“This may seem a little underhanded if you think about it, but again, every decision that Luke and Logan have made was in your best interest. Due to the nature of the club and certain activities that go on, each new member is put on a probation period in which they are observed, and more importantly, trust is established. That means that not every member you see within these walls is allowed to venture into the club.”
McKenna emphasized the last words, referring mainly to the real Club Destiny, which not many people even knew about. Every person in that room had at one time or another been to the other club, although they probably hadn’t thought anything of it at the time.
“The two people that you see on the screen behind me were never granted full membership.” McKenna smiled, “Now I’m going to tell you why I am here today, and why you’re hearing this from me and not from the owners.”
This was the part Tag worried about. McKenna did a fine job providing the backstory per se, but this was the point where it was going to get a little touchy.
“Most of you have been worried about how much Susan Toulmin knows. If you’ve ever interacted with her in any capacity, then you’ve worried your name may be on this mysterious list she keeps referring to. Well, it very well may be. It may very well be on Stephen Crawford’s list.
“Thanks to CISS, Luke and Logan have compiled their own list of people in attendance at one or more of the nightly events in which Stephen or Susan were present. Don’t worry; there is no video evidence of any of this as far as we know. Your visits are captured via the security codes that you enter upon entry and exit to this floor. That also doesn’t mean that every one of you is on that list. It does mean it’s a possibility, and Luke and Logan wanted you to be aware of what was going on. That is why your presence was insisted upon.”
McKenna stopped once again, this time when her eyes met his, he smiled. She was doing a phenomenal job. She hadn’t wanted to be the bearer of bad news, but she agreed because she wanted to assure everyone that she was not the enemy. Tag respected her for that.
“Now I’ll tell you why we brought you here today. It wasn’t just to inform you of the growing concern, which most of you already knew about. It’s to ask for your help, but let me preface this by saying you are in no way expected to react or agree to anything we suggest. In fact, we are open to your suggestions as well.”
Tag stood, knowing it was his turn to address the room. As much as he wished McKenna could keep talking because she was doing such a remarkable job, he wasn’t about to let her take the brunt of what they were about to unleash on them.
“Many of you know me, mainly because my face has been all over the news as it relates to Club Destiny and the current lawsuit against Ms. Susan Toulmin. For those who do not, my name is Tag Murphy, and I am Club Destiny’s legal counsel. My job is to represent the best interest of this club and, therefore, of its members.
“In light of the lawsuit, it has come to our attention that there are some other things going on which are affecting you as members as well as the owners of this club. These are serious matters, and I want to make sure you understand that your anonymity is not the only thing on the line here.”
Tag continued to explain in brief detail what Stephen Crawford was doing and what he was using as blackmail against Luke and Logan. That did not go over well because rightfully so, the members felt as though they had been unnecessarily dragged into the middle of this mess by Crawford’s admission into the club. They were accurate in that regard, but when Tag continued to explain, there was a measure of understanding amongst them. Although, that didn’t mean they weren’t angry.
“Why doesn’t Samantha just suck it up? She’s the one they’re after,” one of the members asked.
The growl that erupted from the back of the room, coming from Logan’s direction, was predatory in nature.
“I’m sure that explains it clearly,” Tag said, referring to Logan’s reaction, “but I’m going to reiterate that Logan and Luke are working to ensure that your membership to this club is kept strictly confidential. But, I can also tell you that, without your cooperation, our hands are tied.”
That settled the room down some. It was clear from his comment that, at this point, their identities were going to be released if Susan or Stephen had anything to say about it. Tag didn’t fault Logan for wanting to protect Sam. Hell, he wanted to protect Sam. But, the only thing he could think about was if McKenna was in this same situation and what he would do.
As much as it concerned him to think that way, he knew he’d go to any length necessary to protect her.
~*~*~
Once the speeches were concluded, McKenna stood at the back of the room with Tag, watching while Logan and Luke addressed the crowd of people. It was still a civil conversation, but it was hanging by a thread. If anyone ever doubted how protective the two twins were of their lovers, they had no question about it now.
And yes, there was an idiot in every crowd, today was no exception. There was one who continued to insist that Samantha be responsible for her own actions. When Tag told her that the particular idiot was a state senator, McKenna sighed. Of course he was. Hypocritical bastard.
By the time the meeting was adjourned, Luke and Logan looked about ready to spit fire and McKenna couldn’t say that she blamed them. After trying to reason with them, the member’s insisted that they were in no way supportive of their names being released. They didn’t care that Logan and Luke were willing to waive their membership fee for the following year if they allowed McKenna to use their name in an article on the club.
“What the fuck are we going to do now?” Luke barked as he approached them when the room had completely cleared of everyone except the McCoy twins, Cole and Alex McDermott – whom McKenna learned was the head of CISS, and Ashleigh Thomas’ soon to be husband.
“When is the next free for all?” McKenna asked, trying to keep a straight face. She didn’t find any of this amusing, but the fact that these guys couldn’t come up with a better reference still tickled her.
