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Going Deep is a high heat, high spice BDSM romance with lots of banter, some delightful voyeurism and exhibitionism, and a guaranteed HEA

Michael O’Reilly is a contented man. He has good friends, puts his family fortune to good use, and has been able to indulge his kinks on a regular basis through Odyssey, the club he built for just that purpose. And he’s always willing to welcome others to do the same—especially when they’re as delightfully eager as Ginger Dowling.

Ginger wasn’t at all sure she was interested kink. After all, before she’d moved from Small Town, Ohio to The Big City, she’d never even heard of such things, no. It's not like the kind of hold-me-down, do-me-big-Daddy, pull-my-hair-just-a-little behavior she’d occasionally encouraged in former lovers is really kink. Is it?

Oh, it is. And it turns out, there’s so much more to explore. And with Michael, a stunningly handsome, marvelously Dominant partner to explore it with.

Michael is the perfect teacher: patient, indulgent, and very big on rewards—multiple rewards. But he’s not very forthcoming with personal information, and it’s clear to Ginger that what they have is a simple teacher/student arrangement: he gives orgasms, she learns about kink, and that’s it. And that’s fine.

Until feelings start to come into play, and secrets. Toss in a couple of seemingly harmless lies, and pretty soon what started out as simple and uncomplicated is a tangled mess. And the only question is, when they unravel it, will they love each other, or hate each other?

COPYRIGHT © 2025 solitary vice publications

I love Ginger. I just...love her. I knew I needed a heroine for Michael, who popped up in Snow Bound, and so Ginger appeared. She went through a few personality changes when I was writing this book, starting out kind of timid and meek. But then I realized anyone who would tase a man mid-blow job (see Whatever Lola Wants if you haven't already) was not a timed, meek kind of woman. I'm pretty happy with how she turned out, and I hope you are, too.

Chapter One

Lola answered Ginger’s knock on her door with a smile. “Hey, where’ve you been?”

“Uh, across the hall? Where I live?”

Lola stepped back to let Ginger in. “Yeah, but I haven’t seen you since we got back from the wedding, and that was almost a week ago.”

Ginger stepped into the apartment. “Because you’ve been busy having makeup sex.”

Lola shut the door with a laugh. “It was only makeup sex the first day. After that it was ‘hey I get to bang my guy whenever I want so why don’t I do it now’ sex.”

“I hate you,” Ginger said and Lola laughed again.

“Come on in. Simon’s still at work, so I’m currently between bangs.”

Ginger followed Lola into the open space. The apartment was configured the same way as the one she inhabited across the hall, with the same basic layout, but that was where the similarities ended. Where Ginger’s cousin had gone with an ultra modern look for his place, with polished concrete floors, white walls, and sleek leather furniture, Lola had gone for warmth. The floors were covered in rich hardwoods and colorful rugs, and while her furniture would never be considered traditional, the bold colors and bright accents gave the rooms a sense of style without compromising comfort. Even with all the open space, it was cozy.

Lola settled in a corner of the red sofa, tucking her bare feet under her. Dressed in leggings and an oversized t-shirt, her face was scrubbed clean and her platinum blonde hair was tied back in a short, stubby tail. Diamonds flashed at her ears, her fingernails were still painted the bold pink she’d worn for the wedding, and she all but glowed with contentment. 

Ginger sat on the sofa. “I take it things are good?”

Lola’s smile was sunny and just a little smug. “Things are very good.”

“Then I can stop feeling guilty about letting Michael waylay me at the wedding so Simon could drag you off?”

 “You are absolved, my child,” Lola intoned soberly, then raised a finger. “But absolution requires penance.”

Amused, Ginger pulled her feet up to mimic Lola’s pose. “Can I recite The Miller’s Tale instead of the rosary?”

Lola’s whiskey brown eyes went wide. “You can recite The Miller’s Tale?”

“Most of it. Sometimes I fumble the middle bits,” Ginger confessed. “But since most people don’t understand Middle English, I just make something up and keep it rolling.”

“How about you just give me the dish on what happened between you and Michael at the wedding and we’ll call it good?”

“Oh, that’s easy.” Ginger picked an invisible spec of lint off the knee of her jeans. “Nothing happened.”

“Uh-huh. That’s why you avoided him the whole time we were there.”

“How would you know?” Ginger demanded. “You were too busy making gooey sex eyes at Simon the whole time.”

“It’s called multi-tasking,” Lola said smugly.

“It’s called being a busy body,” Ginger muttered and sighed. “There’s nothing going on. Though I kind of wish there would be.”

“Is that so?”

“You’ve seen him, right?”

