by Sara Brookes
“Then you also know the rules. Break one and there are consequences, Elena.”
Upon hearing her name the struggling man froze and a very surprised Tommy released his hold. Alex’s gaze met hers and she knew by the confused look he gave her he really didn’t understand. All the more reason she needed to stand up for him, no one else was sure as hell going to. He started to open his mouth, but the stern glare she shot his way seemed to communicate her desire for him to keep silent.
“I’m well aware of the rules, Tommy. I set most of them up with Chaplin.”
“Then you know he needs to pay the piper.”
Alex seemed to come alive, more confusion darkening his expression. “What’s he talking about?”
Elena slowly let out a breath to steady herself even as she crossed her arms in front of her. “You broke club rules. Tommy here is just reminding me—unnecessarily—of the consequences.”
“How did I—he was hitting her.” Alex pointed to himself before pointing to where Rick had disappeared into the section of the club reserved for private scenes. “What the hell was I supposed to do, just stand there and watch him beat the shit out of her? You know I can’t, Elena.”
“I doubt Rick would have gone so far. And even if he did it’s none of your business. We have people here to handle this kind of thing. Since you have no idea what you’re doing, yes, the general idea is for you to just stand there and watch. End of story.”
“I’m not even a member of the club. It’s Open Door night. It’s not as if the rules are hanging up on the wall somewhere. How do you enforce something on someone who isn’t a member?”
Elena’s heart sank. No one had explained the rules. Damn Rocco for letting him through the door. She would have to notify Ian so Rocco could be properly disciplined. “You should have a sponsor and be versed enough to know how Open Door night works. You shouldn’t have even been allowed through the door in the first place because I’m fairly certain I’m the only one here who knows you and I sure as hell didn’t invite you.”
“But he is here and now must face the consequences,” Tommy piped in.
“Which are?” Alex tried to spin around, but Tommy blocked his movement by clamping his hand over his shoulder. It forced him to continue to stare at Elena. She averted her gaze from his accusatory stare.
“Unimportant as we’re leaving,” Elena interrupted Tommy before he responded. She needed to get Alex out of here and the faster, the better.
“Wait, what? Don’t I get a chance to have a say in this?”
“No.” Her impatience with the whole night finally got to her and she snapped. “And you’d know if you were a member or knew the fucking rules. Let’s get out of here.”
“Elena.”
“Get your hands off me, Tommy.” She shook off his iron grip when it clamped around her arm. “I left Gideon on the main stage, Ian is with him. He’ll need someone to finish or help him get down.”
“Chaplin won’t be pleased.”
“Can’t say I am either. Let’s go, Alex, before I don’t have a choice anymore.”
“Elena.”
“What, Tommy?” He held is hand out, gesturing toward her.
Elena sighed, knowing exactly what he wanted. A piece of her. A piece that sometimes felt as though it was an extension of her own body. Her white flogger seemed to disappear in Tommy’s massive hand. He turned without a word and vanished into the stunned crowd.
So much for salvaging a sucky night.
“What was that about?” Alex made a grab for her arm, which she neatly avoided.
“Nothing. I’m leaving. I strongly suggest you do the same before you find yourself subjected to things you don’t understand or know how to deal with.” She spun and stalked across the main floor, her heels clicking loudly against the immaculately polished floor. The guard at the door earned a scowl as she pushed past him and out into the cold. Early morning air skated over her bare shoulders and she did her best not to shiver in response.
In her haste she hadn’t taken the time to change out of her leathers.
Loose gravel crunched under her boots and she stumbled on the uneven footing. Alex’s hand closed around her upper arm to give her balance. She focused on her annoyance instead of how damn good his hand felt wrapped around her arm.
“Damn it, Elena. Tell me what’s going on.”
Violent emotion made her sick to her stomach. If she spoke the words out loud it would give them validation. It would mean the unthinkable had really just happened. She reached her car and realized her bag, along with her keys and wallet, was still stowed in her locker in the club.
Nothing was going right tonight.
Absofuckinglutely nothing.
She leaned against the door, rubbing between her eyebrows. She toyed with idea of simply waiting him out, but she’d known him long enough to know he was persistent. “He’ll review the incident with Chaplin and ten to one I’ll be stripped of my membership and position of seniority, all right? A good chunk of people will get caught up in the same shitstorm because there has obviously been some kind of breakdown in communications within the club hierarchy.”
“You can’t go back?”
She hauled in a slow, deep breath in an effort to steady her frazzled nerves. “No, I can’t. I’m done for right now until something is worked out. And knowing Chaplin, he won’t be in any kind of rush to invite me back. Especially because everyone probably thinks you’re with me and it’s hard to miss the fact you’re nearly three sheets to the wind.”
The thought terrified her. Not just because of what it meant for her in regards to the club. So much of what she knew was through those doors. Sanctuary had proven itself useful when she needed it at times, but the club would always be the place where she knew she had friends she could count on. A family when she had none. But also because of the fact Alex had gotten behind the wheel after more than a few drinks at the wedding. It was irresponsible and completely out of character.
He was lucky the only trouble he’d caused was inside the club.
