Page 71 of Breaking Free

Would he dance with her? Or maybe give an encore performance of last night? Or introduce her to another room upstairs and take her in his ropes? Craving it all, she didn’t hesitate any longer.

The line was out the door when they arrived, but being with an owner had its advantages. Tristan parked in a reserved section on the third floor of the garage and led her through a back entrance, down two flights of stairs, and into a space thatfelt more like a concert venue than a bar. It was hard to believe, but the room was overflowing with people, more crowded than the last time. Maybe the live band, flawlessly performing the latest Northern Exposure chart-topping hit, had drawn them in.

In fact, the lead singer looked exactly like—

She stood on her toes and shouted into Tristan’s ear to be heard. “That’s Gideon Eli!”

“I know. He’s a member.” His voice, a deep, resonant rumble easily cut through the din. He said it casually, as if a globally renowned rock band, the lead singer an icon, and an award-winning solo artist in his own right, performing in his club was nothing out of the ordinary. “Every few months, Gideon and the boys put on a show for us. You picked a good night.”

Piper gaped at the drop-dead gorgeous, talented man she’d been a fan of for years then did the math. Gideon Eli, her neighbor, and Josie, her new friend across the way, were into BDSM in one way or another. It seemed to be everywhere. “Is everyone in California kinky?”

“I don’t know about statewide, but LA is pretty much bent.”

She glanced up, thinking she heard him laugh, but he had his usual poker face on as he checked out the tables near the stage.

“There’s Val and company.” Taking her hand, he led her into the crowd.

“Shouldn’t we check in?” she asked, holding on tight and staying close.

“I’ll take care of it,” he called over his shoulder, or so she thought, his voice all but drowned out by a phenomenal guitar solo.

As she neared the table, a petite blonde stood up and waved her over.

“Piper, right?” she asked, shouting to be heard. “Take the seat next to me. Although on nights when Gideon Eli is singing live, we only sit between sets.”

“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me he’d be here when you called!” she hollered back.

“I honestly didn’t know!” Val explained. “Eric always keeps it a secret, otherwise we’d have so many people packed in here the fire marshal would shut us down.”

“I’m surprised they haven’t already,” Tristan commented from behind her.

“That’s the truth,” she agreed, turning and giving him a little wave. “I’ll take good care of Piper, Master Tristan. You can go commune with the doms at the bar.”

Surprised she’d given him his walking papers so blatantly, Piper looked up to see his reaction.

He shook his head as if used to Val’s behavior. “She gets away with murder because she’s the master dom’s subbie wife.”

“Not true. Only on subs’ night off. Oops, I meant out,” she quickly corrected, although her mischievous grin proved her slip of the tongue wasn’t unintentional. “You can pick Piper up after the show, Master Tristan, sir,” she prodded him playfully, even gesturing with her hand to shoo him away.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m going,” he muttered and disappeared into the crowd.

Impressed with her daring, Piper asked, “Do the rules not apply tonight?”

“They’re toned down immensely. Plus, we’re cut a little slack because we’re mostly drunk.” She reached for an empty glass and a pitcher. “Margarita? I’m on my second, so you need to catch up.”

“Thanks.” Piper only agreed to be polite. She loved the taste of margaritas, but they gave her terrible heartburn. Still, she accepted a glass, so she didn’t stick out in the group where everyone else had one.

The band played for another twenty minutes before announcing a break. They walked off stage to screaming andthunderous applause then the decibel level dropped, and those lucky enough to have a chair sat down.

“Let me introduce you to the girls,” Val said, pointing as she named a group of eight other women. She’d remembered Esmerelda, a stunning redhead who went by Esme. But after being introduced to Shannon, Gideon Eli’s wife, who wrote a book about her and her rock star husband’s tumultuous second-chance romance that was being made into a movie, she was so starstruck the rest of the names were a blur.

“So, Piper. Tell us about you and Master Tristan,” a short-haired brunette asked as she leaned forward, her chin in her hands. “He’s been on the most-wanted-but-least-attainable-dom list for as long as I’ve been coming here.”

“Oo, girl, yes,” the sub sitting next to her exclaimed. “Spill the tea about your hookup with Master Tristan. Inquiring minds need to know.”

Like all the women in the group, she was strikingly beautiful, with café au lait skin and long hair cascading down her back in dark, luscious waves. She wore lipstick in a deep shade of plum that fair-haired, pale-skinned Piper would kill to pull off.

A predatory smile suddenly curved her lips. “Lord knows I tried to connect with the rope master and failed epically.”

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