Stronghold (Stronghold 1) Read online

  Stronghold

  By G. Angel

  Published by G. Angel

  Copyright 2013 G. Angel

  Thank you so much to my readers who encouraged me to write the Venus Rising Quartet. I’m glad that you fell in love with the characters as much as I did, because that’s where the Stronghold series was born.

  And an extra special thank you to Queenie, Amanda and Fifi, who have helped keep me motivated and made this book into what it is.

  As always, love and appreciation to my ever supportive husband, to whom I dedicate this book.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Epilogue

  Chapter 1

  Walking into the club was the hardest thing Angel Jones had ever done in her life.

  She'd deliberately chosen Chained because it was a new club and it was in Virginia, much farther away from her home than the club that she really wanted to join - Stronghold in DC. There was slim chance of anyone from Stronghold being at Chained, the regulars anyway; basic psychology, once people become comfortable in a space they tended to stay in that space. Even kinksters who like to push boundaries. Maybe especially kinksters, since they had to be able to trust the people they were with. So regulars to Stronghold wouldn’t search out a new club because they were comfortable in their space at Stronghold and trusted the people there, why would they drive such a distance to check out a new club?

  Easy answer: they wouldn’t.

  This was the second time Angel had ever been to a BDSM club, the first time had been years up in New York City when she was still in college. Since then she'd realized that she was submissive but she didn’t have any friends currently living in Maryland who were in the scene. Actually, other than her best friend Leigh she didn’t have any close friends who were female and just contemplating the idea of talking to one of her close guy friends about her kinky desires was enough to make her blush, so she was making this difficult journey alone. Which was absolutely terrifying.

  Getting out of her car, Angel smoothed her hands over the long embroidered jacket she was wearing. She'd dressed very carefully tonight because she was going to be doing something wrong - she was going into a club as a Mistress rather than a submissive. It was dishonest, which rankled her, but she had done her research and she knew exactly how dangerous it could be for a new submissive entering public scening. She'd decided that until she garnered experience in a public setting that it would be safer to present herself as a Mistress. Of course she couldn’t do that at a club that she planned on attending as a submissive, which is why she was at Chained tonight instead of Stronghold.

  She taught her students all the time that the first step to keeping themselves safe was not to put themselves into dangerous situations. To her, putting herself in a position to be tied up and at the mercy of someone else was pretty much her description of a dangerous situation. She had no one to watch her back and her only information about these clubs was second hand. Once she was more comfortable in the club and felt more confident about knowing the scene and her ability to keep herself safe, she would go to Stronghold as a submissive. No harm done to anyone and she'd have a nice and easy introduction into the world that she'd been fantasizing about ever since she first heard about it.

  Fervently she wished she had a friend that she could do this with so that she didn‘t have to pretend to be something she wasn’t. Angel was an inherently honest person, although she also loved doing theater as a hobby and knew herself to be a good actress, and if she'd had someone to go with her to the club then maybe she could have just started off at Stronghold without any of the lies. Unfortunately she didn’t have anyone she felt comfortable asking to go with her. Even though her best friend Leigh would probably have come because she was a really good friend, Angel couldn’t picture her enjoying it. Not to mention that there was no way Leigh’s boyfriend, Michael, would approve. And Angel didn’t think she’d feel like a very good friend for having forced Leigh into such an uncomfortable position.

  Twenty five years old, she’d only ever had two serious relationships, the second one had ended over a year ago and since then she hadn’t dated anyone seriously. Neither of them had been able to give her what she craved, neither had been able to make her feel the excitement that she got just reading a BDSM erotica book. Sure she’d had orgasms when they had sex, but it always felt like there was something missing in her life and eventually that had led to the end of each relationship. And sure it didn’t help that most of her closest friends were guys, which tended to cause some jealousy and misunderstandings, but she figured someone confident enough to be a Dom would have to be secure and confident enough not to mind that she had a lot of guy friends, right?

  Lately she realized that she wanted a man with that confidence, that security, one who was sexually controlling in the bedroom… at the very least she needed to try it out, to see firsthand whether or not this was a lifestyle for her. And if it was, then maybe she could find someone into the lifestyle that she could have a real relationship with.

  Tonight she was dressed in thigh high leather boots with six inch heels that she'd originally worn as part of her Halloween costume this past year, leather shorts and a brocaded green skin tight top that was boned like a corset but had an Asian inspired mandarin collar and little capped sleeves. It covered her upper body completely except for a wide swath between the neck of the collar and her bust, showing a generous amount of cleavage. She'd straightened her hair and worn it loose, letting it flow over her shoulders to swing halfway down her back – almost two inches longer than when she let her naturally curly hair fly free. Black lace gloves and the embroidered jacket completed her look, although she'd take her jacket off when she got inside. It was a damn sexy outfit and she was pretty sure that it fairly screamed 'in charge.' Because that’s exactly what she wanted to be tonight. What she’d been practicing to be.

