Page 9 of Desire and Discipline
Nathan and Lily were already leading the way down the hall, heading for the first room. When Anthony stepped forward, Priscilla moved as well, her heart pounding in her chest.
As they approached the first open doorway, she could hear moans coming from inside and an odd thudding sound she did not recognize. When they reached the doorway, her mouth dropped open. A woman was standing in the center of the room, completely naked, with her hands on a large, wooden square frame around her body. A man stood behind her, using a multi-strand whip with very thick leather strands on her shoulders and bottom, which were both already dark pink.
“Oh, my…” Priscilla could not stop the words from falling from her lips as she took in the scene. Her feet ground to a halt, digging in her heels. Thankfully, Anthony stopped immediately, not pulling her forward, so she could watch from the hall.
The sight made her insides twist in an unsettling way.
“That’s a leather flogger,” Anthony murmured quietly. Lily and Nathan had already moved past to peek into another room, as if the events in this room did not particularly interest them. As Priscilla stared, Elijah and Josie slipped in through the door, moving to the side and out of sight. That was when she noticed how many spectators there were around the room, just watching. “The wide strands on it and the knots on the end of them mean it does not sting so much as…” He paused, floundering for the correct descriptive word.
“Thud. It feels like thudding on your back.” Evie leaned forward to address Priscilla, peering around her husband’s chest. “Like someone patting you very firmly, or tapping their fingers with intention… but it feels good. Relaxing.”
“Oh,” Priscilla replied because she did not know what else to say. The rise and fall of the many strands was fascinating. She wanted to go in, to reach forward and touch the pinkened skin, to feel how hot it was… to ask the woman if it hurt. And she wanted the answer to be yes.
Her reaction frightened her far more than the sight itself.
Was this how she was supposed to feel? A sick fascination and the desire to know that the woman was in pain? How could that be? It was so wrong, yet she could not deny the impulses or her thoughts.
Then again, that was what the Society was supposed to be for, was it not? She was hardly the only person watching with rapt fascination. Priscilla relaxed again, though she felt wound more tightly than she had before. She glanced at Anthony and Evie, who were focused on the scene in the room, though neither seemed inclined to move forward at the moment.
Priscilla returned her attention to the couple inside.
The man let the flogger fall, the long strands hanging by his leg. Now she could see the knots Anthony mentioned better than before since they were no longer in motion.
“Anthony.” Evie said her husband’s name with an urgency that had Priscilla turning to look as well. Evie was looking off at the end of the hall. The light was dim, but when Priscilla blinked, she could make out Mary standing there. The blonde waved her hand at them, beckoning them onward, before disappearing to the right.
Anthony muttered a curse under his breath. Strange foreboding took up residence under Priscilla’s breast, as if something terrible was bearing down on them. What was Mary calling them toward? Why was she acting so oddly? Why did Evie sound so strange?
“What is it?” she asked as Anthony turned them to the hall, beginning to walk again.
“I am sorry, Priscilla,” Evie said, her voice heavy with regret. “You see, we did have some ulterior motives in bringing you here tonight, beyond those we expressed. One of the rules of the Society is that we are not supposed to talk about the other members, ever. The secrets of the Society are sacrosanct, and breaking that rule is cause for immediate expulsion. However, there are no rules against showing someone the secrets or bringing a guest who might recognize the other members.”
“Which would not be a problem if certain people weren’t so bloody foolish,” Anthony growled. He came to a sudden halt just before the corner, his eyes blazing in the dim light as he looked down at Priscilla. “No matter what, no matter what you see, just know that you have done nothing wrong.”
There was a thought trying to make its way to the forefront of her mind, pushing against the haze that had suddenly descended upon her. What Evie and Anthony were saying made no sense, none at all…
Unless…
6
Joseph
“There are no locked doors,” Rex said firmly, his arms crossed over his chest as he glared at Joseph.
“But I am agreeing to a locked door,” he argued, just as obstinate. He knew the rule, but he’d suggested the lock to Lady Cross, anyway, and unfortunately, Rex and Mary had overheard. The last thing he needed was someone other than Rex seeing him and Lady Cross in a room together. Closed doors were supposed to indicate that the couple within did not wish to be intruded upon, but there were always accidents. “I am not at all in fear for my safety, and if something terrible should happen to me behind a locked door, I will have no one to blame but myself.”
He understood the reason behind the rule, as there had been incidents in the past, but he was not concerned for his safety. It was hardly his first time with Lady Cross.
“The rules are for everyone. No exceptions because then everyone will want an exception.” Rex had a particularly obstinate gleam in his eye, and Joseph was not sure if it was because he was that dedicated to the rule or because he disapproved of Joseph’s presence here.
Well, if he could not get his needs met here, he would have to go elsewhere, though the brothels did not generally appeal to him.
Mary, Rex’s marchioness, glided up to his side, sliding her arm through her husband’s and leveling a cool look at Joseph. Despite her diminutive height and submissive nature, she managed to appear even more intimidating than Lady Cross. Perhaps it was his guilty conscience or his anxiety that she might say something indiscreet to his wife that made her appear so much more than she was.
“I think you have bigger things to worry about than whether or not you can lock the door behind you,” she said, her tone tart and unfriendly. Which hurt. Mary had grown up next door to him and they’d always been friends. But then, she did not understand his dilemma any more than his cousin and his brothers had.
His frustration was growing to the point where he could hardly think about what she was saying. The situation and the judgment being heaped on him felt patently unfair when all he was trying to do was protect Priscilla’s feelingsandget what he needed. It was not as if he’d taken a mistress, and plenty of gentlemen didthatwithout the approbation he was currently facing. But he had to be part of a family where no one else was and no one understood.
Which perhaps was why Mary’s actual words did not sink in until he heard the impossible—his wife’s voice saying his name.
