Page 3 of Seduce

Tessa locked the door and sighed. Maybe Damon wasn’t so bad after all.

CHAPTER ONE

Tessa sat in her car, gathering her courage. Tonight was the perfect night for her to see if this was what she really wanted in her life. She blew out a breath, pulled on her feathered mask, and exited her vehicle.

The cool night air caused her to shiver, even with a coat on, as she made her way to the entrance to Wicked Sanctuary. It was Valentine’s Day, and the club was having a masquerade party. That was one more reason she’d decided tonight was the night.

Her friends had no idea she was a member of the club and had been for almost the last five years. Her two best friends were going to be mad at her for keeping such a secret. Sierra and Crystal were now members since they’d fallen for the men who owned the club.

Tessa shook her head. It was time. She was tired of suppressing her needs and wants. She needed to let go of everything, and her friends would understand that she needed to do this on her terms and no one else’s. She stepped inside.

Goodness, things had changed. There was now a nice reception area, and a man sat behind the desk in a white shirt. “Good evening, name please?”

“Tessa Ruthledge.” Her voice was tentative.Come on Tessa, buck up.

“Ah yes, Ms. Ruthledge. You haven’t been here in a while.” He flipped around a journal. “I’m Ralph. If you would sign in here, please.” She signed where he indicated. “You haven’t been in the club for several years, and there have been some changes. Here’s a copy of the club rules. Please read them.”

Tessa took the laminated sheet from him and read the rules. She remembered most of them, but there were some new ones. Like the lockers. She handed it back.

Ralph placed a small machine on the table. “If you’d put your thumb on the reader, I’ll scan it in so you can get a locker.”

Tessa put her thumb on the scanner. The machine beeped. “Thank you,” Ralph said as he typed into the computer. “All set for that.

“You’ll need to contact Master Max and talk with him about the classes you’ll need, and you’ll need one of these.” Ralph held up a wristband. “You’re an experienced sub so pink and white.”

The wristbands were new. She opened her mouth to ask if there was another color for not playing, then remembered she could always say no. “Classes?” She remembered Sierra mentioning them, but she hadn’t paid that close of attention.

“Yes. Master Max will explain. The ladies’ room is the first door on your left. Find an empty locker to put your things in. In case you don’t remember, you are not allowed to take anything into the club.”

“All right. Thank you.” Tessa walked through the open doors and into the ladies’ room. “Now this is what I call a ladies’ room.” It was almost palatial. Lockers took up one wall with benches in front of them. Showers were on another side, along with cubbies filled with towels.

Tessa found an empty locker, put her small purse and her jacket in before closing it and locking it. She liked the thumbprint. No one could get into it, and it made her feel better about leaving her stuff unattended. She slipped on the wristband. Tonight was for her to get her feet wet, once again, and scope out the club.

Smoothing down her hair, Tessa glanced in one of the mirrors. Her hair was pulled back out of the way, the dark blue crop top showed skin but not too much. Perfect. She strode out of the ladies’ room and to the doors of the club itself. Lifting her chin, she opened the door. The music hit her first, a low pulsing sound with a beat to it. People were milling around chatting.

She’d timed her entrance to be after most people would be here, figuring she could slip in unnoticed. Pulling the door closed behind her, Tessa slid to her right to take in the differences in the club.

The first time she was here, there had been a St. Andrew’s Cross, some spanking benches, and a massage table. The club had expanded. There were stations set up and plenty of them. Tables and chairs filled one small area off to the side of the bar and across the room, and a scattering of sofas and overstuffed chairs around the room softened the look. Another area was a cluster of sofas for aftercare.

Tessa turned and saw the bar area. People were standing there drinking and talking, but she didn’t see any bottles of alcohol behind the bar as one would expect. Interesting. There were a lot of people here, which spoke to the popularity of the club.

“Hi. You look a little lost. I’m Regina, one of the club’s subs. Oops, I probably shouldn’t have said my name since this is a masquerade party.”

Tessa smiled at the bubbly redhead with flashing green eyes behind the white angel mask. “Hi, Regina, not lost. I haven’t been to Wicked Sanctuary in a long time.”

“Welcome back. Would you like me to show you around?”

“That would be wonderful.” With all the colorful masks, she hadn’t spotted her friends yet. She adjusted her mask, hoping no one would recognize her. “If it’s okay to ask, how long have you been coming to the club?”

“Three years.” Regina motioned for Tessa. “The bar area is deceptive. The club doesn’t serve any alcohol. It’s not allowed unless Master Max has a special party, and it’s strictly controlled. But if you want juice, soda, or water, it’s available.” Regina paused. “The Doms also have space for their bags next to the bar. The green area.” Regina waved her hand toward the area Tessa saw earlier. “Usually that’s where subs wait for their Doms.”

“Usually?”

“It depends.” Regina held up her wrist showing off her pink and white wristband.

“What do the wristbands mean?” Tessa never thought to ask Ralph.

“They signify sub, Dom, and experience level. I’m pink and white meaning I’m a sub with medium experience. Same as yours.”

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