Shadows in the Dark (Dark Lotus #1)

15. Adrian

Saturday had arrived, and it was a day I had been looking forward to for a couple of weeks now. After I had summoned Karma to a private room, I had been intrigued with her. At first, it had been idle curiosity, but once I started to imagine the various ways in which I could break her, I had thought of little else.

Despite the different ideas running through my head, I had to remind myself more than once that she was new to the lifestyle. At least she wasn’t a virgin. If she had been, I never would’ve been able to touch her. My kinks were far too hardcore, and I’d break more than her body. I’d destroy that spirit of hers which was optimistic at the moment.

I also wore suits to my scenes at Lotus. The submissives liked it, and other than work, it was the only other place I went where I could wear one. I certainly had no use for something like this at the gym. Majorly introverted, I rarely went anywhere because I preferred to be at home. Until my dick got as hard as it was now, and I knew there was no way to remedy it without a visit here.

I arrived before Karma, then took a seat to track her whereabouts. With the sex trafficking in the city having reached an all-time high, the safety of these women was paramount. It was the reason each vehicle was outfitted with a tracker we could use to pinpoint their whereabouts at any given time.

“Looks like someone came to scene tonight,” a deep male voice said, and I turned swiftly in its direction.

“Yeah,” was all that I said.

“Have fun, Benedict. I have a girl on the way myself.”

I gave Stavros Sarkis a curt nod and didn’t say more. Upon moving to San Francisco and finding this community of like-minded men, I had gotten to know the others over the years. Stavros was different, however, as the two of us had always known each other. We both hailed from Athens, and our families did similar things for a living. Both in the shipping industry, Stavros did what I would not. He followed in his father’s footsteps, and worked alongside him, but in California instead of Greece.

Stavros was two years older than me, and he was one of the most outgoing Dominants here. He was also a bit of a thorn in my side as we often were compared to one another since so close in age. Even before leaving Greece, I was a bit of a loner. While the man in front of me would excel in various sports and be the talk of the town, I preferred to stay back in the shadows where I had always belonged.

I considered the man no threat to anything I had, yet it still unnerved me to have him here in California. He didn’t know the truth about what had really happened to Aria, but he knew enough to keep me uneasy. I never shared personal information about myself with submissives, and certainly not with these men I loosely called friends. Well, maybe they were more acquaintances. Other than Lotus, I saw none of them outside of here which was fine by me.

“She should be here any minute now. In fact, two cars are coming up the street.”

At Stavros’ words, I looked up where he was pointing, and I noticed that two submissives were about to make their arrival. It had me glancing back down at the tracker on my phone, and I realized that one of them was Karma. I quickly rose to my feet, then left the man standing there as I moved toward the back corner where everything was mostly dark. I moved behind a column where I would be able to see anyone who walked by, but they wouldn’t be able to see me.

It was important to watch Karma as she experienced Lotus for the very first time. I would save every inch of her delectable body to memory, but I wanted to start with this open area first. It was small and only a portion of it was even lit. That was the side that housed the bar where more blow jobs went down than drinks. We kept a bartender on site anyway, especially for those times when either one of the Dominants or submissives needed something after a scene. We would never let one of the women drink before a scene, but a few shots took the place of a cigarette that some liked to smoke after great sex.

Sex! My dick continued to throb as my head filled once more with visions of the numerous things I wanted to do with her tonight. Having already called ahead, I knew the room I took her to would have everything I needed. I was rarely one to ever indulge or do something spontaneously, so well-thought out planning was what I did. It saved me from reacting with emotions during a scene and instead using logic. Mine tonight told me to take it easy on her because I didn’t want to overwhelm her too much.

There’s no pleasure to be found in nobility.

That had been something my Pappouli had told me right after Aria had died. My mother had worried incessantly over how even more withdrawn I had become, and she had shared her fears with her own father.

My Pappouli had always been more of a father when it came to imparting wisdom, so it hadn’t surprised me that he had been the one to try talking to me. The only problem was that even he couldn’t erase what had been done. My father had tried, and while all visual evidence had been destroyed, the trauma still stuck with me. Even to this day.

