All I knew for sure is that North Carolina and Miami meant Keaton.

When I approached Scarlett's domain, I noticed a familiar face heading into the store. Nico, the cute and overly talkative guy from class. Shit, I'd have to pretend I was buying crystals. Maybe he was in there buying incense. He did strike me as a potential stoner, so there you go.

But when I stepped inside, he was gone. Maybe I was wrong. I blinked my eyes and searched around the store for any witnesses of me entering the back room. There was a black-haired employee at the register, arranging small stones in a web-like pattern. I left her to her game and slipped past the pink curtains.

Scarlett stood by the rack of cuffs, lost in thought.

"Hey," I said, approaching her. She was wearing black leather pants and a white bustier with black piping. The contrast was really striking, and of course she looked good in anything. I wondered how much of that effect was her commanding presence and how much was that she had a long and curvy body.

She smiled at me. "So glad you could make it. Come with me," she said hurriedly, grabbing my hand and pulling me toward a dressing room door. "Your outfit's in there. It's a loaner for today."

I chuckled nervously and stepped inside. Wow. It was a pair of white leather pants, and a black bustier with white piping-the exact opposite of what Scarlett was wearing. What was her plan? She had also provided a skimpy white thong and some platform heels. How nice. I nearly laughed as I imagined myself a year ago looking at this outfit and expecting to put it on. Hell, even a month ago I would have been stunned at myself.

Stripping down to nothing, I eyed the clothing with a mix of excitement and dismay. Keaton wasn't here, so what did she want me to do? I didn't want to cheat on him, but at the same time he never said we were exclusive. Or even dating, really. He just called me his goddess and wanted me to tie him up, and we did some hot making out and stuff. "We aren't anything official, you know," I said. "And I don't owe him anything . . . yet."

I stepped out nervously and Scarlett nodded in approval. Again, she took my hand and led me to another door as I teetered in the uncomfortable boots to the next room. Only this one wasn't a dressing room stall. I glanced to my right and saw there was a few more like it down a short hall. This place was deceptively big. Scarlett opened the door and shoved me in.

"Happy birthday," she said, placing her hands on my shoulders and giving me a rub.

I nearly spun around and left, but her hands anchored me to the spot. "It's . . . not my birthday."

Those words were all I could manage while staring down at a completely naked and prone classmate.

"Hey Thea," he said with a smirk. His longish hair flopped around his head, making a halo on what looked like an elevated twin bed. He was . . . excited. I wanted to cry. Here was a classmate I'd have to see every day, and now he was nude and erect and I wish she had blindfolded his eyes because he identified me. I'd be outed as some sort of freaky weirdo and my life on campus would be over. Why was she doing this?

"Don't worry," Scarlett whispered in my ear. "He's one of us."

I swallowed, confident in the knowledge I wouldn't be able to speak.

"It's okay," he said, echoing Scarlett's sentiments. "I started coming here in the fall and I was terrified someone would recognize me. It's a safe place, okay? We can do what we like." Nico smiled, a big, thousand-watt smile, and I felt less afraid.

Less afraid of being caught, but possibly more anxious about what Scarlett wanted me to do. I was not going to sleep with him.

Well, not sleep. I should cut it out with the euphemisms now that I was "one of them."

As if reading my mind, she spoke. "Nico needs a little training, Thea. You're very new at all this, so I figured a practice session would do you both a world of good. And throw in me, the professional, for good measure."

"I don't follow," I said dumbly.

Scarlett winked at me. "I thought the three of us could play."

I thought the only playing I would be doing without Keaton was winning a national championship. My heart thundered. I was as scared as I was excited.

Scarlett gestured to the wall, where she had hung a skein of rope, two pairs of leather wrist and ankle cuffs, and a couple different tools. One was a flogger, one was a tawse, and the other was some sort of pointy wheel. "Thea, what would please you the most? Do you want to give our little subbie in training a nice beating, or would you rather take out your aggressions with some rope work? Or his tongue?" She smiled at him and he positively beamed back at her. Scarlett placed her hand on his hip and gave it a pat, like she was saying he was a good boy.

He seemed much more obedient and decidedly less cheeky than Keaton.

Keaton.

Would he feel this was cheating if I tied Nico up or gave him a spanking? I mean, as long as I wasn't kissing him or fucking him, it wasn't being unfaithful.

And he's a rock star who probably has never heard the word faithful, my subconscious lectured. Have a little fun.

"The tawse," I said, finding my voice. I kicked myself in the butt mentally and just decided to go with it. "And some rope." There was something magnetic about Nico, sort of what I felt when I first met Scarlett. A pull. I didn't know how to interpret it. Maybe it was a kinky-attracting-kinky kind of thing.

Scarlett clapped her hands together. "Good! Because I want to use this," she said, running her hand up his cock.

Oh! This was going to be, um, a little more interesting than I had anticipated.

