Page 1

Chapter 1. JJ

My heart was pounding a thousand beats per minute, perfectly in sync with the music. The Hearth never played it too loud — they didn't even kill the lights, just kept everything bathed in this warm amber glow — but it was still an upbeat pop song, and I could barely keep myself together. I was bouncing up and down, singing every word I knew by heart, and every time Daddy looked over at me, he'd let out this little laugh that made my chest go even warmer. He was sitting at one of the wooden tables, relaxed, watching everything with that calm that was just so him.

The Hearth was an exclusive club. You could only get in if someone who already came here had invited you — that way, everyone looked out for everyone else. It was a space just for littles and their Daddies and Mommies, and it was nothing like anywhere else. There was room for scenes, of course: spanking benches, cages, spaces for training subs, everything from floggers to much, much more. But there were also these big, heavy oak tables with chairs around them, amazing food — not just drinks — and little rest areas where boys and girls could color or just decompress if they needed to. There was even a separate room for anyone who needed a break from the noise and sensory overload that a place like this could bring. In the middle of the main floor sat an enormous stone fireplace, protected by a sturdy grate — because the last thing anyone wanted was a little boy or girl getting too close to an open flame.

The place was incredible.

The one who'd first invited me was my best friend, Henry, who was now jumping up and down right beside me as we belted out the latest Shakira song together. Henry and I were definitely the most chaotic ones there. Some of the other boys wrinkled their noses at us — they were well-behaved, did everything their Daddies and Mommies told them — but honestly, we were also admired by plenty of people at the club, mostly because we were always getting into trouble.

Which brought me to tonight.

This time it was entirely Henry's fault. Not that I'd say that out loud, since Daddy would probably punish me just for blaming someone else. But the truth was, I had only suggested the idea — I hadn't actually expected anyone to listen. That was usually how it went. My best ideas always got ignored.

Just not this time.

Henry was my height, dark-haired and dark-eyed, with a short, neat beard. Tonight he was wearing a pink silk lingerie top with gorgeous lace trim and little leather shorts that hugged his ass and showed off his incredible body. I was the complete opposite. Blue-eyed and blond, and even though we were the same height, he was way more built than me. I was on the skinnier side, and I dressed like I was heading to the mall — a Pink Floyd tee and black jeans. Some of the boys here had given me grief about listening to music that old, and once, one of them even got corrected by his Daddy for saying it, which I found absolutely hilarious. I was definitely the most troublesome one in my family, but I liked dressing simply, and Daddy supported that. The leather, the lingerie — none of it called to me.

The dance floor at The Hearth was everywhere: around the oak tables, alongside the spanking benches. There wasn't one dedicated area for dancing, which just meant we could dance anywhere we liked. Doms liked having their subs close, and sometimes they didn't want to stand on a dance floor — or sometimes their subs didn't.

Henry and I were near a small stage where announcements and events occasionally happened. The club manager — who was a boy, and when I say boy, I don't mean his age, I mean his place in the dynamic — was speaking into the microphone. His name was Gustav. Long red hair, genuinely gorgeous, green eyes, and one of my closest friends. I was one of the veterans here by now, same as him.

"Tonight we'll be kidnapping volunteers," he announced with a wicked grin, "tying them up and gagging them. You can sign up with our kidnappers."

He pointed to his two helpers. One was Mel — also a sub, just to be clear — wearing a tiny pink dress that barely covered her, long brown hair, dark eyes. Also a friend of mine. The other was a newcomer, a big guy, and I wasn't sure yet whether he was a sub or a Dom, but he looked excited to get started. And that was all that mattered.

That was when the idea hit me.

I stopped bouncing for a second. I looked at Henry with my best mischievous smile.

"What if I signed Daddy up to be kidnapped?"

Instead of telling me no, like any sane person would have, he burst out laughing. Henry didn't have a Dom at the moment, but sometimes Daddy and others would give him a spanking or a scene when he consented — and he loved playing with Daddy. I loved getting in trouble alongside him too.

"Great idea, JJ," he said. "Stay here."

"What do you mean, stay here?" I asked, already getting a little nervous.

He just grinned and said nothing, then headed across the floor toward Mel.

"Henry! Wait up!" I yelped, running after him.

Too late. Mel gave him the smile of someone who had just been handed the greatest idea in the world, made a beeline for the newcomer, and the two of them walked straight toward Daddy, who was sitting near the fireplace talking with two other Dom friends of ours.

Daddy was the most handsome one there, obviously. He was a bear — big and broad — and when he hugged me, it was the best thing in the world. He had a long, thick beard, reddish in some patches, and short dark hair. His eyes were always warm, always soft, like two little glowing embers even when he was scolding me — which I had probably deserved.

Mel and the newcomer went right up to him, and I was close enough to hear.

"Sir, you're being kidnapped," Mel said, already wrapping a hand around his wrist to guide him. People at the club didn't usually touch each other like that without asking first, but Mel and Daddy had known each other for a long time, and consent was well established between them.

He looked confused for a second. Then, right there in the middle of his friends at the table, his eyes swept slowly around the room — and landed exactly on me. As if none of my collar brothers could possibly be responsible. Only me.

"Kidnapped?" he said in that deep, delicious voice of his.

"Yes, sir," Mel said, continuing to guide him. She wasn't pulling hard — it was more of a suggestion, and he could absolutely refuse.

The corner of Daddy's mouth curved into a smile. Not a warm one. The dangerous kind. The one that said I was going to pay for this. And I knew I was.

I tried to give him my most angelic smile. Too late. His eyebrow was already raised in my direction. Even so, he pushed back from his chair and said: