Sneak Peek – Chapter 1

Cooper Hanson caught a glimpse of the woman out of the corner of his eye. He immediately lost his concentration.

Reaching up, he replaced the barbell on its rack and sat up to get a better look. Beyond the glass wall that separated the weight room from the aerobics space, a tall, slender woman—maybe five foot eight—was setting up step platforms in rows in front of the mirrored wall.

Wiping the light sheen of sweat from his face with his workout towel, he rose from the bench and moved toward the glass to get a better look. He guessed she was mid-to-late twenties. Her long, chestnut-colored ponytail swished as she moved. His eye was drawn to the words printed in red across her bright yellow tank top: Doing it for ME.

She was definitely doing it for him, with that slender, toned body, her breasts round and firm, her tan, smooth legs shapely with muscle.   

There was no telltale black leather collar around her neck, which Caelan had told him all the staff slaves on Desire Island wore. Did that mean she was a Domme? Or just a day worker with zero interest in kink? Whatever she was, Cooper needed to find out more.

“I have a sudden urge to take an aerobics class,” he muttered under his breath.

There were several women milling about in the bright, sunny space, setting out their towels and chatting quietly. He took up a spot at the back.

The instructor raised her head and their eyes met for an instant. Cooper caught his breath. In striking contrast to her dark hair and olive complexion, her eyes were a startling shade of violet-blue, fringed with thick, dark lashes that appeared untouched by mascara. They were the most beautiful eyes he’d ever seen.

But there was more than mere physical beauty at play here. Something in her gaze bypassed his brain and lodged directly in his cock. He instantly visualized her naked, her arms suspended high overhead, ropes pulling her taut.

“Beg me,” he growled in the fantasy.

“Please, Sir,” she replied, her eyes wide with fear and desire. “Whip my breasts. Spank my ass. I need to be punished. Make me suffer for you, Sir.”  

She shifted her gaze from him to the room at large, breaking the sensual spell she’d woven around him. With a brisk clap of her hands, she said, “If y’all will each take a place behind a step, we’ll get started.” She had a lilting, Southern accent, her voice clear and pleasant. What would she sound like when she gasped with pleasure… or pain?

“Let’s go around the room real quick and introduce ourselves. For those of you who don’t yet know me, I’m Lainey Miller.” She nodded toward a woman in the front row. “Just tell us your name and whatever else you want to share.”

“I’m Katie, scene name slave Kitty,” the short, plump woman said with a girlish giggle.

They went around the room. Since there were only six of them, not counting Lainey, it was soon Cooper’s turn. “Cooper Hanson,” he said. “The odd man out,” he added with a grin.

“You need to get in the front row so we can watch those tight buns in action,” an older woman in his row who had introduced herself as Mistress Donna said in a smoky voice.

“Now, now,” Lainey said with a laugh. “Let’s not scare away the lone guy in class.”

Not a chance, Cooper thought, but he just smiled.

Lainey tapped at her watch and music flowed from the overhead speakers—an instrumental song with a thumping bass. “We’ll stretch and warm up first. Go at your own pace.”

As Lainey led the group through their exercises, Cooper’s imagination went into overdrive. In his mind’s eye, she was now lying over his lap, her arms extended along the couch, her legs trapped in his. He admired her small, round bottom, whose creamy flesh he would soon turn a bright, cherry red. Cupping his hand just so, he brought it down hard against her soft skin. Each breathy cry and plea for mercy only spurred him on.

When he couldn’t hold out another second, he flipped her over and stretched his naked body over hers. She arched up to meet him as he plunged his raging erection into her sopping cunt.

“Yes,” she screamed in his fantasy. “Fuck me hard. I need you. Oh god, oh god, yessss…”

Suddenly aware of the bulge now tenting his shorts, Cooper snapped out of it. He forced himself to focus on the workout as he got his body back under control.

“I’m going to get to know you, Lainey Miller,” he silently vowed as the workout came to a close. “Very, very well.”

“Just think about it,” Caelan Macauley, one of the trainers at the resort, as well as Cooper’s friend from their college days, encouraged. They were sharing a drink at the tiki bar on the beach that evening before dinner. It was Cooper’s third day on the island. “You’ve sold your business and you’ve said you’re somewhat at loose ends. We’re looking to add more Doms to the staff, especially during season. Ella and Ryan agree with me that you’d be a great addition. The pay’s quite decent, not to mention free room and board. It doesn’t have to be full-time. You could teach a few classes with impact toys and rope. Maybe mentor some of the dominant clients with specific agendas—that kind of thing.”

Cooper didn’t reply right away. It was an interesting offer. He didn’t need the money, but the idea was intriguing. He’d often thought about “giving back” to the BDSM community. It would be good to bring along the next generation of Doms, especially those raised on internet porn, who didn’t really understand the nuance and power of an actual D/s power exchange.

On the other hand, he’d been working eighty-hour weeks nonstop for the past six years and a job—even one as laid back and inviting as becoming a professional Dom—wasn’t really his focus right now. “Sure,” he agreed noncommittally. “I’ll think about it.”

