ONE
Sophie
“Sophia Louise, you better get your ass out of this car before I go inside and have one of the bartenders drag you out!” Claudia’s voice was a mix of impatience and playful authority, cutting through the dim light of the parking lot.
“Lidia, this sounded like a fantastic idea back at the house,” Sophie huffed, her head lolling back against the plush upholstery of the Camry’s passenger seat. A wave of apprehension washed over her as they parked outside the club, transforming her casual musings into an impending reality.
Unlike her audacious best friend, Claudia, Sophie felt trapped in a bubble of uncertainty. This was her first venture into a club like Surrender, with its pulsating music and vibrant lights spilling out onto the street. The last club she had visited was a much smaller venue, and after a series of unwanted encounters that had left her feeling exposed and uneasy, Sophie was convinced that the club scene just wasn’t her realm.
“Well, I didn’t change the station,” Claudia teased brightly, her enthusiasm infectious. With a firm yet gentle grip, she reached in and tugged at Sophie’s arm, coaxing her out of her hidden retreat within the passenger seat. The familiar warmth of Claudia’s support washed over her, making the daunting task of stepping out into the night just a little more bearable.
Sophie wobbled to her feet, her borrowed kitten heels clicking on the concrete. She adjusted her dress against her thighs, wishing it extended below her knees. The silky fabric fit too tightly in places, making her uncomfortable. Looking at her reflection in a nearby window, she could see that the olive green her best friend had chosen suited her, complementing her fair skin and raven hair, and highlighting the green in her eyes.
“My mamma always said that the best way to get over someone is to get under someone else.”
“But I don’t think she meant going to a play party at a BDSM club.”
“Modern problems get modern solutions.” Claudia shrugged and smiled. “We’ll have a night of sexy fun, and maybe you’ll stop moping for a while.” She raised her hands in front of her. “I’m not dogging you or telling you how to grieve your relationship, but staying in the apartment isn’t going to help. Oh, and if you don’t go in, I’m not either, and I’m way too cute not to show off this outfit!”
The girls laughed as Claudia spun around, her newly blonde ringlets spinning around her shoulders. She wore a black tulle skirt over a matching lace bodysuit that didn’t leave much to the imagination.
True to her bubbly personality, Claudia paired it with neon blue fishnets and matching butterfly nipple covers.
Sophie raked her fingers through her dark hair and sighed in resignation. “Okay, lead the way.”
Hanging tight to her friend’s fingers, Sophie hurried behind Claudia as she led them down a warmly lit staircase that soon opened up to a small waiting room.
“I need your ID.” Claudia plucked hers from her bra and extended her hand.
“I know how this works; most clubs are the same.”
Opening up her small clutch, she handed her card over. She quietly surveyed the room, and there was another pair waiting to get in as well.
“Hey, ‘Dia, you’re bringing a plus one tonight?”
“Rickey!! This is my girl Sophie. It’s time this one gets out of her shell and finds someone worthy enough for all those curves!”
“Oh god, Claudia!” Heat bloomed over her cheeks, and she wished the floor would swallow her whole.
“It’s true! Sheesh, I can’t even compliment the goddess that is my best friend, and the fact that she’s had relationship after relationship full of people who don’t deserve her time and energy.”
“I’m sure the whole club heard you,” Rickey laughed, handing the girls back their IDs.
“Alright, tonight’s a little different than a regular club guest night. This is a vanilla play party, meaning there won’t be any furniture or equipment on the floor for use. Most implements and all sharps are excluded from this evening’s events. Party rules are as follows: consent is key, no means no–do not ask twice or you will be escorted out. Consent and respect go hand in hand. No hard play, that’s down from up high.”
Exactly how over her head was Claudia getting her?
Rickey reached across the counter and fastened a bracelet on Sophie’s wrist, indicating there was no going back.
The two of them headed down the spiral staircase to a small landing with lockers. Relinquishing her belongings to Claudia, she watched in amazement as her friend managed to get both purses into such a small space.
“Perfect.” Claudia slipped the key card into her cleavage. “Everything’s safe and sound. I can’t wait for you to look around.”
“I thought you wanted to explore?”
“How else was I supposed to get you out of the house with all that sulking?” Flipping her hair over her shoulder, Claudia craned her neck, scanning the bar area.
Sophie’s eyes narrowed. “Oh, hell. Damn it, Lidia, you’re hunting. I’ve known you long enough to know your tricks.” They’d been friends for years, and she knew the bolder Claudia became, the more she tried to hide how unsettled she was.
“Rickey has a strict rule that if you come together with a guest pass, you leave together.” Sophie’s eyes scanned as they moved through the open room, which was set up with several seating areas. Some were more intimate than others. Any large play bench or restraint bar was pushed to the side wall and blocked off from any members who might interfere.
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to drag you to meet all my friends—OH my gosh! She’s back so soon after the baby!” Claudia excitedly waved with a smile at a couple cuddled up on a chaise across from the bar. The man with blond hair nodded back and whispered into his submissive’s ear. The luscious brunette scrunched her nose and waved back at Claudia.
“Can we find a corner and a drink, please? If you insist on my being out of bed, I need my people juice.”
“I thought that was coffee?”
“No, that’s no murder juice.”
Sophie quickened her footsteps toward the bar, hopping onto a stool when they found two seats in the corner by the wall.
A man with bright green eyes and a goofy ‘I’m the trouble child’ grin approached them from behind the bar. He slung a towel over his shoulder and leaned into the girl’s space.
“What can I get you?”
“Two lemon drop martinis.” It was clear she had no control over the evening.
“You got it, sweets.” His attention was pulled to someone behind them. He double-tapped the bar. “Oh, Vi was looking for you.”
“There you are!” Claudia was pulled away, leaving Sophie to watch the two women as they bantered and flaunted their outfits. The slender redhead wore a tight leather collared jumpsuit cut high over her hips and displayed her breasts.
“Oh, Vi, this is my friend Sophie. This is the amazing Miss Violet. Sophie and I are recovering and moving on this evening.”
“It’s been a while since we’ve had some tea around here.” Violet cocked a smile and turned her focus to Sophie.
Sophie held her hand up. “Listen, I have the same aversion to my ex as a certain singer who spent 360 million dollars, not to mention hers. Can we continue that energy, please?”
“Oh boy, that bad?”
“She,” her voice faltered. She closed her eyes and pressed the bridge of her nose, mentally battling away the memories that assaulted her. “She was toxic and chipped at pieces I didn’t know existed.” Both boundaries and limits were tested in their dynamic.
“Then you’ve come to the right place. Tonight isn’t a typical night, but leave your reservations behind and get off a few times. There’s nothing like a good orgasm to rewire the brain.”
Sophie wasn’t so sure about that. Several failed relationships with either sex had never resulted in anything earth-shattering—except for her heart.
Chemistry had never been a problem for Sophie. She had a spark with Eliza, who could make her laugh until she was breathless, and knew exactly which true crime documentaries she would want to watch on a rainy Sunday. Then there was Marcus, with his endless knowledge of obscure bands and ability to debate philosophy until dawn. Both relationships felt right intellectually—the conversations flowed, and their interests aligned.
But when it came to intimacy, something always fell flat. The kisses felt mechanical, the touches seemed perfunctory. The honorifics didn’t feel right. She’d lie awake afterward, wondering what was wrong with her and why her body refused to ignite when her mind was so engaged.
“Earth to Sophie.” Claudia waved a hand in front of her face. “Your drink’s here.”
Sophie blinked, realizing she’d been staring at nothing. The bartender had placed two martinis on napkins in front of them.
“Sorry, just… thinking.”
“Well, stop thinking and start drinking.” Claudia clinked her glass against Sophie’s. “To new beginnings.”
Violet leaned in. “And to find someone who lights you up in all the right ways.”
Sophie took a large sip, the sweet-tart flavor bursting on her tongue. It lifted her mood, and she looked around. The open space was beginning to fill with people, and Sophie noticed a slender woman in heels and a tightly wound pink bun walking around with a bowl. Not everyone accepted what was offered, and Sophie’s curiosity grew. She nudged Claudia for attention.
“Oh! I see Madame Scarlett’s here! Hi Kimmy!” Her friend seemed to know everyone in the club.
“Lidia, I’m so glad you came! Is this the friend you were telling me about?”
Sophie raised her glass in acknowledgment and took another sip.
“Yes! Is this the ‘MANdy’ bowl?!”
“Madame Scarlett will stuff and blister you if she hears you call it that.” Kimmy offered the bowl to her.
Sophie leaned in and plucked a numbered black chip from the pile. She looked at Claudia and Violet. “I don’t know how to play poker.”
“Oh no. This is the fun part tonight. If you don’t have someone in mind or want to spin a game of chance, you’ll be paired up and see where the chemistry takes you. It’s how I met Brandon last year.”
