Secret identities and hidden desires unfold between a seemingly straight Dominant and the submissive harboring a deep, long-held onto lust in Masked.

Bobby tells himself the mask he’s been wearing all month is just part of the Halloween theme of Abyss, the alternative lifestyle club he frequents. But it’s not the truth. He’s in lust. He’s in the closet. And, he’s ready to come out. The only problem is, the man he’s interested in is a friend. A straight friend.

Thor knows he’s being watched. What he can’t figure out is why? Every weekend, the man in the black mask has been watching as Thor has flogged, paddled, and whipped submissive after submissive at his play station at Abyss. The man’s heated and unwavering gaze arouses Thor’s curiosity. Is the man a stalker? A jealous dominant or boyfriend? Thor isn’t sure, but decides it’s time to find out.

As he approaches, something in the eyes of the masked man strikes Thor as familiar, but before he can question further, the man reveals exactly what he wants. A spanking. Bare-handed. In private. From Thor.

Masked is the first in a series about the developing feelings between Bobby and Thor.

The man was back again tonight. For the past five weekends, he'd been there, watching from behind his black mask. Since Abyss' Halloween House opened, the masked man had been watching Thor's every move and what Thor couldn't figure out, was why. Why did the man stand there, his eyes unwavering, sometimes for hours on end? The man didn't leave, didn't go to the bar for a drink, didn't go upstairs to the private rooms. No, he simply stood outside the ropes of Thor's flogging station and watched.

Thor looked around the downstairs, or at least as far as he could see from his station. He hated Halloween parties. And that's what the whole month of weekends in October were. One big Halloween party. Lifestylers, kinksters, and goths of all kinds flocked to the two-century old three-story house on the outskirts of town. One of the partners in Abyss had bought it, had it gutted and renovated to be the perfect kinky playground. It was opened up each year for the month of October and people came from all over the state, sometimes from out of state to play in its upscale turned haunted environment.

During the week it was a haunted house open to the public, all aspects of BDSM and fetish play hidden or disguised so as not to offend any vanilla sensibilities, but on the weekends? On the weekends it was where Abyss clientele and their friends gathered to indulge their deviances and play.

Three flogging stations, the violet wand and fire play station, and one of the bars all occupied the first floor. The second floor had at one time held four bedrooms, but now it housed only three separate rooms. To the right of the staircase, were two of the original bedrooms. One was used for storage and the other housed the second bar. To the left, was what used to be the other two bedrooms now converted into one large room for dancing. The third floor held the massage room and three small private rooms. Once upon a time, the upper floor had been attic storage, but the renovations had included turning the one large space into four small, well equipped and functional rooms. Each floor had two bathrooms as well.

Thor's play area was located in a room adjacent to the bar on the first floor. Practitioners were not allowed to drink and neither were those that signed up to be used and toyed and played with. A computer system had been installed in the house as well as an electronic sign-up and when someone was carded at the bar, it was logged into the house's system. If one of those someone's tried to sign up at a play station, their name was flagged as having been purchasing alcoholic beverages. It was house policy and taken seriously. Alcohol impaired judgment and the last thing anyone needed was a tipsy or outright drunk patron strapped down to a table for hot wax play or a spanking bench for a whipping.

His St. Andrew's cross and sawhorse complete with eye hooks for both ankle and wrist cuffs were set up in what used to be the formal parlor. Thor loved the house and wished that Abyss could move there permanently, but the partners owned a warehouse in a quaint, artsy section of town that worked very well for the needs of the club's members on a regular basis.

He turned to Mick, the other dominant who shared the room with him. They helped one another set up and take down, cuff people, and double team flog when it was requested. Sharing space and skills also allowed each of them time to take a break when needed. "Do you have anyone left on the list?"

Mick flipped through the electronic sign-up log and shook his head. "No, I think we're done. Seems to be an early one tonight."

Thor was glad of that actually. He would be able to get home before three and into bed before dawn. Truth was, he'd been dragging the last couple of weeks and his weekday job as a construction worker was suffering. He couldn't pinpoint why other than he had a pretty active weekend life that was sapping all his energy. If he had the time, he could sleep for a week and probably still not catch up.

Abyss was a volunteer gig. He didn't have to do it, but he loved it, felt alive in a way he couldn't explain when he was wielding a flogger or a whip. He didn't have a regular play partner and he wouldn't give up the chance at the small bit of play, however controlled, that the club provided as an outlet.

Out of the corner of his eye, Thor saw the masked man shift from one foot to the other, the movement hinting at impatience. He wanted something. Thor just couldn't figure out what. There was a familiarity about the man that stumped him, but for the life of him, Thor couldn't put his finger on it to save his life. He'd lain in bed for weeks trying to figure out how and where he knew the masked man from.

He packed up his floggers and loaded his paddles in his bag, cleaned up the table and wiped down the cross one last time. He would leave it until later in the week when he would need it at the warehouse again.

When he couldn't put it off any longer, Thor crossed over the rope, effectively causing the man to take a few steps back. The look that passed between them was one of immediate hunger and lust. It hit Thor, straight and solid as any physical blow to his gut and the force of it shocked him.

The man's face had been covered with the same black leather mask all month. The only part that was visible was his clean shaven jaw and full lips that held a brand of sensuality which gripped Thor right between his legs. He wore two gold hoops through his earlobes and Thor wondered if they were part of his black roguish costume tonight of tight, hip-hugging pants, knee-high boots, and flowing pirate-style shirt opened to reveal a good portion of his chest, or if they were part of him all the time. The eye cut-outs framed thick, dark lashes, but the low light of the room kept Thor from being able to tell the color of his eyes.

He was nearly as tall as Thor and while not quite as broad, he looked solid enough. Straight, dark hair brushed the nape of his neck and secretly Thor smiled. There was enough there to grab hold of from above or behind. He was exactly the type of man Thor liked. Which was odd, even for him. Thor very, very rarely ever indulged his preference for men. Oh, he liked women well enough, dated them, loved fucking them, but his preference was and always had been men. He wanted a male lover, a male play partner, but he'd kept that a well-guarded secret. However, this man in the mask turned him on, made him hard inside the leather pants he wore, and Thor cursed, knowing tonight his secret would come out. He'd deal with any questions later, for now, though...

"Do I know you?" Thor hoped his voice didn't give his sudden surprise and arousal away.

"Yes."

The man's voice was raspy and unsteady, but he didn't cower or look away. Thor gave him props for that. Up close, Thor knew he was an intimidating sight, with his big build and long hair, so that the man didn't falter filled Thor with a pride he didn't quite understand. "I can't seem to place you with the mask on. Take it off?"

"No. I'm not ready for that yet."

The next question simply begged to be asked and Thor couldn't resist the lure of what the answer might be. "What are you ready for?"

A slow, sensual smile formed on the man's lips. Thor could come just from looking at those lips and that smile. The man was every sexual fantasy Thor had about men and the mystery surrounding his identity only made him more so.

"A spanking," came the soft reply.