I focused on the rope instead of Scarlett's unlacing of her leather pants.

"I can't wait to see how Thea ties you up, young man. You've been so patient."

He nodded and she brushed his hair out of his eyes.

"A quick learner, this one," Scarlett said, but I wasn't sure if she was talking about me or Nico. I moved down by his feet and began to create a two-column tie, something I saw on the Internet after reading some of Scarlett's book. So I googled what "kinky" really was. And I liked it. I wanted to do this rope work neatly and efficiently to impress Scarlett, but I felt as though her attention were elsewhere. I glanced over and saw I was correct: Her attention was clearly on the small, narrow plug in her hand. She was lubing it up. My eyes widened and I went back to my work.

I looked at the tie and the knot and wanted to give myself a pat on the back. I had only looked up bondage how-to videos twice, but already seemed like a pro. At this rate I could be a kinbaku master within the month. I heard Nico moan loudly and guessed what Scarlett was up to.

"You get to fuck me only if I fuck you," she said to him, and he whimpered. I didn't know straight men could like that, but judging by Nico's reaction, it was heavenly. I picked up the second skein of rope and moved up to his head so I could do his arms. His face was at crotch level and I wanted to move, but part of me liked the feeling of his breath on my body. As I began to bind his wrists, I watched as Scarlett hopped up on the bed and slid Nico inside her in one swift move.

"I'll try not to rock the bed too hard, sweetheart," she said, giving me a wink. "I want those knots pretty like my young man here."

Nico, whose eyes should really have been on the fuckhot Domme bouncing up on top of him, was watching me the whole time. I squirmed, turned on but uncomfortable with the feeling. I wanted Keaton, not Nico or Scarlett. Still, I couldn't take my eyes off the two people grinding and moaning right next to me.

Finishing the knot, I watched, albeit reluctantly at first.

And I got a little mad. Why did Scarlett want me here? She was just fucking this young, and admittedly very hot, muscular sub. Why me?

"Aren't you going to use the tawse, Thea? Go a little easy, since he's not a masochist. He just likes a bit of sting," she said, still writhing in passion on top of Nico. Her hand was wedged behind her and I saw her make small pumping motions between his legs.

I nodded and grabbed the leather tool.

"Tell Nico he's a naughty boy for getting fucked in the ass," she said.

I brought the tawse against his sweaty thigh with a brutal whack. "Slut."

Scarlett chuckled. "Go on."

I thwacked the tawse against his flank. "And I have another boy in mind. How do you think he'd feel knowing there was some sexy submissive slut staring at my tits? He'd want to rip your head off."

Scarlett bucked harder. "Do it, Thea."

I brought the tawse under his chin and held it tightly against his throat. "And if you so much as breathe a word of this to anyone, I'll be using something a little stronger than this on you." The words came out in a breathy hiss and he grunted hard.

Nico and Scarlett came together, and the heat between my legs became nearly unbearable. Part of me wanted to fuck him with Scarlett watching, but another part of me just wanted to keep seeing them together and maybe just touch myself. I had no idea what my body wanted, except that it just wanted release.

Quickly and quietly, Nico gathered his things and dressed in the corner. Scarlett pulled something out of the drawer under the bed and held it behind her back. If Nico saw it, he didn't comment.

"Honey, you did great. You're going to be such a pro at this."

I nodded in thanks.

Scarlett continued. "Here's a little something to take the edge off," she said, pulling the item out from behind her back and showing it to me. Nico let himself out without a word.

I squinted. "What is that?"

She clucked her tongue. "Come on, you don't have to be kinky to know what a Rabbit is."

I shook my head. "That doesn't look like any rabbit I've ever seen." It was a large, cock-shaped vibrator with some weird attachments. At the base, where balls would be, were . . . actually, they were balls. Tiny pearls crammed into a soft pouch. Then, protruding from the front was what looked like a bullet vibrator with bunny ears.

Oh, okay, Rabbit.

"What the hell is all this for?" I asked touching the plastic over the ears and marveling at the lengths people go to for pleasure.

She tapped my head. "You're my protegee. And college kids typically can't afford much more than pizza. Anyway, I like you and I want to help you become the powerful bitch you have always wanted to be."

"Every little girl's dream," I joked. "I meant what is this for," I clarified, waving the big . . . thing.

"This little bunny's going to be your best friend while your boy's away," she said, cracking the plastic and removing it. "Slide it in this way, with the ears facing out," Scarlett said, demonstrating with her fingers, "then the rabbit ears will be settled right in around each side of your clitoral hood."

I frowned. "This sounds very difficult." I couldn't deny my absurd state of arousal, but still, the lipstick tube was much easier. Plus, this was very thick. Maybe I'd just use the little rabbit part and not the giant dick part.

She leaned in. "I promised you would go to your practice relaxed and rewarded. After that performance with Nico and after less than five minutes with your bunny, you'll be good to go."