“Oh, yeah, he’s hot. And kinky,” Lola reminded her with a raised eyebrow. “Which you have claimed not to be.”

“I have,” Ginger agreed, then cleared her throat. “However, upon further reflection…”

Lola snickered.

Ginger scowled. “You know, I can just wait for Anna to come back from her honeymoon and talk to her if you’re going to be smug.”

“Sorry, sorry.” Lola schooled her expression into neutral lines. “You were saying?”

Ginger just sighed. “I think I’m submissive, okay?”

Lola’s eyes went round with feigned shock. “What? That is brand newinformation!”

“Oh, shut up,” Ginger muttered and refused—absolutely refused—to smile. “I don’t want anyone sticking needles in me—no offense.”

Lola just laughed, well used to the fact that her specific kink tended to freak people out. “None taken.”

“But the other stuff…” Ginger cleared her throat. “Um, I might be up for some of that.”

“Okay, question.”

Ginger braced herself. “What?”

“Are you just saying that because you have the hots for Michael?”

“No. I’ve actually been thinking about this for a while.”

“How long is a while?”

“Ever since I walked in on you and Simon,” Ginger confessed with a wince, remembering the day she’d accidentally discovered Lola giving Simon a blowjob while tied up. She’d misinterpreted the situation—badly—and Simon had paid the price.

Lola’s laughter rang out. “Simon’s going to love that.”

“I bet.”

“No, he will. And it might make him feel better about you tasering him. Like he sacrificed his body for a greater cause.”

Ginger shifted uncomfortably on the sofa. “It wasn’t a taser, it was a stun gun. And can we not talk about that, please?”

Lola’s eyes were dancing with laughter, but she nodded. “So, what do you plan to do with this revelation?”

“I was hoping you’d have some ideas,” Ginger admitted. “I’m out of my depth, here.”

Lola pursed her lips in thought. “I’ve got ideas. First, tell me what you’re looking for.”

“Orgasms?” Ginger ventured.

“Aren’t we all,” Lola drawled. “Beyond that?”

“I don’t know,” Ginger confessed. “I kind of got stuck on orgasms.”

“Hard to blame you,” Lola allowed. “Okay, first things first. What’s your experience in this area? You mentioned before having a boyfriend or two who liked rough sex, and that you enjoyed that. Anything else?”

Ginger thought back. “I don’t think so. Well, one guy—Mark—he liked to order me around in bed. Stand here, do this, keep your hands there. That kind of thing.”

Lola nodded. “And giving him that control, how did that make you feel?”

“I liked it. It was…” Hot. Sexy. I came my brains out. “I liked it.”

Lola chuckled. “Okay, then we can say that letting someone else call the shots for sex is a definite yes. What about D/s outside the bedroom?”

“You mean like Anna and Grant?”

Lola nodded. “They’re one example.”

Ginger frowned. It seemed to work for her friends, Grant being in charge of certain aspects of their lives, but she’d be lying if she said she was entirely comfortable with the idea. “I don’t know.” 

“A reasonable answer.”

“I was hoping I could go to the club with you some time,” Ginger said. “You know, get a feel for what’s out there, what I might like.”

“You could,” Lola allowed, her brow furrowed in thought.

“I know I could research online,” Ginger went on, “but there’s so much information. It’s really overwhelming.”

“I get that,” Lola assured her. “Visiting Odyssey is an option, if that’s what you want.”

Ginger nodded. “I think it is.”

“Okay, then.” Lola rose. “Hang on, I’m going to grab something from my office.”

“Okay.”

Lola turned to go, then paused. “You know, Michael takes a strong interest in new submissives at Odyssey. He considers it his duty to make sure they have a good experience.”

Ginger widened her eyes, all innocence. “Oh, does he?”

Lola snorted out a laugh. “That’s good, the big eyes, but the grin gives you away. You’ll want to watch that.”

Ginger’s grin widened. “Noted.”

Lola just shook her head, muttered something that sounded like ‘sneaky submissive’ and headed down the hall.

And Ginger closed her eyes and tried to quell both the giddy anticipation and the rising anxiety.

“You fall asleep on me?” Lola demanded.

Ginger opened her eyes. “No, I was managing my anticipation and anxiety.”

Lola’s eyes sharpened. “You have anxiety?”

“And anticipation.” Not wanting to talk about it, Ginger nodded at the sheaf of papers Lola’s hands. “What’re those?”

Lola held them out. “Homework.”

Ginger blinked. “Huh?”

“It’s a BDSM checklist, the one they use at Odyssey for new members.” Lola dropped back down onto the sofa. “I printed it out so you can take your time with it.”

