“Just put your game face on and get out here.”
She sighed. “Fine, I’ll be right there.”
A few minutes later she heard Reid let someone in and the murmuring of male conversation. She gave herself one last glance in the mirror, pulled up the bustier a little more to make sure her boobs wouldn’t tumble out, and headed into the living room. The click of her boots earned raised heads from both the men.
Reid’s eyes widened as his gaze swept over her new clothes. “Guess you found the closet.”
Brynn ignored him and focused on their guest. “Hi, Jace.”
“Hot damn, girl, you look smoking,” he said, a wide smile splitting his face.
“Thanks.” He didn’t look so bad himself. Linen pants, untucked button-down shirt, and wavy blond hair pulled back in a short ponytail. If she weren’t so annoyed with him, she would’ve returned his compliment. She settled into the overstuffed chair opposite the one Jace sat in. “So what happened to ‘I’m not going to be here this weekend.’”
His gaze darted to Reid, then back to her. “Plans changed at the last minute.”
She smirked. “Right.”
“Be nice, Brynn,” Reid warned. “Jace doesn’t do one-on-one stuff—he’s known around here for ménage. It would’ve looked suspicious if he’d taken you on. Plus, he’s already doing us a huge favor by getting us in. I don’t want to risk him or his business with Grant by dragging him in deeper.”
She sighed, conceding. Reid was right. Who was she to be mad at Jace when he was putting himself on the line for her? “Sorry for snapping at you, Jace. I really do appreciate the help.”
“No problem, doll. I’m going to do all I can to help you—with everything.” His gaze met hers.
She bit her lip and nodded, getting the message and silently thanking him for not bringing up the revelation she’d made in the staging room. “So what’s the plan for tonight?”
“That’s what we were discussing before you walked in,” Reid said, buttoning the cuffs of the black shirt he’d put on to replace the one he’d lent her. “Jace chatted up one of the staff members and found out that new sub trainees are on total lockdown tonight and won’t be allowed on the main grounds until tomorrow at the earliest.”
“Shit,” she said, her hope for finding her sister tonight plummeting. “What the hell are we supposed to do now?”
Reid shrugged. “We need to go out and be seen. Jace offered to have dinner with us and to give us a tour of the main clubhouse so we can get our bearings. After that, who knows?”
She eyed the two of them, getting the feeling that the only one who didn’t know was her.
An hour and two courses later, Brynn still hadn’t managed to eat anything more than a few bites of salad. Between the ball of anxiety burning in her stomach and the breath-stealing bustier, she doubted even chocolate would tempt her. They’d toured the building, and she’d seen things that would be seared into her brain forever. Some of the scenes had gotten her heated in all the right places, but others had nearly sent her into a panic attack just watching.
She needed to get this exposure therapy over with now. The anticipation alone was going to be the death of her. She pushed a baby carrot back and forth across her plate as Jace and Reid talked.
Reid speared a piece of steak. “So how serious does it get here? Is it mostly light stuff or do they cater to those who go for the extreme?”
Jace shrugged as he finished chewing his bite. “It kind of runs the gamut. But there are limits. No blood play and definitely no breath play. Grant allows a lot of things, but doesn’t want anyone messing with the deadly stuff.”
Brynn’s fork stilled, but she kept her mouth shut and let Reid continue.
“So besides that, pretty much anything goes, then,” Reid said. “Guess I shouldn’t expect any less with all the high rollers around here. No one would pay this much money to go somewhere with a lot of restrictions.”
Jace nodded. “Yeah, they cater to people who aren’t used to hearing the word ‘no.’ You’ll get to see all the bigwigs tomorrow night. There’s a Bacchanal planned after sunset to celebrate the grape harvest.”
“Oh, really?” Reid said.
“Yeah, Grant only holds it once a year, so I guarantee all the rooms and cabins will be empty tomorrow night. No one misses this event.”
Reid and Jace both looked at her, confirming the message. Kelsey would probably be there.
She dabbed her mouth with her napkin, and glanced at the nearby tables. They had to be careful about what they said. “Wow. A festival honoring Bacchus at a place that doesn’t let you drink alcohol.”
Jace laughed. “Yeah, I know. The no alcohol rule is important with all the stuff that goes on here. But believe me, that’s the only excess the party won’t have.” He eyed her, his face turning more serious—no doubt thinking of what she’d revealed to him in the dressing room. “But it can be overwhelming. The rules for D/s don’t really hold up in there. It’s kind of a free-for-all. Although, the safe word always applies.”
She took a long gulp of her tea, digesting the information, nerves skittering through her.