Secrets Learned Read online

  Mimi would love to be flippant and ask him ‘you and whose army’, but she was uneasily aware that he might just show her.

  Somehow, she didn’t think she was ready for that.

  His eyes glinted.

  Where do I know him from?

  “How do I know you?” She blurted out the question before she could stop herself.

  Chapter Six

  Fucking hell, she’ll be the death of me. “Not carnally, and you’ll remember soon enough, if you want to. Come on before you say or do something to push me over the edge. And here, I’ll take that.” He tugged the bit of black lace that hung out of her pocket like a flag shouting here I am, and dropped it on the table by the door. “You can get it later. You won’t need it for the next hour or so.”

  “Hour or so? I’m usually getting ready for bed about now. I’m early to bed and early to rise.”

  “A change is as good as a rest. Tonight you’ll be late to bed. I’ll see you home. Okay, now, we’re heading into the lounge area, where you’ll have a chance to meet some other Doms and subs, and then I’ll show you around.” He hesitated but he might as well go for it.

  “Pet, as a courtesy to me, and to show I’ve not lost all my Dom-cred or ability to control a sub, a wannabe sub or even someone who doesn’t know if she is a sub, could you follow a few basic do and don’ts?”

  “Like?”

  “Don’t speak to another Dom or their sub, unless I give you permission. If you see something you want to ask a question about, ask me first. Remember to call me Sir, and if you do address one of the other Doms, remember to call them the name they or I give to you.” Okay, he was laying it on more than a bit thick, but why the hell not? That wasn’t offensive or liable to make the person in the street squeamish or want to shut them down, surely? It was protocol, but nothing dodgy or shady.

  She tilted her head to one side and he could imagine the cogs whirring around in her brain.

  “I can do that, Sir. Just do that glare you did earlier to remind me if I look like I’m about to forget or do something heinous.”

  “Glare?”

  Dominique nodded.

  He couldn’t call her Mimi. Dominique suited her so well.

  “Oh yeah, the one that I reckon we could call your ‘do not diss a Dom’ one. Sort of strict and sharp and made me shivery. And it seems alliterative.”

  Alex laughed. She was definitely sassy, sub or not.

  “Then, pet, let’s put our best foot forward and show you all you might or might not want to see. Follow me.”

  God help me, my sister owes me big time.

  She did as he’d asked. He took her along a white-walled corridor, ushered her into a lift and stared at her with his arms folded, waiting as it whirred and moved them upwards.

  “We’ve had a bit of a move around lately, and all the rooms, except for the one very vanilla meet and greet room you’ve been in, are now up here.” The lift stopped and he ushered her into another bland and uninformative corridor. “This is the lounge.”

  Alex stood back and put his hand to the top of her ass to give her a shove if it was needed. He felt her stiffen under his hand and waited for the inevitable snarky comeback.

  It didn’t happen. Instead, a slight but perceptible shiver traveled through her. He would swear it wasn’t fear.

  “Thank you, Sir.” Dominique took two steps forward and stopped. She twisted to look up at Alex and he saw the bewilderment in her eyes.

  “I, er, I know some of these people in real life.”

  Alex chuckled. “This, pet, is real life.”

  “You know what I mean though,” Dominique whispered to him. “Am I supposed to show I know them? My next door but one neighbors are here.” She glanced around the room again. “Oh, God, and the chairperson of that committee. Why didn’t she just do the survey thing?” She gulped. “Oh, shoot, I mean, why, Sir?”

  “Ask her,” Alex said. “Master Ronnie, may Dominique address your sub?”

  Ronnie blinked, as well he might. They were never this formal within this tight knit bunch. In fact, Alex saw more than one pair of eyes widen and knew he’d be in for a lot of questions—and some teasing—later. The club was very much each to their own, as long as it was legal, but within this circle of friends, formality was something they only bothered with on occasion. It might not be BDSM as some people practiced, but the ‘your kink might not be my kink’ was, they all considered, to be correct. It was fun, friendly, and whatever other people might say, BDSM.

  Ronnie half smirked, seemed to remember what was going on and nodded.

  “Of course A…Master Alex.”

  “There you are, pet. Ask away.”

