Dark Citadel

Chapter Seven

The warm tropical breeze lifted Kari's hair as she hurried up to the Shadowlands on Wednesday evening. She scowled at the setting sun. She was late. The stupid car had overheated, forcing her to drive slower. She really needed to get it to the repair shop.

She'd always hated being tardy, but it was far, far worse tonight. Her stomach churned, like she'd eaten worms for lunch instead of her usual tuna sandwich. And she probably should have eaten supper instead of changing clothes fifteen times; she still had not found anything appropriate.

What if everyone was here already? This was just so not like her, going someplace alone. At least Buck had accompanied her on Monday, even if that hadn't lasted long. She grinned briefly.

Her smile faded as she remembered who had taken his place. And how unhappily the evening had ended.

But if she didn't attend this class, she'd feel like a coward, like Master Dan had driven her away. She wiped her damp hands on her dress and raised her chin. To heck with Sir anyway; she'd darned well have fun with someone else.

The tall oak doors were open. Sucking in a breath, she walked inside. Behind the desk, the big guard rose, and a smile lightened his battered face. “Welcome back, Miss Kari.”

“Thank you, Ben.”

He flipped through the file box on the desk, found her name, made a check on the card. “Give me your shoes and socks; then you can go right in.” He pointed to the door on the far wall, not the one that led to Master Z's office. Apparently she didn't have to go through the screening process again.

After setting her blue-striped sneakers and pink socks on his desk, she looked at the door and hesitated. Last chance to escape. Her feet didn't want to move. After a minute, she glanced at the guard.

His brows drew together, making him look just plain mean. “Did you have trouble here last time?” he growled. “Something I should know about?”

Oh heavens. “No, not at all. Everyone was very nice.” Did putting cuffs on a woman fall into the nice category? “I'm just…” She sighed and confessed, “I'm working up my nerve. I'm not used to going places like this by myself, you know?”

“Gotcha.” Ben grinned at her. “You don't have the look of a loner. Hang on just a sec.” He pressed a button on his desk.

“No, wait!” Too late.

“What?” The bartender's voice barked out of the intercom.

“If Jessie's in there, can you ask if she'd escort one of the newbie subs inside? She's feelin' a little lonely.”

A snort. “If she's a sub, she won't be lonely long.” A pause. “She's on her way out.”

Kari felt like a kindergartner refusing to walk into school on the first day. “I would have—”

“Nah.” Ben sat back down at the desk. “Don't worry. You're not the first novice to get scared, won't be the last.”

The inner door opened, and the woman who Kari had met on Monday trotted out, her blonde hair bouncing. “Hey, I was hoping you'd be back.”

Kari smiled, pleasure mingling with relief. “Thanks for rescuing me. I'm not sure why I froze.”

“Been there, done that.” Jessica grinned at the guard. “Right, Ben?”

He shook his head. “You were trouble from the beginning. Get a move on. I think she's the last to arrive.”

“In that case, let's get you in before Raoul gets all huffy.” Jessica pushed Kari through the doors and into the club room.

Trying not to be obvious, Kari looked around for Master Dan. His tall figure didn't appear, and disappointment grew inside her, making her chest ache.

As they passed the bar, the bartender, Master Cullen, grinned at Kari. “Now if I'd known it was you, I'd have gone out myself to hold your hand.”

She gave him a tentative smile, unsure if he was joking or not.

At the end of the room, they found the class. Jessica patted her shoulder, whispered, “See you later,” and headed away.

“Well, everyone has returned for more. I'm pleased.” Master Raoul rested his hip on the back of the couch. “On Monday, we covered safe words, basic restraints, and safety issues. Now you've had a chance to practice, does anyone have questions?”

As the students shook their heads, Kari took the time to look them over. About half were obviously couples, standing beside each other, holding hands, mostly man-woman sets, with an occasional guy-guy or woman-woman. The singles divided fairly evenly between the two sexes.

“You came back.” A whisper behind her and she thrilled, thinking Sir had found her. She felt his breath on her neck and glanced over her shoulder. Buck. Oh joy. He stood too close, his thighs brushing against her bottom.

“Hi, Buck.” She hadn't returned his message on her answering machine. She tried to edge away without being too blatant.

“I've missed seeing you,” he whispered. He ran his hand down her arm, then turned his attention to the instructor. She let out a relieved sigh.

Raoul went through the basics of domination and then talked a woman named Linda through a slave posture. Kari winced. Slave didn't sound as harmless as sub, somehow. He explained the club dress code and about the “private play” rooms upstairs. The penalties for interrupting a scene. Cleaning the equipment.

And then he started on a tour of the room, explaining the furniture in each of the roped-off areas. He shackled one of the gay men to a big wooden X called a St. Andrew's cross. Then came a spanking bench, a bondage table, an exotic lacing table, a sawhorse, a whipping post, two cages in a corner, a spiderweb thing, a stockade. He used a different sub to demonstrate each piece of equipment.

“Kari, your turn,” he called, motioning to something called a bondage chair.

She swallowed and moved forward. At least he didn't strip anyone, just demonstrated the various restraints and how each piece could be used. She seated herself on the chair. After Master Raoul fastened her ankles to the chair legs, her wrists to the chair arms, she realized the center of the seat was cut out, leaving just her buttocks perched on the edge. With legs shackled open, and the missing chair bottom, a naked person's private parts would be on display. She shivered, relieved when the instructor unfastened her.

After two more pieces of equipment, Master Raoul said, “That's it for the formal lesson. All the equipment down here is duplicated in various upstairs rooms if you prefer private play. Remember that gags are forbidden at this point in your classes. DMs will be in the hallways upstairs and down here to answer questions or intervene if there's a problem.”

He looked at each sub in turn, his expression serious. “Subs, no matter what safe word you agree on between your partner, the club safe word is red. If you shout that out, a DM will come to see if everything is all right. Remember, 'safe, sane, and consensual' are the operative words here. Got that, everyone?”

People nodded.

“Remember, you discuss what you will be doing first and reach an agreement. Establish trust before you jump in. Class is dismissed. Pair up as you wish.” He frowned as he counted the single newbies. “Anyone left without a partner talk to me over at the bar.”

As he walked away, the singles began talking. One couple headed out, then another. Kari saw two men watching her, one with a cruel look in his eyes that made her stomach twist, and the other would probably run if she said boo. She thought about what Master Dan had done to her, tried to imagine letting either of the men do anything with her, and couldn't.

“Kari, honey. How about we try using that spiderweb?” An easy smile on his face, Buck approached and set his hand on her shoulder.

Without thinking, she stepped back and shook her head. Her instinctive reaction reminded her of Master Dan asking how her body felt about something. Maybe she'd listen to her body for once. “I'm sorry, Buck. I don't want to—” Let you have any control over me.

That would be rude. Oh, she just wasn't comfortable saying no to people or hurting their feelings. She glanced at the diminishing group of singles and realized she didn't want to be with any of them. That solved her problem nicely. “I'm afraid I'm not staying for the practice part. But thank you for the offer.”

Nolan strolled into the club room and smiled at the underlying scent of sweat, fear, pain, and sex that Z's fancy cleaning crew could never remove. Muscles he didn't know had been tight started to loosen.

As he crossed to the bar, he checked out the changes. A few new pieces of equipment—a lacing table, a spiderweb. There'd probably be a few other things in the theme rooms. Z liked toys.

“Hey, Nolan, welcome home!” Rising from a bar stool, Raoul shook Nolan's hand, a grin on his swarthy face. He glanced at Nolan's gold-trimmed vest. “I see Z already tagged you for DM duty.”

“Nolan!” Cullen's yell set his ears ringing as the bartender leaned across the bar to thump his shoulder. “Damn, dude, where have you been?”

Nolan thought on it for a minute. “Here and there. Mostly Baghdad.”

“No alcohol there, I bet.” Cullen slid a cold Corona over.

Nolan stared at it. Nobody else drank Corona around here. “That beer over a year old?”

“Nah. Z told me you were back. I stocked up,” Cullen said.

The welcome made Nolan's chest tighten. “Thanks.”

“You still look like a nasty bastard,” Cullen commented, ignoring a couple of newbies signaling for his attention. “You're gonna have the subs all scared and clamoring for your attention. How's your pretty slave doing, by the way?”

“I uncollared Felicia before I deployed,” Nolan said. And although he'd missed her, he hadn't realized how much of a strain being a master twenty-four/seven was until she was gone. “So it's been a while. I'm looking forward to playing again.” He sucked down half the brew, something else he'd missed. “Anything new?”

“Z has a sub now, a cutie. Grabbed her before she even made it through the door,” Cullen said. “Hell, he had her before she even knew she was submissive, but she hooked him right back.”

“Z? Hooked?” Nolan set his beer down. “Seriously?”

“Looks like. Good match,” Raoul said. “I thought for a minute Dan was going to follow in his footsteps. He took on a beginner Monday, a sweet little sub, and looked pretty involved, but he chilled out again.”

“That the pretty sub Jessica was talking to? Kari?” Cullen asked.

“Yep.” Raoul nodded toward the group of beginners. “Little, round, really polite.”

“I like her.” Cullen scratched his cheek. “And Dan needs someone to kick him out of his rut. When Marion died, seems like she took him with her. The asshole hardly laughs anymore.” He studied the beginner class. “Yeah, she might be good for him.”

“Z must have thought so. He asked Dan to take her on.”