Alex’s expression softened as he smoothed a hand over her cold shoulder. “Will you at least explain what happened?”
The desperation in his voice couldn’t be missed, annoying her. He had no right to ask this of her, not right now. No matter how good a friend he was. “I don’t owe you anything.”
He sighed heavily as she shrugged away his touch. “I can’t believe I’m going to say this because Patrick said the very same thing to me, but I’d like to know what I did. Why you refused to do whatever you were supposed to back there.”
The car shifted as he leaned against the front quarter panel. Worry had caused frown lines to develop on his forehead and despite the fact he was more responsible for this than she was, she felt bad about the whole situation. He’d clearly walked into something that had put him in over his head and didn’t have a clue how to handle the consequences.
She wasn’t in the mood to pretty up his punishment with dainty words. “Rule-breakers are dealt with swiftly and efficiently at Element. They are made an example of to keep others from thinking they can try something. Public humiliation,” she added when he stared blankly. “You would have been stripped of your clothing, strapped to whatever element the Dom in charge decided and forced to face whatever punishment was also decided.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yes.” The stunned note in his voice further added to the list of reasons why he shouldn’t have been in the club. “The rules are in place there for a reason and for everyone’s protection.”
“So you would have beaten me?”
“Putting the no-frills treatment on it?” Elena snorted and shook her head. “It wouldn’t have happened however you’re thinking.” None of it would. She would have done everything in her power to ensure nothing like he’d just described happened.
That wasn’t Alex. Most of all, it wasn’t her. She’d always taken a more elegant approach to her domination than most.
> “But that’s the gist of it, isn’t it?” His voice was quiet as he asked.
“Correct.” She paused for a moment and decided she couldn’t deal with him right now. Determined to get out of here as quickly as possible, she pushed away from the car, hefted one of the large rocks on the ground and lofted it at her driver’s-side window.
The shattering of the safety glass crashed through the quiet parking lot. Trying not to think about how much the replacement was going to cost, or the fact she was going to have to figure out some way to get her personal items back, she yanked open the door, pushed past him and slammed it shut as she dug in the center console for her spare set of keys.
“Elena, wait.” He dropped to a knee, wrapping his hand around the edge of the window.
She glared at him until he released the sill. He stood, shoving his hands into his pockets. Swallowing the frustration swirling through her, she forced herself to keep her gaze focused on the small sign mounted next to the club’s front door. She couldn’t look up at him, couldn’t glance into eyes she knew would break her.
“Go home, Alex. Go home, go to bed, sober up, open the coffee shop in the morning and forget this ever happened. Forget this place exists. Forget this world exists.”
I know I won’t.
Chapter Three
She glanced at her watch while she waited for the elevator. Another late night in the office. Normally Elena would have been home hours ago, but the incident with Alex at the club last week still plagued her. She had hoped burying herself in work would put the night out of her mind, but the effort seemed to just make matters worse. Her mind was free to wander as it pleased and she kept questioning why he’d been there in the first place.
Other than the obvious reasons, of course.
An interest in BDSM wasn’t something she would have thought he’d cultivate. Even though she’d known him for as long as she could remember, she’d never had a clue. It didn’t change things between them, but it certainly made her wonder about Alex strung up in her chains.
Damn her imaginative brain.
What she needed was a walk to clear her head and burn off the stress building in her shoulders. Considering the fact she didn’t have her usual outlet now thanks to Alex, she had little choice. Especially because she didn’t have a chosen partner she could take to Sanctuary.
Gideon hadn’t returned a single message she’d sent apologizing for her fuckup.
He had every right to be angry with her for leaving him as she had. She should have never abandoned him. She’d always vowed she would never leave a sub when they were at their most vulnerable and yet she’d done it.
The incident at the club still saddened her. She would have never guessed her fallback place would no longer be there if she didn’t want to be alone or if the warehouse wasn’t available.
She’d worked hard to build a solid reputation at the club. A task that had taken a number of years, since Domme skills couldn’t be taught overnight. It had all shattered because of her stubbornness against backing down. Something her father always told her would get her in trouble.
Seemed as though the old man had been right.
Asshole.
She was frustrated by the thought a past she’d rather not dwell on. Her heels clicked against the sidewalk as she quickened her pace. The scent of fresh-roasted coffee permeated the air and she drew up short when she realized Perfect Shot was just down the block.
She’d avoided Alex and his indulgent coffee. Not as though he’d taken great strides to contact her in the past week either. With Patrick and Allison still on their honeymoon Alex was undoubtedly busy with the business.
Inching closer to the wide panoramic window, she spotted the man in question behind the counter. He tapped the excess grounds out into a bin and absently dropped the filter basket into the sink full of soapy water. Turning back, he poured the dark liquid into a demitasse cup and leaned against the counter as he sipped.
His face reflected a look of surprise. He was obviously pleased with whatever mixture he’d come up with. Satisfied, he downed the rest of the contents and spun to wash the cup. It was then she noticed a slight sway in his hips.
If she listened carefully enough she heard the beat of U2’s Sunday Bloody Sunday.
