Calder’s overeager literary agent Ruben talked him into a gig writing about a BDSM society, nothing an ex-cop with psych and sociology degrees ought to have trouble with. An incident with a bullet had lost him his original knee as well as his law enforcement career, but landed him enough meat for a novel for Ruben to hawk. After Calder did some research, his old college roomie Brad, who had been into BDSM, agreed to take him under his wing. Brad invited Calder to the monthly People Exchanging Power meeting. Just to observe.

Brad’s wife Angie did Kelly’s books. Kelly was a Domme, widowed for a year, retired from the professional Mistress business and trying to divest herself of a sub named Michael who was something of an annoying whiner. She was surrounded by subs, but was lonely since her husband had died. The one night a month the PEPs group met, Michael made her late, as usual. She dealt with Michael, greeted her friends and especially noticed the tall, attractive stranger.

And he noticed her. For Calder, the party was an eye-opening experience. He saw things he had not imagined, and furthermore, he saw the Black Widow in a bustier, shorts and heels. And she had seen him. In fact, after selling her sub for a gold dollar, she took Calder home for some coffee and an education that would change his life.

Lena Austin’s contemporary B/D romance is a highly seasoned portrait of a consensual reality with well-drawn characters. For the sake of his article, the neophyte hero gets plenty of realistic explanation behind the mechanics of how “things” work. But there are a lot of things to work out here beyond the mechanics of the scenes. How will things work out between Calder and Kelly since the power exchange is based on trust, and he didn’t confess his initial designs? Furthermore, is he a Dom or a sub, and how will his inclinations affect the very dominant Black Widow? This is a well-conceived B/D story that manages to be informative, hot and still have a plot for the reader to savor. It lives up to Loose Id’s three lizard scorching rating.

Reviewed By: Maîtresse
© July 2004