After that, once they realized he was running a legit business, and strictly enforced the rules that kept them well within the law, they left him alone. Most of the headline stories about s.e.x clubs being shut down occurred when people got stupid and greedy and allowed alcohol without the proper license, especially if they took money, which put them into the realm of running an illegal bottle club.

He didnt.

Even when Shayla first came around and wrote her series of articles, it helped grow their membership. Occasionally he received nasty e-mails or anonymous postal mail, frequently religious in bent.

He either deleted or shredded them without concern. The complex was private property. The one and only time a religious group had tried to protest, Kel, as the property owner, had them all arrested for trespa.s.sing.

And prosecuted.

That sp.a.w.ned another newspaper article, where Derrick had proudly boasted about the increased attention sending their attendance and membership soaring once more. Hed even thanked the group of protestors for helping spread the word about their club.

Hadnt hurt that the reporter was a friend of Derricks.

Once the protesters realized that had backfired on them and they had no other recourse, they left the club alone, hoping it would fade out of existence without any more inadvertent advertising on their part.

They hadnt. Venture was a self-supporting business. It didnt make a ma.s.sive profit every year. In fact, there were some years early on where the break-even margin was less than a thousand dollars.

But it did what Derrick had hoped it would. It had given himself and his friends a safe place to play and educate others without having to open their homes to strangers to do so. They held cla.s.ses and other events, broadening minds and helping people figure out who they were. A kinky community center.

That was worth every penny, even of his own money.

They sought out John and Abbey when they arrived, Marcia adding their potluck contribution to the food table on the lanai while Derrick found a place for their bags.

Off on the other side of the pool, it looked like two couples were getting their rigging started already.

Then there were Max, Sean, and Cali. He wasnt sure what Max had planned for the night, but Cali already wore an ornate chest harness. Which Max was working on while Sean, naked, on his knees and with his arms bound together behind him with two wrist-to-elbow rope gauntlets, licked her p.u.s.s.y.

As Derrick and Marcia chatted with Tony and Shayla, Max paused, unzipped, grabbed Seans hair, and started f.u.c.king his mouth.

Marcia watched them. Now theres something you cant see at the club, she joked.

Max had hold of Seans head, pumping his c.o.c.k deep into his partners mouth while he kissed Cali.

They mix things up even more than Abbey and John, Tony said, also watching. Ive given up trying to figure them out. Not that it matters. They always seem to have fun. And it brings an unpredictable energy to a party. In a good way.

Yeah, Shayla said, sounding amused. Whats not to like about watching a hot guy sucking another hot guys c.o.c.k?

Tony swatted Shaylas a.s.s. Dont get any ideas, pet. Im not bi.

She snuggled closer to him. I didnt say I wanted you to do that, Sir. I just said its fun to watch.

Thats fine.

She looked up at her husband. Besides, youve already shown me what its like to have all my holes stuffed at once. I couldnt handle a second man. Your stunt c.o.c.ks are too much for me to handle sometimes.

Stunt c.o.c.ks? Derrick asked.

My nickname for some of the toys, Tony said. I have no problem breaking out the stunt c.o.c.ks. They never get soft, and I can pick any shape or size I want to use on her.

We have some of those, Marcia said. I like that term. Stunt c.o.c.ks.

Derrick met her gaze, smiling. I have some of them with me tonight, he said. Ill make sure to stuff you while Im tying you.

Her eyes widened, but the smile didnt fall from her lips. Yes, Sir, she said.

Good girl.

Chapter Seven.

Abbey couldnt believe the turnout for the party. Nearly everyone whod RSVPd as a yes or a maybe had come. It made for great energy, and everyone was having fun with the rigging contest, their friends laughing and talking and playing.

She even had time to check on George a couple of times. As shed suspected, no one messed with his enclosure or even disturbed him. Every time she looked, he was still almost completely buried in the substrate in his warm tortoise house.

Theyd had a couple of cold snaps through the winter where shed brought him inside, hating to disturb his routine like that. He loved Tortoise Town, able to freely graze and wander, sunning himself when he felt like it. John had outdone himself with the expansions and improvements to it.

Yes, Abbey knew looking back on it all that hed done it both as a way to avoid dealing with his own grief over the death of his friend, but also as a way to hopefully keep her anch.o.r.ed there and not wanting to leave.

And as theyd grown closer, and then how hed taken care of her both after her back surgery, and then the emergency surgery to correct the complications that arose, hed proven to her with every action how he felt about her.

No way would she ever leave John. Shed found her soul mate, the mirror image of herself in many ways. Now that she had him in her life, she felt thankful for everything shed been through before, because she could appreciate him all the more for it. Part of her wished shed just asked if they could get married instead of the collaring ceremony theyd had. Now it would be several months more until their wedding, on the one-year anniversary of their mutual collaring.

Maybe we could just elope.

But she wanted her friends there for the service when they did it. Her adopted family, closer than her biological kin. Whom she loved, even if she wanted to strangle them half of the time. What did it say about her that she was the kinky one in the family"not that any of them knew that"and she was apparently the most well-adjusted?

Shed already planned to tell her family theyd eloped once they broke the news to them. It wasnt that she didnt love her family, because she did.

She just loved it even more when she wasnt with them. She was honestly surprised she hadnt ripped out all her hair while her mom was in the hospital. Her father, bless him, had acrimoniously divorced her mom years ago, and had done what Abbey a.s.sumed he thought was his fatherly duty to try to help out through everything.

In return, it stressed her out even more. She didnt have the heart to tell him to b.u.t.t out, either. She knew he was trying, in his own way, and her brother and sister had welcomed having him around for emotional support.