Curious, she stepped forward and pressed her hands against the glass. He moved effortlessly to the beat, perfectly in sync with the rhythm of the song. His head bopped, his lips moving as he sang the words.
The man couldn’t carry a tune to save his life.
Never stopped him from having a little fun with it. In high school they’d frequented quite a few karaoke establishments. But late in their sophomore year of college he said he didn’t have time for their outings anymore. There were a lot of things he’d turned a cold shoulder to for reasons only he knew. If her suspicions were correct the reason had Vivian’s name tattooed all over it in fat, black permanent marker.
The muted sound of glass breaking caught her attention. A cold knot of dismay formed in her stomach as she watched Alex rinse out beer bottle after beer bottle before discarding each into the recycle bin just a few feet away. She counted at least eight before her disgust forced her to stop keeping score.
Oh Alex, what are you doing to yourself?
Her breath coalesced on the window just as he turned and their gazes collided.
Elena’s beautiful face came into view as the fog on the glass vanished. In the few seconds before she realized he’d met her gaze, he caught a glimpse of her face completely unguarded. One of the gaslights lining Main Street shined behind her, highlighting all the different shades of red in her hair to make her appear to be some kind of ethereal angel.
His angel.
He had no right to think of her in such a way. She wasn’t his and never would be. Not after the little show he’d given at the club last week.
His gut clenched as he made his way to the front door. This late at night he hadn’t expected anyone to find him with the music blaring, his sleeves rolled up with hours to go before the shop opened for the morning rush. He usually did his best work with the house coffee blends this late at night. Or that was what he told himself in order to stay out of the house during the time when he was reminded the most about Vivian.
He flipped the switch off the expensive sound system his new sister-in-law had purchased for him as a birthday present. He hadn’t talked to Elena since she’d sped out of the lot, but he also hadn’t made great strides to contact her either. The scent of her perfume spilled over him as she stepped past and into the warmth of the store.
“Hey.”
“Working late?”
He flipped the latch on the door to lock them inside. “Seems as if I’m not the only one. Just fixed up a test batch of decaf, want some?”
She dropped her bag by the small collection of overstuffed chairs and an aged coffee table. “You mean you want a guinea pig.”
“Well, that too.” Alex laughed tightly as he maneuvered behind the counter. His fingers trembled as he flipped the espresso machine off and knelt to look for something under the counter. In truth he simply wanted to give himself a moment to calm his nerves.
Despite her request he couldn’t forget about what happened at Element Twenty-Six. Like a fool he’d actually imagined Elena in her white leather and himself in the role of one of those submissives he’d seen. Even more of a fool he’d used it as fodder to jack off. The first time in several years he’d felt enough enthusiasm to take care of himself.
And damn if he hadn’t liked it. A lot.
He was still embarrassed by his reaction to what he’d seen before he’d hauled off and interrupted. When he’d thought about exploring more, submitting to a woman was the last thing he would have predicted his brain to conjure.
Now he couldn’t stop thinking about everything.
It was as though the incident at the club had made his life even more miserable.
“You look busy, I don’t want to interrupt.”
&nb
sp; “Nonsense, I could use the company.” He rummaged around then stood with a flourish. Pouring the rest of the coffee he’d made evenly into two mugs, he brought them back to the sitting area.
“So Bono and the band wasn’t enough company?”
He nearly bobbled his mug as he sat down. “Heard me, did you?”
“Loud and clear.”
“Neighbor upstairs is on vacation with her son and his family in Florida. Thought I’d take advantage of their absence while I could.”
He studied Elena as she sipped the new mixture. Her eyebrows lifted as she eyed the contents of the mug. “Very good. Should be a popular seller with the younger crowd who will just water it down with too much flavored cream and processed sugar. Been busy this week without Patrick around to help?”
Alex sipped, picking up a few notes of flavor he hadn’t noticed before. “To be honest, with all the wedding planning, he wasn’t around much for the past few weeks anyway. So I can’t say I miss him greatly this week, or next. Or longer if they decide to stay.”
“Have you talked to them? Found out how things are going?” Elena crossed her legs as she sat back. Alex desperately tried not to notice the curve of her calf against the brown leather chair. Tried not to think about how much he wanted to be on his knees in front of her, licking the tempting sweep of leg.
Instead he cleared his throat and made himself focus his gaze on the corner of the table. “I got a text when they landed just to let me know they’d arrived safely. But this is Patrick and Allison we’re talking about here. They practically melted the candles during their first kiss as husband and wife.”
“You’re right. If you do hear anything be sure to scold them accordingly.”
“Gladly.” The conversation died, the tension between them finally becoming obvious. Alex shifted forward, setting his mug on the low table, which he immediately regretted as it gave him nothing to do with his hands.
The polite thing to do, dimwit, is ask about her.
“What about you? Been doing all right?”
“Decently enough. Busy working on this job. Feel as if my eyes are going to cross if I spend much more time in front of the computer.” She set her mug on the table and played with the hem of her pencil skirt, smoothing over an edge that appeared to have come free from the stitching. When her nails scraped over her thighs he nearly went to his knees for her right then.
