“What?”
“Because you’re scaring everyone away. That morose look on your face seems more at home at a funeral than a BDSM club. What’s going on? Woman problems?”
Gray frowned at his old friend. They’d met in school when Simon had bloodied Gray’s nose for stealing his girlfriend, Missy, even though she hadn’t even known she was his girlfriend. Simon had a tendency to decide things without asking anyone else. They’d both ended up bloodied and bruised and in the principal’s office. They’d been best friends ever since.
“What makes you think it’s woman problems?” Gray asked, taking a sip from the scotch he’d been nursing for the last hour. He didn’t normally drink at the club, but tonight he needed it.
“Because only a woman can put that look on a man’s face. Well, that or there’s a blockage in your bowels.” Simon grinned, and Gray snorted.
“My bowels are fine, thanks for caring.”
“Oh, caring is my middle name,” Simon drawled.
“Where’s that wife of yours? Shouldn’t she be keeping you occupied?”
“She has a headache.” Simon frowned briefly.
“Everything okay?” Gray asked.
“I think so. These headaches are coming a bit too frequently for my liking. I think it’s time for a doctor’s visit, and you know how Sasha feels about doctors.”
She was terrified of them after a bad experience as a child.
“Poor thing.”
“Poor me. I’ve got to be the asshole who forces her to go.”
“You should be home with her. If Ben couldn’t come in, then I would have managed the club tonight.”
“What? In between the dozens of subs flocking to you with their heartfelt sob stories?” Simon scoffed. “Although they’ve been steering clear tonight. Maybe they think you’ve got a bowel blockage as well.”
Gray growled as Simon clicked his tongue and gave him a mock-sympathetic look.
“Remind me again why we’re friends.”
“Because you stole my girlfriend and I broke your nose.”
“She wasn’t your girlfriend; she didn’t even know you were alive.”
“She would have been my girlfriend once she’d realized what a good catch I was.”
“I should have pounded on you some more. Obviously, you’re delusional.”
“You punched like a girl. You’re lucky you had me to teach you how to fight, or you’d never have survived the year.”
They grinned at each other.
“Oh, to be six again,” Gray said and clinked his glass against Simon’s glass of water. He never drank when he was on duty.
“Amen, brother.” Simon nodded over at Hunter who’d walked into the club then stood there, scowling at everyone. He started to pace back and forth.
“Seems you’re not the only one who has woman problems. Wonder what Cady’s done now.”
“I don’t have woman problems. And I’m guessing Cady is giving him hell over something. Good for her.”
***
She was in a BDSM club—listening to another woman throw up.
Lacey hovered outside the bathroom door, wincing as she listened to Cady vomit on the other side. “Cady, I really think I should get Hunter.”
“No, no, don’t go out there.” The urgency in the other woman’s voice made her pause and the trepidation that had been growing ever since she’d agreed to come here tonight increased. She’d never expected to take Cady up on her offer. She’d mulled over it for weeks. Gone back and forth. Researched BDSM until she knew enough to write her own book. And then curiosity had gotten the best of her.
Damn it. This was a stupid idea. She had no right being here, dressed like this. She glanced down at her tight, red dress. It wasn’t too revealing, but it was short and it managed to fool the eye into thinking she actually had curves. A push-up bra had managed to give her some cleavage. She’d kept the makeup minimal, she’d never learned how to apply the stuff properly and she was scared of mucking it up and looking like a clown.
“Why? What will happen if I do?” she asked, alarmed.
The door to the toilet stall opened, and Cady looked up at her tiredly. Aside from her pale face and the dark marks under her eyes, she looked ready to party in a tight, yellow corset and black, leather skirt that ended just below her ass.
“Nothing will happen. This isn’t a house of horrors. Relax. I just meant that if you go get Hunter he’ll make me go home, and you won’t get to experience a night at the club. That’s all.”
Oh. Maybe she’d overreacted. Just a little.
