Page 192 of Masters of Pleasure
The mental reminder helped her get her heart rate under control as they approached the desk.Freddy was still grinning.The light blue suit he was wearing matched his blue eyes perfectly, and his hair had been gelled and was sticking up in a messy bedroom look.Iris thought he was adorable.He was a submissive, but he could also be bossy as hell and was a mother hen to all the other submissives.
“We have your table all ready for you,” Freddy said smoothly, accepting the menus Tori held up.The pretty brunette winked at Iris when Master Law wasn’t looking.“Right this way.”
Master Law nodded to the Dom outside the door—Iris was pretty sure his name was Victor, but she only knew him by sight—then they were in a room she had walked into probably a hundred times, but this time it felt different.Because itwasdifferent.
This was the first time she was here as a real sub.
Law
Fuck, he needed to get his head on straight.Freddy hadn’t been wrong.Seeing Iris in that dress, as if she was here for a real date, was making him want things he didn’t have any right to want.The little black dress wouldn’t have turned any heads at Stronghold, where half of the attendees were wearing nothing at all, but it looked fantastic on her.
Like something she would wear on a real date.
Which made it feel more like a real date, despite his leather pants, which he only wore to the club.He hadn’t realized he’d picked them out for tonight specifically to make it feel less like an actual date until this moment.He’d donned them like armor and still took a direct hit right to the groin the moment he saw her.
It was going to be a struggle to keep his head on straight and treat this like a scene.
It was not helped by the fact they were having dinner together before the show started.
“Here you go,” Freddy said, turning and gesturing at the booth he’d led them to.The stage in the center of the room was surrounded by booths.They could seat up to six people comfortably, and there were plenty of bolts and rings that didn’t normally adorn restaurant tables and booths.
The booths themselves were curved around the circular tables, backed by walls that went to the ceiling, and had two sets of curtains that could be drawn across their openings.Basically, they were set up for maximum privacy.It was possible to hear what was going on in the other booths, but you couldn’t see beside you, and most of the sounds were muffled.
With the stage lights off and the booth lights on, they could see into the booths across from them, but that would change when the house lights went down, and the stage lights were turned on.For those who wanted a little more privacy and retain the ability to still watch the show, they could draw the sheer curtains across the booth opening.The heavy brocade curtains were for those who wanted complete privacy.
“Thanks, Freddy.”Iris smiled as she let go of Law’s hand and sat down, scooting her way along the booth to the back, where she would have the best view of the stage.
“Yes, thank you.”Law took a deep breath and followed her.Dammit.It really felt like a date as Freddy handed their menus over.
Law didn’t think about the last time he’d been on a date.He really didn’t want to.It had been with Elaine, and he was doing everything in his power not to think about Elaine.It would put him in a foul mood, and he needed to focus on Iris tonight.
Iris and their not-date.
Focus and control.That’s what he needed.How he’d ended up being drawn to BDSM.Once he’d discovered the lifestyle, he’d realized how much he truly enjoyed it.Almost a little too much, but it had also given him the tools he needed to keephimselfunder control, and he did what he could to give back to the community that had helped him so much.
Do you think it’s possible your friends are right, and it’s time to stop punishing yourself for the past?
Maybe.
Not exactly something he could think about right now, and considering where he was, he wasn’t sure he should be listening to that voice because his motivations were highly suspect.
“So, ah, come here often?”Iris joked.
Law looked up, chuckling despite the conflicting emotions and thoughts swirling within him.
“Not for the shows,” he admitted.“I’ve heard Will and Gina put on a good one, though.”
“I’ll admit, I don’t know if I could have come here if the couple performing were friends with my brother.”She shuddered delicately, still smiling but completely serious.Law didn’t blame her.He enjoyed being a voyeur, but he couldn’t imagine doing so with one of his sisters’ friends, especially not one of the ones she’d grown up with.
“I have wondered how much having them around inhibits you.”Mentor-mode was a place where he was comfortable.Although, as a mentor, he usually tried to avoid looking at his mentee’s breasts, even when she was wearing a very low-cut dress and taking a deep breath.
“I think it’s more they inhibit the others around me.I mean, I wouldn’t stop to watch them if they were doing a scene in the Dungeon, but other than Andrew and Kate, I wouldn’t walk out of the Dungeon, either.It’s more their reaction to my presence I find inhibiting, especially how their presence affects the others around me.”She made a face.“By the way, if I haven’t expressed how grateful I am that you were willing to scene with me, please know that I am.”
The gratitude made him uncomfortable, as though she was saying she didn’t think he would have scened with her if he didn’t feel sorry for her and her lack of scening partners.While part of him was tempted to let that notion stand since it felt safer, he didn’t want her believing she was undesirable or unattractive.Nothing could be farther from the truth.
“You don’t need to be grateful.I asked you to scene tonight because I want to scene with you.If I didn’t want to, there’s nothing in the world that could make me.”
The truth made him feel a little more raw and exposed than he was comfortable with, but it was worth it to see the way Iris lit up in response and the relief in her expression.He also needed to change the subject as quickly as possible while he tried to regain his equilibrium.
