Tajah

Even after three weeks of coming here on and off, I still couldn't get over my awe, surprise, and sometimes my shock, over the things I saw and heard at the House of Lustz. My first night here with Carver had been so much more than I expected. I thought I'd prepared myself with my research and what he shared with me in advance, but I was so wrong. That night opened up a whole new world to me, one I thought I had a basic knowledge of.

Of course, Carver tried all night to get me to change my mind and let him take me home. I refused every time he offered. At one point, I told him if he wanted to leave to do it. He refused to do so and got outraged when I suggested it. After that night, I came a couple more times with him then I told him I was good to go solo. He was stifling me. He'd grumbled and complained but I stuck to my guns so in the end, he did it, but only after making me promise to let Reuben know if I had any trouble or worries while there. It was a promise I gave him.

My biggest problem was that there was so much to see and remember. Luckily for me, I was allowed to take notes. No phones or anything that could record were allowed. This was to ensure everyone's privacy. I know if it was me, I wouldn't want someone recording what I said or taking pictures of what I was doing. We all had to sign nondisclosure agreements as part of our admission process. An NDA was nothing you wanted to fool with.

Being a Monday, it wasn't wall-to-wall people which I found nice. I always felt like I was missing stuff when it was super crowded. It was an occupational hazard to want to see and hear everything. I headed upstairs after getting a soda from the main bar. I wasn't comfortable drinking alcohol while here, especially alone. Others seemed not to have my hang-up. Good for them. I prayed they'd never have reason to regret it. I knew too much about the evil which lurked in the world to forget that rule. It was second nature for me to never accept a drink from someone or leave mine unattended. Hell, I watched the bartenders like a hawk while they made my drinks. I never let a waiter take my order either.

If I didn't do those things, then my dad would roll over in his grave and come back to haunt me. As a career policeman, he'd raised me on the warnings of the awful things that could happen to you, in particular if you were a woman or child. Thinking of him made a wave of nostalgia sweep through me. It had been five years since I lost him and I still miss him so much. He'd been my rock in this sometimes crazy world.

Finding an open seat which was back out of the way but still let me watch a large section of the room, I got comfortable. I liked to start out my night with just people watching and getting a feel for the vibes. Later, I'd walk around and take closer looks at what was happening. Sometimes, I had enough courage to speak to people and ask them questions if they were inclined to talk. I never pushed myself on anyone and I backed off immediately if they said no or gave me any indication, verbal or non-verbal, that they weren't interested. Placing my glass on the nearby table for a minute, I took out my notebook and pen.

I was about a half hour into it when I spotted someone I wanted to avoid at all costs. I winced when I saw him. Damn, why tonight? His club name was Dominus, and I'd meet him my second week here. Most people used a club name, but some didn't. According to him, if it was true, he was a longtime patron of the club. He bragged about how he was friends with the owner and was one of the top Doms here. He also told me his actual name, which was Duncan.

He approached me the first time to ask me to do a scene with him. I showed him my bracelet, which still had only an orange bead on it and declined his offer. I figured he hadn't seen it. It didn't take me long to realize he didn't care what beads I had or didn't have. He was on the prowl. I talked to him for a few minutes then politely excused myself. I thought that would be the end of it. I was wrong.

He kept watching me throughout the night. On subsequent visits when he'd been here, too, he always made a point to come over and talk to me. He continued to hint at, then blatantly spoke about me and him hooking up. He offered to show me the ropes and be my guide. I kept turning him down, but I was tired of him. Everyone else who might ask, despite my bracelet, wasn't pushy about it and would back off as soon as I said no.

I knew if I went to one of the consent monitors or even Reuben, they'd have a word with him, and if he still didn't stop, they'd likely suspend or even ban him. The reason I didn't was I didn't want to make waves and have them think I was more of a problem than I was worth, and I ended up the one to get kicked out. I knew I wasn't their typical patron. My inclusion had been an exception, but I had heard so much about the House of Lustz. I knew I didn't want to experience this life anywhere else, even if I could find a club like them nearby.