“Oh, I didn’t mean…I wasn’t planning to join.” She’d been on Odyssey’s website, knew what they charged for membership fees. She couldn’t spend six months’ rent on membership to a sex club. 

Lola shook her head. “You can come as our guest, but you should still fill it out. It’ll give you a good idea what’s out there, the kinds of things you might be interested in.”

“Oh.” Ginger skimmed down the list, her eyes widening. “Age play? Bestiality? Chastity belts?”

“And that’s just the first page,” Lola said. “Look, there are going to be a lot of these that don’t appeal to you, and that’s fine. There will be even more that you just don’t know enough about to judge yet, and that’s fine too.”

“So, I’m supposed to go through this and find the things that I want to do?”

“And the things you don’t want to do,” Lola said. “That’s just as important.”

“This seems like a lot of work,” Ginger complained. “Can’t I just, I don’t know, come to the club and do stuff?”

“Absolutely the fuck not,” Lola said firmly. “Even if I were to sign off on that—and I wouldn’t, because it’s the stupidest idea in the history of stupid ideas—”

“Harsh,” Ginger muttered.

“You have to complete the list before you can do anything except watch at the club,” Lola finished. “House rule, non-negotiable.”

“It just seems so planned,” Ginger grumbled. “Where’s the spontaneity?”

“In long term play relationships with well-established boundaries,” Lola replied. 

Since that made sense, Ginger sighed. “This is going to take ages.”

“It takes as long as it takes. It’s important to be thorough, honest, and to remember that at this stage—at any stage, really—I don’t know is a perfectly acceptable answer.”

“Right.” Ginger set the pages down. “Why did I think this was going to be simple?”

Lola chuckled. “I have no idea. Do you want to stay for dinner? Simon’s picking up pizza, and there will be more than enough.”

“Did you get it with anchovies?”

 “I had to trade various kinky and unnatural sexual favors for them, but yes.”

Ginger wrinkled her nose. “Pass. I’ve got leftover Chinese at home. And,” she indicated the papers in her lap, “I have homework to do. But call me the next time Simon wins the pizza war.”

“He may be eating anchovies, but believe me, he still won.”

Ginger laughed out loud and rose to her feet. “And that’s why I’m leaving before he gets home.”

Lola rose beside her. “Call me if you have any questions about the list.”

“I will, believe me.” Ginger paused at the door to give her friend a hug. “Thanks, Lo.”

“You’re welcome,” Lola said and opened the door. “Hey, Ginger?”

Halfway across the hall to her own door, Ginger turned. “What?”

Lola winked. “Welcome to the dark side.”

Ginger burst out laughing. “Thanks. I think.”

She waved goodbye and let herself into her apartment, immediately going to the refrigerator, and the bottle of white wine she had chilling. 

Her evening was definitely going to require alcohol.

 

“You sure this is going to be okay with Lola?” Michael asked, following Simon out of the elevator.

“It’s fine,” Simon said, juggling the pizza boxes with one hand while he dug his keys out with the other. “She was going to tag you anyway, with the proposal for her needle demo. This way you can talk it out in person.”

“Give me those,” Michael said, reaching for the pizza boxes. “You’re going to dump them on the floor.”

“Just the one with anchovies.” Newly unencumbered, Simon fit his key smoothly into the lock and swung the door open. “Honey, I’m home.”

“Thank God, I’m starving,” came the fervent reply. “Where’s the pizza?”

Michael stepped into the apartment behind Simon. “Right here, beautiful.”

“Hi, Michael,” she said, a smile curving her lush mouth. She was curled on the sofa in leggings and what looked like one of Simon’s t-shirts, her face bare of makeup and her hair pulled back. She looked like a million bucks. “You pick up a side hustle?”

Appreciating her, Michael smiled. “The hours are lousy, but the tips make up for it.”

“Stop flirting with my woman,” Simon ordered and crossed the room to kiss Lola. “Hi.”

“Hi. Did you get a second pizza without anchovies?”

“Yes.”

“That’s cheating,” she accused.

“That’s strategy,” he corrected smugly. “And being a good host. I couldn’t make our guest eat smelly fish.”

Michael set the pizza down on the kitchen counter. “Don’t drag me into this, man.”

“Go with me, here,” Simon hissed, then grunted when Lola poked him in the belly.

“When exactly did you invite Michael for dinner?” she asked. “Before or after you ordered the second pie?”

“After,” Simon admitted, laughing when she poked him again. “But the reasoning stands.”

She poked him a third time, the grabbed his tie and yanked him down for another kiss. “Cheat.”

“Smelly fish eater.”

She pushed him away with a laugh. “Just for that, you can get the plates and the beer.”

