I remove my jeans and walk over to stand myself under the suspended gold frame and hold my hands above my head. His face spreads into a wide smile as he accepts the whip and runs his eyes down my semi nakedness. Any reluctance will foil me and this is the only way that I can demonstrate to Jesse how crazy all of this shit is. I walk over to the stand by the wall and pick out the fiercest looking whip I can find before turning and handing it to him with steady hands. This Steve, though, he’s cocky and confident, but not in an attractive way.

His words stir the bile that’s coating my throat, and I watch as the sensible man grasps the woman’s arm and pulls her away with a cautious look all over his face. Ward has never had an issue with sharing before.’ ‘Seriously, Steve, she’s special to him.’ ‘All’s fair in sex and The Manor.’ Steve quips on a smirk. It’s not worth it.’ His friend tries to reason with Steve, but he looks like he’s on a mission and doesn’t like being told what to do, which is just what I need. ‘She wants to play, don’t you, sweetness?’ His eyes are dark but sparkling at me. I throw him a filthy look, and he shakes his head. ‘Come to play, sweetness?’ One of the men drawls as he starts towards me.

I kick my shoes off and pull my t-shirt up over my head before throwing it to the floor and unfastening my jeans. One of the men watches me cautiously while the other eyes me approvingly, his face breaking out into a dark smile. I approach the scene and they all turn their attention on me, the conversation ceasing as I get closer. Two men, I recognise neither, are talking quietly while a women puts her underwear back on. I head to the right and find myself where I want to be. I enter the dimly lit communal room, ignoring the few scenes playing out in front of me, while trying to blank out the erotic music that’s invading my hearing.

Beneath This Man by Jodi Ellen Malpas