“Next week.”
“Hmm...”
“What does that mean?” Tag asked, standing straight and tall at her side.
“I was just wondering.” She didn’t really know why she wanted to know, but she was thinking that maybe if she knew what went on there, she could give it a sexy twist that her readers wouldn’t be offended by. Not everyone was into public displays or group sex of any kind, so it would be a risk either way.
“Well, I need to get back to the office,” Logan said. “And tomorrow I plan to talk to Sam. She deserves to know what’s going on.”
McKenna couldn’t argue there. In her opinion, Sam deserved to know a long time ago. However, she understood Logan was only trying to protect her as best he knew how, even if she didn’t think he was going about it the right way.
“I’m going to put something together, and I’ll let you all read it and let me know what you think,” McKenna explained. “With your approval, we’ll publish a brief article and see what type of response we get.”
“Were you able to figure out where the emails to McKenna came from?” Tag interrupted, speaking to Alex.
“Dylan’s working on it as we speak. He’ll have more in a little while. I’m heading back to the office now to check out the video. Hopefully we’ll get something that might help.”
Alex didn’t look at all hopeful, and McKenna was beginning to understand how dire this situation was. Club Destiny was going to take a hit, and based on today’s meeting, if the member’s identities got out, there very well may not be a Club Destiny in the future. She couldn’t imagine what must be going through Luke’s head right now.
Two hours later, McKenna was putting the finishing touches on the story she prepared. It wasn’t going to be anything radical, nor would it probably get a lot of attention, but it was the answer to the threat that the newspaper article implied.
“Will you read over this?” she asked Tag when he reappeared in the
living room. He had disappeared with the excuse that he was taking a shower as soon as they made it back to his room. Now it was McKenna’s turn to shower because, in just a little while, they would be doing the official tour of the underground club that no one seemed to know about.
She wondered whether attendance would be low tonight considering the meeting and the topic of discussion. However, she also wondered whether it might have the opposite effect. Some people got off on the anticipation that they just might get caught doing something taboo. She suspected that many of Club Destiny’s members were, in fact, kinky like that.
“Sure.” Tag glanced down at the laptop before walking around to sit on the cushion beside her.
“If you don’t mind, I’m going to take a shower now.”
“You could’ve joined me.” Tag grinned for what seemed like the first time that day.
“I could have. But I figured you’d need all of your energy for tonight.”
As if she had thrown ice water on him, Tag’s smile disappeared, and he turned his attention to the computer screen. McKenna headed into the bathroom, unable to stop thinking about what his reaction actually meant.
Chapter Twenty Seven
*** ~~ *** ~~ *** ~~ ***
It was probably easier to get into the White House, McKenna thought to herself as they continued down a narrow corridor that would lead to The Club @ Club Destiny. Yes, she learned earlier that this risqué, off the grid place had been dubbed The Club by the members. And if they would ever actually get in there, she might be a little more excited.
So, after the first security coded entrance – which she quickly learned was manned by an armed security guard and required each person enter their own personally assigned code – there were two additional doors that required more codes, but these were tricky ones because they were personally assigned based on the member's application and the questions were random. McKenna had filled out all of the necessary paperwork with Luke earlier which allowed her this one time only entry.
By the time they finally arrived at the actual club’s main entrance, they were required to show ID which was scrutinized more by the club’s security than even the TSA at the airport.
Once McKenna stepped inside, she immediately realized what all the fuss was about. And yes, this was definitely what these members paid for. From where she stood, it appeared to be one open room, probably close to four thousand square feet if she had to guess.
To her immediate right and left, there were bars, but these weren’t just any bars. The front and top were made of glass, outlined in neon LED lights – one pink and the other blue. Behind the bar, the wall was one solid mirror with short, glowing glass shelves the same color as the respective bar, randomly placed holding three liquor bottles on each shelf. And, if that wasn’t enough to catch someone’s attention, the bartenders at each bar definitely would.
The bar on the left – outlined in blue LED lights – was obviously for the men – or at least for the men who were seeking women. The bartenders - two of them - were wearing bras that were anything but. They were made out of slinky chains, and they wrapped around the full naked breasts of each woman. Through the glass, McKenna could see that each woman also wore thigh high black boots and the tiniest scrap of lace in the form of a G-string.
As for the bar on the right – outlined in pink LED lights – there were two men who either lived in the gym when they weren’t working, or were just blessed with amazingly good genes. To her surprise, they were actually wearing more than the women. Both wore a pair of faded, well-worn blue jeans that rode low on their lean hips. Of course, they were shirtless, but both men had a collar around his neck. And not like the Chippendale’s collars. No, these were leather dog collars.
McKenna couldn’t stop herself from staring at any of them. The women were exotically beautiful, and the men were mouthwateringly scrumptious. She should’ve known.
There was barely enough light in the entire space to see much of what was going on, and with the concrete floors that appeared to be painted black and the walls that sported the same dark color, McKenna’s eyes had to adjust, especially after having been drawn to the bright LEDs.
