The Siren
Page 61
“Sounds horrifying.”
“Horrifying is the last thing Søren is. Dangerous, yes. I’ll give you that. But S&M’s only dangerous if you play with someone you don’t trust or if you forget your safe word.” She stopped, looked up at the ceiling and smiled. He could see something like a memory flash across her eyes. “Trust me, whatever you do, Zach, don’t forget your safe word.”
“What’s a safe word?”
“A safe word’s your last out. That’s the dark secret of S&M—the submissives actually have the final say. And your safe word can be anything—popcorn, barn owl—whatever as long as it’s not a word you’d use in a scene. If you need to tell the person topping you that you have to stop completely, you end it by using that word.”
“You can’t just say ‘stop’?”
“A lot of submissives enjoy feeling overpowered and truly dominated. God knows I did. ‘Stop’ doesn’t mean ‘stop’ in S&M. It’s just part of the scene. You should have a safe word down here. Everyone does. Except Søren, of course.”
“Why is he exempt?”
Nora smirked and rolled her eyes.
“Because Søren doesn’t get topped. Go ahead. You can pick anything—the street you grew up on, your favorite food, the middle name of the long-lost love of your life. Got one?”
“Sure, fine,” Zach said, picking the first word that came to mind. “Calais.”
“The city in France?”
“Oui.”
“Bien. I’ll remember it. If I start to push you hard enough you need to really get out, just say that and everything will stop. Saying ‘no, Nora, I don’t think that’s such a grand idea’ doesn’t always work on me.”
“I’ve noticed.” Zach took a sip of his drink. “So my writer is the most famous Domme in New York.”
Nora grinned. “Zach, I’m the most famous Domme—” she began and then closed her mouth. Her ears seemed to perk up. She tilted her head sideways.
“Do you hear that?” she asked.
Zach listened.
“I don’t hear anything.”
Nora inhaled and exhaled slowly.
“Fuck.”
Nora jumped to her feet and raced to the balcony area of the bar. Zach ran to join her.
“What is it?” Zach asked.
Griffin came to stand behind them. Zach heard him chuckling.
“Stop me if you’ve heard this one—a priest, a rabbi and a griffin walk into an S&M club…”
“This is why I gag you during sex, Griffin,” Nora nearly growled.
“You brought a date to the Circle,” Griffin chided. “What did you expect him to do?”
“I expected King to keep his mouth shut.”
“You know King answers to a higher power.”
“Nora,” Zach said with exasperation, “please tell me what’s going on.”
Nora turned to face him. He saw real fear in her eyes.
“Søren.”
“Søren?” Zach repeated and looked down. A man stood at the top of the staircase where he and Nora had entered. Zach couldn’t make out any of his features at first. All he noticed was the man’s commanding height, his incredible presence. All play below had ceased at his entrance. He strode down the staircase slowly, imperiously. The world stopped for him. The chaos on the floor fell silent. Everyone everywhere, Nora included, seemed to be holding their breath.
Zach narrowed his eyes at the sight of Nora’s former lover. He noticed something strange about the man’s clothes.
“Zach, I should have told you. There’s a lot I should have told you.”
“Søren…” Zach said in utter shock. “He’s a priest?”
“My priest.”
19
A hundred whispers and hints from conversations over the past few weeks came back to Zach in an instant. Nora Sutherlin’s former lover who still haunted her like the shadow of a ghost was a Catholic priest. And if it weren’t for the fear in her eyes and the dread in his stomach he might have laughed.
“Zach, look at me,” Nora ordered, and Zach wrenched his eyes away from the scene below.
“It’s all right,” Zach said, trying to reassure her.
“No, it isn’t,” she said. “He’s here for a reason and it’s probably not a good one. If he wants me, I have to go with him. I won’t have a choice.”
“Of course you have a choice,” Zach said.
Nora shook her head. “Not down here. House rules. Griffin?”
“Yes, my Mistress in Distress?” Griffin said, clearly taking great pleasure in Nora’s extreme agitation.
“I’ll need you to stay with Zach if you can. Just don’t let him out of your sight. That’s an order.”
“I’m all over it. And him, too, if he’ll let me.”
“He won’t let you,” Zach said, and Griffin grinned at him.
“And Griffin.” She reached out to take Griffin’s face in her hands. “For God’s sake and for the first time in your life, keep your mouth shut.”
Zach expected one of Griffin’s witty retorts but the young man merely nodded. Zach saw something pass between them, some sort of secret understanding that he was apparently not to be privy to. He’d already seen Nora’s former lover was a priest. What else was left to shock him?
