Chapter 5: Chapter Five

New Year’s Eve—Kildare, Ireland.

Sam.

“I still can’t believe this, Summer!”

We are all three in Melody’s bathroom getting ready to go to the New Year’s Eve party at a club in Dublin. “You’re a fucking vampire!”

“I mean, come on, chicas, what the actual fuck is going on here!” I turn on them now, looking into Summer’s silver eyes. “So you’re like really a real vampire?” She just shyly smiles and nods at me. I spin to Melody, “And your future husband and kids are werewolves. You guys get all the cool stuff!”

I’m screeching at them, so excited about being included in their secrets. The soft glow of the light in the room makes them both look gorgeous. Summer’s pale skin and striking silver eyes are stunning, the green corset topping her skin-tight jeans accentuates her curves.

Melody is equally as stunning in her halter mini, her long tanned legs topped with the perfect heart-shaped curve of her ass. They’re both dolled up and ready to be shown off by their Doms at the BDSM club. A pang in my heart reminds me that I’m flying solo tonight.

“Hey, don’t do that,” Summer tells me, tipping my chin up to face her, “we are all here together. We are going to ring in the New Year together and have a new life full of wonderful new beginnings, all of us here in Ireland together.” Her smile is bright, and it makes me smile back at her.

“I love you, girly,” I tell her, she squeezes my hand in hers, and we go back to getting ready. The small room begins to fill with the smell of hairspray and perfume.

The drive to Dublin is quiet as we all take in the scenery until the sun drops behind the horizon and the car falls dark. For a moment, I’m taken aback by the surreal ness of being in such a small space with two vampires and a werewolf. Melody takes my hand, drawing my attention to her.

“You all right, hun?” she asks me, her eyes full of concern for me and my broken heart. I just nod back in response.

We arrive at the club and after finding a place to park on the street, we all pile out of the small car. “All right ladies, let's head inside,” Finn tells us as he grabs hold of Melody’s hand, they lead the way into the club.

Donnie and Summer have their own gear bag, clearly planning to scene tonight. The bouncer checks our IDs and has us all fill out our consent forms. As I sign my forms and then place my ID back in my small bag, I take a moment to scan the bulletin board in the hall while my friends finish getting checked in. One flyer catches my eye, and I read it over.

Wanted Full-Time TPE Submissive Auction to be held January 8th 90 days, 50% of auction proceeds provided to Submissive at the end of term 555-5684

Please sign up no later than January 6th There are small tabs at the bottom of the page with the phone number. I take one and tear it off, stuffing it into my pocket, hoping no one notices what I’m doing.

***

Alec.

I watch Sam as she tears off the small piece of paper from the flyer on the bulletin board. My position at the end of the line gives me a good view of her. The tight blue corset is topped with her large milky white breasts, and her tight black jeans accentuate her soft curves. They’re in all the right places.

The group enters into the club through the door at the end of the hall as I make my way to the front of the line. After completing the check-in process, I step to the board and read the flyer that caught Sam’s attention. Full time TPE, for 90 days.

“Mmm… ” I growl low under my breath. When I wave my hand over the flyer the soft glow lights it up for a mere second. That should do it, I think. Then I head into the club and look around, trying to find any trace of the woman I will have in my arms come January eighth.

***

Sam.

When we enter the main body of the club, it reminds me of The Den back home. The red and black equipment is all familiar to me. The stone walls and the smell of leather is a comfort. This is what I need. I need to get back in the saddle and be grounded again. Squeezing my eyes closed, I think of Sara and our night together. It has been almost a year. It has been so long since that night, since the last time I felt comforted and safe. I get lost in my memories, and one in particular stings as my eyes hitch over the spanking bench in the room, so familiar.

Colin and I arrived at the club just in time to get the first pick at the equipment tonight. A thrill shot through me when I watched him walk towards the spanking bench, and I smiled. I haven’t been one to scene publicly often, but there with him that night, the small crowd gathered around us, it was what I wanted. I wanted others to see him claim me as his own. One step closer to the relationship I hope we will continue to build.

