Page 6 of Trust in Me
“Going to play with Logan again, Savannah?”
Savannah blushed, smiling at Emma’s pointed question. “Maybe. We’ll see. If he wants.”
“Don’t worry, though, Avery,” Emma continued. “Drew is the boss of this whole thing and he makes it so everyone has fun. He’s so good at pairing people up. At least, he usually is. Last month he set things up so….”
As Emma chattered on, the man on my left leaned in and spoke in my ear. “She means well, just doesn’t have an off switch. You’ll get used to it. I’m David. The token male sub in this little group.”
I smiled, trying to keep names and faces straight, but feeling more at home and accepted than I’d anticipated. I relaxed, sitting back into the couch cushions.
A deep voice sounded through a speaker. “All participants in the singles mixer, please gather at the edge of the main play area.”
6
Brax
Thewalnut-stainedhardwoodfloorin the bar area gave way to softer footing at the edge of the play area, where I stood with the rest of the Doms for the evening. The subs held back, some of them watching us with nervous expressions. I held back a smirk.
Drew stepped in front of the line of Doms, facing the submissives. “For the newbies, my name is Drew. I’m in charge of training here at Blackstone, and for nights like this I help plan things out and move them along. Who here is brand new to Blackstone this evening?”
Avery’s hand was among the few that lifted in the air. So, I’d been right on both counts— submissive and new to the club.
“Welcome to those who are new. Whether you’re new to the lifestyle or just to this club, remember, consent is everything. Safe, sane, consensual is key, tonight and every night.” Drew paused and looked over both groups as heads nodded.
One of the things I liked best about Blackstone was its commitment to safe and consensual play. I’d been in clubs where those things weren’t enforced, and things could go wrong quickly.
“Here’s how tonight will go,” Drew continued. “Based on the interests and limits each of you provided, I’ve paired you with a partner. For those who are new, you’ve been paired with an experienced partner who is a member of Blackstone. Take advantage of their experience and knowledge, and learn from them. You will spend time talking to discuss your limits and negotiating, then move into a scene if you so desire. You will have two hours with this partner. If you would like to play with a different partner once that time is up, come see me. If you decide not to play following your discussion, you may watch others’ scenes. You may also return to the singles’ area in the bar to socialize if you’d rather, but tonight is about being pushed out of our comfort zones. Any questions?”
I watched Avery as Drew’s gaze swept over the crowd. She had questions. If it wasn’t obvious from the expression on her face, it was clear from the way she opened her mouth, then closed it again quickly. I wanted to know more about her. Was she nervous to ask? Or did she have so many questions she didn’t even know where to start?
No one spoke up to ask a question, and Drew gave a quick nod. “Very good. When I call your name, come find your partner for the evening and head to the sitting area to start getting to know one another.”
I watched the subs as Drew began to call out names. So many of them had overly expressive faces, and those of us who knew how to read them could tell exactly what they were thinking as they were paired up.
Emma looked reasonably happy with her Dom for the night. She’d scened with Aiden before and seemed almost too comfortable with him. She whispered something in his ear, her gaze on Drew.
Savannah’s face blushed a deep red when she was paired with Logan, but she looked satisfied with the pairing.
“….and you’ll be with Avery tonight.”
I realized Drew was addressing me as I watched the color drain from Avery’s face. I let my lips turn up in a small smile, then tilted my head as she met my gaze. She got to her feet slowly and shuffled over. She took my outstretched hand tentatively. Her hand shook as I closed my fingers around hers. Definitely nervous. We would need to work on trust before we could move into anything intense.
“You okay with this, darlin’?” I studied her face. She looked like she thought I might feed her to the wolves. “I promise to take good care of you this evening, Avery. Let’s go talk.”
I read through the list of hard limits that Avery had provided when she’d signed up for singles night. “So, your hard limits are fire play, blood play and water sports, which match pretty well with my hard limits. It looks like you checkedwould like to trynext to a bunch of things. Is there anything in particular you’d like to try tonight?”
Avery shook her head, squirming uncomfortably on the chair. “I’m not really sure where to start, I guess? Maybe we could just watch for a while, if that’s okay?”
“We’ll do whatever you’re comfortable with, Avery. Let’s start by watching some of the scenes, and I’ll let you know when I think you’re ready to play. Deal?” I raised my eyebrows.
She swallowed hard, then nodded. She stood when I did, then followed me toward the play area. There was something about this girl that captivated me. She was scared— terrified, even— but she was allowing me to lead without question. I wondered if she even understood that she was submitting to me just by letting me take control in this small way. It was a step toward the trust we needed.
I led her to a St. Andrew’s cross in one corner of the space, moving her to stand in front of me to watch the scene. A female submissive was bound to the large X with her back to the room. A man in leathers stood next to her. His body language projected absolute confidence and control. He held an item in his right hand—a short handle with a mass of leather strips bound to it. He began dragging it over the sub’s back in a figure 8 pattern.
I put my mouth to her ear. “That’s called a flogger, darlin’, and she’s tied to a St. Andrew’s cross. Something you’d like to try?”
Avery nodded slowly. She seemed entranced as the Dom began to strike the submissive with the flogger. His motions were slow, soft at first, barely caressing the sub’s back without leaving a mark, then began to increase in both pace and intensity. The woman’s moans increased in volume as her Dom increased the force of his blows.
Avery didn’t move, her gaze glued to the erotic scene. Her breaths were shallow and quick.