He hadn't seen me yet, so I hurried to stand, grabbed my drink and stuff, and moved off to the opposite side of the room. I kept to the shadows and placed people between me and him whenever I could. I breathed a big sigh of relief when I got to a new spot, and he was nowhere in sight. I found another place to sit and got back to why I was there.

It wasn't long before a scene caught my attention, and I got lost watching it. Well, it wasn't really a scene between patrons, as much as it was a show between two of the workers who did them here. I loved discovering they did these at times. This one was two women who were up on a raised platform, dancing to sexy music. They were dressed in provocative costumes with eye masks on. It made them appear sexier and more mysterious. They had great bodies, and they were able to really dance. Watching them caused an idea to pop into my head, so I scribbled it down so I wouldn't forget it later.

It was while I was finishing my scribbling I discovered I made a mistake. I'd gotten so caught up in watching them I forgot to watch my surroundings for Dominus. His voice from behind me made me shudder. I closed my eyes for a second and silently cursed myself. Way to go, Tajah. You had to get caught up, and now the goddamn creeper caught you. Idiot.

"Hello, beautiful. I'm so glad to see you're here tonight. Let's get a drink and then go somewhere we can talk," his oily voice crooned.

Why I bothered to paste a polite smile on my face before swinging around to look at him, I didn't know. Being raised to be polite by a Southern mom was my only excuse. The next time I talked to her, I was telling her so. I got to my feet and put my notebook and pen in my purse. I left my now empty glass on the table. I gave him a vague nod as I faced him. He'd crept up along the wall to get to me.

"Hello, Dominus. I'm sorry, but I'm meeting someone, and they should be here any second. I hope you have a good evening. There are a lot of people here tonight. I know you should be able to find someone to have a drink with. Excuse me, but I've gotta go."

I made sure to step wide when I passed him. He was staring intently at me, and I didn't like the look in his eyes. He was getting less and less patient with my evasions. I knew I'd have to either get blunt and shitty with him soon or swallow my pride and fear of being kicked out and tell someone. I thought I was safe when he didn't respond as I hurried away. I made it maybe five feet before I was grabbed by the shoulders and propelled around and backward. My back hit the wall, and I started up in surprise at him.

He no longer looked pleasant. He was pissed off. His grip was tight and hurt my shoulders. Now he'd done it. Polite Tajah was gone. It was time for him to meet my other side. I might be what some thought as submissive, which was what he saw, but I had another side to me—one which wouldn't take someone laying hands on me. This side came out in defense of others, too. If he'd acted the way he had with me with someone else, and I saw it, I would've been all over him.

"Let go of me right this minute or else," I hissed at him. I jerked my upper body for emphasis, but he held on.

"No, not until you agree to come with me and talk. We need privacy. You've been avoiding me and leading me on a chase for weeks. It's time to stop it. I know you women like the chase and to have a man panting after you, but I'm done. I don't let my subs lead me around by my nose or my cock. You do as I say. It's time you learned how this whole relationship thing goes here."

His audacity made me speechless for a few moments, which gave my temper a chance to rise more. What an absolute fucktard! The way he said it and the look on his face told me he believed the words coming out of his mouth. I might not be an expert on this world, but even I knew enough to know this wasn't what a genuine Dom/sub relationship was, nor did you approach someone you wanted to be your sub or even to do a scene with them in this way. Who in their right mind would ever agree? Only an idiot, and I was no idiot.

I yanked harder, and his grip slipped. I got one arm free as I snapped at him. "Dominus, let me make this crystal clear so even someone as dense as you can understand me. I will never, not in a hundred years, ever have a drink or private conversation with you. I will never agree to do a scene with you, and I most certainly won't ever be in a relationship with you. You have no clue what a dominant and submissive relationship means. I suggest you go educate yourself and make changes to how you approach women or stop coming here. For someone who brags he's so knowledgeable, I don't know why you haven't been kicked out on your ass!" I snapped.