I took the Rabbit with a skeptical smirk. "I trust you."

A low chuckle rumbled from her throat and she turned and left me alone with her gift. And sure enough, in less than five minutes, I felt ready to win the next round already.

"I . . . of course I'm glad," I said blinking, dazed. This week had been a blur of brutal practices, discussion of ESPN's selection show, and basic all-around boot camp training. How was it, then, that I was staring down Keaton in the parking lot? Not that I was upset about it, mind you, but my brain was just in a different place. The transition from working out to wanting to make out was a tough one.

"You don't look so happy," Keaton said, leaning against his rental car. It was a shiny Audi and didn't look like any car my family had ever rented.

This was where my strategy had gone awry. I thought that if I texted Keaton some of the kinky bondage things I was learning about on the Internet, that he'd finally cave and make official plans for when we arrived in North Carolina, the next time I could guarantee we'd be in the same place. I didn't expect him to show up here, today.

I bit my lip. "I just thought you were in New York City for the next few days. I didn't know when I'd actually see you again, so yeah I'm surprised."

I blinked, staring at him in awe. He was here. He came here to see me.

He laughed and lifted his dark sunglasses, eyeing me. "Goddess, are you stalking me?" he joked. "You know my schedule?"

I laughed at his pronunciation-SHED-yool.

In defeat, I raised my hands into the air. "You got me. Yes, I know your tour schedule."

Keaton shrugged. "I decided to arrive a day early, next gig's tomorrow night. Thought I'd surprise you. I think I succeeded."

I glanced around. I had just got out of practice and we were just standing in the Gampel Pavilion parking lot where anyone could just spot him. Cars were starting to fill up for tonight's game. The boys were playing a tournament game tonight and it was looking like it would be a packed house.

"So, what shall we do? Rent a movie in a local hotel room and pop some corn?" he asked, smacking his gum. "Or would you like to hop in this little car of mine and drive to the coast?"

If only I could say yes to both, or either.

"I have to be at the boys' game tonight," I said, partially glad I wasn't jumping out of my skin to see him. At the same time I was completely and totally fucking bummed out. "We're going as a team. I can't miss it."

Think, Thea. Strategy. How can you sneak a rock star around campus?

He nodded. "Especially with how you nearly got caught going to see me."

"Almost got caught," I corrected with a sigh. "If you weren't so mischievous, you could have told me you were coming and I could have fudged a plan. Or made time. Or something." Dear lord how I wanted to make time. I just wanted that mouth of his back on mine and I was pissed it wasn't happening right the fuck now.

He leaned farther back against the car and his shirt lifted a bit, exposing his tight stomach. My knees weakened. "What are you doing after the game?"

I fought the urge to jump on top of him, an urge that was growing with each second. Yesterday's little romp with Scarlett and Nico hadn't satisfied me; it had just left my unresolved feelings for Keaton more exposed. I wanted him so badly, and I wanted him exactly the way Scarlett took Nico. It was like I'd had a taste of wine but never got drunk.

He was making me thirsty.

"I have to go to a party with the team," I answered, another sad but true fact.

Keaton grimaced. "I'm afraid I wouldn't fare too well at a college party. Too recognizable," he said, glancing over his shoulder. A large man stood a few rows over from us and I recognized him as Keaton's bodyguard.

I tapped my lip, gears inside my head turning. I could see all the plays laid out, just like on the court. Yes, I realized, I could be with him tonight. "Actually, you may fit in at this party."

For once, he looked surprised. "How?"

I pulled out a highlighter that was sticking out of my back pocket. The team had made T-shirts specifically for tonight. "We're going to a blacklight party."

He wrinkled his nose. "I'm embarrassed to say I have no idea what that is. Do you trip on shrooms or something? Sounds a little hippyish."

"It's completely pitch dark except for blacklights. Everyone shows up in white T-shirts and glow-in-the-dark paint. You mark up your hair, your face, your clothes. If I got some of my glow paint on you, they'd never recognize you."

His eyebrow raised. "A little bit of anonymity. Just a bunch of glowing people and some thumping music and shitty beer?"

I nodded.

"I'm in," he said, snatching the marker from my hand and drawing a little heart on my exposed shoulder.

Grabbing it back from him, I pulled his hair back and wrote across his neck, "Thea's."

"Are you marking me, Goddess?" he asked.

I nodded.

"That is so hot."

KEATON DECIDED TO GET HIMSELF some supplies for the party and meet me just outside the event once the game let out. It would be dark enough in the side street next to the party's address that nobody would randomly think Keaton Lowe himself were standing outside some college ripper.

In the meantime, I put on my Husky best and headed to the boys' game. I felt privileged to be sitting with the upperclassmen, who were still talking about how I schooled Wes so badly the other night. I was happy to have made them proud, and even happier to be sitting in their inner circle.