Fall Into You by Roni Loren Page B

want to join in at any
     time, go for it.”
    Charli nodded, scared about what she was walking into but too damn curious to turn
     around and hustle back home. “Thanks.”
    Kelsey turned the knob with nimble fingers and pushed the door open without a sound.
     On the other side was a small room. Charli peered over Kelsey’s shoulder, her lips
     parting when she saw the space was filled with half-dressed men and women on their
     knees. She pressed her fingers over her mouth, barely managing to choke down a gasp
     of surprise and avoid alerting everyone to her presence. Having a notion of what the
     place could be and actually seeing it were two different things. A ripple of nerves
     went through her.
    Kelsey stepped inside, and Charli didn’t know what else to do but go in with her.
     Hell, at the very least, this was a whole lot more interesting than what was going
     on at her empty cabin. The man at the front of the room—the only person standing—nailed
     the two of them with his gaze. “Ah, I told you all we’d have a special treat. Lady
     K has generously offered to help tonight.”
    One of the two men kneeling turned his head to see Kelsey and broke out into a wide,
     awed smile. Kelsey’s expression turned icy inan instant—from Snow White to evil queen in zero point five seconds. “Sub, I didn’t
     give you permission to look at me.”
    The words were like the snap of a whip. The man instantly lowered his head as if he’d
     been struck. “So sorry, mistress. Forgive me. I was overwhelmed by your beauty.”
    She sniffed, a haughty tilt to her chin. “Flattery will get you nowhere. Master Colby
     must’ve not gotten to that part of your lesson yet.”
    The man at the front—Colby presumably—sent Kelsey a conspiratorial smile. “We’ve only
     started working on proper kneeling techniques. But I’ll be sure Antoine earns your
     forgiveness later, Lady K.” Colby looked to Charli as if noticing her for the first
     time, then back to Kelsey. “Have you brought us another trainee?”
    “She’s new and just observing tonight, trying to figure out her inclination,” Kelsey
     said, her tone softening from the harsh one she used with the man.
    Colby’s dark eyebrows lowered, thunderclouds crossing his features, and he shook his
     head. “No observers for my trainings. Participate or leave.”
    Charli’s throat seemed to shrivel, and she couldn’t get a response out. Kelsey must’ve
     recognized the panicked look because she put a hand on Charli’s elbow and leaned next
     to her ear. “Don’t freak out. Nothing major happens in this session—it’s all manners.
     Stay and see how you feel. Might help you with your decision.”
    More because her legs wanted to give out from under her than anything else, Charli
     let Kelsey guide her down into a kneel. So this is why Grant had been so guarded about
     the resort. Grant—the cowboy military guy turned vineyard owner—ran some sort of kinky
     S and M club? She couldn’t even wrap her mind around the thought.
    And if he ran it, did that mean he was into it, too?
    Charli was dragged from her thoughts as Colby walked over to one of the younger women
     in the front—a dark-haired beauty wholooked to be pulled from the pages of an old-fashioned pinup calendar. He cupped her
     chin and titled her face toward him. “Stella, would you please show the group what
     a nice stand and kneel you have?”
    The girl kept her eyes down. “Yes, sir.”
    With one fluid movement, Stella rocked forward, tucked her toes under, and rose to
     a stand. It was a simple sequence of actions, but even Charli couldn’t deny the utter
     elegance it conveyed—like a silk curtain lifting with a gust of wind.
    Colby gazed down at her with pride. “Lovely, Stella.” He looked to the group. “You
     see that, subs? None of this putting one leg up first or pushing yourself up with
     your hands. Unless you have some injury stopping you, your master or mistress deserves
     that