Nolan listened idly. Dan'd had a rough time there, losing his wife like that. It was time he came out of that dark shell. Turning, he checked out the class. The singles had dwindled until only a few remained. He identified the sub whom Raoul and Cullen had mentioned, watched a wannabe Dom brace her, try for her. She not only turned the guy down but left the group entirely, heading toward the bar. Very pretty, short, and curvy like he preferred.

“Heads up,” he warned Raoul. “Incoming.”

Kari walked away from the other newbies, feeling like a failure. She'd made it here, attended the class, but she'd basically blown the final by not practicing what she'd learned. But she just couldn't. Not with them. Face it, she'd been hoping Master Dan would be here, would have changed his mind. Dumb, Kari. He'd made himself quite clear.

She started toward the door and then stopped. She should be polite and tell Master Raoul she was leaving. For all she knew, he might do a head count at the end of the night.

Master Raoul was at the bar like he'd said, talking with Cullen. Next to Raoul, another DM, a big, darkly tanned man around forty, leaned on the bar, listening. With a white scar across one cheekbone and cold black eyes, the man just plain looked dangerous. She gave him a wide berth and stopped on Raoul's other side.

Cullen broke off in midsentence and smiled at her. “Little Kari, how are you?” The look he gave her warmed her right to her toes.

Ignoring the quiver in her stomach, she nodded back. “I'm fine. And how are you?” Oops. “Ah…Sir.”

Cullen and Raoul chuckled. The other man didn't even smile.

“Very nice,” Cullen said. “Can I get you something to drink, or is someone waiting for you?”

“No, thank you.” She turned to Master Raoul. “I'm going to call it an early night, but I enjoyed your class very much. Thank you.” She nodded and moved toward the door.

“Stop.” Master Raoul's command had a snap in it.

Kari's feet froze before her brain had processed the word. She turned.

“Are you having a problem with one of the other beginners?” Master Raoul's eyes narrowed as he inspected the class.

“No, not at all. I just am not—” She couldn't think of a way to say this politely. “I feel uncomfortable with—” With beginners. She shrugged rather than finish. “I see no need to practice, so I'll head out. I appreciate your concern.”

He'd been studying her face. “Going from Master Dan to a beginner… I see the problem. I'll find you an experienced Dom.”

“No, really, I'm—”

“You know, I've had a little experience,” Master Cullen said mildly.

Raoul snorted. “Like fifteen years or so?”

“About that.” Cullen lifted his head and shouted toward the front of the room, “Dan! Man the bar. I'm taking some playtime.” He ducked under the bar and towered over Kari. “I'll top you tonight.”

She managed to close her mouth. “Well…” Experienced, for sure. More easygoing than Sir—or at least more talkative. The set of his jaw, the way he watched her expressions made her think he might be as intimidating as Sir.

There wasn't the same sense of connection with him or the trust she'd felt with Master Dan. But so what. Her reasons for being here were still valid. “Thank you. I'd like that.”

Kari heard footsteps behind her, then Master Dan's voice with a hint of laughter. “You and your damned playtimes. I'll babysit the bar for a couple hours, but that's it, Cullen.”

Sir's deep, rough voice singed through every pathway in Kari's body, and her insides melted like a sun-warmed chocolate bar. She stiffened but didn't turn around. Cowardly, but she didn't want to see his face turn cold again.

Cullen looked down at her, and a smile flickered over his hard-hewn face. He put a heavy arm across her shoulders and mashed her against his side. And then, hand gripping her shoulder so she couldn't escape, he turned them both to face Master Dan.

“Well, Dan, I'm not sure I'm going to want to stop at two hours.” Cullen rubbed his knuckles gently across her cheek. “Little Kari looks like she's got more stamina than that.”

Master Dan saw her, and his face turned to stone. Even as his gaze dissected her like a bug, his mouth thinned. His anger hit her like a fist to the chest.

Kari pulled in a shaky breath and tried to back away, despite the restraining arm around her shoulders. What had she done to make him so mad at her?

“Dan, buddy, you got a problem?” Cullen asked, his voice as easy as if Sir didn't look murderous. Raoul's eyes narrowed.

Sir's gaze never left Kari as his jaw tightened. He inhaled slowly as his iron will imposed control. When his eyes released Kari, she almost staggered.

Sir's gaze rested on the bartender and then a corner of his mouth curved upward. “You asshole. Your fucking sense of humor is going to get you killed one of these days. Maybe today.”

Kari wrapped her arms around herself. She'd seen quite a bit of fighting in the schools, but these two guys were huge. They'd destroy the whole bar.

“I haven't enjoyed anything so much in days.” Cullen's laugh boomed in the quiet room. “But you know, you're scaring my sub.” His hand squeezed her shoulder, pulled her a little closer.