Free Hard to Serve: A Hard Ink Novella by Laura Kaye Page A

her want to try it. At least once.
    “As intriguing as this scene is, it’s hard to look anywhere else but at you in that stunning dress,” a male voice said from behind her.
    Mia turned toward the Dom and smiled. “Thank you, Sir.” No wrist cuff, so he wasn’t one of the Masters. He was attractive, with silvering hair and brown eyes.
    “I’m Richard,” he said, holding out his hand.
    “Hello,” she said, shaking his hand. “I’m Mia.”
    “Have you seen Master Griffin work before?” he asked, gesturing at the stage. “He is better at Shibari than anyone here.”
    Mia turned her gaze back to the scene. “No, I’m pretty new. But the rope work is gorgeous on her,” she said, looking back to him. And that was when, out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Kyler. She smiled at him, sure that he’d seen her, but he turned away. “Excuse me, Sir. I see a friend I was hoping to catch up with tonight.”
    “Lucky friend,” he said. “Of course.”
    Mia made her way through the back of the audience, but by the time she’d made it to where Master Kyler had been, he was gone. It was much busier in here for being Friday night, so it made looking for him harder to do. Finally, she went to the bar, which was where he’d found her that first night. She waited, and Master Leo confirmed that she hadn’t just imagined Kyler’s presence when he volunteered that he’d showed after all.
    Was he avoiding her? Maybe their time together hadn’t been as mind-blowing for him as it had been for her. Because her mind had definitely been blown. The way he’d handled her, the words that spilled from his mouth, his fearlessness in giving her what she needed. And if that hadn’t all been enough, the way he’d cared for her after had really made her regret that he didn’t want a relationship, because the way he’d treated her could definitely tempt her heart to enter into the equation.
    She peered around for him again. No luck.
    He was here. He’d seen her. And he wasn’t coming for her. And Master Kyler struck her as a man who knew what he wanted and took it. Damn.
    Part of her really wanted to go home. To go wallow in the disappointment welling up in her belly. But if she did that, she was just going to end up thinking about Master Kyler anyway.
    Not to mention, she only had this discounted membership for another eleven days. She didn’t want to miss out on that, because she wasn’t sure whether she’d be able to afford continuing it at the regular rate, and she didn’t have a Dom who would pay it for her.
    Mia debated, Blasphemy’s vibe appealing to something deep inside her. She wasn’t leaving. Richard had seemed nice. Maybe she could talk to him again. Or maybe she could find someone else. Either way, there was no sense in waiting for Kyler. That much seemed clear.
    And a half hour of being here—of watching the bondage scene and so much else—had aroused her. She didn’t want to leave on that account, either. Mia needed this.
    That resolved her. She slipped off the stool and resumed her explorations. The bondage scene was over, and Master Griffin was wrapping the submissive in a blanket in a way that tugged at something deep inside Mia. Turning away, she joined the crowd gathered around the St. Andrew’s cross, a woman strapped to it and a different Master working over her skin with a flogger until she was pink almost everywhere.
    A thrill shot through Mia.
    And then her arousal ratcheted higher. Because the Dom traded out his flogger for a vibrating massager and held it against her clit while he clamped his hand around the submissive’s throat. The woman came twice almost immediately, and Mia was close to coming just from watching, just imagining that it was happening to her.
    “Hey, new girl,” came a deep voice as someone stepped in beside her.
    “Master Quinton,” Mia said with a smile. “I’m not new anymore, don’t you know? I’m an old pro now.”
    He laughed, and the deepness of the