Chapter Four

Talon

Our grand opening was no more public knowledge than the small, subtle sign by the door done up in neon lights. Everything about a club like Cuffed was private. Not only the members went through background checks, but every staff member down to the busboys and the janitorial staff had to be cleared and agree to keep the members' business private. When the mayor and half the city council arrived for the first night, they were accompanied by a politician of much greater standing.

These people did not want the voters to know what their preferences were in their private lives. And while I would find it tiresome to have to pretend to be someone other than I was, I understood that some people's choices of career put them in the sights of those who would judge them for their lifestyle.

So, while nobody cut a ribbon in front of the building, we celebrated our first night in our own way. A live band played on the stage, we had a buffet of all kinds of appetizers and mini desserts, and drinks were discounted for those who did not require top shelf.

We did not have the stations open for play, but we did have demonstrations by some of the staff and their submissives for those who might not know exactly what to do with a given piece of equipment. I walked around, as did my business partners, greeting people and discussing the club's hours and policies and showing off some of the private themed rooms as well. We did not have all of them fitted out yet because craftsmen were still working on some elements, but enough to create a real buzz among the membership.

We had a limited staff this evening, since only platinum members were invited, so we chose the employees who'd been hired on earlier and were already trained, but I missed seeing the omega bartender and looked forward to his first day.

Pausing by a spanking bench, I watched the dom guide his submissive into position, the angle set so his buttocks lifted high and proud. A group of members already circled the station, sharing their thoughts on the scene. The dom flicked a glance at them, and they hushed, their silence pregnant with anticipation. This particular dominant was in high demand with single submissives at the club he'd worked at before, and I felt confident the watchers knew this.

Edward rubbed the sub's thighs, eliciting a groan before turning his attention to his bottom. "Are you in a hurry, subbie? Do you crave pain so much?"

"No."

"Is that honest?" He drew back his palm and smacked across both cheeks, the crack drawing a soft inhale from the watchers. "And is that how you address me?"

"No, Sir. It was not honest. I do crave pain…but I was embarrassed."

Edward bent and whispered something in his ear, and the sub shuddered from head to toe. "I have a long line of bottoms to spank tonight. So no more lies."

"Only the truth, Sir. Please. Hard."

"Are you saying you're hard? You're not going to get our new spanking bench all sticky, are you?"

"I'll try not to…oof!" The next slap landed on his left cheek, the third on the right, then next on the very sensitive sit spot. Edward wasn't teasing anymore, and his openhanded spanks had the sub writhing on the slippery bench.

"Do I need to strap you down?"

"Yes, Sir." His breathing was harsh fluttery. "I can't stay still."

The bench was well equipped for this contingency, and Edward fastened belts around his waist and spread thighs. We did have policies for cleaning the equipment between uses, the work done by the players, and if the dom kept going the way he began, it would be a real mess. The sub's trembling had increased, his panting loud enough for those of us who stood nearby to hear. Which was why the dom stopped and just stroked his reddened skin for a few minutes.

Edward held the whole crowd in his thrall, and when he reached for the crop dangling from his belt, everything amped up to another level. Running it up the man's leg, he whispered something to him again and the sub nodded. The crop painted a line of welts across the red skin.

I leaned in closer too, always fascinated by someone who knew what they were doing. After tonight, most of the stations would be occupied by members, but demos would continue from time to time, just as part of the experience. Spanking was one of the most basic things that would go on here, but it was always popular both for those involved and an audience. There were a lot of ways to do it, but Edward was a master. He enjoyed other activities as well, and he was not really serious about the long line for tonight. He was all about quality and not quantity, and he'd torment this one sub for as long as the man was up for it. Then he'd provide aftercare.

If he truly was the pain slut he claimed, that could be all evening.

And I had other things to do, so I left the station and its interested watchers and continued on to meet other guests and make sure everything was running smoothly. So far, I'd call it an excellent opening night. Tomorrow, we'd be open to all members, and I anticipated a busy night.

I didn't get home until very late, so I allowed myself a little extra sleep in the morning, but my workday began long before the doors opened and so by ten o'clock, I was at my desk and reviewing the reports from the night before. We hadn't expected to make a profit since we had the buffet and other freebies for the guests, but to my pleasure we didn't lose any money at least.

And I had some instructions for the bartenders and servers, and a camera on the bar area when Samuel passed the instructions along. They weren't allowed into my office and were all sworn to never go in there, or get fired. I watched Rowan while this was explained, and his expression told the story. Yeah, the omega is interested, but I will never fully trust an omega again.