  Her glare would have felled a lesser man at twenty paces and he grinned. Alex guessed she wasn’t put on the spot like that very often.

  “Why didn’t you do this if you come here?” Dominique said baldly to Theresa. “Instead of letting Octopus Eric think he’d got his own way?”

  “Because it shut him up,” Theresa said in a satisfied tone. “He’s so thick he thought you’d just go running for the hills.”

  “How do you know I won’t?”

  Alex heard the genuine interest in Dominique’s voice.

  “Oh, come on.” Theresa raised her eyebrows.

  To Alex’s amazement, his Dominique blushed.

  His Dominique? Where had that come from?

  “Well, you don’t know much about me,” Mimi said defensively. She hated to be put on the spot like that. “After all, I might have just agreed with the fu…er, bloke.”

  Theresa shook her head. “Nope, I don’t fall for that. You’re intelligent, honest and have integrity. Eric, our oh so not esteemed headmaster, is the perfect example of the one who got promoted to one lever higher than you can cope with if you can bullshit enough.”

  Another of the women sniggered. “Ain’t that the truth. I was at uni with the slimy toad. Oh, I’m Jess, by the way. This is my Sir, Master David. And yeah, I know, don’t speak until I’m spoken to, Sir. I forgot.” The twinkle in her eye gave lie to that statement. “Hey ho.”

  David smiled. “Is that three or four, pet?”

  Jess dipped her head to him, but not before Mimi recognized the loving glances they gave each other. “I don’t know, Sir, but it sure will be fun finding out.”

  David laughed. “My sassy sub.”

  Three or four what? Mimi was damned sure that wasn’t something she could ask.

  “Forced orgasms,” Alex said in her ear. “They’re experimenting.”

  Can he mind read?

  “I could tell you were aching to know.” Alex took Mimi’s hand and walked to a chair set on one side of the room where she would be able to see the others. Out of the subs, only Shane sat on a settee next to her Dom. She looked up at Alex and hoped he could understand her query.

  “Ask, pet. Open house?” he addressed the room, and every male nodded. “There you are, ask away.”

  “Um, does it matter where you sit?” That seemed suitably general not to single out Shane.

  Shane laughed. “Usually, but I’ve just found out I’m pregnant, and if I got on the floor, my poor aching back might not let me get up again. We tend to do the floor or cushion thing, but like everything in our lifestyle, it’s negotiable.”

  Alex pressed down on Mimi’s shoulder and this time, she was pleased to notice, without his nails digging into her skin.

  “I prefer you on the floor or a cushion.”

  She bent her legs and sank to the floor. Dammit, her ankles ached. Mimi looked up at Alex. “Sir?”

  “Yes?”

  “This sounds stupid, but is it okay if I sit like I do at yoga? It’s most comfy for me.”

  He bent and nipped the lobe of her ear with his teeth.

  Shit, that is sore… Then Alex sucked on the spot. The combination of the sting and the tingle went straight though her and she gasped. No it’s not. Oh, God, what the hell is going on with me? Her clit and pussy tightened and
relaxed as if they were doing their own private dance. Wetness coated them and the tops of her legs.

  Yuk, sticky lace is so not good. She’d have a horrid chafing rash if she didn’t take care. It wasn’t as if she could pull her knickers out of her pussy and ass either, not in front of the others.

  “I want you comfortable.” He winked. “For now.”

  Damn the man. He knows which buttons to press.

  Kath cleared her throat. “With due respect and all that, Sirs, I think it would help Mimi if we had a subbie chat with her, without any Doms present. Let’s face it. Any one of you can be intimidating, but all of you together? Honestly? You all know as well as we do, intimidating doesn’t hack it. You’re enough to send a newbie screaming, for all the wrong reasons. In the interests of truth and confidences and honesty to all, we’d do better without you.” She paused and dipped her head. “Sirs.” The laughter in her tone was obvious.

  Mimi’s skin crawled. Now, if that statement had been in the last book she’d read—the one that made her feel ill and sick, it was so not her thing—Kath would be in for a very harsh punishment. Instead Jeff rolled his eyes.

  “Minx, pet.”

  “Yes, but do you see what I mean, Sir?”

  Jeff nodded and looked at each man in turn. Some sign that Mimi didn’t see must have passed between them. “Only too well. Off you all go. Say an hour?”

  “Perfect, thank you, Sir.” She took hold of Mimi, pulled her to her feet and almost dragged her to the door as the others followed. Theresa was last out and she waggled her fingers at them.

  Mimi glanced back at Alex, who smiled. “Go on. They don’t bite unless they’re told to.”

  And that’s reassuring?

  “Feeling brave, bro, to leave her with that lot, are you?” David smote Alex on the back so hard Alex rocked. “Aren’t you worried what they’ll tell her about you?”

  “My life is an open book. A clean, pristine open book.”

  “Weird.” David stretched his arms up high. “That’s not what I’d heard. Don’t you know subs are never sure how to take you?”

  Alex shook his head. Surely David was joking? Alex knew he kept a good poker face, and wasn’t one for over-enthusiastic gestures, but surely that didn’t make him hard to understand? The thought it may do so, was somewhat uncomfortable. “I’m a pussy cat.”

  “Ha, with big claws that scribe oh so beautifully?”

  “Well, there is that. Hell, I can’t help who or what I am. It’s me.”

  “True enough and so it should be,” David said. “No one scribes better than you. But what was it one subbie said? Oh yes, your enigmatic look puts the sphinx to shame.” He laughed. “Scared her shitless and she wasn’t even with you. So, are you gonna show Mimi the joys of having you raise little red lines over her skin?”

  Alex shrugged. “Dominique.”

  Davis looked quizzical. “Ah ha. Not Mimi to you then. I wonder why.”

  “Fuck off, David. It’s her name.” Alex almost growled the words. He had no intention of explaining why he chose to use her full name. He wasn’t really sure he knew himself—not properly.

  David held his hands up in an ‘I surrender’ gesture. “Okay. And are you?”

  “Who knows.” He hoped so, but he wasn’t hopeful. “She doesn’t do pain.”

  “Ouch.”

  “Yeah.”

  David rotated his shoulders. “God, I ache. I ought to exercise more.”

  Ronnie snorted. “In or out of bed or a dungeon?”

  “Both,” David said and grinned. “I used to jog, but lately, there’s not enough hours in the day.”

  “You’re getting old,” Ross said. He patted his own flat stomach. “And you need to delegate more. Mind you, yeah.” He stared at David’s middle. “You’ll soon have a paunch and wear slippers.”

  “Yeah, and wear a tartan beret and moan about all these young upstarts who think they’re Doms,” Jeff chimed in. “Shuffle around in baffies and moan that things aren’t like they were when we were their age. We respected our Masters. Like not…”

  “Ohhh, truth or dare?” Ronnie laughed. “That would be more than scary, especially if the girls got a hold of what we admitted to.”

  Alex grinned. “Melissa Sangster and the fluffy handcuffs, as well as baffies?” Baffies were a typical Scottish type of slippers. He didn’t have any.

  Ross and David laughed. They’d been in on that surprise birthday present for Ronnie.

  “Yes, well, maybe not a T and D session,” Ronnie said hastily. “To return to our original thread. I still think you’ve got a death wish. God knows what the subbie-posse will tell her.”

  “The truth, I’d think.” Alex stood up and went to the coffee machine. As ever it needed water. He kicked the cupboard it stood on. “Shit, that fucking hurt. Does no one other than me ever fill this fucking thing?”

  “No one other than you ever uses it,” Ross said. “We all drink tea or instant.”

  “Pigs’ swill.”

  Ross shrugged. “Yeah, which is why, now you’re making coffee with that all singing all dancing monster. I’ll have one, thank you.”

  Alex gave him the bird. “In your dreams.”

  “Ah well, it was worth a try. Anyway, you were saying?”

  “Hopefully they’ll explain enough to make her want to learn more, see more and try something. Anything, even if it’s not my scene.” He turned, stared toward where the others lounged and shrugged. “Let’s face it. She says she doesn’t do pain.”

  “So do most subbies until they learn the difference between pain-pain and pleasure pain,” David said. “Remember, Jess said she didn’t do anything. Now look at her. Dominique might need a while to understand your dynamic, that’s all.”