Claudia’s on-again, off-again boyfriend, Brandon, was as hot as he was a hot mess. The two of them hadn’t been able to find a way forward as of late.
“I’m not sure that’s as promising as you think it is.”
Aiden
Aiden Mackay parked his sports car in the underground parking at Surrender, bypassing the VIP entrance.
He had every right to use it, but it wasn’t in his nature to flaunt or abuse his status, even as a part-owner.
Aiden scanned his ID card and headed up to the business suite. He knew his best friend and business partner, Zack, would be hiding away as the club filled for the evening.
He pushed open the door and was met with the distinct smell of cigars and sex. Zack was sitting in a side chair, his nose buried in a book, a tumbler of liquor in his other hand. What caught Aiden’s attention was the submissive, gagged, and bound woman beneath Zack’s feet, who remained still at Aiden’s arrival.
Her eyes were closed, and streaks of makeup from crying stained her cheeks. Aiden recognized the sub as one from the Dollhouse. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a high ponytail, and she was naked to reveal the welts that darkened her pale skin across her thighs and buttocks.
The Dollhouse was a newer venture they started over a year ago, where uncollared submissives could choose to be a ‘doll’ for the night. It was mostly used by those with darker urges who preferred to remain unattached. Zack’s dark eyes glanced toward Aiden, and he tipped his glass in acknowledgment of his arrival.
Shrugging off his jacket, Aiden fixed his collared shirt. “Are you coming down to the pit tonight? The last party was six weeks ago. You know subs will line up…”
Zack grunted and recrossed his ankles. Resting them on the submissive’s back. “I’m fine.”
“No, you aren’t. You’ve been more closed off and broody lately, so I took matters into my own hands, brother.” They started as friends and became family over the past two and a half decades since their first meeting in college.
Closing his book, Zack fixed Aiden with a hard stare. “What did you do?”
“We haven’t had quality control in a while, so we’re testing out the lottery.”
“Please tell me I heard you wrong. Why?” Zack placed his feet on the floor and reached down to unbuckle the gagged submissive. Grabbing her chin, he pulled her closer and kissed her forehead in dismissal. “Go.”
She unfolded herself gracefully and grabbed her robe from a corner chair, making a quiet exit.
Zack stood and buttoned his jacket. He walked over toward the bar table in the far corner. “Why did you throw us in without telling me?”
“Because it’s time to shit or get off the pot.”
“Eloquent. Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?”
“No, only yours.” He grinned. “Lots of tongue.”
“Why are we still friends?”
“Because I have a great office with imported scotch.”
“Touche.” He took the glass from Zack. “Why do we have to participate in this?” He wasn’t looking for a new submissive. Neither of them was.
Happy and content to play with minimal notice with Cora when the time worked for the three of them. The first rule of their agreement was that there would be no attachments.
Content to play together and apart was part of the dynamic. Jealousy wasn’t something either of them had with each other. Aiden was content to focus more on the submissive and their emotional well-being in the scene. Zack was hard, unyielding, and his presence in a scene could bring any sub to their knees.
A feeling Aiden wasn’t immune to.
“Because it’s nice to see what we’ve built from outside the bored room.”
“Punny. Very punny. You’re a jackass.”
“I’m your jackass. Now fix that tie and head down with me.”
“You’re a closet bully, you know.”
“I think you mean enabler.”
*
Scanning the club floor, Aiden noticed a mix of long-time members and new faces. He nodded and leaned against the corner wall. He nudged Zack with his shoulder.
“It seems like the new passes are working. A few members we haven’t seen in a while.”
“Is that your way of gloating?”
“I am wounded that you would think that of me.” Aiden laughed. “I’m just glad the numbers worked out in our favor.”
“Listen, we aren’t partners for your good looks, brother.” Zack’s mood seemed to be improving. “Can we not be busybodies tonight? Is that too much to ask?”
Aiden nodded halfheartedly, his attention caught by the raven beauty across the bar.
She was huddled in a corner with Claudia and Violet, two submissives who worked their membership dues in the club shop and helped other Surrender Masters.
His lip curved, remembering how her lips tasted that night. Sweet, with a hint of sin he’d been craving since that day. The way she gracefully sipped her martini left a familiar impression.
“Hey, isn’t that the woman we met at that party some months back?” Zack looked over his whiskey glass.
“Oh, I do believe so…”
“Never thought we would see that feisty little minx after she ghosted me with a wrong number,” he mused, straightening his jacket with a smirk.
“The night just turned interesting.”
