by Livia Grant
Maybe he should, Madison thought, but she was smart enough to keep that inside even though the idea had her smiling.
“What are you grinning about?” Trevor asked as he reached into his pocket to pull out their room key and Madison’s employee card before he let the door shut. Tucking them both back into his slacks, he tilted his head at her. “Well?”
“Nothing really. I do feel better though.”
“See? I’m the best fiancé ever.” He laughed when she rolled her eyes, tugging her forward to land another smack on her ass through the skirt.
“We’re in the hall!” Madison whined, her cheeks burning again as they stopped beside the employee elevator.
“There’s no one out here, babe.” Trevor scanned her employee card on the reader before pressing the call button. “You think I’d ever embarrass you?”
“No,” she admitted, squeezing his hand. “And I’m definitely distracted from the chaos downstairs. For now, at least.”
“You just tell me if you need a refresher while we’re downstairs, and I’ll—”
“Oh my God! No!” Laughing, Madison stared up at Trevor. “Please tell me you’re not serious.”
“Why not? That’s what the club is for after all, and it wouldn’t be the first time I made you come down there.” His grin was positively devious, and she felt her anxiety rising until he leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. “Look, if Elijah’s bullshit starts to get to you, just think about how many times I’m going to make you come as soon as I can get you out of all this leather.”
“Yep, definitely distracted,” she replied, feeling the tingling rush of raw arousal flooding up her chest in a wash of heat.
“That’s what I’m here for. Grade A arm candy and distractions.”
“Arm candy?” she repeated, laughing as the elevator doors opened and they stepped inside.
Trevor scanned her card again, pressing the unlabeled black button below the number one. “I know you’re only with me for my good looks.”
“Oh really.” Rolling her eyes, she couldn’t help but laugh. Trevor was always able to make her smile — it was one of the things she loved the most about him.
“Why else would you be with me?” he asked, and she knew he was just keeping her distracted from the insanity she was about to walk into.
Leaning up, she pressed a light kiss to his cheek, trying not to smudge her lipstick or leave a mark behind on his skin. “Well, other than the arm candy thing, I think we make a pretty awesome team.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah,” Madison said with a smile. “Or, at least you have been pretty awesome these past few weeks while I’ve been crazy.”
“It’s a two-way street, babe. I couldn’t be awesome without you being awesome too.” Trevor squeezed her hand as the elevator slowed to a stop. “After all, there’s no ‘I’ in team, right?”
Black Light West
February 14th, 6:30pm
The mic check had taken longer than she’d hoped, but since the theater hadn’t even existed two weeks before, the fact that the sound system worked at all felt like an absolute win. The expansion of the theater was a smart move. Hopefully, it would mean the audience wasn’t so packed in like they had been in the last two years… but they wouldn’t know that until people started arriving.
Which will be any minute now.
Skimming through her notecards on the participants, Madison double-checked everything on the stage. Roulette wheels ready, popsicle sticks waiting for the dominants to choose their spin order, mic working, and so far, Elijah hadn’t had a nuclear meltdown. Not a bad way to kick off the night, but her stomach was still in knots.
Checking the little digital clock on the table, she felt the tension returning to her shoulders. Every minute passing by brought them closer to the start of Roulette and it felt like the day of a big test in school. Pass or fail, win or lose — and she didn’t feel prepared at all.
“Fuck it,” she muttered under her breath, heading off the stage to get a drink before she was trapped in the theater for the night.
Madison was halfway to the bar when a brightly colored jacket caught her eye, and she froze in place when she realized who it was.
“DOMINIC?” she shouted, hurrying over to where he was standing with Elijah. The costume designer smiled broadly at her as she approached, opening his arms to give her a hug as they came together.
“Oh, Madison, I have missed you! And look at these boots!” Leaning back from their embrace, he looked down at her shoes, smiling broadly at her. “These are on fire. I fucking love them.”
“Thank you! I got them at—”
“Is everything ready on the stage?” Elijah interrupted, and both she and Dominic looked over at him with a sigh.
“Yes, Elijah. Sound check went great, everything is up there and ready to go!” Sighing, she turned back to Dominic with a smile. “So, what are you doing here? Are you here to watch the event?”
“Nope, I’m back here to save the day from fashion disasters across the kink community.” Winking at her, he swished his hand against the edge of her skirt. “Told you this skirt would look amazing on you.”
Stunned, Madison was speechless for a moment. “Um, thanks, but… wait, you’re back? Like really back? Working here again?”
“Oh yes,” Dominic replied, scratching under his chin as he put on a terrible Godfather impression. “Elijah made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.”