  Alex laughed and wished it actually sounded mirthful. “She fainted at the first touch of a tattoo needle.”

  “Ah.” Ronnie crossed his legs. “That could be a wee bit of a problem.”

  “Yeah, ah indeed. Evidently she has one black dot on her hip and that’s it. No, I haven’t seen it. I never met the lady before tonight. Oh shite, there’s no point in speculating what if, what about or even what that lot are talking about. Anyone for snooker?”

  Ronnie stood up. “Ten quid says Jeff will beat you.”

  “Does your wife know you like dicing with death, Ron?”

  Chapter Seven

  “Okay.” Jess pointed to a chair in the comfortable-looking room the women had entered. “Grab a seat and ask away. And as it’s unlikely any of us are going to play tonight, I reckon we can all have a glass of wine.” She opened the door to a small fridge and took out a bottle.

  Mimi sat down and looked around with interest. There was no mistaking this for anything but a women’s room. Squishy chairs, a big mirror on one wall and a long, low sideboard covered in photos of the women with each other, their men and several children.

  “It’s our private hidey hole,” Jess said. “Only us and invited friends. You’ve been invited. We’re—well, I guess you could say, we and our Doms and Masters—are the core of the club. The building is owned by me and Jeff. It was our childhood home. The others are the people who make sure the place is run as we all want it.” She waved the wine bottle. “And keep away the nasties, of which there have been a few.”

  Mimi opened her mouth and shut it. Nothing to do with her.

  Jess nodded and relief showed clearly in her eyes. “No, they’re not relevant at the moment. Chenin okay, everyone?” There was a chorus of ‘yes please’, ‘apple juice thanks’ and one cheer—from Kath, who punched the air.

  “Yay, even I can have a wee one,” Kath said. She grinned. “I’ll sniff and savor every drop.”

  Mimi wondered if she’d stepped into an alternative universe. What was so special about one small glass of wine? Her confusion must have shown on her face because Kath laughed as she sat on the chair next to Mimi and stretched her arms above her head. The thin material of her top became taut over her breasts. S
o she was wearing a bra then.

  Kath caught Mimi’s look.

  “Oh, I’m still breastfeeding, so I get to keep my bra on. Damn nuisance at times, but I don’t want to leak everywhere.”

  “And believe me,” Ailsa said with a chuckle, “when she leaks, oh boy, does she leak.”

  “True enough, even now,” Kath said cheerfully. “I produce enough milk to send some to the milk bank at the hospital. I expressed before we came out this evening, might have to again later—though that isn’t for the milk bank—and one glass won’t make any difference by the time I get home.”

  “Um, children?”

  “Oh yeah. Quite a lot between us all. So as you look around the club, remember you’ll see singletons, dads and mums with kids from all walks of life. Some are collared subs and others about to be. The only way you can tell who is what is if they let you know.” She paused. “You do know it doesn’t matter what sex you are to be dominant or submissive?”

  Mimi nodded. She was fascinated to listen to just how Kath explained everything. She made it seem so simple.

  “Good. Now, our Masters are experts in various fields including spanking and flogging, bondage and wax play and, of course, Alex excels in scribing.”

  Mimi shuddered. “I don’t do pain.”

  “Ah, but there’s pain…”

  “I know, and there’s pain. Neither for me,” Mimi said emphatically.

  “Want to take a bet on that?” Shane asked softly. “Because we’ll all bet against you.”

  “And each of us are happy and contented and know they have what they and their partner need,” Kath finished.

  Envy filled Mimi. Lucky things. Something was definitely lacking in her life. “I hate pain.”

  Jess handed glasses of wine out and perched on a long leather settee next to Ailsa.

  “Don’t we all, when it’s pain for pain’s sake. But that’s not what we get from our Sirs and Masters. And remember, some people don’t involve pain in any way. There’s no one way of being a Dom and sub, just your own way. Whatever we do, we get…a fulfilment—a way of letting go and of knowing they’re taking care of what we need.” She gestured with her spare hand. “When someone says they go into subspace and nothing matters except that, that way of letting go…well, it’s a precious moment.”