Page 2 of Bartholomew
Once inside those second doors, a world of luscious decadence and opportunity awaited for those who wished to partake. And good Lord, who I did not believe in, did I want to partake. Tonight, I wanted to partake in those delights as heavily as I could, and drink myself drunk on the exquisite taste of some luscious and scrumptious woman just waiting for me inside. Even if she didn’t know it yet. I didn’t care if Gideon was here or not. I was going to slake this thirst within me.
In the main area of the building, a large scene was taking place — a rope scene, as expected. As I drew closer to the center of the room, I saw exactly what Gideon was doing here. He was the one putting on said show. I stood back, admiring his work. He had a woman, a beautiful woman, strung up to a long pole that hung from the tall ceiling by chains and was parallel to the floor. Parallel, but a good six or more feet off the floor. She knelt on the ground; her arms pulled behind her back in a long, beautiful line as he tied her with a series of intricate knots that made little sense to me. Still, the beauty of the rope work, the woman, and even the act of tying itself was remarkable.
I was a man who enjoyed the pleasures of life. Whether that be from food, from art, from women, or something else. It did not matter that my youngest brother was the man doing the tying; this was not sexual. Not inherently, at the very least. Gideon was really the only one of us five who could publicly scene and have it not be weird or awkward. It didn’t bother me to see Gideon or Malachi or any of them scene, truth be told. I could remove myself from the situation enough to see the beauty in it. Gideon’s work was quite a joy to watch, actually. He was meticulous and gifted at rope work and bondage. He had studied under a handful of reputable and knowledgeable riggers and had even taught a few classes here at Abditory himself.
I watched as he pulled the woman’s limbs at odd angles that made her gasp. The entire audience’s interest piqued. It was captivating to watch. Finally, the last of the knots were placed and well inspected. Gideon stood back, making sure everything looked perfect before he pulled the last bit of rope, fully suspending the woman from the pole.
The woman, blonde and lithe, in little more than a soft pink chemise that was more see through than half the lingerie I had seen inside this place, looked serene and completely lost in her headspace. She looked like the picture of bliss with her eyes shut and lips parted softly in the sweetest of smiles. The ropes dug into her body in ways that looked to be uncomfortable, but she relaxed into them with such trust and such acceptance that any bystander could obviously surmise that the pain was welcome and safe. Gideon would not have it any other way. Nor would the dungeon monitors, who were tasked with keeping safety as the utmost priority in this place.
“Contract,” Gideon commanded, and the woman did just that. She tensed her core muscles, bringing her head and her pointed foot towards the front of her body as she faced the audience. Her groan was audible and borderline sinful as it pulled other parts of her body taut and tight. Even from my distance, halfway back in the audience, I could see the way her eyelids fluttered in painful pleasure.
Lovely. Absolutely lovely.
I looked to my brother, noting the way his face was not lit in a smile as mine was and would have been if I were in his position. No, he was all work, and no play. Gideon took his rigging incredibly seriously. Perhaps that was why I was not a rigger like he was, or a protocol driven Dominant like Levi. No, I was much less worried about all the particulars and rules like those two. For me, it was all about one thing: women. Just. Women.
They were incredible, lovely, and completely necessary. I did not think there was a single woman on this Earth I would not find beautiful. Their form, their grace, their beauty just resonated from something otherworldly. Something pulled from Mother Earth herself and imbued into each woman ever created. Women. They were goddesses divine, and I was put on this earth to pleasure them.
That’s what I was. A pleasure Dom.
I focused on the fair beauty he had tied up like a spider’s prey caught in a web. He didn’t respond to my presence. I doubted he even noticed I was there. His eyes stayed focused on the woman before him. Gideon was beyond safe in his play. If he had been teaching a class tonight, he would have noticed.
As it was, I scanned the crowd for someone I knew, someone I could play with tonight and take my mind away from the surely terrifying truths of tomorrow. I saw Mark and Lorraine towards the side doors that led to an industrial sized kitchen area. Parties at the place could get large and the need for food among kinksters was prevalent and necessary at all times.
Quietly and carefully, I made my way through the crowd to where they stood, along with a few others, whispering so as not to disrupt the scene.
“Two Temple brothers in one night! To what do we owe the pleasure?” Mark teased; his smile wide as he pulled his submissive Lorraine close to his side.
“I did not know Gideon would be here tonight, actually,” I admitted with a shrug, my hands stuck into the pockets of my jeans.
“That surprises me,” a man said from beside him. Brad, I think his name was. I had every intent of ignoring the man; however, he had no intention of letting that question lie. “I figured you cult bros would talk all the time. Isn’t it part of your deal or whatever?”
“Asshole jar — last strike, my dude,” Mark spoke monotonously, rolling his eyes with some shame.
“Ah, come on man, I meant nothing by it!” Brad protested. He was a newbie, then.
“Whether you meant it or not, you said it. And it was rude. My brothers and I don’t discuss our kinks often. Yes, we will let each other know if any of us plan a public scene or class, but —”
“So why didn’t you know Gideon was here?” Brad the asshat continued.
“Because he had no reason to think I would venture out tonight,” I sighed heavily.
“You talk weird,” Brad interjected from out of fucking nowhere.
“You look weird.”
“Enough,” Mark stepped in, and I had enough chagrin to feel at least mildly ashamed. Albeit, very mildly. “Brad, don’t be a dick. If you can’t keep your inappropriate comments to yourself, then you can’t be here. You know that. It’s not the first time.”
“Go easy on him, man,” I chimed in, feeling bad for getting the guy in trouble. He was a young, fresh-faced newbie, and I was in a bit of a mood. “I’m not the easiest person to be around right now.”
“You sound like Levi did a few months ago. Don’t tell me you’re next?” Mark groaned. I nodded, taking the water bottle Lorraine passed my way and drawing a long gulp from the cold plastic container. The condensation on the bottle made my hands feel sweaty, but the cold temperature cooled my ire that much further.
“You guessed it,” I murmured.
“When is the big day?” Brad’s entire demeanor had calmed; had become more serious and down to earth. I appreciated the shift.
“Tomorrow,” I answered with a wince. I knew the reaction I would get.
“Tomorrow!?”