“Are you sure you shouldn’t go home?” she asked the other woman. “Not to be rude, but you look terrible.”
“Gee, thanks,” Cady said dryly, moving stiffly towards the sinks.
This was one of the most luxurious bathrooms she’d ever been in. Wall-to-wall, light-colored marble. Large, porcelain sinks. Well-lit mirrors and hand towels that didn’t feel harsh against your skin from over washing. There was a changing area at the back that held lockers, showers, and even dressing tables and plush chairs.
Cady ran the water and wet a towel, squeezing it and placing it on the back of her neck.
“How long have you been feeling ill?” Lacey asked, feeling concerned.
“It comes and goes,” Cady replied. “Most of the time I’m fine then boom, it hits me. Probably just a virus or something.”
She grabbed a packaged toothbrush and some toothpaste from the cupboard beneath the sink. Wow, these guys thought of everything. Mind you, for the price they charged for a membership, a few toothbrushes and some toothpaste was hardly going to break the bank.
“Doesn’t sound like a virus.” Lacey frowned slightly. “Could you be pregnant?”
Cady paused, the toothbrush hanging out of her mouth as she stared at Lacey in the mirror. Then she spat the toothbrush out. “Wash your mouth out!”
“Pardon?” Lacey asked.
Cady turned sharply then groaned, placing her hand on her stomach as she raced to the toilet once more. Lacey winced at the sound of her retching. The door opened, but she didn’t look over, too concerned about her friend.
“I am . . . not . . . pregnant,” Cady half-yelled through the door.
“What the fuck?” a male voice roared, making Lacey jump. She stared over at a shocked Hunter as he scowled at the toilet door. “You’re pregnant? You’re sick? And you didn’t tell me?”
The retching noises ceased. Well, nothing like being scared half to death to make you stop vomiting. Lacey resisted the urge to rub her ear. The man had a voice on him.
The door opened, and Cady glared out at her fiancé. “I’m not pregnant.”
“No?” He stepped forward, looking so intimidating that Lacey actually found herself taking a step back before she could help herself. “Then why are you throwing up?”
“It’s a virus.”
“Came on very suddenly, did it? So suddenly you couldn’t tell me you were feeling ill before we left the house?”
Even Lacey could read the guilt on Cady’s face. Hunter paused, resting his hands on his hips. “How long?”
“I don’t know. Maybe a week or so.”
“And you hid this from me?” There was a dark threat in his voice that made Lacey shiver.
“I didn’t want you to worry.”
Hunter turned to her. Oh, fuck. Lacey held up her hands, palms towards the ceiling. “I didn’t know. I swear. This is the first I’ve heard of her vomiting.”
He studied her. “But you think she could be pregnant.”
“I-I don’t know. But vomiting on and off for a week without any other symptoms doesn’t sound like any virus I’ve heard of before.”
Hunter stepped forward and scooped Cady up into his arms. “You’re going home. We’ll stop at a drug store along the way and get a test.”
“But what about Lacey? This is her first night. We promised to look after her.”
Actually, Cady had promised. Hunter had just glow
“Don’t worry about me. I’ll catch a taxi home.”
Hunter turned to her. “No, you won’t.”
“It’s really no bother,” she told him. “You have more important things to worry about.”
“I do.”
Okay, so that was blunt.
“Hunter,” Cady growled. “You’re being rude. And put me down. You’re not carrying me out of here and sending the gossip mill into overdrive.”
“No, and stay still,” he warned as she started to squirm. “You’ve already got a punishment coming your way for keeping this from me, you don’t want to add to it.”
Punishment? That should horrify her, shouldn’t it? So why did it send a shiver of longing and desire down her spine? Why did it make her yearn for a man to take such an interest in her well-being?
Cady stopped squirming, and he turned back to Lacey. “You’re my responsibility tonight, and I can’t concentrate on Cady until I hand over your care to someone else.”
