In the Zone Read Free

put down her cup and hiked up her skirt. She stood still while Alani looked.
    “You’re fine,” Alani said. “More the shock than anything.”
    The woman kept glancing over her shoulder, trying to see her ass.
    “Come here,” Alani said. She drew the blonde into the dressing area and positioned two cheval mirrors. “Now look.”
    The woman’s mouth fell open. “It’s hardly red.”
    “You have a couple of marks that will fade fast. You won’t bruise. I think you and your boyfriend need to have a talk. And maybe attend a couple of classes if you want to pursue this lifestyle.” She smiled although she was horribly conscious of the passing of time. “Although it may not be for you.” If she knew the club’s monitors, the blonde’s boyfriend was receiving a similar talk. “A spanking can hurt, especially if he hasn’t warmed you up first.”
    “Damn! Is it always like that?”
    “No.” She wished it were. “Let’s get you fixed up,” she said.
    The blonde straightened her clothing, and Alani offered a damp towel. The woman blotted her face, finger-combed her hair, then gave a wan smile. “It wasn’t what I expected.”
    “It rarely is,” Alani said. “But it can be wonderful and rewarding, with patience and communication.”
    She walked the woman back to the monitor who waited outside the door.
    “Daniel’s talking with her boyfriend about aftercare,” the monitor said.
    “Thanks.” To the blonde, Alani said, “You’ll be all right.”
    Which was more than she could say for herself.
    She was more than five minutes late.
    For a moment, she considered changing her clothes before the meeting.
    Since she never knew what to expect at work, she kept a variety of shoes and clothing in her locker.
    Because she was still on duty, her skirt ended midthigh, and she was conscious of the very feminine garter and stockings she wore. If Master Marcus allowed her to sit, bare skin might be revealed. Jeans or dress pants would be better.
    Her shelf bra pushed up her breasts and left her nipples exposed beneath her see-through black blouse. And her heels… She’d worn three-inch stilettos because they made her calves look shapely, not because they were suitable for a meeting with the boss.
    But she was already in plenty of trouble. After pulling back her shoulders, she headed toward the front of the club.
    Willow stood behind the reception desk, checking reservations, making sure paperwork was signed, ensuring club rules were understood. And she did it all with a disarming smile. Lovely and competent.
    “Master Marcus said you were to go straight in,” Willow said, looking up from the computer keyboard.
    Alani couldn’t read anything in Willow’s expression.
    “Good luck.”
    That was telling.
    Alani was too well trained to rush. She moved gracefully and purposefully past the reception desk and into a small alcove. No one watching her would have any idea nerves were churning inside.
    Three different doors opened to the alcove. Two were office doors, one for Master Marcus, another for Master AJ. There was a private restroom for staff.
    Several chairs dominated the area, along with a couple of silk ferns and a handful of magazines, mainly about architecture or things to do in Denver. There was nothing remotely kinky about the area.
    She smoothed back her hair, even though she didn’t need to. She’d mostly gotten past playing with her hair when she was nervous, but now, the old habit returned.
    After taking a deep breath, she knocked on Master Marcus’s door.
    “Come in!”
    She hesitated only for a moment before turning the knob and entering.
    He moved aside a document and laid his pen on top of the page. “Come in and close the door behind you.”
    He’d phrased it as order, not an invitation.
    After following his instructions, she crossed the hardwood floor toward his desk, suddenly unsure how to behave. She’d been here two years, and she’d worked with Master Marcus almost every day. He’d