“Worth it,” Simon decided and straightened. “Michael, beer?”

“I wouldn’t say no.” At home, Michael took a chair opposite the couch. “You’re looking well, Lola.”

“I’m am well,” she replied with a contended—and amused—smile. “And how are you?”

“I’m good,” he replied, taking the beer Simon offered with murmured thanks. “I hope it’s all right, my joining you for dinner. Simon wouldn’t take no."

“It’s fine,” Lola assured him.

"He was wandering the streets, faint with hunger,” Simon said from the kitchen where he was plating pizza. “Oliver Twist in designer jeans.”

Michael choked on his beer. “I just said I’d been in meetings all day and skipped lunch.”

“That’s what I said.”

“You’re such a humanitarian, Simon,” Lola drawled. “Actually, I’m glad you’re here. I have the needle demo proposal ready, if you want to look it over.” 

Simon handed Michael a plate with two slices of pizza. “Told you.”

Michael inhaled the scent wafting up from the plate, the spice of red sauce, the tang of sausages and peppers, and thankfully no anchovies. “I’m happy to take a look at it.”

“Great.” Lola took her plate from Simon, thanking him with a kiss. “There was something else I wanted to talk to you about, too.”

Michael grunted around his first bite, gesturing with his free hand for her to continue.

“Ginger wants to visit Odyssey,” she said and bit into her pizza.

Michael paused a moment, then continued chewing while he rolled that thought around. When he’d swallowed, and was sure he could speak casually, he asked, “ “As an observer or a participant?”

“Both.” Lola picked an anchovy off her slice and popped it into her mouth with obvious relish. “She’s not sure what she wants, exactly, but she wants to play, and I’d guess sooner rather than later.”

“Really?” Beside Lola on the couch, Simon was frowning.

“That surprises you?” Lola asked.

“Yeah. I didn’t think she was kinky.”

Lola’s expression was amused. “She didn’t either. Until she saw me all tied up, giving you a blowjob. Apparently that moment was her personal kink awakening.”

Michael laughed as Simon’s expression went from confused to pained to annoyed in a blink. “You’d think someone having a personal awakening wouldn’t be so quick to get her stun gun.”

Lola patted Simon’s knee. “She thought I was being assaulted.”

“I know, but that shit hurt,” Simon muttered and glared at Michael. “You can shut up any time.”

Michael just grinned. “You’ve got to admit, it was a gutsy move.”

Lola snickered while Simon continued to glare. “Let’s stun gun you mid-blowjob and see how you feel about it.”

“Pass,” Michael said, still grinning.

“Back to Ginger,” Lola said pointedly. “She’s been thinking about this for a while, and she’s ready to explore. She asked if she could come with us to Odyssey some time.”

Though he would’ve liked to poke at Simon a bit more about the Great Blowjob Stun Gun Incident—really, that never got old—Michael shifted gears. “I have no problem with you bringing her as a guest, but she’d have to fill out the paperwork before being allowed to play.”

“I told her that, and printed out the checklist for her.”

“What was her reaction to it?”

“Annoyance,” Lola recalled. “She wanted to know how come she couldn’t just ‘come to the club and do stuff’.”

Michael’s lips twitched. It wasn’t an uncommon reaction. “I assume you explained that to her?”

Lola nodded. “Oh, yeah. She has some limited experience—a few sexual partners who’ve played at being dominant. She enjoyed that, seems eager to expand on it.”

Michael nodded, careful to keep his reaction to that information from showing. “That’s common.”

“She’s not sure about D/s,” Lola continued, “but that doesn’t surprise me at this point.”

“Me, neither.” Moving with studied casualness, Michael picked up his pizza. “Well, when she’s ready, let me know. We’ll arrange for a visit.”

“Will do.” Lola picked up her beer, then set it down again in a rare show of nerves. 

“Lola?” Michael prompted. “Is there something else you need to tell me?”

Lola eyed him for a moment, considering, then nodded. “She likes you.”

Simon snickered.

Ignoring him, Michael kept his gaze on Lola. “In what sense?”

“In the sense that you’re hot and she’s horny,” Lola said drily. “At this point I don’t think it’s any deeper than that.”

“All right.”

“I got the sense that when she does come to Odyssey, she’s hoping to attract your attention,” Lola continued, then raised an eyebrow. “But she already has that, doesn’t she?”

Michael allowed himself a small smile. “I keep forgetting you’re as observant as any Dom.”

Simon rolled his eyes. “Buddy, you don’t know the half of it.”

Lola kept her eyes on Michael. “You haven’t answered my question.”

“What was it again?” Michael asked pleasantly.