“He did what?” she asked, glancing at Elijah, but he just sighed heavily.
“Thanks a lot, Dominic,” he grumbled, staring at the man for a moment before he looked at her again. “For the record, I did not threaten him, no matter what story he comes up with. All I did was pay him what he’s worth and make a few adjustments for him, while also reminding him of the kind of connections he can make here.”
“Whatever,” Dominic said, waving a hand in the air. “The important thing is you need me desperately and I’ve arrived to save the day. Now, I have to go help Annie get organized for the evening, but we’ll see each other again soon, darling.”
Madison accepted another hug from him, along with a quick kiss on the cheek. She was still in shock that Dominic was actually back at Black Light, but she managed a quick, “Okay! Good luck tonight!” before he walked away.
“You too!” he called back, waving one hand in the air. His shimmery purple jacket caught the lights, announcing his presence to every employee still bustling around the club as he passed through the curtain.
“Remind me why he’s so integral to this place?” Elijah muttered, rubbing a hand over his face.
“He’s got some epic sewing skills, makes several of the costumes himself to fill the requests of our members, and everyone adores him?” Smiling at the Dungeon Master, Madison shrugged. “And, really, does it matter? He’s back and now we won’t have to worry about the Costume Shop getting more backed up than usual.”
“True.” He looked like he was about to say something else when his gaze shifted to her right and she turned to see Tyler approaching them with a clipboard in hand.
“Hey, boss,” Tyler said, his eyes glued to the pages.
“What’s the status?” Elijah asked, and she could hear the exhaustion in his voice.
“Lookin’ good. Several guests are already waiting to come in, the play area is almost set up, and last I checked the stage seemed ready to go.” Tyler lifted his gaze from the keyboard to look at her, a slow grin spreading over his face. “But Mistress Madison would know more about that than me.”
“Shut it,” she retorted through a laugh. “Everything’s good on the stage and I still can’t believe the theater looks as good as it does. It was a total pile of rubble two weeks ago!”
“Well, I threatened to skin that contractor alive and then sic our lawyers on him in court if he missed the deadline by even one day,” Elijah replied casually. “It’s amazing what people are capable of with the right motivation.”
“That’s th
e truth,” Tyler added, laughing as he let the clipboard hang at his side and turned to look out over the club. The additional seating in the bar area would help ease the issues with gathered groups from prior years, but they’d sold out of tickets for Roulette quickly, so Madison knew it would still be a full house.
Black Light looked good though, and there hadn’t been a single hiccup so far. Even Dominic was back, which Madison hadn’t even thought of as a possibility. Smiling, she felt the tension in her stomach ease a little. “Everything seems to be coming together. I think you did it, Elijah.”
“It’s a fucking miracle,” he groused, planting his hands on his hips as he scanned the club.
“Come on, Elijah, take a little credit,” Madison urged, nudging him gently with her elbow. “With everything that went wrong in the last month, this wouldn’t have worked out without you pulling all of us together.”
“All I did was piss you guys off.”
“He’s not wrong,” Tyler snarked, and Madison rolled her eyes at him.
“Well, as someone told me earlier tonight… there’s no ‘I’ in team, and we couldn’t have done all of this if we hadn’t worked together. So, thanks for being a good team player.” Reaching over, she patted his arm, and he glanced down at her with a raised eyebrow.
“Did you just pat me and tell me I’m a good boy?” Elijah asked.
“Well, do you think you’re a naughty boy?” Smirking, Madison crossed her arms and put on her best cold, mistress face — although there was no chance her stare could compete with Piper Kole’s. She tried it anyway, and finally the Dungeon Master shook his head.
“First, don’t call me naughty, that’s… weird. Second, I appreciate the compliment, but since the doors just opened I think it might be a good idea for Mistress Madison”—he emphasized his doubt in her title with finger quotes in the air—“to get her ass on stage.”
“I’m grabbing a drink first, but fine. I still think we totally have a chance of winning this thing. We kicked ass!” Madison cheered, and Tyler laughed and reached over to high-five her.
“Fuck yeah, we’re totally shutting down Cook’s bullshit!”
“We’ve done all we can do, that’s for sure. The rest will be up to the wheel,” Elijah conceded, his eyes focused on the trickle of members entering through the door, all of them heading toward the bar. “Tyler, I need you to—”
“And that is my cue to leave,” Madison interjected, waving at the two men as she hurried over to the end of the bar.
Susie was already pouring someone a glass of wine, and Madison caught her attention with a quick psst! Smiling, the short-haired bartender dropped off the drink before coming toward her. “Hey girl, what’cha need?”
“Vodka. And water.” