Chapter 2 Chapter 0002

•SLOANE•

"Fuck, fuck," Mike muttered as he pulled out from her and quickly put on his pants.

I froze at the door and watched as Kristy got out of bed and dressed up. She didn't even look at me as she grabbed her handbag from the pedestal counter and left.

She closed the door behind her and as soon as it clicked shut, something snapped inside me.

Mike and I had been together for two fucking years and I never thought that he could do something like this to me.

"Were you just fucking your cousin?" I scoffed, leaning toward him.

"Kristy and I are—"

"You are what, huh?" I cut in, my voice sharpening. "You're fucking each other behind my back while you laugh with me, telling me fake stories about being cousins?"

“Ugh, come on, Sloane," he scoffed. "Don't be so naive. I'm a man and you know how we are. I can't keep waiting around for you to give me the one thing that I crave for every fucking day."

I scoffed as the realization hit me. Mike had never loved me, and all those excuses of him being tired whenever we were together were because he had been with her before coming to me.

"So, this is my fault?" I muttered, trying to control my voice so it wouldn't crack. "Is it my fault too that this is the second time you're cheating on me?"

"Don't dare compare this to that—"

"You cheated on me before, Mike," I cut in, my voice cracking. "And I forgave you as if nothing had happened."

"I was drunk that night and you know it!" he snapped. "And we were fighting that night, so you can't tell me I cheated."

I turned to the door and stopped walking. My throat tightened painfully, but I didn't want to give him the satisfaction of thinking that he was able to break me.

So, I swallowed and turned to him again. "I am done with this, Mike. I am tired and I won't let you do this to me anymore."

"Why do I bother myself anyway?" he huffed, leaning back from me. "There's no man in his right mind who will take someone like you seriously. Why do you think I wasn't satisfied with being with you alone?"

"Mike—"

"Oh, stop, Sloane," he frowned. "I did you a favor when I made you my woman. I wasn't supposed to be with a woman who was below my standards. The only thing you can offer a man is what's between your legs. But I'd be damned if I have to have that for the rest of my life."

I turned to the door, opened it, and walked out.

"You will be back, Sloane!" He exclaimed behind me. "You are nothing without me, baby!"

I went to my car outside the driveway and sat there for a moment before I roared the engine to life, and drove to a club.

It was a sex club that Georgia had recommended a few times when we were celebrating my birthday. I refused because I thought I would spend the night with Mike, but as usual, he was out on a business trip.

But now that I knew better, I knew who he was with on those 'business trips'. He made me a fool for over a year, and I didn't see anything.

•••

When I arrived at the club, I found it packed, and loud. There were shirtless men everywhere I turned and women who were wearing nothing but lingerie.

I felt overdressed as I pulled my jacket tighter and went to the bar. I ordered two shots of tequila to get myself in the mood.

"Sloane?"

I tilted my head and saw Georgia standing beside me with a surprised look on her face. She was wearing red lace lingerie under a sheer robe, and around her neck was a black leather collar with a small gold ring at the center.

For a second, I forgot where I was.

Georgia blinked at me. "What the hell are you doing here?"

I let out a bitter laugh and lifted the tequila shot in my hand before swallowing it. "Apparently making terrible life decisions."

Georgia reached for my hand. "Come on. You're not standing alone at the bar looking like a lost church girl all night."

Before I could answer, she pulled me away from the counter and deeper into the club.

The place was bigger than I expected.

There were multiple rooms separated by dark hallways lit with red neon lights. Some doors were open enough for me to catch glimpses inside.

People were doing the wildest things in those rooms, things that I never thought were done for sex.

Georgia noticed my reaction and laughed. "Relax, baby. Nobody's going to drag you into anything."

"I feel like I walked into another universe."

"You kind of did."

She led me upstairs to a quieter lounge area overlooking the main floor below. Plush black couches lined the walls, and the music wasn't as deafening there.

I sat down beside her.

Georgia leaned back comfortably. "I've been trying to get you here for months," she teased.

"I thought this place was just for hookups."

"It can be." She shrugged. "But it's more than that too."

"What does that even mean?"

Georgia crossed one leg over the other. "This club is for people into BDSM, open relationships, roleplay, kinks, or honestly just curiosity. Some people come here for sex. Some come for companionship. Some just come to watch."

I stared at the couples below us.

A man kissed a woman's hand before leading her toward another hallway.

Georgia noticed where I was looking. "The biggest rule here is consent. Nothing happens unless both people want it."

I swallowed.

"Another rule?" she continued. "No judgment. Nobody cares who you are outside these walls. Rich, poor, shy, experienced. Doesn't matter."

I gave her a skeptical look. "And everyone just... fits in?"

"Not immediately." She smiled. "A lot of people come here confused. Some don't know what they like yet. Some don't even know what they are."

"What they are?"

"Dominant, submissive, switch, or vanilla." She laughed at my expression. "Don't overthink it. The point is that nobody pressures you to label yourself. You can try things if you want. Or you can just sit at the bar and drink tequila while staring at people."

"I think that's the only thing I'm qualified for tonight."

Georgia nudged my shoulder playfully. "Trust me, you're doing fine."

My eyes drifted back to the black collar around Georgia's neck. "What is that for?" I asked.

Georgia touched it instinctively. "This?" she asked. "I'm a submissive."

I blinked. "Meaning?"

"It means my dominant takes care of me."

The way she said it made my stomach twist with curiosity. "Take care of you, how?"

Georgia leaned back against the couch. "Different dynamics work differently. But for me? He handles everything. My apartment, bills, security, gifts. He makes sure I'm okay."

I stared at her. "Wait... seriously?"

"Mhm."

"And in return?"

"I submit to him.”