“Horrifying is the last thing Søren is. Dangerous, yes. I’ll give you that. But S&M’s only dangerous if you play with someone you don’t trust or if you forget your safe word.” She stopped, looked up at the ceiling and smiled. He could see something like a memory flash across her eyes. “Trust me, whatever you do, Zach, don’t forget your safe word.”
“What’s a safe word?”
“A safe word’s your last out. That’s the dark secret of S&M—the submissives actually have the final say. And your safe word can be anything—popcorn, barn owl—whatever as long as it’s not a word you’d use in a scene. If you need to tell the person topping you that you have to stop completely, you end it by using that word.”
“You can’t just say ‘stop’?”
“A lot of submissives enjoy feeling overpowered and truly dominated. God knows I did. ‘Stop’ doesn’t mean ‘stop’ in S&M. It’s just part of the scene. You should have a safe word down here. Everyone does. Except Søren, of course.”
“Why is he exempt?”
Nora smirked and rolled her eyes.
“Because Søren doesn’t get topped. Go ahead. You can pick anything—the street you grew up on, your favorite food, the middle name of the long-lost love of your life. Got one?”
“Sure, fine,” Zach said, picking the first word that came to mind. “Calais.”
“The city in France?”
“Oui.”
“Bien. I’ll remember it. If I start to push you hard enough you need to really get out, just say that and everything will stop. Saying ‘no, Nora, I don’t think that’s such a grand idea’ doesn’t always work on me.”
“I’ve noticed.” Zach took a sip of his drink. “So my writer is the most famous Domme in New York.”
Nora grinned. “Zach, I’m the most famous Domme—” she began and then closed her mouth. Her ears seemed to perk up. She tilted her head sideways.
“Do you hear that?” she asked.
Zach listened.
“I don’t hear anything.”
Nora inhaled and exhaled slowly.
“Fuck.”
Nora jumped to her feet and raced to the balcony area of the bar. Zach ran to join her.
“What is it?” Zach asked.
Griffin came to stand behind them. Zach heard him chuckling.
“Stop me if you’ve heard this one—a priest, a rabbi and a griffin walk into an S&M club…”
“This is why I gag you during sex, Griffin,” Nora nearly growled.
“You brought a date to the Circle,” Griffin chided. “What did you expect him to do?”
“I expected King to keep his mouth shut.”
“You know King answers to a higher power.”
“Nora,” Zach said with exasperation, “please tell me what’s going on.”
Nora turned to face him. He saw real fear in her eyes.
“Søren.”
“Søren?” Zach repeated and looked down. A man stood at the top of the staircase where he and Nora had entered. Zach couldn’t make out any of his features at first. All he noticed was the man’s commanding height, his incredible presence. All play below had ceased at his entrance. He strode down the staircase slowly, imperiously. The world stopped for him. The chaos on the floor fell silent. Everyone everywhere, Nora included, seemed to be holding their breath.
Zach narrowed his eyes at the sight of Nora’s former lover. He noticed something strange about the man’s clothes.
“Zach, I should have told you. There’s a lot I should have told you.”
“Søren…” Zach said in utter shock. “He’s a priest?”
“My priest.”
19
A hundred whispers and hints from conversations over the past few weeks came back to Zach in an instant. Nora Sutherlin’s former lover who still haunted her like the shadow of a ghost was a Catholic priest. And if it weren’t for the fear in her eyes and the dread in his stomach he might have laughed.
“Zach, look at me,” Nora ordered, and Zach wrenched his eyes away from the scene below.
“It’s all right,” Zach said, trying to reassure her.
“No, it isn’t,” she said. “He’s here for a reason and it’s probably not a good one. If he wants me, I have to go with him. I won’t have a choice.”
“Of course you have a choice,” Zach said.
Nora shook her head. “Not down here. House rules. Griffin?”
“Yes, my Mistress in Distress?” Griffin said, clearly taking great pleasure in Nora’s extreme agitation.
“I’ll need you to stay with Zach if you can. Just don’t let him out of your sight. That’s an order.”
“I’m all over it. And him, too, if he’ll let me.”
“He won’t let you,” Zach said, and Griffin grinned at him.
“And Griffin.” She reached out to take Griffin’s face in her hands. “For God’s sake and for the first time in your life, keep your mouth shut.”
Zach expected one of Griffin’s witty retorts but the young man merely nodded. Zach saw something pass between them, some sort of secret understanding that he was apparently not to be privy to. He’d already seen Nora’s former lover was a priest. What else was left to shock him?