“Are you interested in Ginger?”

“I’m…” Careful, he warned himself. Be careful. “Intrigued by her.”

“Do you want to fuck her?” Lola asked bluntly.

A glanced at Simon told Michael he’d get no help from that quarter, so he focused on Lola. “I’m attracted to her, and I’d have no objection to a physical relationship.”

Lola’s gaze didn’t waver. “So, yes.”

“Yes.”

“All right.” Lola nodded. “Thank you for being honest.”

“You’re welcome.” Michael waited a beat. “Is that all?”

“Well, it’s not really my business, is it?”

Simon’s snort told Michael his friend didn’t buy that any more than he did. “No, but why should that stop you?”

Lola’s smile was sharp. “Ginger’s a big girl, well able to handle herself.”

“As Simon can attest,” Michael said, unable to resist. Simon just shot up a middle finger.

“And you’re not an asshole,” Lola continued, ignoring the byplay.

“Thanks very much,” Michael said drily.

“However, Ginger is my friend, and she’s at a…crossroads in her life at the moment. She’s vulnerable, more vulnerable than she knows, and if you’re careless with her—"

“Lola,” Michael began, then snapped his mouth shut when she shot up a hand.

“If you’re careless with her, and she gets hurt, you and I will have a problem.”

More than a little irritated by the threat, and the implication that he was anything but a responsible Dom, Michael drew a calming breath. “I understand your concern for your friend.”

“Good. Then we don’t have a problem.”

He glanced at Simon, who was grinning, then back at Lola. “You know, I have at times regretted that I never had the chance to play with you before you and Simon made your relationship official.” He paused for a moment. “I no longer have that regret.”

Lola smiled, clearly unoffended. “I like you, Michael. I consider you a good friend.”

He waited.

“But if I have to choose, I’m on Team Ginger.” She rose from the sofa, crossed to his chair, and bent to kiss his cheek. “Don’t make me choose.”

He returned the kiss with irritation, and reluctant admiration. “I won’t.”

“Good enough. I’m going to go print out the proposal for the needle demo so we can go over it.”

“All right,” Michael agreed. 

She walked away, disappearing down the hall, and Simon cleared his throat. “She wasn’t kidding, you know.”

“Yeah, I got that.” Michael huffed out a breath. “She always that protective of her friends?”

Simon snorted. “You remember how she was with Grant when he and Anna got together, right?”

“I remember.” Grant had gotten both a lecture and a kick to the balls for his misstep with Anna. “If she goes for my balls, I expect you to head her off.”

“Sorry,” Simon said, unrepentant. “I have my own balls to worry about.”

“I bet.” Michael eyed his friend. “What about you?”

“What about me?”

“You have any concerns about me playing with Ginger?”

Simon shrugged. “You’re a safe player, a considerate one. I’ve never known you to ignore a submissive’s limits or safeword, and you don’t skimp on the aftercare. And you’re good with the newbies.” 

“Am I?” Michael drawled, not quite ready to be mollified.

Simon just grinned. “You’re the Newbie Whisperer. Most of them fall a little in love with you, but you manage to slither out of that without too much drama.”

Michael wasn’t sure how he felt about the word slither. “They don’t fall in love with me.”

“Sure, they do. Most of them get over it pretty quickly,” Simon continued with a wicked gleam in his golden eyes, “because it’s actually the kink they fall in love with, not you.”

Michael narrowed his eyes. “Lucky for them.”

“You know it’s true.”

He did. New submissives were like kids in a candy store, wanting everything all at once and heedless of the coming tummy ache. It was his job as a Dom to guide and direct, not only to make sure their experiences were positive, but happened when the submissive was ready, and in a way that not only satisfied but helped build their confidence and sense of self. It was a heady power, and he often fell a little in love during the process as well.

Just as he wondered if the woman would ever fall in love with the man instead of the kink, he often wondered if he’d ever fall in love with the woman, and not the process.

“Ginger probably won’t be any different, especially if she’s as gung ho as Lola thinks.”

The thought brought an unexpected stab of discomfort. “Right.”

“When it’s time to end it, just ease her away the way you always do, and you’ll be fine,” Simon said, and clapped a hand on his back as Lola’s returning footsteps echoed down the hall. “And just in case, maybe wear a cup.”

Going Deep is a BDSM romance with graphic, detailed sex and graphic, detailed play. In addition to what I consider to be BDSM basics (bondage, spanking, deliberate infliction of physical pain for sexual gratification), there is also some voyeurism, exhibitionism, and Ginger suffers from anxiety. During one scene she has a panic attack, and that might be upsetting for some readers.