  Tilting her chin up haughtily, she strode towards the door of the club. It was a plain wooden door with a discreet sign above it that said “Chained;” no lights or anything to draw attention to itself. She liked that.

  When she signed in at the front desk (pseudonyms were allowed, although when she'd filled out her form for the guest pass she'd had to give her real name and the pseudonym she planned on using) she put her name down as Mistress Angela before handing her coat over to the girl behind the desk, a sexy blonde wearing a naughty secretary outfit. The irony wasn't lost on Angel and she gave the girl an approving smile, which made the receptionist flush happily as she took Angel's coat.

  "Welcome to Chained, Mistress Angela," she said.

  "Thank you, dear," said Angel, sliding into the role that she'd assigned herself. She'd never wanted to pursue theater as a career (monetary pressure took all the fun out of it) but that hadn't stopped her from pursuing it as a hobby in her free time. Even though she'd only moved to the area a few months ago she'd already been cast in a show at a community theater. Which was where she’d heard about Stronghold and Chained in the first place. Tonight was going to be t
he performance of her life because she wasn't on stage. Acting was so much easier when you knew your cues and lines.

  Still, she could feel her nerves humming the way they did when she was standing in the wings, waiting for the curtain to go up. And that's exactly where she was right now; this lobby was the wings and as soon as she stepped past the hulking (and kind of hunky) bouncer through that door then she'd be center stage. Well, not quite. She'd be surrounded by the other players, but she assumed many of them would be very good at reading body language. At least that was always how it seemed in the books that she read.

  Hopefully her acting training would be enough to cover up her nerves, inexperience, and the little voice inside of her that was insisting she was submissive, not dominant.

  The lobby was tastefully decorated in dark reds and grays with hardwood floors, giving it the feeling of a boudoir. When she walked into the main area of the club she was surprised that she found it rather overwhelming, almost tacky. The space was bigger than she'd expected, with a dance floor to her left, a bar straight ahead of her, and a wall lined with little alcoves for playing to her right. Chandeliers flickering with multi-hued lights hung from the ceiling, red velvety curtains were tied back at the edges of the alcoves - obviously you could use them to create a more private area for yourself if you desired, and the dance floor had neon lights blazing over it, creating patterns on the floor. Everywhere she looked the walls were covered with either bondage equipment or artwork (and there didn't seem to be a theme to the photographs and paintings or any attempt at arranging them in a way that would be pleasing to the eye). The bar in front of her was decorated to look almost like a tiki bar. Seriously?

  It was like whoever owned the place couldn't decide what they really wanted the space to look like and so just threw together a bunch of ideas from different walks of life. Yeah, this place was obviously new. There were people walking around, some of them involved in scenes, some on the dance floor and some at the bar, wearing all sorts of interesting and revealing clothing. Angel found herself examining a small group of men at one of the bar tables, four of them, all extremely attractive and wearing various amounts of leather.

  Dominants, definitely. She could feel the wash of heat straight through her body as she saw their self-assured movements, their predatory eyes flickering around the room. But she didn't show any of that on her face, leaving it carefully blank. All four of them were handsome, attractive, but it was the blonde one that looked half-Viking, half-pirate, his facial hair making a neat frame around a sensuous mouth, that caught her attention. Or, rather, he caught her gaze in his and she found herself struggling not to lower her eyes immediately from the sheer force of his presence.

  That's what a submissive would do, that’s what she instinctively wanted to do, but that’s not what she was tonight. Struggling to maintain her expression, Angel gave him a careful nod, very slight and without taking her eyes away from him, acknowledging him as an equal. He gave her a nod back and smiled. The hard look in his eyes made her want to melt. Or get down on her knees and beg him to tie her up, spank her and fuck her. Instead she straightened her spine and curved her lips in a small smile back.

  *******

  Adam Rawn was not impressed by Chained. He was only here because his good friend Rick Winter had been hoping that every so often his friends might be willing to make the longer drive to Virginia, in trade for him usually being the one to make a commute. Fortunately it didn't look like Rick was very impressed either. Normally Rick only made it to Stronghold once a month or once every other month, because it was about a two hour drive for him to get there. Chained was only an hour’s drive from Rick and an hour away from the rest of them, the perfect meeting place right in the middle. It would have been the perfect compromise, except that none of them were happy here.

  Not that they would have ever abandoned Stronghold completely, since they were also good friends with the owner, Patrick Murphy. But they would have been able to see Rick more often.

  "Sorry Rick, I don't think I'll be coming back," said Chris. "Or recommending to Justin that we bring Jessica here."

  Rick looked around the room, his disappointment written clearly on his face. "I know, it's not what I was hoping either. Maybe it's just too new."