Even her mom, weirdly, hadnt fought with him. The two of them just fought with everyone else.

It could have been a lot worse. Abbey might have had to move her mom in with them temporarily.

Yikes.

Between her parents divorce, and then her brother and sister both going through nasty divorces, Abbey had eschewed marriage for entirely practical reasons.

Reasons that totally dissolved when she looked at John.

Tonight she noticed he seemed a little on edge about something. Beyond what shed attribute to having a houseful of guests. Every time she glanced around, she caught him watching her.

Odd.

Maybe he was waiting for a sign from her to play. She didnt want to disappoint him, but she wasnt sure she had the energy for a full-on Maam scene, and wasnt sure she emotionally wanted Sir to come out and Top her tonight.

In front of everyone, at least.

Shed give it a little longer and then talk with him, ask him what he wanted to do. Maybe hed settle the question for her one way or another and take it right out of her hands.

As the evening wore on and everyone worked their way through dinner, most of the women whod remained in their street clothes for the dining portion of their night either changed, or got naked.

John had decided to wait Abbey out, sensing her energy fluctuating and knowing he could easily flip and keep her in submissive mode for the evening.

But he wasnt sure if thats what she wanted.

Ergo, he waited.

Theyd discussed entering the rigging contest and then decided not to. They wanted to play, and it was their house, so they didnt feel right being totally unavailable to all their guests that evening. They could always hold off on playing until later, after they were alone, if necessary.

John bided his time. Abbey was so busy talking with friends and watching people rigging and playing that he almost didnt have the heart to interrupt her. Hed opted for a pair of baggy, comfortable shorts and a T-shirt tonight. Nothing fancy, but at least he was able to keep the ring on him, in his pocket.

He was in the kitchen and washing some silverware when Abbey snuck in behind him and grabbed his earlobe, pulling his head down.

It took sheer force of will to fight the willing slide toward subs.p.a.ce. That had become a reliable trigger for her to use on him, grabbing his earlobe. Something about the gesture just nailed him deep in his soul.

Whos my good boy? she whispered.

I am, Maam. Dammit.

Abbey had him, and he knew it. He only hoped Tilly was paying attention, or hed be able to slip her the ring to hold for him, or something.

She snapped her fingers and pointed at the floor.

His knees folded, dropping him in front of Abbey, his forehead resting on the tops of her feet.

I should have flipped her while I had the chance.

Such a gooood boy. He felt her buckling the play collar shed bought him around his neck.

f.u.c.k.

Plan B, it was.

She tugged on the leash. Come. As he got up off the floor to follow her out of the kitchen, he reached into his pocket, snagged the ring, and stuck it in his mouth.

He wasnt sure what she had in mind, but when she led him out to the living room, he had a pretty d.a.m.n good idea. Shed prepared a couple of things on one of the portable spanking benches set up in there.

Get naked, she ordered, her green eyes sparkling.

He stripped the T-shirt off and dropped the shorts, leaving him naked. Hed gone commando. h.e.l.l, if it wasnt for the fact that he was hosting, he would have run around naked all night.

Gooood boy, she cooed again, looking up at him. She snapped her fingers and pointed at the bench.

He climbed on, realizing he hadnt looked around to find Tilly while walking to the bench.

Dammit.

Abbey quickly buckled his leather wrist and ankle cuffs to him, using snap clips to attach them to the bench. She tied the leash off, too, preventing him from lifting his head too far and looking around.

She walked around to the front of the bench and lifted the hem of her dress and he sank even more deeply into subs.p.a.ce. No panties, just her bare p.u.s.s.y there, ready to lick.

And as she grabbed the back of his head, fisting his hair, he realized thats exactly what she wanted.

I hope I dont swallow the d.a.m.n ring.

Fortunately, at that angle, he couldnt really reach her anyway, and she realized it.

Darn it, she said. Well, guess I just have to do something else, then.

He felt a delicious thread of nervous antic.i.p.ation flow through him, only the feel of the ring against his tongue keeping him remotely in his head at that point. He heard her don a disposable glove before feeling cool gel against his a.s.s.

His eyes dropped closed, a soft moan rolling through him.

Ooooh, yes. This was something they couldnt do at the club. Well, technically they probably could, since it was a toy, not a p.e.n.i.s, but they didnt. Hed used a vibrator on her several times during play at the club, or shed had him put in a b.u.t.t plug in the bathroom while getting dressed.

She quickly got a fairly modest b.u.t.t plug seated inside his a.s.s, his rock-hard c.o.c.k now dripping pre-c.u.m.

Stripping off the glove, she walked around in front of him and knelt to speak to him. Im thinking someone wants to get off fairly fast, she said, untying the leash from the bench. Then she unsnapped his wrist and ankle cuffs, stood, and tugged on the leash.

He got up, his rigid c.o.c.k standing straight out, and followed her over to the recliner, where shed put a towel down. Now she sat, spread her legs, pulled the hem of her dress up, and tugged on the leash until his face was buried in her p.u.s.s.y.

Okay, yes, he could reach her now"wasnt the first time hed done this to her in this chair"but the ring was still posing a logistical problem. He kept it tucked between his cheek and gum in the left side of his mouth, but the stone kept digging into his gums.

Nonconsenual jewelry play. Who knew?

He did the best he could, but she still noticed after a few minutes, even when she had her left hand dug into the back of his head.

Whats going on? she asked, looking down at him. Wait, is there something in your mouth?

Somewhere behind Abbey, he heard Tilly clap her hand over her mouth to stifle a snort of laughter.

Great, thanks for the help.

He nodded.

She held her left hand out in front of him. Spit it out, she sternly said.