little to her, but the way he spoke about people she’d never met poked her curiosity awake. “And you? Are you a...a Master?”
“For two years now. I started coming here about five years ago when I realized I needed more out of my sexual encounters. I was in a relationship with Asshole Aaron, if you remember, and he was...a lot kinkier than I was at that time. But he opened my eyes to the lifestyle, brought me to Avalon, and let me explore things I never would’ve had the balls to try without his influence.” Liam sighed wistfully and propped his elbow on the bar. “That man was the biggest fuckwit in the history of mankind, but he sure did know how to educate.”
She remembered Aaron and asshole described him perfectly. The man had been a diva of the worst kind, always wanting to be center of attention and creating any form of drama to make sure the spotlight was on him. She had never worked out why her best friend stayed with him for so long—now she knew.
“After Aaron and I split up, I kept coming. It really is an amazing sanctuary, Bodie. The friends you can make, the familial bond that binds a number of us together...even if you don’t want to play, the connection would enrich your life. Braun offered me club manager eighteen months after my first visit. I’d tended bar for him for a while, and it was the natural next step to take over the running of the club. Six months after that, he made me a Master. Best day of my life, and a title I hold with pride.”
Yes, she could see that. Liam was insanely proud of what he’d accomplished, even if she couldn’t understand it. After his junkie mom nearly ruined his life at such a young age, he was happy. “What kind of...Master are you?”
“I’d like to think I’m fair. I can be as much of a hardass as Atticus, as sweet as Connie, and my ears are always available for a chat with an uncertain subbie. Being bi, I’m extremely lucky to be able to top men and women, so I’m kept busy between running things and taking care of those who require my attention.”
Hmmm, sounded accurate. In true Liam style, he hadn’t embellished his achievements that she could tell, but told her the truth as he saw it. She had a feeling Jasper wouldn’t have been so modest if asked the same question.
“And...and Braun?”
As soon as she said his name, Liam’s eyes lit with consideration. He took a long moment before answering this time—was he weighing up his reply to make Braun seem more appealing, or was he figuring out how to spin his boss’s bad points more favorably? “Braun is one of the best men of my acquaintance in the lifestyle, Bo. He’s been my mentor for quite some time, especially after Aaron fucked off with his toyboy. Braun’s got the patience of a saint, he’s skilled in several areas, and he’s earned the respect of each and every member of the club.”
Bodie grunted quietly, mulling that over.
“Let yourself relax, Bo. Why don’t you go put some music on and take a spin on the stage before the horde starts piling in? The music system is to the left of the stage, you can’t miss it.”
Damn him for using his knowledge of her to settle her down. He knew the best way to calm her nerves was music. And dance...dance gave her an outlet for all her frantic energy and the emotion she sometimes couldn’t bottle up.
“Is there time?” There were no freaking clocks in the club that she’d seen.
“Yeah, you’ve got time. Go burn some stress off, get those endorphins pumping.”
Her feet headed in the direction of the stage of their own accord. Before she could talk herself out of this whole sorry mess, she’d travelled up the short set of five steps and surveyed the area with which she had to work.
A lot of space, which pleased her immensely. From below, the stage looked quite small and cramped but up here, she had more than enough room to play with choreography.
The floor was smooth, perfect for slides and splits, and shone under the warm lights illuminating her new territory. Marked here and there, but she wasn’t going to think about how the scars had gotten there.
Looking up, she was impressed by the amount of lights at her disposal. White lights, colored filters, spotlights...whatever her mood