Colin closed the leather cuffs around my ankles and then did the same with a similar set at my wrists. Trailing his hand up over my arm, across my shoulder, and down my back. When he removed his hand from me for a moment, I was left feeling cold. The hot sting of the leather strap coming down on my ass made my eyes shoot open wide, and the feeling shot through me, hot and dark. I was ready for it.

The warm feeling in my pocket draws my attention to the small scrap of paper there. I am pulled away from the memory of that night with Colin at The Den. I slide my hand into my pants pocket and run my fingertips over the rough edge where I tore it away from the flyer. Yes, you need this Sam. The words come to my mind unbidden and I know that I would benefit from signing up. But I just got here and I don’t know how to break it to Melody that I’m going to consider leaving her for three months.

“Penny for your thoughts,” Summer whispers in my ear, coming up behind me and pulling me out of my musing about what the future could hold for me if I sign up for the auction.

“What do you think about me signing up for a ninety-day TPE auction? Half of the proceeds will come to me.” I turn to her and her eyes flash, I’m not sure if she is actually thinking it through or angry at my suggesting it.

“Really, Sam? Is that what you want to do? Do you need the money—” I cut her off.

“It’s not about the money. Please don’t offer me money, Summer. It’s about needing the change, the structure. The way to leave my past in the past and move forward with a fresh start.” She examines me for a minute before she replies.

“If it is what you want to do, I support you one-hundred percent.” I smile at her words, happy to know that my friends will have my back no matter what.

“You ready, Summer? We’re up.” Donnie approaches us with his gear bag slung over his shoulder, he places his hand on Summer’s lower back, and she noticeably leans into his body. My heart pangs at the sight, my desire to have that bond with someone making the ache inside me grow.

“Yep,” she says, turns to him and plants a kiss on his cheek. Then turning back to me, her eyes fill with concern. “Melody and Finn already headed off. Are you going to be all right by yourself for a bit?”

“Yes, you two go,” I say, looking around I notice that the place is crowded, full of couples, I don’t see our friends in the mix at all. “I’m going to head to the bar and get a drink, then watch a few of the demos they have going on.”

As she trails behind Donnie, Summer sends me a slight wave, then they head towards the St. Andrew’s Cross, their favorite.

I pick my way through the crowd towards the bar. The room is full of chatter with everyone preparing to start their nights. The activities on the lists at the door tell me the night will be busy, leading up to midnight when they will have a celebration to ring in the New Year.

The leather-topped barstool is soft under me as I take my seat at the weathered bar top. The bartender is at the other end, serving drinks, and I flag him down, letting him know that I’m ready to be served when he has the chance. I reach into my pocket and pull out the small paper. Setting it on the gouged wood of the bar, I smooth it out gently and run my fingers over the phone number. This is the right thing. The words come to me again, and I know they’re correct. I need to do this.

“What’ll you have, lass?” I look up into the eyes of the handsome barkeep and smile at him. His tooth-filled grin matches mine and I’m lost for a moment in his face. His tousled hair and shadow beard make him look just scruffy enough to be my type.

“I’ll have a glass of the house red,” I tell him as I pinch the piece of paper between my fingers and slip it back into my pocket for safekeeping.

“You’re not going to be doing a scene tonight?” He raises an eyebrow quizzically at me.

“Nope.” I hold up my wrist and show him my armband. He nods, accepting my word, then turns to pour my glass of wine.

“Make that two,” the deep masculine voice next to me says and I turn in that direction. Immediately my thighs are hot with need.

The man next to me has dark hair peppered with gray, maybe in his forties. His strong jawline is covered with stubble that I know will feel rough under my hand if I run it across his jaw. His pouty lips are so kissable, and I get lost looking at them. I see his tongue dart out and slowly slide over his bottom lip.

“I’m Alec,” he says and holds his hand out to me, and I look up from his lips into deep green eyes. I get lost in them for a moment, only coming back to reality when I feel him slip my hand into both of his. Looking down, I watch as he raises it to those gorgeous lips and plants a kiss on my knuckles.

“Sam, I’m Sam.” I realize I sound like an idiot and fight the urge not to slink away into the darkness and hide my embarrassment.

