Tempestuous by Nicole Austin

Tempestuous

by Nicole Austin

Ellora's Cave

Once a woman’s deepest, darkest desires have been exposed—whetting her appetite for taboo pleasures of the flesh—her unquenchable hungers will not be denied.

Floggers and whips
Chains and leather restraints
Erotic rewards and punishments…oh my!

Seduced by erotic stories and the forbidden lure of Dominance and submission, Evie Sloan longs to explore the scintillating delights firsthand. While some fantasies are better left to the imagination, for the chance to visit a real BDSM club, she’s willing to take a risk.

Been there, done that, seen it all—or so jaded Dominant Niko Kovalenko thought. Evie’s arrival on the scene reawakens long dormant passions and ramps them up to a whole new level. She’s an exciting challenge—a dangerous temptation—igniting the compulsion to posses. To collar.

Evie is no man’s submissive pet. Niko stripped her bare, shed light on all her secret desires and weaknesses, but it’s still not enough for him. To win her man she’ll have to confront her fears and find a way to bridge the distance between them.

Excerpt:

Evie Sloan pondered the hotel’s breakfast buffet and found the same boring fare she’d been eating all week. She’d kill for a big bowl of Frosted Flakes swimming in ice cold milk. Not thin, tasteless skim milk either. Give her the fully loaded whole milk. Oh yeah!

Loud chatter filled the cavernous room and assaulted her aching head. If one more person hit her with a sunshiny greeting before she got her morning dose of caffeine the phony smile pasted on her lips would darken into a permanent scowl. She’d been anticipating the erotica conference thinking it would be a blast but long days of endless networking had drained her energy and bottomed out her enthusiasm. She needed to refuel.

Leaning forward, she grabbed the silver tongs for the bacon and prayed it wasn’t something disgusting like turkey bacon. Evie shuddered.

Smile, she reminded herself for the gazillionth time. This is supposed to be fun.

Yeah, well the elusive good times would have to happen without her until she had breakfast. She had priorities, after all. Food and coffee were at the top of her list.

A solid wall of male flesh blanketed her from behind. Shivers raced down her spine and goose bumps erupted on her arms. Warm breath caressed her neck, bringing every nerve ending to tingling awareness.

“We have an open spot tonight. You want in?” The odd yet seductive words were whispered in Cain Thorne’s authoritative, deep voice.

Sir Cain at Rendezvous, a BDSM club in Tampa.

“We have an open spot tonight.” What exactly did that mean? Cain wanted to play with her? He had a piece of equipment he wanted to tie her up to? At the BDSM club?

Oh holy crap!

His large hand squeezed her shoulder, the casual gesture stealing the breath from her lungs. Everything fled Evie’s mind other than the man, his intriguing invitation and potent touch.

Damn, did that feel good! But still, what was he offering?

Hard core bondage images flashed through her mind. A nude body strapped to a St. Andrews Cross, pale skin bearing an intricate web of angry red marks from a recent flogging.

Her body.

And towering over her, a gorgeous Dom.

Dormant lusts crackled with sizzling new energy and stirred her senses. The sinful imaginings should not be turning her on. But they were. Big time.

“What about it, Evie? Wanna come?”

Hell yeah!

What red-blooded woman with a pulse would say no to the handsome man and his provocative offer? But she couldn’t get the words passed the huge lump in her throat.

Her swollen breasts rose and fell in sync with the rapid beat of her heart. The erotic thrill and possibilities threaded within Cain’s words moved Evie beyond reason and straight into pure sensual excess. With her pulse pounding in her ears, she blinked several times as she struggled for composure. The whispered enticement had frozen her to the spot while the morning rush went on around them as if nothing of significance had happened.

She swallowed hard as he moved away. Evie enjoyed watching the flex and play of powerful muscle beneath his white T-shirt as he continued to peruse the breakfast offerings, filling his plate calm as could be, while she struggled just to make her lungs work. She may be breathing fast but the oxygen wasn’t reaching her sluggish brain. Zapped of strength, her legs quivered like a couple of overcooked noodles.

The massive Dom had propositioned her…right there at the breakfast buffet. Before she’d even had her first sip of coffee.

With the length of the buffet tables between them, Cain winked at her. His intense brown eyes gleamed with awareness. Damn if that hot stare couldn’t melt an iceberg.

Jesus, this had to be a dream. She was sound asleep in her hotel room indulging in one heck of a wicked fantasy. Yes, that had to be it.

A pointy elbow slammed into her side and the tiny bit of air she’d managed to suck into burning lungs escaped on a mumbled curse.

