Page 37 of Worth the Risk

“Ready to take a walk on the wild side with me, darlin’?” he asked, his voice low and husky.

Bella nodded, her heart racing with anticipation, excited to get a glimpse inside his world, finally. She gripped the hand he offered, feeling a sense of safety and security wash over her. It seemed fitting because she was entrusting herself into his expert hands.

They emerged from administration into the half-empty lounge where only two couples danced to piped-in music because the headliner was off tonight.

“Would you like to have a drink first?” Dan suggested. “You’re limited to two tonight, but one now might take the edge off.”

Or make her sick. She could serve double shots straight up and sweet fruity cocktails that looked like milkshakes all night long, but when it came to drinking, iced tea was more her speed.

“I’d rather head in, please. I’ve been dying for a peek on the other side of those doors, and the anticipation is killing me.”

He grinned, shaking his head. “We can’t have you dead, beautiful. I have plans for you.”

He steered her to the immense gothic doors. From his pocket, he produced a key card, which he swiped then pulled one of the two heavy doors open. Inside, she didn’t even blink when he ordered her to take off her shoes. Her plan for the night was to be open-minded.

“Ready?” Dan asked after handing her shoes to an attendant for safekeeping.

“No, but I’m doing it anyway.”

“That’s the way to think, brave girl. You can’t know what you’re missing unless you give something new a try.”

He led her barefoot out of the entrance alcove into what most members called the main playroom, but some referred to as the Decadence dungeon. She clutched Dan’s hand tighter as a wave of sights and sounds and smells bombarded her. The air was heavy with the scent of leather and sweat, and unmistakable, the faint aroma of sex. Someone must have cranked the bass of the piped-in music up all the way because she could feel it pounding in rhythm with her heart. And from every corner, it seemed, moans and cries and shouts of pleasure filled her ears.

“We don’t have to do anything tonight, Bella. We’re just here taking it all in.”

“I don’t know where to start.”

“On my first visit, I felt the same way. It is a little overwhelming.”

Shocking was more like it. The same sconces from the bar and lounge lined the walls. But where they cast a warm glow in the other room, they didn’t have the same effect in here. It could have been that it was twice the size of the bar and lounge combined. Or from the dozens of spotlights shining onto roped-off areas where the real action was happening.

Dan led her down the steps onto the main floor. It was much more crowded than the bar. The steady flow of people going by made it hard to see much of anything, except for the people themselves who were noteworthy in various stages of undress. It ranged from head-to-toe leather and what looked like shiny vinyl bodysuits to fully naked with only a collar and leather wrist cuffs. A majority of the latter, she observed, were leashed. Dan, who seemed not to notice, was looking over the heads of the others as though searching for something.

“Let’s start out with something tame,” Dan said as he took her by the arm and led her into the flow of people. “We call this walking path the circuit,” he explained, pointing out the different stations along the way.

The roped-off areas were like little pockets of activity, each one featuring a different scene. Inside were benches and padded tables and crosses, and a bunch of other things she’d never seen before. People huddled together outside the ropes, watching and whispering, while others observed the action from couches scattered throughout the main floor.

As they walked along, her excitement grew until it was practically bubbling inside her. The air seemed to pulse with energy, and she couldn’t help but feel swept up in it. This was something new, something different, and terribly taboo, but she was eager to explore it further with him.

“So everyone watches everyone else have, um—”

A woman’s scream distracted her from whatever else she might have said. The opposite of a pain-filled cry, it still sent shivers racing down her spine.

“Playing and having sex, yeah,” Dan finished for her. “The point of a club is to see and be seen, and for the equipment. Not everyone has the room and resources to build a dungeon in their house. Although a few of our members do.”

“But they still come here?”

“Yes because the club is also a place to connect with others in the lifestyle, not just socially but for support. Many of our members have met their partners and/or spouses here.”

“What kind of support?”

“Education, for one. You know about the classes, but we also have demonstrations of new equipment and devices, specialized techniques like wax play, e-stim, and Shibari, which is Japanese rope bondage. The knots and ties are intricate and can be dangerous if not done properly. We’re all about safety here. Which is another type of support. New partners might not be comfortable bringing someone back to their home, so the club offers a place to meet and play, and our rules and DM’s keep it that way. We’re a judgment-free zone. If a member only wants a play partner for the night, they can find one here. We’ve had a good number of widows and widowers over the years who swore off marriage or commitment but still felt the need. They ended up finding a second chance at love again, here.”

“That’s beautiful.”

“Basically, we’re a community of support for a lifestyle that can be rather lonely otherwise.”

They strolled from one kinky scene to the next, Dan explaining as they went. When they took a turn, the circuit switching back and forth like a snake over the main floor and dozens upon dozens of stations, Bella found herself front and center at the ropes.

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