Unravelling Nell

“Dominance and submission isn’t about punishing you for every little mistake you make.”

But that’s all Nell knows.
Punishment. Beatings. Branding.
Hell.

She lost everything before she ran away and found a Domme who could help her. Mistress Freya gave her a job, a place to live, and a community filled with the kink she craves—though she can’t give Nell everything she needs.

But she knows who can.

Rafe has a reputation. Hard, mean, and the strictest of the Doms at Fairford Manor. He has his reasons. Reasons he never shares with anyone. But he can help Nell. Help her submit and trust a Dom to push her without breaking her. Give her pain that leads to pleasure, not scars. Get back her family, her confidence . . . her life.

In the process, he might find exactly what he needs—a life that includes more than the walls of a luxury kink resort.

But to do that, they need to figure out how to look forward instead of staying trapped in the past. How to move beyond the pain that scarred them.

They have seven days to figure it out. Time’s ticking.

Chapter One
Nell

Nell slid a snifter of brandy and a glass of the house white across the bar to Master Donovan. He and his longtime sub, Meredith, spent every Saturday night at Valhalla like clockwork and were two of her favorite customers. She loved watching them interact, seeing the mutual respect and adoration in their dynamic. None of her past relationships ever came close to that.

“Thanks,” Master Donovan said, sliding a fifty-dollar bill across the bar. “Keep the change.”

That was reason number two for their favorite status—the smallest denomination Master Donovan ever carried was a fifty, and he seemed to find change cumbersome.

Grabbing the drinks, he set off through the center of the club’s main floor, weaving between people and dungeon furniture toward the tables by the stage. She could just make out Meredith in the dim lighting, awaiting her Master’s return to their booth. They always scheduled their play around the midnight show.

Nell checked her watch. It read twenty minutes to midnight; she knew from experience she was about to be incredibly busy. Valhalla had a two-drink limit, and the most popular times to indulge were upon arrival and during the performance. The owners and bouncers found it hard to keep things safe, sane, and consensual when patrons got plastered.

Sure enough, the closer they got to showtime, the more the main floor emptied. Some people even trickled out of the back hallway, which held the club’s five private rooms. And everyone wanted a drink before they sat down.

She was in the zone tonight, flying through drink orders with a grace and speed that kept those tips right on coming. If things kept up like this, it would only be another couple of weeks before she could replace her laptop. That was close to the bottom of her list—a want-to-have, not a need-to-have. But she’d worked her way through the rest of the list faster than she ever thought she could, moving out of that shitty motel into an actual apartment, getting a used smartphone with a brand-new number, and restoring most of her wardrobe. She could afford to be a little frivolous.

The stage lights turned on at the exact moment the music changed to a softer, slower beat, revealing two figures at centerstage. Jasper and Penny were another regular D/s pair at the club, who both had a serious exhibitionism kink. They did shows once a month, as much for their own pleasure as for the audience’s.

The crimson and violet lights painted Penny’s pale skin and short, white-blond hair, making her look even more like a pixie than usual. Jasper’s hand circled her throat, his dark skin a perfect contrast to hers, his chiseled muscles a counterpoint to her slight frame.

Jesus Christ, they looked beautiful together. It struck Nell anew every single time she saw them, as if she somehow convinced herself she remembered wrong over and over again. And yet, another night at the club would roll around, and it would practically hurt to watch them again. Like looking at the sun.

“Why are we here tonight, Penny?” Jasper asked, his deep voice carrying all the way to Nell’s end of the dungeon.

“Because I need to be punished, Sir.”

Jasper’s other hand came up to rest possessively on her breast. “And you need these people to witness your punishment, don’t you? It’s the only way you’ll feel like you’ve atoned for your sins.”

Nell felt those words reverberate through her, like electricity dancing just beneath the surface of her skin.

Atone for your sins.

Fuck, what she wouldn’t give to be the one up on that stage. Before Micah, she would’ve been. But now? Fear and lust tangled together inside her, keeping her hidden behind the bar, always safe and out of reach.

“Yes, Sir.” Penny rested her head against his bare chest, but she never took her eyes off the audience. “Please help me.”

Nell leaned forward, her forearms resting on the smooth surface of the bar. Jasper and Penny’s shows were by far her favorites. It wasn’t even a competition. Not only did she have the biggest crush imaginable on both of them, but Jasper’s severity made him so much more captivating than the other Doms who performed. Nell’s heart pounded as she waited to see what they planned for this month’s scene.

“The Mistress wants to see you in her office.”

Someone whispered the words in Nell’s ear, and she jumped about a foot in the air. She whipped around to find Amber, one of the dungeon monitors.

“Jesus,” Nell said, putting a hand over her chest. “I almost had a heart attack.”

“Sorry,” Amber said, smirking. “I should’ve been more careful. I know how distracted you get when Jasper and Penny scene.”

Nell laughed and gestured to the nearly empty floor. “I’m clearly not the only one.”

“Touché.” Amber’s dark eyes danced with amusement.

“You can head on back. Mistress Freya asked me to watch the bar.”

Trying not to let her disappointment show, Nell thanked her friend and headed toward the back hallway. It would be a month before Jasper and Penny did another show. Did the Mistress really need to see her right now?