Okay, not a dream.

“Wake up, Evie.” Michelle Thorne, Cain’s wife, business partner and sexual submissive, flashed a devious grin and batted long eyelashes. “And close your mouth, honey.”

Evie’s jaw snapped shut. She glanced at the tongs, her grip so tight her knuckles had turned white and her fingers had gone numb. Relaxing her hold, the bacon dangling from the end fell onto the white plate. The dish she no longer cared about clattered to the table as she quickly turned and latched onto the other woman’s arms. “Wh-what the fuck is he asking? What open spot? What does that mean?”

Michelle flicked golden blonde hair over a slender shoulder and laughed. “Oh, you are priceless, Evie. Absolutely priceless.”

Evie shook the woman, hard. “Tell me!”

“All right, already. Sheesh!”

Michelle took her sweet time, making a point of brushing imagined wrinkles from the sleeves of her blouse. “We’re going to club Rendezvous. The owner is letting us in an hour before it opens. Cain knows you’re interested and is asking if you want to tag along to check it out. It’s much safer with an experienced club member than going off on your own.”

Evie stumbled back a step, mixed emotions spinning in a wild frenzy. Her heart pounded out an erratic beat and fire raced through her veins as all her muscles tensed. Her mouth probably hung open again too.

That clinched it, Evie had to be dreaming. No way was she lucky enough for this to be real.

The erotic stories she read had ignited the spark. Her insatiable curiosity provided the kindling. The resultant blaze had grown into an out of control wildfire. Each new tale increased her need to witness the thrill of dominance and submission first-hand. But she was also afraid of the affect it may have.

Internal alarms shrieked, warning her to proceed with care.

She should be running the other way, shouldn’t she? Or maybe opening herself to the temptation would be good.

Would it be possible to get the full impact of the experience while being cautious?

She had so many unanswered questions about BDSM. Like other than being in control, what did the Dom get out of a scene? Would a spanking make her wet? Would a bit of pain make the sex better?

Damn, it was enough to make her go crazy. And Cain had just handed her a golden ticket to find out if reality would live up to her imaginings. She could go to the club, drink it all in without worry while under the guidance of the respected Dom.

A win-win situation and she had nothing to lose.

Michelle tugged her over to the side, out of the buffet line. “Breathe, Evie. In and out. Slow and easy. Jesus, honey, you’re shaking worse than a palm tree in gale force winds.”

“I can go to the club?” she squealed. Evie slapped a hand over her mouth to prevent further outbursts. When she spoke again she used a much quieter tone. “You and Cain are taking me to Rendezvous? Oh. My. God.”

A horrible idea struck her and Evie’s chest tightened as she searched the other woman’s expression. If Cain wanted to play with her would Michelle be jealous? Angry? The last thing she wanted was to hurt her new friend. “And you’re okay with this?”

Michelle laughed again. “Of course I am. Cain may demonstrate some of his toys, but there will be no sex or nudity. Well, not among us personally. I’ll be right by his side.” Her grin turned saucy. “And at the end of the night he’ll be going home with me.”

Evie threw caution to the wind and spoke before she had a chance to talk herself out of going. “Then count me in!”

Even if she had to sign away her first-born child, she would. No way could she turn down this chance.

The meal passed in a blur, no longer holding the importance it had earlier. She didn’t touch the food that she’d craved with such desperation. The conversations of several other vendors gathered around the table carried on without her. Even her coffee sat untouched and grew cold as her mind raced with thoughts of the night to come.

And her body…whoa. Her body hummed as if electrified by a high-voltage wire.

“Misty, I’m not going to make it to the concert tonight. Got a better offer. You want my ticket?” All conversation stopped and the others appeared dumbfounded.

“You’re kidding me? What the heck could be worth missing Sir Elton John?”

“Only one thing I can think of,” one of the women commented. Her suggestion didn’t need clarification. Her sinful grin made it clear she meant sex.

There was no masking her huge smile as Evie handed over her prized fourth-row ticket. Nothing measured up to exploring the scene at the invitation-only club with a respected Dom she trusted.

And she’d be going…tonight.

Evie bit her lip and took slow breaths as she struggled for composure. Doing a happy dance in the middle of the hotel restaurant would draw unwanted attention. She couldn’t even imagine coming up with an explanation to justify such crazed behavior. There would be no explaining Cain and Michelle to this vanilla group.

