Tori’s POV
I couldn’t get to sleep that night, even though I’d already picked out the outfit I was going to take: a black corset with burnt orange bows. Was this a test of my sensibilities, or something more sinister? I really hoped not to have to participate.Wondering if Naomi would be attending, as well, I dozed, only to be woken by Ellie, who was stumbling about in the dark. I knew we had agreed to save on electricity, but this was ridiculous.Then I began to wonder if it was even her. If only I had a baseball bat to hand.The mini crisis set my adrenaline flowing but it was a false alarm as I found out when the thumps and bangs ceased and she came into my bedroom by mistake, instead of returning to hers after a bathroom visit.I switched the light on.“We must stop meeting like this,” I said.Because it had happened before.“Sorry, Tor,” she mumbled. “I was hoping not to disturb you.”“Was it as bad as you were expecting?”She nodded. I saw the smear of what looked like toothpaste on her cheek but decided not to mention it. Meeting her sister, who was the world champion at moaning, always did this to her.“Val’s been a bigger bitch than usual,” she said. “Mom just can’t see it.”“I’m here for you, hun,” I whispered. “Want some cocoa?”She nodded and we ended up sitting and talking until it was time for me to hop in the shower. As I had hoped, her shift wasn’t due to start until later and she would be driving me to town.I didn’t mention the corset. Ellie would only tease me about it.I’d opted for a pants suit just to make a point, yet aIso took a pair of lace-topped stockings with me. Fortunately my tote bag was big enough to hold everything discreetly. I mean, what if he’d been joking and it somehow got lost in translation?Wondering if I would be watching or participating had me on edge the whole way. She caught hold of my hand as I was about to get out of the car.“Promise me you won’t let him get to you,” she said.Too late for that.Naomi opened up, as usual. This time, she wasn’t alone.“Morning, Victoria,” she said. “This is Travis, our Delta.”He grinned, showing his impressive canines. “You must be the new number cruncher. The pleasure’s all mine.”Was he flirting with me? His dark blue shirt showed off his chiselled abs and I noticed a small lizard tat on the side of his neck.“Behave.” The Gamma tutted. “Whatever would Melanie say?”“Gotta run now, but I’m sure we’ll be seeing a lot more of each other later.”Did he mean – ? I decided not to overthink it.He was careful not to touch me as he left the premises. Given that I’d expected him to brush against me on purpose I supposed that was something.“Come on up, Tori. You’ll be based in Calvin’s office today. Well, for some of it anyway.” She must have seen my face. “Don’t look so scared. He’ll ease you in gently.”“Pardon?”“I put that very badly, didn’t I? He wants you to be honest with him regarding if he’s paying people too much. Seeing them in action is a good way to start.”So why hadn’t she disclosed that last night? It would have saved me from worrying.It sounded like a way too convenient excuse to see me in lingerie, or was I being tested?“Why me?” I asked.“Fresh pair of eyes. And, just to warn you, the sessions tend to run over. You could still be here after six.”Would it be dark by then? I found I couldn’t think straight.“Are we on for lunch?”“That’s a lovely idea, but you may not get a break.”“Surely he’s not intending to starve me?” I joked as we reached Alpha Calvin’s office.The door was flung wide even before I’d finished my sentence.“Now where would you get hold of a notion like that, Miss Culpepper?” he asked, arching a brow.I wasn’t sure if that was his sense of humour or not. And why was he being so formal?Attempting to laugh it off I said, “Don’t mind me. I could do with losing a few pounds.”It was a mistake. He took the opportunity to appraise me fully and I felt uncomfortable not to mention unworthy.“You need to eat at least three proper meals a day. No making do with yogurt pots at noon. And it’s vital to keep hydrated, as all my subs know.”“But I’m not – I didn’t sign up for that.”“Interesting. She knows what the word means, Naomi. Been doing a bit of extra-curricular research, have we, Vicky?”I swallowed, fighting to say it, even if it ended with my dismissal.