“Your pupils are big,” Maisy noted. “Did you and Wes do a little play already? You seem spacey.”
“Like drugs?” I asked. “No.”
“No, I meant subspace,” she said.
“Subspace?” I felt like I’d come across the term before, but its meaning evaded me.
“You know,” Maisy said with a touch to my arm, “the altered headspace someone enters when they are being dominated.”
I swallowed hard. “No. We didn’t play,” I said.
I didn’t really feel like explaining to anyone that Wes had hypnotized me, but that it was totally platonic and purely utilitarian.
“Okayyy,” Maisy said slowly, clearly not believing me but also not willing to call me on it. “Wanna come with me to the impact class? I bet Archer and Jayne would justloveto get their hands on you too.”
My eyes widened, and Maisy giggled. “Sorry, I know you’re still working through some things. Not trying to pressure you. We’ll be in the impact room.”
“No worries,” I forced out, my mouth dry. “I’m sure I’ll see you later. I’m just going to explore a bit first.”
Maisy left with a big smile, and I took a minute to collect myself.
I hadn’t said anything damning. I’d admitted to a room full of kinky people that I was kinky. Big deal. For all it mattered, I could’ve been lying in order to ascend.
As for Wes… God, I didn’t even know what to tell myself about Wes. All I knew was that he told me to do only what I wanted, and all I’d wanted was to be close tohim.
It was just because of the hypnosis. I’d been temporarily bonded to him because he’d been in control of my subconscious. That was all. The effects would fade. I remembered everything he’d said to me in that room, and none of it was sinister. He’d helped me. As a friend.
I nodded to myself in the gold-framed mirror.Good talk.
When I re-entered the hallway, there was chatter and laughter in all directions. A few moans floated through the walls.
I was walking deeper into the church before I knew what I was doing, perhaps still a little spacey, like Maisy had said. I took a staircase, reaching the second floor. Every once in a while, people who’d heard me speak greeted me with kind words or minor flirtations, but so far, no one had disturbed my exploration. Maybe tonight would be the night I’d spot Lorelei, or at least hear her name.
Instead, I heardmyname.
“… Nova. Beautiful ring to it.”
I halted. It had been a man’s voice, from behind a door to my left. I crept closer. Some audacious spirit of a mediocre man must’ve taken hold of my body, because I found myself reaching for the doorknob.
Someone opened the door from the other side at the exact same time, and I couldn’t stop my startled yelp.
A man in a tux and an all-black, angular mask greeted me. Behind him, several men wore either tuxes or black robes, their faces covered by ornate black, golden, or animal head masks.
One man had his feet resting on a nude woman’s back as he smoked a cigar. Another nude woman wearing nipple clamps carried a tray of whiskey glasses.
All the masked men turned toward me. Two of them whispered to each other with smirks. The one right in front of me didn’t move, just cocked his head.
“Well, hello there.” His voice was deep, but his tone was playful. He stepped out as I stepped back. He slowly shut the door behind him. “I was just talking about you.”
My chest rose and fell rapidly with each breath. It was as if I could taste the power from that room on my tongue—sensual, dangerous, heady.
“Eyes Wide Shutroleplay?” I managed to ask, taking a few more steps back into the hall.
“Another excellent movie,” he purred. He followed my movements, stalking toward me with each step I took until I was literally backed into a corner.
“Except men like you tend to only focus on the shiny surface elements of that movie—the sex—while the deeper meaning flies conveniently over your heads.”
He stared down at me, or, at least, I assumed he was through the opaque black covering his eyes.
