Knots (Club Imperial Book 4) (13 page)

“What?”

“I don’t, well—I didn’t have the muscle strength to ever have them Apparently, the drugs I’m on are working well.”

Cece put a hand on her shoulder. “I’m so glad I could be there for your first hiccup and belch session. You do me proud.”

“It was a rather rousing belch.” Hannah took another sip. “So you’re up next. What on Earth are you doing in a high-end kink club.”

Cece hesitated only a moment. “This is beyond secret, do you understand? It’s not like your college where other people outside the family can find out. This is something I’m entrusting to you to keep utterly secret.”

“Of course,” Hannah’s answer was off-handed.

Cece, shook her head. “No.”

“What do you mean? Share, share.”

“I’m not being flippant.” Cece folded her arms. “This isn’t something I’m just going share with you sitting there seal-clapping because you get to find out a secret about me. I’m deadly serious. I need you to swear, on whatever you hold dear, that you will not share this with anyone. It has nothing to do with you liking or not liking what I tell you; it has to do with everyone else in the world. It has to do with me keeping my job, my house. Do you understand?”

Hannah settled down on the couch and she studeied Cece. “You’re very serious about this.”

“Think about it for just a moment, Hannah. What is the place we’re talking about?”

“A high-end kinky club that is really expensive and hard to get into.” Cece waited for Hannah to process what she had just said. Her sister considered a moment, and nodded. “Okay. I get it. I really can’t tell anyone ever.”

“Well, I won’t say no one ever, but for now, let’s play the cards close to the chest?”

“I can do that.”

“Tell me what you know about the club.” Cece smirked, leaning back. “Since I’m guessing you’ve somehow gotten inside even though it’s a twenty-one plus entrance.”

“I have a really good fake ID,” Hannah admitted, shrugging. “And since I have my own credit card, it was easy to get in. I’ve been in a few times, looking for you. I just wanted to know what you were doing there, but I’ve never been able to find you. It’s an interesting place, with lots of things that shouldn’t be going on going on.”

“That’s an interesting way to put it.”

Hannah laughed. “It’s fascinating. Doms and dominatrixes, whips and chains, and floggers. There are people who come in and push the limits every time I’m in there. They always get called out and told to separate and or they have to leave.” She leaned forward. “Sometimes, there are people there who are…more. They don’t seem like they are there to get drunk and behave badly. They are self-possessed and serious. I don’t see them very often, but when one of them shows up it’s…well, magnetic. People just move for them, and move around them. Most everyone turns to look when one of those people walks through the room.”

“Do you know about the different levels?”

“I was asked what I wanted when I got the membership, general, VIP, or exclusive,” Hannah answered. “I went for general so that I could figure the place out. I thought it would be easy to find you there with that one.”

“I work there, you’re not going to see me unless I want you to.” Cece smiled at her.

“You work there where?” Hannah cocked her head. “I’ve been looking for you everywhere. I’ve even thought about asking for you.”

“You’d still never find me,” Cece said. “Do you remember my trip to Japan about four years ago?”

“Well, yes…”

“I was thrilled I got to go. It was fascinating to be able to study another culture’s books and systems of learning. I adored the six months I was there. But it wasn’t the only reason I went.” Cece stood, motioning for Hannah to stay seated, and walked to the bedroom. She opened the closet, grabbing a gorgeous camphorwood box from the top shelf.

Trembling a little, she paused to consider the box. Most of the time she forgot the box was there, but when Cece pulled it out of its hiding place, she was always struck by its simple, natural beauty and fervently wished she could display it, at least in the bedroom if not in the public areas. The dovetail details on the corners alone were art unlike any she could find in the US. Her name, carved in
romanji
and
katakana,
scrolled across the top, along with a beautifully carved bow in a rope design.

Someone had to know, Cece reasoned. If anything ever went terribly wrong, it was important that this was either destroyed or saved. She had to learn to treat her sister as a confidant. Hannah watched her as she set the box down on the coffee table after heading back to the living room.

“Sweet Jesus,” Hannah breathed. “That’s gorgeous.” She ran her fingers over the
katakana
letters. “Is that your name?”

“Yes,” Cece said. “This was a gift from my sensei.”

“Why didn’t you ever show us this before?”

“Open it.” The offer made Cece’s stomach clench.

Hannah put a hand on either side of the lid and lifted it slowly. The hidden hinges inside guided the top up and back and held it there. Cece watched as her sister reverently ran a hand over the indescribably satin feel of the wood to the silken velvet that lined the inside.

Her sister moved her hands over the objects inside. Hannah’s breath slid out quietly in appreciation. “Silk? Hand-braided rope?” Cece nodded. “A lot of it, too. A blindfold, and satin streamers.” She plucked out one of the bright metal objects there. “This is an elaborate S hook. I’ve never seen anything as gorgeous as this.” She traced the filigree set in on the ends with a tentative finger. “Steel.”

“Steel,” Cece confirmed.

Hannah looked over at her, twisting the hook in her hands. “This is a box of kink, isn’t it?”

“Yes.” Cece’s heart was racing.

Slowly, Hannah’s fingers wandered over the rope. “This is all usable, but your not supposed to. This is to show your mastery of…”

“Kinbaku.” Cece spoke the word quietly. “It’s bondage art. My kinbakushi gave this to me when he determined that I was a master of shibari.”

“Shibari?”

“Kinbaku is the correct term for the Japanese art of rope bondage, and it usually implies that there is a strong emotional tie between the nawashi--the rope artist--and the subject.” Cece couldn’t look at her sister. “Shibari describes the art of tying or binding, and it’s sexual connotation exists only in BDSM circles, even in the US. My bakushi, master, gave this box to me when I…” She paused and gathered herself to continue on. “When I mastered all the different types of bindings, and I could prove that I could cross into
semenawa--
rope torture—if I had to. But because of the kinbaku aspect of the art, I can’t. Or won’t. I can’t torture something I have an emotional bond with.”

