Page 27 of Seduce

“So tell me how your first munch went.”

“It was nice. A bunch of us from the university were there, and the people were nice. We were all over twenty-one.” She took a sip of her coffee. “I hit it off with several people and got invited to a private party.”

Damon frowned. “Private parties can be dangerous for someone new.”

“I was lucky. The people at the munch took me under their wing and made sure I was safe. I will say that party was eye-opening.”

“Did you play?”

“A little, not that night. A couple of years later, a small club opened, and we all went. My friends found me a Dom. He was older and understood I was new to the lifestyle. He took good care of me, never pushing me and helping me understand.”

“How old were you when you found your Dom?”

“Twenty-five.”

Not too young. “Why did you wait four years?”

“Because I never felt comfortable at some of the house parties. My friends and I never went to one without each other, and we all left together.”

Damon said a silent prayer of thanks that she’d had good people around her. “When and why did you stop coming to Wicked Sanctuary?”

“I moved here a little over four years ago and joined the club on recommendation of my Dom from DC. The club has changed so much from the first time I saw it.”

Damon nodded. “It has. As we increased membership, we saw ways to make things better.”

“Anyway, I went to the club twice and stopped.” Her fingers toyed with the rim of her coffee cup. “It wasn’t anything that happened at the club or anything. It was me. I needed a break to find myself.”

“And did you find yourself?”

“I thought so. Until Sierra and Crystal started going to the club.” Her lips turned up. “The conversations at girls’ night made me realize I’d cut a part of myself off.”

“Why the Valentine’s Day party?”

“Anonymity.” She pushed the cup away. “I wanted to see for myself what the club had become, and having a masquerade party helped me do that without tipping anyone off, or so I thought.”

“Why didn’t you say anything to me?” He was curious why she didn’t tell him she’d recognized him. Some men might have been angry. He might have been for a few minutes, but then he had a feeling Tessa had good reasons for what she did. And, to be honest, he’d been completely under her spell that night.

“At first, I was surprised to see you there. I mean, I knew you were friends with Max and Jordan but didn’t realize you were into the lifestyle. After that, I thought, what the heck. How did you figure out it was me?”

“There was something too familiar about you. Plus your voice.” He gave her a lopsided grin. “How did you know I was the Dom behind the wolf mask?”

She glanced down at the table and then back at him, her eyes alight with mischief. “The way you held yourself, your voice and…I knew.”

“You never let on.” He’d seen a woman he wanted to play with that night. He was standing on the cusp of something special. He’d finally found a woman who called to his inner Dom. Tessa reacted to him without thought.

Surprise smacked him upside the head. They were already good together. When they played, it was going to be epic. He was ready to step off the cliff into a full-fledged relationship with Tessa. Who could have guessed it would happen to him so quickly?

“You left before midnight? I looked all over for you.” He couldn’t keep the disappointment out of his voice.

“I’m sorry.” She ducked her head again.

Damon studied her. “But you left me a note. That’s when I realized you knew who I was. I’m glad you left it.”

“I didn’t want you to think I ran out because of you. It was more me. I wasn’t ready for anyone else to know who I was.”

“What aren’t you telling me?”

“Let’s say my family is in the spotlight a lot, and it’s taught me to be very careful.”

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