  That was definitely part of the problem. The decorations were too eclectic and whoever owned it hadn't quite found their stride yet. Rather than a tasteful mix of eroticism, bondage and bar feeling, all the elements had just been spattered like spaghetti on a wall. The other problem was that there didn't seem to be too many unattached subs here. Something that was important to Rick and, to a lesser extent, Adam and Andrew, the fourth man in their little reconnaissance force this evening. Not at all important to Chris, who had a delectable little submissive girlfriend that he shared with his best friend Justin. They scened with her at Stronghold sometimes. Rick wanted to find a meaningful relationship like that, just without the sharing, and Adam was starting to think that he might too. Andrew wasn't interested in any kind of relationship after his last one had ended so badly.

  The lack of unattached subs at Chained tonight was a problem because it left them with nothing to do but sit and drink and talk. Which they could have done anywhere. And Adam wanted to play. It had been awhile since he'd found someone he wanted to scene with, although he’d indulged once or twice in the past couple of months when asked to do an Introduction or teaching scene at Stronghold. But it was ultimately unsatisfying. He wanted to play with someone that actually interested him. At thirty one years old he was rather surprised to find himself yearning for permanence in a relationship, he'd always thought he'd be a confirmed bachelor until at least his mid-thirties, but seeing the love and devotion between Chris, Justin and Jessica, the way they came together to make their tripod relationship work, had made him feel surprisingly envious. Their relationship had ended up creating another one between Liam, another Stronghold Dom and good friend, and Jessica’s best friend Hilary. And since Adam had started considering finding a real relationship, something Rick had already been looking for.

  Something that neither of them were going to find at Chained, apparently.

  "Well that's interesting," said Rick, perking up a little. All of the men turned to see where he was looking, at the entrance.

  A woman had just walked in by herself. Soft waves of dark brown hair caressed her shoulders, framing a roundish face that wasn't quite conventionally beautiful, with almond shaped eyes that hinted at Asian heritage. She also had the most incredible lips Adam had ever seen, small but somehow plumply bow-shaped to the extent that they almost looked like they’d been created for sex appeal, the way Betty Boop or Jessica Rabbit’s lips appeared, made for kissing or wrapping around a man's shaft. The tiny shorts she was wearing hugged curvy hips that hinted at a fantastic view from the backside. The unique top she was wearing interested him immediately, despite the fact that it covered most of her, but the curves of her breasts in the top’s opening were full and creamy looking, pressed upwards into almost a shelf. She was definitely at least a D cup. Maybe more. The thigh high leather boots with the fuck-me heels were skin tight on her legs, showing them to be long and lean.

  Just looking at her made his dick stir.

  "Damn, she's a Domme," said Rick, deflating as he took in her attire, the tilt of her chin and the aggressive way she looked around the room. Moodily he took a swig of his beer.

  "What, you don't want to try out being a switch?" Andrew asked, nudging his friend in the ribs. The other three men laughed as Adam continued to study the woman. Not once in his entire life had he ever been attracted to a Domme, no matter how physically attractive they were, but this woman had his completely attention and his groin was already stirring just from looking at her. Why?

  He watched her look around, observed the slight distaste on her face as she took in the decor before she covered it up. Something about her was slightly off, although he couldn't quite figure it out. When her eyes swept around the room, e
xamining the people, he was still looking at her. The minute their eyes met she had some kind of reaction, but he was too far away to see it clearly. The nod she gave him was careful, entirely appropriate, but something about her body language was off. As if she was unsure of herself. A new Domme maybe? Inexperienced? He smiled at her, hoping to set her at ease. She smiled back when she met his eyes before looking away again to continue her examination of the room.

  "What's up?" Chris asked, leaning over to see where Adam was looking. "Why are you looking at the Domme?"

  "I'm not sure," Adam confessed, taking a sip of his own beer to cover his frown. "There's just something about her..."

  "Think she's a switch?"

  Hm. "Maybe. Maybe just very new."

  Now all of his friends were looking at her again, watching her as she studied the small room. Chained wasn't even a third as big as Stronghold, but then again Stronghold hadn't started out very big either. It had expanded and renovated as it became more popular and successful. The woman that they were all watching seemed to feel her eyes on them. Turning her head she stared right back at them. Some men might have looked away or pretended they weren't looking at all. Not this group. She looked a little startled at first and she was the first one to look away.

  "We won," said Chris, laughing.

  Adam was still watching the woman, when she looked back there was a small, rueful smile on her pouty lips and she started walking towards them. The rolling gait that her high boots required made her hips move in a way that was both sensuous and graceful. A lot of women would have trouble walking in heels that high, he'd seen them on the sidewalk shuffling along looking like they were walking on stilts. Despite the height of her heels, this woman walked with a slight swaying motion that made his already hardening cock stand straight up.

  As soon as they realized she was heading towards them the men all started watching her again, not just Adam, appreciating the beauty of her movements.