Going this route was the best chance they had to ensure Mason was the one who helped Shelby with her supposed sexual rediscovery. She hadn’t expected him to walk right up to her, though.
“I’d heard Cassie got married,” he finally said.
“When you came up behind me and that security guard called you by your name, I sorta panicked. I thought I’d have some time to work up the nerve to find you. Then you’d found me, and I started second-guessing myself.” She laughed nervously because that much was true. She’d been ready to leave this place and never come back. Field work be damned…hello desk job.
“I see. Well, I apologize if I came off a little harsh. I’m a very private person—”
“Oh me too,” Shelby blurted. “I don’t think I want anybody knowing about this. I mean, it’s no one’s business what I’m into. I mean, what I might be into.”
“Relax.” Mason grabbed both her hands and put them in his lap, causing the butterflies in her stomach to practically riot. “I understand you’re nervous. That’s why we need to talk.”
Shelby nodded, not sure she’d be able to find her voice.
“Since you brought up Cassie, you should know more about why we didn’t work out—because it wasn’t an isolated incident—so you’ll understand what I want, and how I go about things. It might not be relevant tonight, but if we continue, I don’t want there to be any surprises.”
Oh shit, it was really happening. She tried not to flinch or make any sudden moves while mentally ordering her body to relax.
“I want complete submission in the bedroom. I’m not one to demand it outside of sexual encounters. Having a slave is, frankly, too much work, and my life is already demanding enough as it is. But in the bedroom, I will call the shots.”
She nodded, absorbing it all. That s-word had her feeling anxious since it wasn’t something she’d considered, but thankfully, it didn’t seem to be an issue anyway.
“I understand trust is something earned, and will take time, but from the very beginning, I have to believe you are doing your very best to embrace your submissive side, giving yourself over to me. It won’t be easy, and I’m not one to go lightly. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Master.”
He flashed his smile at her, and she felt a tingle of happiness that he’d approved.
Then she frowned. She shouldn’t be happy about that. This was a work assignment. She wasn’t here for herself. She was here for the sake of the case she was on.
“I just lost you.”
Her gaze darted to his, and he was searching her eyes. “Sorry. This is a lot to take in.”
“I know, but if this is something you truly want, Shelby, you will experience pleasure like you’ve never known before.”
But this wasn’t something she really wanted. She was undercover. No. She buried that thought deep down to keep it from surfacing again. From here on out, she would not think about this as an assignment. She would make it as real for her as she could, so it would be as believable as possible. She had no other choice.
“Have you tried anything kinky before, even minor things like being spanked during sex?”
Shelby felt her face get hot, and she shook her head quickly. She might be willing to embrace this experience, but she wanted this conversation over like yesterday.
“All right. There’s a process I like to follow when training a new sub. If you can accept my terms, I’ll agree to help you.”
His gaze told her there’d be no negotiation on the matter. If she wanted to do this, she’d have to be on board with whatever he was going to say. This was it. Would she be able to do this? Get close to Mason Showalter and get the intel needed to crack this case? She was frozen in her seat as he continued.
“It involves putting you through four scenes. One each week. Normally, I’d want to start immediately if you’re willing. You’re new and a bit skittish, though, so I think you need a little time to adjust to the idea before we begin. You have to be absolutely sure this is what you want. Do you want this, pet?”
“Yes,” she whispered. Jeez, was he not even going to tell her what kind of stuff these four scenes consisted of? Would they be public? Please, baby Jesus, don’t be public.
“Are you free on Friday?”
Shelby nodded, unable to say anything.
“Good. We’ll meet here, but I’ll give you my number in case you change your mind.” He stroked her sweaty hand. “This process will help you not only discover if this is the lifestyle you truly want, but also what you do and don’t like sexually. Keep in mind, a submissive wants to please her Master, just as a Master wants to please his submissive. Sometimes one does things only for the benefit of the other because he or she knows it’s what they want. This won’t be easy, but hopefully, you’ll reach a point where you embrace your submissive side, realizing submission is what you truly crave.” He shrugged. “And if not, then you’ll know for sure because what I put you through in these four scenes will give you a taste of what this life is about.”
Her brain was swimming. Four scenes. She knew from her research that meant he was going to do four BDSM activities with her, which may or may not include sex. She knew this was going to happen, and she felt her resolve settle in. She could do four. Putting a number on it seemed to make it more manageable. And one a week wouldn’t be bad. It’d give her time to prepare for the scene and to decompress after it was over before another would start. Plus, it’d give her time to maybe work in some visits outside the club and get him recorded, maybe stopping her from doing all of them anyway.
“So what scenes will we be doing, Master?” It was slowly getting easier to call him that. Still felt weird, though.
He smiled at her. “I normally don’t tell my subs the answer to that question, pet. The element of surprise plays a factor in building trust. But this is all new to you, and since this visit wasn’t prearranged, you do need to know what you’re getting into.” He watched her closely before continuing. “First, we’ll try spanking. It’ll give you a taste of pain and help me test your tolerance. Next we will do bondage, then whipping, and finally, fire play.”
Fire? Her mouth dropped. What the heck did he mean by fire?
“Uh-uh. I won’t go into it any more than that. I don’t want you focusing on the details while we are in the moment. Besides, we might not get to all of them if things don’t work out.”
“Work out?”
“Yes, pet. Depending on how you do one week will determine if we continue on to the next week.”
“So if I’m not ready then we will wait?” She frowned at him. Why wait? He wasn’t making sense.
“That’s not what I mean. If you don’t give me your absolute best while we are playing, then we will stop. We might stop during the scene, or we might finish it, but if I feel you aren’t trying, or you’re not as into it as you should be then our association will be over. I don’t dominate women just because I like to order you around. I do it because I thrive off the response I get. If I’m not getting what I need, I can’t give you what you need. It may seem mean to you, but that give and take is how it works. For me, anyway.”