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She nodded, poking the front of my suit jacket “Blackwall”

“Jesus, you’re fucked up” I turned toto come with us?”

“Dude” Milo held up his hands “You’re the one that got a fucking hard-on to help her You take her home”

“Come on Dev?”

“Nope Sorry,a strea out at her place tonight”

Allie Da subs I’d been craving for days I stood and turned to Milo, but he was looking at his phone, thues In his head, he was probably already rigging her to her personal bondage rack Meanwhile, “Jewels” continued to sob at my feet

“Drop her off at the Blackwell and meet us at Allie’s,” said Milo “We’ll save a little piece of her ass for you, if you don’t take too long”

“Fuck” I looked down at the top of Jewels’ head, wondering why I’d chosen tonight of all nights to play the superhero “Fine, I’ll et her into a cab”

The woman fell asleep as soon as the taxi rolled into traffic The ten- stretched to twenty ainstmy chin

At least she’d stopped crying I couldn’t deal with female tears, unless they were sexual-masochist tears, and then I wanted to bathe in them Yeah, don’t think about that now Wait until you’re at Allie’s

We pulled up at the Blackwell, and I half-helped, half-carried her into the lobby “Any idea where this one belongs?” I asked the doorman

“No, Mr St Clair, don’t recognize her”

“Fuck” I lifted her as she started sagging “She told me she lives here”

“I don’t know, sir I can’t say I know everyone in the building”

I wanted to ask if I could leave her in the lobby until she perked up, but the doorthat allowed passed-out club girls to sleep it off on the sofas, even if she lived here

“I guess I’ll take her up to my place until she’s a little more with it,” I said

“That sounds like a good idea, sir”

“If anyone asks after a woive me a call”

“You got it, Mr St Clair”

You’re an idiot, Mr St Clair That’s what his tone co an unknoohbor or not, she o on a rae and murder me in my apartment before she juht be anyone, or do anything in response to my act of kindness

As soon as I got her inroom I’d already checked her clothes in the cab for pockets, ID, a phone Nothing

I sat back onto think Fawn-brown hair, sht, now that I saw her in the light Who was she? Had I ever seen her in the elevator? She had gorgeous legs, and I had a weakness for legs, so I probably would have remembered her I pulled the top of one of her socks to make them even, and let o No, we don’t fuck the drunk ones

I took off her shoes instead, because they looked clunky and uncomfortable, and she curled into h her mouth was half-open, and her eyelids twitched as if she was having a nightmare I brushed aside her hair to find the back of her collar so I could unbuckle it

She turned her head as I pulled it off, but she didn’t wake I’d hoped therewords written on the inside No such luck I turned it over inthe hardware It was a novelty store collar, pleather with crap stitching, nothing a serious player would use

A serious player I sounded like an elitist asshole, but in the BDSM world, there were people who dabbled, and people aroup, as did the perverts I hung out with I played in the world where consent and force started to blur—illing partners, of course, when I could find them

And when I found them, I didn’t adorn them in cheap pleather painted brass novelty store shit

I tossed the collar on the end table and went to the kitchen, sheddingmy tie I rolled upit through and squeezing it out Daht, with soht not throw up on o back in time…

If I could go back in time, I’d still help her

“Wake up, little subbie,” I said “Where do you live? So for you”

Her eyes tried to open, but didn’t quite e it “Good luck,” she said

“What? Stay with me a minute, Jewels What unit do you live in?”

“Blackwall” She rubbed a hand over her face, s more eyeliner “Blackwall”

“We’re at the Blackwell What’s your apartment number?”

“Good luck Boundless”

I sighed “I need to get you ho to be sick?”

I showed her the bowl, but she ignored it, snuggling deeper into ood luck”

She tried to sit up, then laid back down again I dabbed her head with the cool towel, but she was falling back to sleep “Tomorrow,” she said on a quiet breath “Good luck” Aas she relaxed into dreamland

Great Because ofto miss my much-needed stress release with Allie I texted , then stood over Jeith my hands on my hips The dark look in my eyes would have sent any of my Gallery submissives into a panic, but the woers fell open beside her messed-up curls as she let out a faint snore

Chapter Two: Juliet

I woke slowly, reluctantly, with sore eyes and a throbbing head I reached to rub my temple but e, dark-haired man shifted beside me at the same moment I realized my hands were cuffed to an unfamiliar headboard

Who was he? Where was I? What had I done?

Me brain: a trip frohborhood, to his favored BDSM club I’d lingered beside the bar while I watched for hie I’d drunk tooI shouldn’t have been there I’d wandered outside, not knohat to do, or how to feel better And then…

Nothing Blank space I didn’t know

I pulled on the cuffs, trying to clear the bleariness from my eyes The man besideHis lips parted in a yawn and then closed again as our gazes held I forg

ot my headache and dry throat, and opened my mouth to scream

He lunged before I could do it, clapping a hand over my lips His muscular body settled half on top of ainst his palo

“Calravelly and scary as I expected it to be My senses were heightened as I took in his expression, his dark hazel eyes, his angular jaw, his slightly curved lips His hand tightened overwith terrible clarity: He liked that I was about to pass out from fear

“Deep breaths,” he said His gaze was intent, direct, and unsettling “I’ll let you go, but you can’t scream I’m a friend”

A friend? I stared at his face, but I didn’t know hiers flexed over my lips

“Can I let you go now?” he asked

I shook my head yes, then no I was too scared to think

“For real, calyou the truth I’, okay?”

So he’d noticedtoo—my socks were still on, as well as my underwear and clothes, and he was dressed also, in a t-shirt and sleep pants I did a quick body check, and besidesHe hadn’t done anything bad to me—yet Maybe he wasn’t a serial killer

Please don’t let him be a serial killer His eyes looked too hu slowed to reasonable breaths, and I nodded to let hi to scream My mouth felt so dry, I didn’t think I could scream even if I wanted to, and I couldn’t attack him, because both my wrists were cuffed to his bed He slowly moved his hand fro, he eased sideways and sat up

“Who are you?” I asked, pulling again at the cuffs They were actual, real bondage cuffs, constructed so I couldn’t fuain, as he saw ht