Caelan smiled. “Great. No pressure. Just something to consider. You can start tomorrow,” he added with a laugh.

Cooper laughed too. “So much for no pressure.”

Caelan swiveled on his stool to regard Cooper with a wry smile. “Now. Spill it. What’s got you so hot and bothered? Is it a woman?”

Cooper smiled sheepishly. “You always could read me like a book, even before you got your psychiatric degree.”

Caelan’s smile widened. “Don’t give me too much credit. I’ve found, nine times out of ten on this hedonistic island, the lure of sexual attraction is stronger than the tide of the ocean. Who is it? A guest? One of the staff?”

“Staff,” Cooper admitted. “Lainey Miller, the fitness instructor. Is she a Domme or a sub or none of the above?”

Caelan furrowed his brow in apparent thought. “I’m not sure what her BDSM orientation is. She’s only been here about a month. I’ve seen her at the dungeon parties from time to time, but I never saw her engaged in a scene.”

“Tell me everything you know,” Cooper urged, startled by how much he cared.

Caelan tilted his head, regarding Cooper with a thoughtful expression. “I thought you were adamant about not hooking up with anyone on this trip. You just wanted to relax on the beach, take a few instructional classes, check out the dungeon…”

“Right, right,” Cooper agreed with a laugh. “That’s still the case. I need to decompress after the past six years of insanity. But who’s talking about hooking up? I’m just…curious, is all. Something about her caught my eye.”

“Okay. I’ll take you at face value—for now.” Caelan took a drink from his mug of beer and stared out at the ocean. The sun was just setting, giving the air around them a golden glow. “I’ll tell you what little I know. We’ve been wanting to expand our spa and gym services for a while. Once the new extension to the main resort building was completed, we brought on another fitness expert to work with Abbie, our yoga and slave positions trainer.”

“So, she’s a day worker? Comes in on the ferry?”

“Yep.” Caelan nodded. “She’s connected enough in the scene to have come across our want ad for the position. We only advertise on BDSM and BDSM-friendly sites. I didn’t personally interview her, but the owners were satisfied she’s comfortable with nudity and BDSM or she wouldn’t have been hired. Abbie’s still teaching the more BDSM-specific classes, like bondage yoga, positions training and submissive meditation, and Lainey’s been spearheading the vanilla classes.”

“Married, single, straight, gay?” Cooper pushed, aware he was acting like a teenager, but unable to help himself.

Caelan gave him another knowing smile. “Single, I’m pretty sure. As to her sexual orientation, I’m afraid I don’t have a clue.” As Cooper’s face fell, Caelan laughed indulgently, his eyes twinkling. “Don’t worry. You’re just asking the wrong person. According to my wife, we trainers never know anything that’s going on in terms of romantic intrigue and island gossip. It’s the staff slaves who have their finger on the pulse of this place. I’ll check with Skylar. She’ll know the scoop.”

“Thanks, man,” Cooper said sincerely. “I appreciate it.”

~*~

“So, is tonight the night? You finally going to participate in a scene?” Abbie asked. Abbie was cute, with red hair and fair skin, a dusting of freckles over her nose. She and her cousin, Kendra, whom Lainey also really liked, were both dressed in sexy fetish wear. Abbie wore an emerald green satin bustier with matching thong panties, her ever-present jewel-clasped slave collar around her neck.

Kendra, a chef at the resort, was in a sleeveless black leather minidress with a plunging neckline. Her feet were shod in Doc Martens, her short auburn hair brushed back, tattoos inked on both shoulders.

The three of them stood just inside the large double doors of the main dungeon. The Friday night party was already in full swing. Guests of the island were decked out in leather and chains, if they wore anything at all. People were bound to St. Andrew’s crosses, bent over spanking benches and restrained on racks. Others wielded whips and heavy floggers. Still more were clustered in small groups, watching the action with rapt attention. The air crackled with sexual tension and edgy energy.

Lainey didn’t own any fetish wear, but she’d packed a clingy black Spandex dress for tonight’s party. She wore this, along with a pair of shiny black high heels, her legs bare.

“I don’t know,” she hedged. “Like I’ve said before—I’m more of a voyeur than participant. I can’t really imagine spanking or whipping some dude, and no way am I going to allow anyone to do that to me.”

“I get it,” Abbie said kindly. “It can be a little scary at first.”

Lainey snorted. “I’m not scared,” she asserted.

How many times had she said those words?

Her three older brothers, who were two, four and six years her senior, still razzed her about it, claiming those were the first words out of her mouth as a toddler. Her body had been one big bruise growing up, as she tried desperately to keep up with the boys. Her overriding emotion as a kid had been outrage at being left out.

She could still see the fierce, dirt-smudged, tangle-haired, determined little girl in her memory—balancing on rock ledges, leaping from the tallest tree into the creek behind their house, racing down hills on her bike, hands off the handle bars—and any number of other stupid, dangerous things, all in an effort to gain their attention and approval. She hadn’t been just as good as a boy—she’d been better.

