. They reflected the reassurance and comfort I needed, and my whole body relaxed against him. ‘I thought you’d left me.’

‘I’m here, Ophelia. You’re safe.’

I breathed a sigh of relief. ‘I thought you were – you’re not upset with me?’

‘Not at all.’ He stroked my cheek, tucking my hair behind my ear.

The way he looked at me, without a shred of hesitation or qualms about being with me, enthralled me.

Did he also feel this constant craving? The all-consuming need to just be near him made me oblivious to the risk of being in public.

It made me lean against him, seeking the shelter of his arms. ‘Thank you for trusting me enough to continue,’ he whispered, pulling me closer.

I did trust him, and now that he was with me, I didn’t mind the vibrator, the busy club, or the absurdity of his challenge. I was safe again.

His hand slid down my back, firm fingertips teasing my oversensitive body. ‘Go back to him. I want to watch you.’

I glanced at the bar. ‘The older man… do you know him?’

‘I do.’

‘Y-you told him about the experiment?’ Mortification revealed itself in my stuttered speech.

‘I did not, and that’s the last question I’ll answer right now.’ He threaded one hand through my hair, jerking it to tilt my head back. Our mouths were a mere breath apart. ‘Do as I say. Earn your reward, baby girl.’

I swayed when his hand slipped away. He retreated to a table in the corner, watching me through hooded eyes as my last few working brain cells argued.

I could have left and ended the game. Called off his experiment.

He might have seen it as a sign of defeat, even if I argued that none of this data would have helped my study.

My pride would’ve recovered from that, but if I walked away, I’d be forced to give up the rest of the month he’d promised me – the rewards I hadn’t earned yet.

I was still mulling over my dilemma when a light vibration coursed through my core.

My pussy pulsed around it, and I squeezed my thighs together as I shot him a half-hearted glare.

It was a mistake. Just looking at him made my body hum with need.

His large hand closed around a tumbler. I wanted those fingers on me – inside me.

He brought the drink to his lips and sipped it slowly as he watched me pine on the dance floor, and I nearly combusted at the thought of him drinking from me.

He licked his lips as if he knew what I was thinking. His eyes, full of lust and promises, fucked me across the room as they travelled down my trembling body, and when he raised his gaze again to find mine, his slight smile expanded to a blatant smirk.

Apply yourself, Ophelia . I heard his voice in my head as clearly as if he’d whispered in my ear. Be a good girl for me.

When I rejoined Dan at the bar, the vibrator pulsed on a lower setting, a teasing wave of pleasure I struggled to ignore. Although emboldened by the knowledge Dr Braithwaite was here, I was flushed, needy, and out of my comfort zone – everything he wanted me to experience.

‘You look like you need a drink,’ Dan said. ‘May I?’

I nodded, not daring to speak. He ordered a fresh gin and tonic for me and a glass of port wine for himself.

The wine was as out of place at a nightclub as he was.

Men who frequented nightclubs didn’t wear designer suits.

They didn’t have expensive watches or manicured nails.

I was willing to bet Dan hadn’t been to a nightclub for at least a decade, so why was he here?

The mystery distracted somewhat from the vibrator’s low buzz, but the vibrations increased as soon as I’d taken a sip and put my glass down. I gripped the bar to avoid falling against Dan.

‘Are you okay?’ he asked.

‘Mhmm, yeah,’ was all I managed.

He leaned against the bar, slowly sipping his wine while I struggled to hide this secret tucked inside me. ‘Are you sure? You look flushed and?—’

‘I’m fine.’

‘—in need of some help.’ The timbre of his voice said more than his words. Those blue eyes roamed over my features, probably noticing my flushed cheeks and small pants. He quirked a smile. ‘Would you like to dance?’

Dance? Was he insane? I could barely stand. The music playing over the speakers was fast-paced. If I tried to move to that beat, I wouldn’t make it. ‘I’m not…’ I glanced in Dr Braithwaite’s direction, but it was too dark to see him. ‘I’m not much of a dancer.’

Dan offered me his hand. ‘I’ll lead.’

I wasn’t planning on taking it, but the vibrations changed to a constant pulsation, and I fell against him. Dan wrapped his arms around me. He smelled nice, soap and a woodsy cologne, and I appreciated his firm grip on me, but God, how embarrassing.