Chaotic thoughts drifted, taking her back a few days to when she’d met the couple while visiting their booth in the crowded conference hall. The memories were fresh and vivid in her mind. It had been the most notable experience of the week…

Leather cut through the air with a subtle whoosh. The contrasting loud crack as the tail of the whip connected with the wooden table millimeters from her hand resonated through her. She jerked back from the soft suede falls of the red flogger she’d dared reach out and touch and looked up, way up, a solid mountain of muscle to meet the dark-haired man’s expressionless face. He intimidated with more than his sheer size as his clear, emotionless gaze gave nothing away.

“Always ask permission before touching.”

Oookay, good to know.

Evie nodded, uncertain if it was better to respond or remain silent. She definitely didn’t want to provoke the huge man holding the whip.

“Cain!” A petite blonde move around the man, bumping him out of the way with her hip, not impressed in the least by his size. “Don’t go all Dom and scare off the customers…again.” She smacked his arm and released a long-suffering sigh.

With a friendly smile and open expression, the woman held out her hand. “Hi! I’m Michelle Thorne.” She glanced over her shoulder. “The big scary guy is my husband, Cain.”

The giant scowled and grumbled something under his breath as they all shook hands.

“Hi! Evie Sloan. I’m a bookseller.” She pointed over her shoulder. “My booth is a few aisles over.”

“Great. I’ve been meaning to check out some of the books. I’ll have to stop by when the slave driver lets me take a break.” Michelle’s green eyes sparkled with mirth as she picked up the red flogger and held it out. “Go ahead, it won’t bite.”

She leaned over the table a bit and whispered, “Neither will Cain.”

Evie didn’t resist the urge to stroke her fingers along the soft tresses, shuddering as she wondered how different they’d feel slapping against her bare bottom.

“Everything you see has been handcrafted by Cain. He prefers to work with each customer one on one and create custom pieces, but these rack items are all for sale. Were you looking for a particular type of flogger? Cain works with a variety of materials—suede, rabbit fur, deerskin. It all depends on the sensation you’re after—thuddy, stingy or perhaps something in between.”

“Oh…um, I was just looking.”

“Okay. Do you have any experience with leather toys? Have you ever been flogged, Evie?”

At the frank question she gasped and cast a surreptitious glance around those nearby. Had anyone heard?

She sighed with relief, even more glad when Cain lost interest, moving away to help another customer. Evie found that Michelle’s easygoing nature helped her relax and talk openly.

“I’ve never been flogged, never been to a club,” she shrugged. “Most of my time has been spent building my business. There hasn’t really been any room for play.” And didn’t that sound pathetic. Ugh!

Michelle shot her a knowing grin. “But you’re curious. I bet you’ve read some of the books you sell and wonder how much of it is true. The stories turn you on but you’re not sure if BDSM is right for you. Correct?”

“Am I that transparent?”

“Not really, it’s quite common. And I sense both your interest and hesitation.”

While Evie browsed the booth, she watched the couple work. She would never have pegged them as being in the lifestyle or their roles. Michelle seemed to be in charge and had her husband wrapped around her little finger. Their relationship captured Evie’s imagination and she couldn’t resist indulging her curiosity once Michelle was finished helping another customer.

“So how does it work? Are you and Cain…” What? How was she supposed to ask such personal information?

Michelle had no qualms about filling in the blanks. “Cain is a Dominant and I’m his submissive, as well as his wife. We don’t live the lifestyle 24/7. Far from it. As you’ve probably noticed, I take the lead most of the time when it comes to business. I’m much more approachable and better with people, some of whom take one look at Cain and clam up. He’s better with his hands.” Her satisfied grin left no question how she felt about Cain’s skilled hands.

Evie figured a lot of people would be timid around the large man. Being near him you couldn’t help sensing his power and noticing his authoritative nature. But watching the couple interact made it clear Cain would move heaven and earth for Michelle. He may be big as a bear and growl a lot but he was warm and cuddly with his wife.

She liked them both and wanted to get to know them better. Might help her learn a few things about herself too.

 

“Don’t you think so?”

Misty squeezed her hand, bringing Evie back to the crowded hotel restaurant. “Evie?”

“Huh? Oh…sure.”

She nodded when appropriate but didn’t pay attention to the conversation. Not because it wasn’t interesting. Her thoughts remained on the upcoming evening. She would get to see the Thornes in a whole new light. With Michelle there, she hoped to be able to relax and enjoy. The very idea of observing Cain in action at a real BDSM club had her squirming around on her chair.

All her fantasies of visiting a club, maybe playing a little, were about to come true.

Floggers and whips.

Chains and leather restraints.

Erotic rewards and punishments.

Dominance and submission…oh my.

It was bound to be one of the most enlightening nights of her life.