When Tag took her hand, she turned her attention to him, realizing he was staring at her. She smiled up into his handsome face, suddenly thankful for his presence as it brought her a sense of security she hadn’t realized she would need.
“Ready?” he asked.
She wasn’t sure whether she knew the answer to that question. Suddenly she was feeling a little bowled over by everything she was going to find here. Instead of answering, she nodded her head in agreement, and then followed him as he led her on a tour of the spacious club.
Above her, McKenna noticed there were rooms made of glass on walkways that outlined the perimeter of the club on two additional levels. On the ground floor, there were two large rooms at each of the back corners made entirely of glass. From the looks of it, there was absolutely no privacy whatsoever to be found within the space. She hadn’t really expected any.
Scattered throughout were black leather chairs, sofas, and even what appeared to be round futons made of the same dark fabric. Not that she could see much of the furniture for the multitude of bodies that were everywhere.
Down the center, four steel poles went from floor to ceiling, holding two metal cages on each – one above the other. In those cages were both men and women, with only one person in each and every single one of the occupants completely naked. A couple of them were dancing to the erotic music that pulsed throughout the club, a few were pacing back and forth, and a couple of them even appeared to be masturbating, but they were all doing something to entertain the crowd below them.
Tag didn’t seem to be interested in explaining anything to her, or maybe he just figured that it was self-explanatory. Either way, he kept his hand in hers and held her close to his side as they walked around the perimeter of the main floor.
Once they arrived at one of the large glass rooms at the back, McKenna realized the reason for most of the security. Inside the room was a beautiful woman. No, maybe that wasn’t an apt description. She was more stunning than anything else. Thigh high boots with at least five inch heels, a leather halter, a skimpy G-string that was held together by chains and a wicked looking leather whip made up her outfit and the woman did not look like one to mess with. Her hair was long, straight and jet black while her skin was like creamy alabaster. Severely cut bangs covered her forehead, while her lips were painted a vivid, glossy red. The woman looked... untouchable.
Standing before her was another woman, completely nude and chained to hooks that were hanging from the ceiling and sticking up from the floor. Her arms were directly above her head, but her legs were spread wide. Her back was to the crowd and her bottom was lined with bright red whelps. In front of her, where the audience could see clearly, there was a naked man on his knees, his hands behind his back and his tongue between the woman’s thighs.
McKenna would admit that the scene was intensely graphic and more than a little arousing. She couldn’t tear her eyes away, and when the obvious Dominatrix lifted the whip and struck the other woman again, McKenna didn’t even flinch.
Tag either didn’t find the scene appealing, or he was more interested in showing her the rest. McKenna followed behind him when he tugged on her arm, successfully breaking her concentration on the sexually stimulating group behind the glass.
When they approached the other glass room, McKenna found herself equally as drawn to it. Before her were two well built, extremely handsome men, and one lone female. This one resembled normal, everyday porn, except the reactions of the participants was much more... unscripted.
“Are these actors?” she asked Tag.
“No. These are members,” he replied, looking down at her. “They can reserve the rooms, and these two are actually booked out for months.”
McKenna could understand that. This was a fetish club. The members were here for one reason only, and tha
t was to experience the sexual gratification that they longed for. It was intense, intriguing, and downright sexy as hell.
Turning her attention back to the two men in the glass room, McKenna watched as one man rammed his cock into the other man’s ass, his hands gripping the other man’s shoulders as he continued to thrust hard and fast while the woman sat at the top of the bed, watching, masturbating. McKenna wondered whether the woman was the wife of one of them, and the man was living out his fantasy.
Either way, it was hot.
~*~*~
Tag glimpsed the scene before him, noticing that it was one of the many he’d seen before. Considering he’d been involved with Sam and Logan for the past few months, he hadn’t come to The Club recently, but standing here now, he realized that he might very well be a little desensitized when it came to this place.
Not that the sight before him wasn’t erotic as hell, and he knew the people were fulfilling one or many fantasies all at the same time, but he just wasn’t interested. Now, McKenna, on the other hand, appeared to be riveted to the threesome before her, just as she had been to Mistress Serena in the other room.
He wasn’t into it tonight and maybe that’s because of the confusing urge to lock McKenna up and keep her for himself that had taken him by surprise just a short while ago.
Possessive? Yes, he appeared to have developed a sudden longing to ensure no other man – or woman – ever took part in the pleasure that only McKenna could bestow upon them. He wanted her all to himself.
And wasn’t that just fucked up crazy?
Tag had always been the dominant partner, yet with McKenna, he had met his match. She was in no way submissive, and in many ways he figured she could give him a run for his money. And it fucking turned him on.
Now that didn’t mean he’d lost every kinky desire he’d ever harbored because truth be told, he wouldn’t have any problem taking her to one of the rooms upstairs, slowly removing every last stitch of clothing she had on and ravishing her while others watched. That’s one kink he doubted he would ever get over.
Infatuation - A Club Destiny Novel Page 18
