Chapter 18

Chapter

Eighteen

Tokens are spread out before me, forty-three in all. Zed is impressed by the number, so I guess I should be, too, but there's only one I really care about. Each token bears a series of numbers relating to an individual. I tuck my lightweight dress (pretty much a muumuu, giving the impression of cosplaying as a white rhino), scoot forward on the sofa, and look at them.

"Do you really expect me to know the identities of all these people?" I ask, my voice laced with incredulity.

"Yes."

I make a face, and he laughs.

"I don't even know who belongs to each number." He chuckles, drags a laptop over, and opens the browser, where a tab is already waiting.

Displayed on the screen are headshots of every Master, and a couple of Mavens, who dropped a token into Zed's expectant palm. Of course, Lorenzo and Scarlett are among them, along with other faces I recognize from the gala and the night of Lusty Lollapalooza. I use the trackpad to scroll through the images, my eyes scanning for a particular face. I reach the bottom of the screen, my heart sinking when there's no sign of another page of photos to search through.

"Problem?" Zed leans back on the sofa, entirely too at ease.

"Isn't your list missing someone?"

He beetles his brow.

"Don't give me that look. I know you're holding out. Where is he?"

His mouth cracks in a mischievous smile. Reaching out, he clicks on a different tab, and there he is, Hottie McHotterson. Dark eyes stare at me from the screen, set in a face of chiseled cheekbones, perfectly sculpted brows, and a jawline shaded with the perfect amount of stubble. Beneath his cover-model-quality photo is a name. Darien.

"Do we have a winner?"

I nod. It's completely shallow to choose someone based purely on physical attraction, but it isn't called Pleasure Island because it's a marriage mart, for fuck's sake.

Zed drags the computer to his lap and rests his back against the sofa. I scooch next to him, my attention on the screen as he pulls up a short bio. Other than his first name—since we only use first names on the island—and his age, 28, there's not much to read. His rank is Master. He prefers female partners and uses devices with light to moderate ratings.

Check. Check. Yep. I fulfill those limited requirements.

"How many partners has he had?" Why it matters, I don't know, but I'm curious if I'm one of a long line of Novices. I don't relish the idea of losing my V-Card to someone who's taken so many he can't even recall their names and faces.

"Darien has never offered for a Novice."

Huh. Not the answer I expected. "Is he new to the island or something?"

"Quite the contrary. He's one of our long-term residents. He's been here… hm… maybe six years. Darien has quite an online following."

I bet. For a moment, I wonder about my growing fandom but discard that uncomfortable thought. "Don't you think it's strange that he's never, you know, been with a Novice before?"

Zed laughs and shakes his head. "Oh, he's quite experienced, I assure you. Masters can have dalliances with any rank, and most do. Those who offer a token, who choose to take a Novice under their wing, are committing to a long-term arrangement, which may include inviting other individuals into the relationship." He looked at me. "That is, at the discretion of both parties."

"Yeah. I don't think so."

He shrugs. "Keep an open mind."

"And taking on the role of Scarlett is…" I motion to him with a flourish.

"Touché!" Zed grins. "You should know that many have tried to catch Darien's eye, so to speak. He's positively delicious." He winks. "You've got great taste. I would expect nothing less from the Indomitable Eden!"

"Indomitable? Isn't that a bad quality in a Novice?"

"Quite the contrary. Your first role on the island is one of submission, but that in no way defines your future. A worthy Master has a deep and personal understanding of dominant and submissive."

M'kay. As long as I get Sir Hotness, I'll be a happy, satisfied—I hope—woman.

Zed checks a box next to Darien's image, and a separate window pops up. My attention drifts as he fills out a form with my acceptance.

It's happening.

A large part of me wants to grab the computer and throw it out the window. I grip the arm of the sofa with my left hand and watch him press submit from the corner of my eye.

Pages and Pastries. With the stroke of the key, my dream is closer to coming true.

Releasing a long breath, I drop my head against the back of the sofa. It's done. Well, not done. It's started. Yeah. That's a more apt description. Damn-the-Consequences nudges her way into the forefront of my thoughts, shouting, Now, you can concentrate on getting some dick! Haha.

You know how you judge a book by its cover, and sometimes the story is shit? I hope Darien's appearance is the dust jacket of a mantastic epic fantasy.

Zed closes the computer and sets it on the table. Rising, he puts his hands on his hips. "Would you like to see your quarters?"

I'm confused. Quarters? I thought my room was my room until the year was up. "Am I getting a different room?"

"When a Novice enters an arrangement with their Master, you are assigned special quarters where the two of you can, ah, deepen your relationship. "

"Oh. Do those, um, quarters have cameras?"

"Every space outside of this part of the grounds," he says, meaning the residences, "can be equipped with cameras. Our subscribers have the option of purchasing various membership levels, offering access to any number of rooms and experiences. Darien requested the room to be absent of cameras, at least initially. One will be installed if and when you're ready to allow viewing."

It's easy to forget people from around the world are watching me the moment I leave this part of the compound. They're so unobtrusive by design that inhabitants slip into normal behavior. It makes the whole subscriber experience more real, more visceral. That part I'm clearly becoming accustomed to.

But to have an audience during sex? Yeah. That's not on my bucket list.

"Let's check it out. I want to be sure everything you agreed to is ready for use."

I stand up and follow him out of the room. Orpheus leading Eurydice from Hades. I almost hope he looks back.