“Please don’t call me that, Mr Phillips. I hate it.”Suddenly my bag felt too heavy and I set it down on the carpet runner.“Not a fan of symmetry,” he commented, reaching down and taking possession of it. Apart from obsessive compulsive disorder he was such a control freak. “Do we have a problem, Tori?”“No, sir,” I told him.“Did you bring the appropriate gear?”That was when it dawned on me. Would I be able to fasten the corset by myself? I hadn’t laced it fully at home. It was a different matter when someone was threatening to hurt you if you didn’t hurry, but that was hardly the case here.Deciding to be totally honest with him, I admitted, “I didn’t disobey your request but I’m beginning to think I made a poor choice.”“Show me,” he said, gazing at my blouse and giving an unmistakable gesture.The sign language of dominants must be universal.“I’m not actually wearing it, Alpha.” Silently, he handed me the bag. “It’s a corset,” I blurted, “and I’d need assistance.”“I can help with that.”The smirk was so typical of his kind.“On this occasion I’d prefer to go with something in-house,” I said.“Fine. But I get to choose. Eye candy in lieu of bonuses for my trainers. How does that sound?”“From a financial or a personal point of view?”Calvin threw back his head and laughed. His amusement was genuine and in no way sinister. A tiny part of me wondered what it would be like to be controlled by this man, to submit to him totally and willingly.In a parallel universe, maybe. I forced myself to focus.“Show me.”With a glance at Naomi, I unzipped my tote and took out the opaque carrier bag from a famous department store.“It’s not from Juju’s,” I told them, hastily. “Just a local boutique.”I fumbled with the bag, regretting choosing that as well. It had been a snug fit, much as the corset itself might have been on me.When I finally held it up, I couldn’t bear to look at him for long.“Did you bring stockings?”I fished them out, too, convinced I must be beet red by now.“Good girl,” Calvin said, testing the quality of the fabric between his thumb and index finger.“Are you okay, dear? You seem a bit flushed.”“All this is new to me,” I lied.And all at once I had an overwhelming urge to throw up.Tori’s POV It was eerie being in a closed club environment, yet I sensed Alpha Calvin was doing his best to put me at ease. The cut-out mini dress he’d selected covered me in all the right places with just a smidgen of tease. I felt confident and sexy, something which hadn’t happened in a long time. I was watching Travis show a small audience of about twenty dominants, or Doms, how to deliver a spanking safely. To my surprise, Maria, the submissive taking part was able to give her perspective as well, once the scene was over. “Your sub must be aware she can communicate with you at all times, even if gagged,” the Delta said. One of the watchers raised a hand. “What if she’s bound as well?” he asked. “Establish pre-arranged signals like waggling fingers or blinking a set number of times. It is your responsibility to keep checking in with her.” “And if there’s a blindfold?” “Someone wants his money’s worth,” Travis joked. “Prepare for all eventualities. Each one of our submissives
Tori’s POV“Have you seen this, Tor?”Ellie thrust a copy of the Werewolf Times in front of my nose. The banner headline read, “‘Romulus’ and ‘Remus’ to slug it out”.No shit.I abandoned my muesli to read the article. Apparently, the owner of a rival club was threatening to file a lawsuit for damages when his proposed change of name to ‘Romulus’ was blocked by Alpha Calvin.“He’s got some nerve,” I muttered.“I don’t get it.”“What do you know about Rome?”“Uh, it wasn’t built in a day?”“Nice try,” I said. “It was founded by Romulus after he killed his twin brother, Remus.”“So?”“Apart from the association with Alpha Calvin’s establishment, which may give customers a false impression they’re connected somehow, it also implies ‘Remus’ is kinda the poor relation.”“You mean this guy’s trading on the Alpha’s success?”“Yep,” I said.No wonder he’d been off with me yesterday.“Maybe you should poke the bear,” she mused.“Already thought of that. How do you fancy a trip to ‘Cheetah’s’?”
