Bind Me [Pact of Seduction 1] by Stacey Kennedy Page A

you?"
    Marley considered this. If she made the pact with her best friends, there would be no escape. Did she have the strength to make good on her word? She glanced around to her friends, and excitement showed on their faces, even Kyra's. Marley would let her hesitations go too.
    This was her chance to do something she'd never do if not forced. Maybe this could be a turning point for her. A way to break this boring cloud that had settled over her life, and maybe she could meet a man who could stir something more than friendship-level feelings. She drained the rest of her chardonnay, wiped her mouth, and smiled. “I'm in. What do we do next?"
    Bella took a pad of paper and a pen off the end table and handed each of the women a sticky note. “We write our fantasies down; then we'll share them.” She lowered her head, and Marley did the same.
    By the time it was Marley's turn to read her fantasy, she had discovered Kyra wanted two men, Sadie wanted a firefighter, and Bella had an interest in being with a woman.
    When all eyes focused on her, Marley cringed. She had a hard enough time thinking these thoughts, let alone voicing them. “I can't read this to y'all."
    "Oh, it's gotta be good.” Bella snatched up the paper and read the note. “Our Marley here wants to be dominated."
    "You do?” Sadie asked.
    "Like bondage, sadomasochism, that type of stuff?” Kyra interjected before Marley could respond to Sadie.
    "Well...” Marley suspected her cheeks burned red. “I'm not sure what I want because I don't know much about BDSM, but I like the idea of being told what to do and having someone else in control of my pleasure."
    All heads nodded, and in unison they said, “Sexy."
    Bella jumped up, then ran into the kitchen. A moment later, she returned holding four straws. “The shortest straw goes first, and so on. Here, Kyra, you're up."
    Kyra pulled one that could be the tallest, but at this point, it was only guessing.
    Bella held the straws out for Marley. “You next, Marls."
    Marley took a straw and grumbled at the small size, barely measured up to her pinky finger. Okay, she'd agreed; however, she didn't want to go first. She didn't think her friends would bail out, and she didn't plan to either, but she wanted to go somewhere in the middle. A comfortable place to be.
    Sadie took her straw, measuring the size of her index finger. Then Bella raised hers. “Hold ‘em up, ladies."
    Marley looked from straw to straw, then realized she'd picked the wrong damn straw. Bella was next, then Sadie, with Kyra picking the largest straw. Smiling faces looked at Marley, and she groaned. “Oh no."
    "Oh yes.” Bella beamed. “You're up, buttercup.” She practically ran over to the computer desk, only to return with her laptop a moment later. “And I've got the perfect place in mind."
    "What place?” Marley scooted toward her as Bella clicked away on the keyboard. “And how long have you been planning this?"
    "Oh, not long, just a week or so,” Bella replied. “When I did some research on fantasies, I discovered this place in Bowleys Quarters."
    On the small screen, a Web site with a castle decorating the background and big, black, bold letters on the top read, Castle Dolce Vita . “What is it?"
    "A sex club."
    Kyra's eyes went huge. “A what?"
    "Don't get your granny panties all in a bunch.” Bella shushed her with a flip of her hand. “They have forums where you can contact people who have similar interests as you do"—she wiggled her eyebrows—"sexually."
    "Ew.” Kyra groaned. “This sounds really dirty."
    Bella ignored her as she usually did when Kyra protested one of her plans. “I was reading here. The rules are: all participants must sign a waiver form to insure privacy will be kept while at the castle. No cameras allowed and no videotaping permitted. All participants must provide a clear STD and AIDS test and a background check to the members they're involved with before they are allowed to engage in sexual