“Um, first, I’m no one’s responsibility and second, I can take care of myself. I’ve decided this was a bad idea and I’m just going to call a cab and . . . hey, where are you going?”
Hunter, who’d been completely ignoring her, turned away and walked out the door, leaving her with little choice but to follow him. She’d just walk on out of there and call a taxi . . . except, shoot, her stuff was in a locker in the bathroom. She turned around.
“Javier!”
She turned as she heard Hunter call out. He still held Cady in his arms. A scowling Cady. A tall, suave-looking man with dark-mocha skin turned. His eyebrows shot up as he saw Cady in Hunter’s arms.
“Everything okay?” There was a soft drawl to his voice. Definitely from the south.
“Need a favor,” Hunter told him. “I’ve got to take Cady home, and we brought someone with us tonight.” He turned to reveal Lacey, who hadn’t been hiding behind him. Really, she hadn’t.
“She’s a complete newbie. Doesn’t know anything.”
Wow. Way to pump up her ego. Oh, Jesus, he wasn’t asking this stranger to show her around, was he? No way.
Javier ran his gaze up and down her body. A small burst of temper filled her. She wasn’t a piece of meat for God’s sake. Starting at his feet, she gave him the same once-over. By the time she reached his face, his eyes were dancing with amusement, and his lips were turned up at the edges.
“I like her.”
“You don’t know me,” she countered, placing her hands on her hips as she glared up at the arrogant ass.
“She’s going to get into trouble on her own,” he told Hunter, his gaze shifting back to the other man and completely ignoring her. His face softened as he looked down at Cady. “You okay, sweetheart? You look a little pale.”
“I’m fine,” Cady said quickly. “Just a little tired.”
“You want me to look after her?” He nodded at Lacey.
Hunter shook his head. “She needs someone she trusts, or she’ll bolt.”
It wouldn’t be bolting. It wasn’t like she was running away. She’d leave because her friend was sick. She could come back another night.
Except, she knew she wouldn’t. She’d never gather up the courage to come again. She couldn’t believe she was even here tonight.
“I really just want to go home,” she said, tired of the way they spoke like she wasn’t even there.
Hunter turned to look at her. “I get that you’re nervous. But you agreed to come here tonight for a reason. Don’t lose your courage now.”
Lacey drew in a deep, steadying breath. He was right, she had come tonight for a reason. To see if reality matched up to her fantasies. She was certain it wouldn’t. She was pretty sure that everything she’d read had romanticised BDSM and that she’d be horribly disappointed. But the fact that Cady enjoyed it had prompted her to at least come and watch.
And if she left now she’d never know.
Curiosity killed the cat.
Well, she didn’t have nine lives like a cat, but she was pretty certain she wasn’t in any sort of real danger. Whatever Hunter saw on her face made him turn away with a nod.
“Take her to Gray.”
Oh, fuck.
***
“Master Gray.”
Gray looked down at Jessica with a barely-concealed sigh of impatience. Jessica was one of those subs that believed being a submissive meant everyone else had to meet her needs. She didn’t want to think for herself. She wanted to live the life of a pampered, indulged princess. All take and no give. And for some reason, she’d set her sights on him. Well, he could guess why.
Gray liked to take care of others, and she liked being looked after. He was a good-looking guy, and she was shallow enough for that to matter. And his bank balance could keep her in all the designer shoes and clothes her heart desired.
She stood with her head respectfully lowered, her stance submissive. But she wasn’t a true submissive. She constantly manipulated and plotted to get her own way, topping from the bottom but doing it in such a way that some less-experienced Doms didn’t see what she was doing.
“Yes, sub?” he asked, deliberately not using her name. Maybe it was a little petty, but he wasn’t in a very patient mood.
She glanced up at him, a pout on her face. “Have I upset you, Sir?”
He sighed. “No, Jessica, you haven’t upset me. It’s just been a long week. What can I do for you?”
“Nobody wants to play with me tonight.”
God, she sounded like a whiny five-year-old.
What was wrong with him? Normally, he wasn’t this impatient.
“Have you spoken to Javier? Isn’t he on duty tonight?” They had a handful of more experienced Doms who were there to help the unattached subs if they needed help negotiating play with a Dom. They also helped guide the less experienced Doms.
“He’s busy. Would you play with me, Sir?”
“I’m not playing tonight,” he told her. “But I’ll find someone for you.”
He didn’t miss the scowl on her face as he turned away, searching for someone to pair her with, but he chose to ignore it. She could be somebody else’s problem tonight.
“But, Sir, I want to play with you.” Her nasal voice took on a definite whine as she reached out and clasped his arm.
He turned, giving her a cold look. “On your knees, sub.”
Immediately, she dropped gracefully to her knees and lowered her head, placing her hands palm up on her thighs.
“Did I give you permission to touch me?” He made certain his voice was calm but cold, clearly displaying his displeasure.
She glanced up, her eyes pleading. “No, Sir, but I—”
“Eyes down,” he growled. “You know better than this, sub.”
“Sorry, Sir. Will you punish me now, Sir?”
Manipulative little brat. She knew exactly what she was playing at. But she wasn’t going to get her way.
“You deserve to be punished. You do not get to touch me without permission. That’s ten.”
A small gasp made him look up, and it took a while for his brain to catch up to what he saw.
Lacey.
Her shocked face looked from him to Jessica.
Shit.
What was she doing here? And why? He looked behind her to Javier, who was frowning down at Jessica. How did the other man know Lacey? Was she here with him? Javier met his gaze, his look sympathetic. The look soon changed as he obviously read the fury on Gray’s face.
The other man held up his hands and took a half-step back. “I’m just the escort service, man. She’s not here with me.”
Lacey turned to frown at Javier then looked back up at him. “I think this was a bad idea, excuse me.”
He watched as she turned and fled back across the room. Fuck!
“Don’t just stand there, go after her,” Javier prompted him. “It’s obvious you want to.”
Gray looked down at Jessica, who still knelt at his feet.
“Go on, I’ll look after Jessica,” Javier promised in a dark voice. Jessica looked up at the big Dom in alarm.
“No, Gray, Sir. Please, I want you to punish me.”
“He’s got more important things to take care of than punishing a little brat like you, girl,” Javier told her in a firm voice. “Now up you get, it’s time you had a taste of my paddle.”
Gray ignored the pleading look on Jessica’s face as he turned away and moved quickly after Lacey. Obviously, he’d been too lenient on Jessica if she’d rather face his punishment than Javier’s. He reached the corridor outside the women’s changing rooms and stopped. Would she have gotten this far already?
Xanthe stepped out of the woman’s changing rooms. “Hello, Sir.”
“Is there a new sub in there? Tall, thin with long, dark hair.”
Xanthe nodded, and relief filled him. She smiled gently. “She’s beautiful, Sir. Like a model. And furious. She was muttering something about arrogant males who think they know what’s best.”
“Thank you, Xanthe.” The petite sub was sweet, but she had a tendency to blurt out everything she knew.
She gave him another smile before walking away. Gray found himself in the unenviable position of standing and waiting for the damn door to open. He knew she had to come this way, there was no other way out. He just had to wait.
Finally, the door opened, and there she stood. A little too pale for his liking, but otherwise fine. She had wrapped a large shawl around that sexy, red dress she’d been wearing, and he felt the urge to slowly unwrap her. Like a much anticipated Christmas present.
“I don’t have time to talk. I’m leaving.” She attempted to move past him, but he reached out and grabbed hold of her arm.
“Lacey, what are you doing here?” To say he was shocked to see her was a definite understatement.
She licked her lips, looking slightly nervous. “I came with Hunter and Cady. I’m their guest here tonight.”
So where were they? Guests weren’t supposed to be left alone. But she hadn’t been alone, had she? Javier had been with her.
“How do you know Javier?” he half-barked.
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