It wasn’t the idea of erotic pain that frightened her, but more that she would make a fool of herself during a scene. What if she couldn’t handle it? Her new friends were so strong and confident—traits she’d at first thought at odds with being sexually masochistic, but was coming to understand were essential for true submission. While she was curious about the whole thing, she had no idea if she’d love it, or totally freak.

“You don’t have to decide now.” Kendra placed a comforting hand on Lainey’s arm. Then she added with a grin, “Wait and see if Master Caelan’s pal, Cooper Hanson, shows up. Then decide.”

Lainey startled and then furrowed her brows. At the same time, her heart kicked up several notches. “What are you talking about?”

“You don’t live on the island,” Abbie said with a smile. “And you’re still new enough not to have been sucked into the gossip vortex that exists around here. The staff here are way more than just colleagues who share a living space. We’re a small, close-knit community who come into daily intimate contact with each other. So when Master Caelan asked Skylar, she came to me since you and I work closely together. I was going to tell you about it earlier but I got distracted and forgot.”

“Forgot what?” Lainey demanded impatiently.

“That Cooper Hanson was asking about you,” Kendra replied for her cousin. “And not about your credentials as a fitness instructor,” she added with an exaggerated wink.

“He was?” Lainey squeaked. Then she blushed at her lack of control. Millers did not squeak.

At the same time, her nipples tightened at the thought of seeing him again. Cooper was a little over six foot tall, with the muscular build of an athlete. He had black, wavy hair that flopped over onto a high forehead, sweat making it curl appealingly along the back of his neck. His dark eyes had captured her in their gaze, making it hard to look away. He had a strong nose above a sensual mouth. He was, in a word, gorgeous.

He’d caught her staring several times during the step class, and their eyes had locked before she’d found the wherewithal to glance away. Was the attraction mutual?

Not that she’d planned to do anything about it.

It wasn’t that she’d mind meeting someone new. She’d been without a steady guy for over a year now, since breaking off the engagement with Ian. But she’d decided when she took this job that it made no sense to get involved with the guests. After all, they were, by definition, just passing through, and one-night-stands were not her thing.

“He was,” Abbie confirmed. “And so, naturally, we had to get the scoop in return. Skylar pumped Master Caelan right back for information on his friend. Want to hear it?”

Lainey almost said no—a knee-jerk response in an effort to pretend she didn’t care. But she did care. A lot.

“Yes,” she admitted.

“Most important info first. He’s a Dom,” Abbie said. “And he’s single. He has his own boat anchored at the private marina near the Master’s Cottage on the other side of the island.”

“Yeah,” Kendra added eagerly. “He’s a tech genius, apparently. Had some kind of complicated startup business that has something to do with neurosurgical techniques or something like that. He just sold it for a gazillion dollars to some big company. In other words, he’s loaded.”   

“It’s just as easy…” Abbie began in a silly, singsong voice, grinning at her cousin.

“…to fall in love with a rich man as a poor one,” Kendra finished with a laugh.

“Whoa, hold on,” Lainey protested, though she, too, was laughing in spite of herself. “Who said anything about falling for anyone?”

“We’re just teasing you,” Abbie said, her smile kind.

Kendra nudged Lainey in the ribs. “Speak of the devil. There he is.”

Lainey turned and caught her breath. There he was, decked out in leather, looking good enough to eat. His hair fell roguishly over his forehead and his jaw was still covered in sexy three-day stubble. He wore a black leather vest, his massive chest bare beneath, luxuriant dark hair curling along his sternum. Black leather pants hugged his legs and the alluring bulge at his crotch. Black boots completed the ensemble, along with a nylon gear bag slung casually over one shoulder.

The guy had no right to look so damn good.

Perhaps feeling their eyes on him, Cooper turned in their direction. A slow, sexy smile lifted his lips, and Lainey’s heart did a flip-flop in her chest.

“Hey there,” he said, sauntering over to them. “Anyone up for a scene?” He spoke to them all, but his eyes were fixed on Lainey’s.

Lainey’s heart leaped into her throat. She glanced from Cooper to Abbie. What do I do? she telegraphed urgently with her eyes.  

Abbie gave her a small, encouraging nod, as if to say, “You got this.” Aloud, she said chirpily, “Sounds like fun, but I’ve got a work gig.” Then she melted away.

Lainey turned to Kendra, who flashed an impish grin. “I see my fella. Have fun, you two!” Then she, too, vanished into the dungeon.

Lainey watched helplessly as her friends deserted her. She would have to kill them later. But for now, she ordered herself to hitch up her big-girl panties. She’d been fantasizing about just such a scenario ever since this guy had walked into her step class. The question was—did she have the nerve to go through with it?

Her mouth was dry, her heart beating overfast. She felt like she was in seventh grade, and Denny Johansen, the cutest guy in middle school, had just asked her to dance. What if she made a fool of herself? What if she freaked out?

Cooper, whose gaze had never wavered from Lainey, let his eyes rove slowly over her body, electrifying her nipples and soaking her panties in the process. Eventually, his eyes returned to her face. His smile was easy but his eyes were glittering like black diamonds.

“Guess that just leaves you, hmm?”