The sound of the heavy door opening had me pushing thoughts of Greece aside. It shut with a resounding thud, then a chorus of female voices grew closer. One of those I recognized, as it had been the same one crying out in pleasure over video a short time ago.

I watched Karma as she was approached by one of the dungeon hands. The guy reached out to take her jacket from her, but she clutched it tightly against her until the other submissive she had entered Lotus with quickly let the other man remove hers.

I smirked as she begrudgingly allowed the man to take the heavy coat. Underneath it, I knew she would be wearing the black lingerie I had picked out by hand. It had even been at that same boutique where I had run into her a few weeks before. She had made eye contact with me that night, although she had no idea who I was. She would once we came face to face, though.

She stood there nervously, then smiled politely as Stavros retrieved his submissive for the night. I didn’t miss the way he slowly dragged his gaze down Karma’s scantily clad body, and I almost growled out loud. The only reason I didn’t was because I wanted to surprise her.

After letting her linger alone for another few seconds, I finally made my way over to her. She was standing with her back to me, and when she realized she was no longer alone, she shivered.

Fuck! I loved responsive women.

I leaned in and nipped on her ear. I knew she had long hair, but my instructions had also included an item that asked her to put it up for me. Without all that dark chocolate silk to get in the way, I could see how my very breath caused goosebumps to rise on her flesh.

“You look lovely tonight, Karma.” She tried to turn, but I wrapped one arm around her, then tugged her against me. “So fucking beautiful.”

I then removed my arm, and bracing for recognition, I spun her around. She was looking at my chest at first, but we stood there as her eyes slowly raised higher. When hers met mine, I heard a slight gasp.

“You. You were at the-”

“I thought you might recognize me.”

“How?” I could see the confusion on her face, and I grinned wider.

“It was purely coincidental, but very much welcomed. Seeing you around all that lace provided much inspiration for me. I wanted to stick around that night and watch you try on some of those pieces, but I couldn’t trust myself not to rip it off of you if I had.”

“I don’t understand. I...”

Her voice trailed off as she tried to gather her thoughts. I liked the fact that I had already practically rendered her speechless, and we hadn’t even moved to the room yet.

“I wasn’t even sure completely that it was you until I heard you ask for something in coral. You were such a good girl for putting forth all that effort to please me. Deeds like that do not go unrewarded. Tonight, I have many ways to express my gratitude for your compliance.”

She smiled, and if I wasn’t so jaded, I might have read more into it than I would allow myself to do. Karma was sexy as hell, and I was horny as fuck. That was all that it was. All that it could ever be. Still, I remembered the room, and I didn’t want to keep her waiting.

“Now that all pleasantries have been expelled, let’s take this party somewhere more private. I have a room just down the hall. We should head that way.”

I clutched one of her hands in mine, then led the way to our accommodations for the night. Well, it wouldn’t be for all night, at least for me, but she was welcome to stay however long she needed to once we were done. The last thing I wanted to do was focus on the conclusion of a night I had been impatiently waiting on, so when I opened the door, I stepped aside so she could enter first.

“Wow,” she said as she came to the center and stopped.

This particular room had a few different pieces of furniture, as well as a few different types of crosses. It had a wall lined with various floggers, paddles, canes, and whips. She trembled slightly upon laying eyes on it, then quickly turned her head.

“One of the first rules you will learn is presentation. Each Dominant is different in their preference, but mine is very simple. I want you to drop to your knees, place your hands, palm-side up on them, then hang your head.”

She quickly dropped to her knees, and the vision had my cock hardening even more. I had imagined putting those luscious lips of hers to good use, and she was at the perfect height for me to do so. I didn’t, though. When she had properly presented herself to me, I slowly circled around her.

Karma stayed just like that even when I walked away to remove my suit jacket. After, I loosened my tie before finally ridding myself of it. Finally I undid a few of the buttons on my shirt, then I returned to her.

“You make a very fetching sight. Take my hand so I can help you up and over to this table.” I pointed to my left, then she took my extended hand and I helped her to her feet. I looked over at the black velvet cover on it, then over to her. Our eyes met, and I groaned before I succumbed to her unspoken plea. I pulled her against me, then fused my lips to hers.