Sloan dropped her chin and stared at her order pad. She hated admitting she was failing, especially to these two. They had always been successful at everything they touched. Three years before they’d joked about the need for a private BDSM club in eastern North Carolina. Just months after that evening, they’d taken their crazy idea and turned it into what had grown to become the most popular private club in the state. People drove for hours just to spend an evening at Esoteria.
“Why didn’t you tell us you were having trouble?”
Jenna pried the pen from Sloan’s right hand then held it. Taurus took the pad from her left hand before cupping her other hand between both of his.
Sloan sniffed at their show of kindness, unable to stop tears from overflowing and rolling down her cheeks. “I’m twenty-five years old. An adult. I’m supposed to stand on my own two feet and take care of myself.”
Taurus swore softly. Pulling on her arm, he slid back on the booth’s seat and forced her to sit on the bench next to him.
“Sweetie, your parents screwed you up by demanding you be strong and independent. That’s not you. You were born an artist. And a submissive. You need a man to take care of you. Which is why we were looking for you in the first place.”
“Huh?”
“We need your help. Esoteria is hosting an auction, and you’d be perfect.”
“An auction? For what?”
“Our first annual slave/sub auction to raise money for charity.”
Sloan knew what happened at Esoteria. She had researched Dom/sub relationships for a book she’d thought about writing but had never visited the four-story former warehouse that housed the popular club. She’d also never visited her cousins’ apartments located on the fourth floor of the building. She wasn’t sure if they were protecting her or if they didn’t want to rub their success in her face. Whenever they got together, either they came to her tiny duplex or they met out somewhere.
“What would I have to do?”
Jenna leaned forward and spoke in a near whisper. “We want you to represent Esoteria. You’ve been asking a lot of questions and doing research about the lifestyle. This is your chance to live it. For one weekend you can find out what it is like to submit totally to a man.”
Though her first instinct was to screech “No way,” something stopped her. She looked from Jenna to Taurus and then to Antony. Each met her gaze with a smile meant to encourage her.
Antony even nodded and mouthed, “You’d be great.”
“When is this auction?”
“This weekend. Take Friday and the weekend off work,” Jenna said.
“We’ll even make up for the lost wages,” Taurus offered.
Sloan pursed her lips as she debated the wisdom of letting her cousins talk her into anything. All her life she’d been the follower. They’d led her, manipulated her, even bullied her to leave her comfort zone.
While fear shivered up her spine, she realized the weekend could be interesting and educational. And maybe she could use what she learned in some future book. She usually wrote from her daydreams and fantasies. Maybe writing from experience would be more appealing to the publishers.
Her curiosity had been building about the lifestyle her cousins led, but the memory of her father’s disapproval weighed on her. What would the good Reverend Newman say if he found out his only daughter had joined her cousins on the dark side? What would Jenna and Taurus say if she admitted to having had only one sexual encounter in her life?
She’d only had two serious boyfriends in the years since she’d moved out on her own four years before. The last one had taken her virginity after one too many margaritas right before she’d thrown up all over his back. Thus ended her virginity and their relationship. It had been more than a year and a half of keeping her head down, working too hard, and writing about her fantasies since that spectacularly shitty night. Maybe it was time to try sex again.
Silencing her father’s “you’ll be going to hell for this” voice, she nodded. “I’ll do it, but no whips, severe pain, or bodily fluids.”
Chapter 1
“Tell me again. Why am I doing this?” Sloan looked at her cousin as Antony fluffed her freshly cut and styled strawberry blonde hair.
She tried not to think about the blood red chemise that left more of her bare than it covered. The nearly transparent slip covered her from a fraction of an inch above her areolas to a few scant inches below the apex of her newly waxed pussy. If she took a deep breath or raised an arm above her waist, she would be exposing parts of herself that only her doctor had seen in the light.
Instead, she focused on Jenna who was dressed in a gold velvet corset and mid thigh-length skirt. Her thigh-high black leather stiletto-heeled boots elevated her to tower over Sloan. With her long, wavy chestnut hair and gorgeous hourglass figure, she looked every inch the Domme she was.
Jenna circled her once before stopping in front of her. “Because you’ve always wondered what it would be like. Consider it research for your next book. After this weekend, you will know what it’s like to be dominated by a man in bed. You’re also doing a great, big, giant favor for your cousins who appreciate it more than you’ll ever know.” Jenna brushed a loose strand of hair from her cheek. “Relax and enjoy this. It’s only forty-eight hours. Now hold out your hands.”
Sloan
