Mateo. His name circled my mind through the rest of the night and at work the next day. Though it wasn't just his name I thought of. I wondered if he had a submissive, but then... if he did, would he have acted the way he did towards me? I certainly hope not.

I'd decided I would attend Desiree's Den tonight as well, getting my member's worth. DD was open every day, except Sundays, from five pm to three am.

At my lunch hour, I called my doctor to get an appointment to take an STD test. I already had one, but it was months old, and even though I hadn't had any sex since then, the club needed a recent result. It was their policy, so no one spread any diseases, which were completely understandable and made me feel even more secure knowing that I wouldn't get sick playing with anyone there.

God, I really was planning on playing with someone. The thought was half exciting and half nerve-wracking. But it wouldn't happen tonight. I wasn't ready for that yet even if I could. How did I even find a Dom to play with? There was still so much I didn't know about this world of kink. Reading informational books on it wasn't the same as doing it in real life, and there were still lots I didn't know– but I couldn't wait to learn.

"So, tell me, how did it go last night?" Kevin ambled towards where I was sitting behind the counter. We hadn't had a chance to talk until now, an hour before closing time. I'd ended up opening alone after he overslept, and it had been busy ever since.

"It went great," I answered as I wiped down the countertop.

"Seriously, is that all I'm going to get? It went great?" Kevin said in protest. "I'm literally dying to know. Can't you see the blood leaking from my mouth? I'll bleed out if you don't elaborate."

Laughing, I shook my head at his dramatics. He'd been like that ever since I met him. It was one of his many adoring qualities. "There's not much I can tell you."

"Why not?" He looked at me with both confusion and disappointment.

"I had to sign a confidential agreement. I can't speak of what happens inside of the club or the club's members," I explained and hoped he would understand. It wasn't like it was so abnormal of me to not talk about my sex life anyway– even though I didn't have sex yesterday, but still. I rarely talked about my sex life, and maybe that was why it was uncomfortable to suddenly do so. I hadn't been sexually active for months, so there was never anything for me to share. It wasn't like I informed my friends about my countless nights spent with BOB– battery-operated boyfriend either. And that was the only sex I had for the moment, with an artificial dick.

"That sucks," he pouted. "Did anyone catch your eye, at least?"

My mind went straight to Mateo; it was like I could still feel his heat on me– and what felt like a massive cock pressed against my ass. "There might have been one," I admitted shyly.

"Oh, come on. That's really all I'm going to get?" He groaned as he started to gather a piece of chocolate cake and a blueberry muffin, getting ready to serve the customers.

"Sorry," I apologized with a smile, not feeling sorry at all, and he damn well knew it.

Chuckling, he went back to work.

By the time I got home, I was bursting with renewed nervousness. I'd spent the day at work thinking about the club, but also the possibility of meeting Mateo again. Would he be there tonight?

This would be my third– or second official– time at DD, so I assured myself that it wasn't weird that I still had nerves. Hell, I could probably attend DD for two weeks straight and still feel the nerves. It took some time before I was comfortable in a new setting, and this was more than that; this was a new world.

Last time, Kevin helped me pick out an outfit, and now I was struggling to find what to wear by myself. I wasn't fashionable at all; I preferred skinny jeans and a baggy t-shirt on a daily basis. If I wanted to dress up, I just switched to a blouse. So, when I stared at my new clothes– ah... lingerie– I was struggling, to put it mildly.

Fuck it, I'm going to Facetime Kevin.

He answered right away. "Em, honey, what's up?"

I turned the camera showing him the many pieces lying on my bed. "Help me choose. I have literally no idea what would look good with what."

A small laugh escaped him after hearing my desperation. "How daring are you willing to go?" His voice had a hint of teasing.

"Mm... it depends. What are you thinking of?"

"The pushup bra on the left– no, left for me and right for you, with the matching string. And..." I saw him studying the items on the bed through the camera. "The see-through babydoll." Holy shit that would leave me basically naked. I felt it was even more revealing than the outfit I had on the first time I went to DD.

I let out a groan, knowing I would wear what he'd suggested. He knew more about clothes than me, even when it was woman lingerie.

"Thanks," I said as I started collecting the items chosen.

"Have fun."

The red bracelet marked my arm as I arrived at the club. Jennifer was behind the counter again, and I inwardly groaned.

"Ellie," she greeted me as if she remembered my name.

"It's Emma," I corrected as I unbuttoned the coat and hung it up, knowing she would never do it for me. My phone went in the basket, and I got ready to step towards the stairs.

"Do you have your bracelet?" Jennifer sounded smug as she asked, confusing me a little. Was there a big deal having the red bracelet? Or was she smug that I couldn't join any scenes and plays?

"Right here." I raised my right hand, showing it to her, before continuing my walk to the stairs and down.

For once, I walked the hall alone and found the time to stop and look more closely at the photos lining the walls. I freaking loved them; they were so tastefully done. This was clearly taken by someone in this community, someone who saw both the elegance of this kink and the erotic side.

The movies often got BDSM wrong, only focusing on sex and pain when there was so much more behind the curtains. Even though I hadn't been involved in any scenes or anything of the kind, I'd read up on many things BDSM and knew more of what was at play than most outsiders knew. It was important for me to educate myself before I did anything, so I knew what I was getting myself into.

Knocking thrice on the door into the dungeon, like I had seen both Jennifer and Marcus do, I was let inside.

I hadn't even taken more than five steps before goosebumps appeared along my body. It was so intensive, and intuitively I knew I was being watched.

Looking around, I scanned the crowd until I met a pair of familiar eyes; even from a distance, I knew they were ocean blue.

A movement to his left dragged my attention from Mateo to him, the Italian customer from Euphoria. I forced my eyes from the intensive gaze of the stranger and connected with another pair of eyes.

Fuck. Me

The biggest man I'd ever seen stood with the two other men. He was built like a tree, his muscles bulging through the black shirt. Tattoos peeked from the shirt, encircling his entire throat, but none were on his face.

I was stuck in place as I stared, not being able to stop myself. They were all insanely attractive, each in their own way, and I felt overwhelmed by their collective attention.

Suddenly, something clicked. These were the men I'd seen at the open house. Now I realized why I'd felt I had seen both Mateo and the Italian man before– I had to see them all three together to place the last piece of the puzzle.

My heart dropped as I understood what that meant.

The sexual tension between Mateo and me, the electricity between the Italian and me... it could only be just that. Because even if I wanted to explore where it could lead to with one of them, we weren't meant for each other.

They were masters, and I was no slave.