His annoyance turned to rage like a flip of a switch. His face reddened, and a vein in his temple pulsed. God, why didn't I keep my mouth shut until I was away from him? Instead, I let my anger get the better of me, and I had to mouth off while he still had me trapped against the wall. I could scream, but with the noise in here, would anyone hear me, or would they care? He automatically pressed against me, cutting off my ability to knee him in the groin, which was probably why he did it. My arms couldn't raise enough to throw an effective punch, either.

"If you don't let me go, I'll scream this place down," I threatened.

His free hand came up again, and he grabbed my upper arms and shook me. The back of my head bounced off the wall a couple of times. I opened my mouth to scream, but he cut me off by kissing me. His mouth ground my lips against my teeth painfully. I struggled, but I wasn't getting away. I latched onto his bottom lip with my teeth. He jerked back and swore.

"You goddamn bitch! I'll teach you to—" his words were cut off as he was torn away from me. I cried out as his fingers bit into my arms harder before letting go. The next thing I knew, he was slammed against the wall next to me. A huge guy had a hold of him by the throat. I shakily stumbled to a nearby chair and sank on it. I could hear what my rescuer was saying to him despite the noise.

"You never touch someone in here without their consent," the stranger snarled.

"She's just playing around," Duncan sputtered hoarsely since the scary man still had him by the neck.

The man shook him like he was a rag doll then leaned even closer to him. "Like hell she was playing. I saw the fear on her face and that kiss wasn't returned. You had your hands on her. You fucking assaulted her, Dominus. You know the goddamn rules," my rescuer hissed.

"You need some help over here, boss?" a man asked, surprising me. I recognized him as one of the consent monitors, but I couldn't recall his name at the moment. He wore a worried expression as he examined Dominus, the mystery man, and then me. I needed to get out of here. I stumbled to my feet.

"I-I need to leave," I muttered. I felt sick to my stomach. Before I could get more than a step or two, I was halted by my rescuer's voice and his words.

"Leon, take her up to my office. You stay with her until I get there. Don't you leave her alone for a second. I'll be up as soon as I take care of this one." His tone hardened as he said the last part.

"There's no need for you to take me anywhere. I just want to leave. I didn't mean to cause trouble," I assured them. This would be the last time I was allowed in here, for sure. Damn it. I had no doubt this guy wanted to talk to me so he could kick me out. People were gathered and staring avidly at the scene. I wanted to sink into the floor and disappear. Carver was going to kill me. He warned me not to cause trouble or it would come back on him since he sponsored me. I had to warn him.

My rescuer, "boss", as Leon had called him, turned his head to look at me. He looked me up and down before he said anything. "You're not going anywhere until we talk. Go with Leon. No one will harm you. He's there to protect you. I'll be up as soon as I can. Get her something to drink. Make her comfortable."

His tone told me he wasn't taking no for an answer. Deciding I might as well get my open invitation revoked now, I gave in. I nodded dejectedly, then walked over to Leon. He placed his hand on my back.

"There's no need to touch her!" his boss snapped at him, making me jump.

He sounded angry. Leon's hand fell away immediately. He wasn't doing it to be inappropriate, not like Dominus had. Although, after what just happened, the boss was probably worried about what I would do. It wasn't the club's fault Dominus was an arrogant douchebag. I wasn't planning to cause trouble for them. I'd have to tell my rescuer that when he got to me.

"Come on, we'll take the elevator. It's faster and more private," Leon said kindly. He was frowning as he glanced at me. I gave him a timid smile.

"Okay, lead the way."

As he indicated for me to go ahead of him, I wondered what I did to warrant Dominus to refuse to take no for an answer. Had I inadvertently done or said something to make him think I could be steamrolled into doing what he wanted? I didn't think so, but I was running through all our prior encounters to see if I had. This kept me busy in the elevator. Leon wasn't talking. The ride didn't take long, and before I knew it, I was on another floor of the club. He led me into a vast office and closed the door. I was busy checking out the beautiful space. I could live here and be happy was my inane thought. Had I died and gone to heaven?