Lowering my hand back to my side, with a gentle squeeze before he releases it, he meets my gaze. “Mind if I join you, Sam?”

“No, not at all.” I motion to the barstool next to mine inviting him to sit as the bartender turns and sets two glasses of deep red wine on the bar in front of us.

“You’re not from here, are you?” Alec asks, and I smile at him, still getting lost in his eyes.

“What gave it away?” I giggle, giddy with nerves.

“I could actually understand what you’re saying. The accents here are so thick I have a hard time telling what people are saying the majority of the time,” he chuckles at himself. “I’m from the states too. I’m assuming that’s where you’re from. Maryland, right?”

I pause, confused by how this stranger seems to know so much about me. My hesitation is evident, and he goes on.

“I’m a friend of Donnie and Summer’s. I came here to help them out, with, well with some things over the holidays.” His words make me start, and I jerk my eyes back up to his gaze. Green, not silver. His eyes are green. He isn’t a vampire.

“Really?” I fish, trying to see if this man knows the things I do or if he is just ordinary like me. “How do you know Donnie?”

“I’ve known him for a long time. We go way back. He asked me to come out here, and when I got here, I just couldn’t leave. I saw something—he pauses for a moment—something that I knew I needed to make mine. Finn was nice enough to permit me to use a small cottage on his lands for the next six months. Hopefully, I’ll find what I’m looking for sooner rather than later.”

When he finishes, I can’t help but think that he is trying to tell me something that I’m just not getting. Implying something with his words that I’m not picking up on, I nod at him.

I look down at the bar and run my fingers along the stem of my wine glass, trying to process his words. They’re not cryptic, but I’m picking up on something that isn’t making sense in my mind. It clicks then.

“Have we met before?” I ask him while looking up, and he smiles softly at me.

“Not officially. On Christmas, I was at the Keep. I didn’t get the pleasure of meeting you that day and was left having to admire you from afar.” Alec winks at me.

I blush, feeling it spread across my cheeks, down my neck, and over my chest. My breasts are tinted pink when I look down at them. I know the blush is noticeable. I rarely let men have this much of an effect on me.

“I have been hoping to see you again since that night. Imagine my joy at seeing you here.” He reaches over and gently touches my fingers with the tips of his, stilling my hand on the stem of my wineglass.

“I, um… Wow.” I don’t have the words, and I giggle again at my foolishness. “I’m not normally like this. I’m so sorry. I promise I normally have so much more to say. I’ve just, it’s been a rough week.” My eyes roam over the bar top when I drop my head, not wanting to meet his gaze. Saying a silent prayer, I squeeze my eyes closed and hope that the floor will open up and swallow me.

“Want to talk about it?” Alec asks me gently.

“Um, not really. I’m just working through some things, trying to forget my past a bit.” Slowly I raise my eyes, and they meet his deep green ones. I get lost in the emerald pools for a moment.

He breaks my concentration when he speaks. “Sometimes, it is more important to learn from our past than to forget it. The past can be a powerful thing, Sam. But don’t let past mistakes haunt you. The decisions we make every day help to shape us into who we are.”

I’m taken aback by his words. He said so much with so few. Yet Alec has left me thinking he is right. I need to learn from this and not make the same mistakes again. “That was pretty deep,” I reply.

“I’ll leave you to it then,” he reaches out his hand to me, and I slip mine into his grasp, “it was a pleasure to meet you, Sam. I hope to see you again soon.” With a wink, he raises my knuckles to his mouth and plants a warm kiss on them again. Before I respond, he drops it, lifts his wineglass, and slips away from the bar.

I watch as he crosses the room. I can’t help but let my eyes fall to his gorgeous, rock-hard behind, following his every move.

Midnight comes and goes with all the traditional fanfare. My friends gather with me by the front door as we say our goodbyes to those whom we have met and shared time with tonight and then we step out into the bitter cold and walk to our car. Looking up to the sky, I see the clouds full of snow and watch as the first snowflakes of the new year come down out of the sky towards me.

Getting bigger as they get closer to me, they land on my face. Cool and icy. I smile into the night. “Learn from my past,” I tell myself. A new year for a new me.