Page 25 of Ravish

“Yes. They asked me if I would step in to help, since they now all have women in their lives.”

“Why would that make a difference?”

“You’ll learn this in your first class, but when you get through all your classes and are allowed into the club as a member, you need someone to show you the ropes. Since some people come in as singles, there needs to be a mentor/trainer.”

Lara put her fork down and stared at Colby. “Okay, I can see why they would ask for help. I can’t see any of the Doms’ girlfriends being happy about them mentoring anyone, though.” She shook her head. “Girlfriend is a tame word for Sierra, Crystal, and Tessa.”

“They are forces to be reckoned with.” Colby laughed. “They take their relationships seriously. Like they should.”

“Is that why you asked me to be in a relationship?” She wondered why he asked her.

“I asked you because I wanted to. It doesn’t matter if you’re a member of the club or not, Lara.”

“So if I wasn’t interested, you’d give up the club?” He was full of surprises.

“No.” He reached over and took her hand. “I want you to understand, this is a part of me. I’m not heavily into BDSM, but I enjoy it. It’s an outlet for energy and a sensual high.”

“I’m not sure I understand it all, at least not yet. But I’m glad I get to explore with you and only you.”

“That makes me very happy.” He squeezed her hand before releasing it. “Would you please tell me more about your ex-husband?”

Lara closed her eyes for a second then opened them. While she hated talking about her ex, Colby deserved to know. “As I mentioned, I met him at Berkeley. We dated and had fun together, but there was always something missing.”

“If you knew something was missing, why did you marry him?”

She thought for a moment before she answered him. “You know it’s really sad to say, but I married him to get my family off my back.” She rubbed her temple. “My family really liked Walter, and it took pressure off me and let me pursue what I wanted to do. Looking back, it was a stupid thing to do.”

Colby’s head jerked in her direction. “You were not stupid.” He enunciated each word. “You did what you had to do at the time. It seemed like your only option.”

“Nevertheless, it was a mistake from the first.” She shook her head. “Can we discuss something else, please?”

“One last question. Was your ex ever into kink?”

“No. Walter didn’t like anything but the missionary position, and trust me, that gets old fast.”

Colby grinned. “It does. And I can guarantee I do more than just missionary.”

Her body heated. Colby did that to her and so much more. Walter had his uses, but Colby… He called to her. He touched a place inside her that she’d hidden from the world. Even from herself.

“So have you ever been married?”

Laughter filled his eyes. “No, I haven’t. I’ve never really come close.”

“And why is that? You’re handsome guy. The women should be all over you.” It had surprised her that he wasn’t attached.

“I’m not going to say there haven’t been women in my life. Just not anyone I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.”

Lara thought about his words for a few moments as she ate. “I don’t blame you. So, if you haven’t had someone special in your life, who did you play with at the club?”

“The club has what they call club subs. These are women who are in the lifestyle and like to play.”

“So none of them are in a committed relationship?”

“Actually, a couple are.”

“How does that work?” When she was at Berkeley, she’d seen some open relationships but not open marriages.

“Polygamous relationships are not at all unusual in the lifestyle. The thing is that society hasn’t caught up to the lifestyle; we’re definitely ahead of the times.”

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