Cece finally looked up at her sister who was staring into the box. Reverentially, she put the hook back in it’s place and shook her head slowly. “Shit,” Hannah breathed. Cece heart froze until her sister spoke again. “That has got to be… unfuckingbelievably erotic to see.”

Her air rushed out of her lungs. “It is. It’s amazing.”

“So what do you at Imperial? I mean… I get the ropes…”

“There are people who work upstairs, with private clients, and I’m one of those.” Cece finally managed to get up the guts to look at her sister, who was staring back at her enthralled. “I’m actually a Domme… uh., common parlance would call me a dominatrix. But people in the lifestyle prefer domme.”

“Lifestyle? You mean people who like kink?”

“It’s called BDSM,” Cece corrected her.

“Okay, fair enough, but I still don’t get what this has to do with ropes.”

“Some people like to be tied up. You said yourself, it’s erotic. And some people really enjoy it. I enjoy it, and I enjoy doing it. When I’m at the club, I am only a
nawashi
, just a rope artist who works with others who like to feel the bindings. I don’t have an emotional connection with them, but I enjoy practicing the art. So they benefit and I benefit. But I’m also the Prima Domme of the club. I’m the most expensive Mistress you can visit there.”

“Expensive?”

“You snuck in, you have the policies.” Cece raised an eyebrow. “I am not working girl.”

“No, no, I know, I didn’t think that you were. I’m just trying to cypher this out.” Hannah ran a hand over the box again. “You’re expensive to… work with because you’re so good at what you do. You have a special talent that is sought after. That’s why you’re upstairs and out of the view of everyone. That’s also why you’re the… Prima?”

“Yes,” she answered simply. “People come to me for things that they or their spouses can’t do for themselves.”

“Spouses?” Hannah gasped.

Cece nodded. “That part is a little hard to get over at first, but you have to remember that some people don’t want anything to do with BDSM and rope play. In a good relationship, this is discussed and the spouse who wishes to have a part in the lifestyle will seek out a way to satisfy that without breaking their marriage or relationship down. Polyamory works sometimes, other times, it’s easier to come to the club and find what you need and go home.” Cece smiled. “I have a client who loves his wife dearly, but she’s tiny and not interested in doing the ropes. She drops him off, and after a session with me, picks him up. I caught them having sex in the car just outside the private entrance after his first time in the shibari room. He told me, the next time, that it was the first time he and his wife had sex in months. Most times now, he comes alone because he’s dropped her off at a hotel room to wait for him.”

“So it’s turn on,” Hannah said.

“Yes, very much so.”

“And you don’t get turned on?”

Cece pursed her lips. “All the time.”

“But there’s no sex on the premises.”

“None.”

Hannah looked at her. “Then what the hell do you do? I know this can’t be a short and simple task to tie someone up and take them down. You’ve got to get frustrated.”

Cece put her head in hands. “I never thought I would be talking about my sex habits with my little sister.”

“What better way to get to know you, you kicky bitch?” Hannah gave her a friendly punch in the arm.

Cece laughed, and considered her a moment. “Have you slept with someone?”

“Hey, my questions first,” Hannah demanded. “How do you deal with the frustration?”

“I never said I got frustrated.”

“Ha ha, you didn’t have to. You just said that one of your clients fucked his wife in the car outside the door,” Hannah laughed. “You think I don’t know that runs both ways? And you can figure out my answer to your question with that question.”

Cece shook her head with a smile. “Ok, fine. You’ve been deflowered.”

“And you’re still not answering my question.” Hannah stuck her tongue out.

Cece rolled her eyes. “Okay, fine. In one of the intense session like that, yes. I get very frustrated. He gets to leave and screw his wife, and I don’t begrudge him that. I’m left hanging.” Cece raised an eye brow. “In a matter of speaking. But I have an arrangement that the people in the club call an ‘offsite’.”

“With him? With the rope guy you just sent back to his wife?” Hannah was trying not be shocked or disgusted.

“No, never. Never with a committed spouse. I don’t roll that way. I don’t want to give a wife or husband a chance to retaliate against me.”

“Husband? Are you… bi?”

“Shibari doesn’t discriminate,” Cece explained. “I can appreciate a gorgeous woman in a rope art creation, but that doesn’t do it for me.”

“So how the hell do you take care of this problem?”

“I have someone I meet offsite. He likes ropes, I like tying him up, and untying him. And we have great sex. Like really amazing.”

“So he’s your boyfriend.”

“No.” Cece heard the regret in her own voice. “We aren’t like that. We tried that arrangement for about a month before we realized there was never going to be more between us than sex and friendship. He’s amazing in bed, and we really do care for each other deeply, but… it’s not love…”

She was saving that part for Killian.

Jesus Christ
, how was she going to handle this now? This was why she had avoided falling in love all these years.

“So you just tie him up,” Hannah cut through Cece’s thoughts, “schtup him and have dinner?”

“Breakfast, usually.” Cece answered without thinking, and then laughed when she realized she had said it. “But yes, that’s basically it. We both get what we want and need out of it. It’s a good arrangement for now.”

Hannah nodded and traced the swirls of the grain on the box in front of her. “Well, that kind of sucks.” She looked up at Cece. “You secret blows mine out of the water.”

Cece put an arm around her sister. “Not a contest, Hannah. I feel really good about finally sharing that with someone. All my crazy club friends know all of it, but I’ve never told anyone who wasn’t part of the club or the lifestyle.”

Hannah smirked. “So I guess this means we get to be really good sisters now? Can I sleep over?”

“Do you really want to do that in the house of a kinbakushi mistress?”