Tori’s POV I’d been wondering about his second-in-command and why I had never seen him at the club. “Who’s catering? Because I know a deluxe service in town which doesn’t charge over the odds.” “Typical of my financial adviser.” He grinned. “His mate, Laura, is organising that side of things.” “I’m not a waitress,” I pointed out. “Knowing you, Tori, you’d excel at that as well. However, on this occasion I want you to be my official plus one.” My mind went blank. What could I say? “Like an escort, you mean?” “Hardly, Tori,” he said. I was enthused now, even if it would have been preferable to mingle with his pack members in a neutral uniform and carrying a tray of drinks. This would be a great opportunity to find out more about the North Shore pack. Yet, in effect, he was paying me to act as his girlfriend. Tough job, though I’d never have a better chance to suss out whether he was guilty or not. Partygoers tended to gossip and become loud when they’d had a lot to drink, and m
Tori’s POVThe Dom in question was Oscar. I’d seen him around though he never said much. He was using Susan to demonstrate signals and positions to an audience of females, as I had expected.“What am I looking for this time?” I whispered.“Women who won’t make the cut.”Calvin was wearing leather pants and a black shirt.“How will I know?”“Put yourself in their position, Tori.”I hoped he didn’t mean that literally. Empathy was something I could do. If it saved the club money that was a bonus.The Alpha was gradually giving me more responsibility and more of an insight into this kind of scene. I have to admit, even though I’d lied at that first meeting when I told him it intrigued me, there was a small part of me which was curious.Why did women sign up for this kind of thing? Did they have a past trauma or just a strange fetish?I was dragged into it when one of the observers balked at trying it out. Had he somehow anticipated this?“What about her, the bruised one?” she asked, poin
Calvin’s POVSurely she must be aware of my interest by now. I wanted her in my bed, even if it was just the once: my rules. Yet that vulnerability made me want to kill whoever had put it there.I could sense her reluctance to be seen in my company. Was it partly because of the boss/employee relationship as she had implied? No, there was something more, something I hoped I was wrong about.When I mentioned having dinner together her face changed completely.I had to put my foot down or it would never have happened. It rankled, too, that she looked on it as her doing me a favour. Maybe she was … but not in the way she imagined.“Won’t people talk?”Was that what had been bugging her?“Let them,” I said. “It’s not a date.”I drove us to my favourite Italian bistro, the one with the checked tablecloths and aroma of garlic. Tori seemed to know her way around pasta, ordering farfalle with chicken, while I had my usual calzone.She opted for sparkling water rather than wine, correcting me w
Tori’s POVEllie got sick the evening before the party.“It’s just a flu bug,” she said. “You go and enjoy yourself, Tor.”That was hardly the word I would have used to describe an evening spent with the Alpha. I wondered again about what ‘work’ I would be doing as his plus one.My flatmate started going on about my being a ‘paid escort’, making me extra nervous when she told me the North Shore pack were notorious for holding wild parties.“You’re just making it up,” I scoffed.“No, honestly Tor, I’ve heard that anything goes.”“Looks like you’re fated not to make the Alpha’s acquaintance when you’re sober.”It was a cheap shot when she was feeling low, but I knew my friend was nothing if not resilient. The comments she’d endured over the years from patients and her peers alike, not to mention some other pack members!“Don’t,” she said, wincing, which was when I realised she was probably more ill than she was letting on.The Alpha was picking me up for work soon. It was already after
Tori’s POVSo, he was prone to errors of judgement after all, the Alpha I despised so much. And he still wasn’t off the hook. Maybe there were other pack books, the ones Aiden wasn’t permitted to see.Should I volunteer to take his place? It might seem suspicious this soon.“Take no notice of what she said. Miss Pearl’s the jealous type.”“Well, you lied to me. Why all the cloak and dagger?”“Because I didn’t want you to worry about running into my ex mistress.”“So you set it up?”“Hardly. But Jewel has a way of finding things out.”“And auditing Aiden’s work. What was that about?”“I didn’t give you a head’s up in case you panicked.”I sighed. “You know me too well.”“So, are you up for some fun at ‘Remus’?”“Depends what you mean by that,” I said. “Will Glenn not feel slighted that you left his party?”I’d been wondering about that, as well. How come the Beta hadn’t made the connection between the date and Alpha Calvin showing up unexpectedly? Maybe he was the self-effacing type an
Tori’s POVFull dominant mode. I recognised the signs. Yet all of them were different. Travis, with his innuendoes; Oscar, mostly silent; Calvin, hard to read; and Alex, the bully.“I’ll do it,” I said, “but only because I need to fully understand to be able to help the others.”This time I was lying to myself. And this wouldn’t bring me any closer to finding out if he was the monster responsible for the demise of Black Gold. All it would do was help me to see if I’d recovered from the other traumas of my past.It bothered me that I’d not been able to watch the second demonstration for long.“The scene will last no longer than twenty minutes. During that time you are highly unlikely to need a safe word, but use the traffic light system. Red for stop, yellow to pause, green if okay to continue. At no point will I use a gag. However, you will speak only when I ask you a question. Call me ‘sir’ and I will sometimes address you as ‘pet’.”“Am I your plaything, sir?”“Ah-ah, pet, what did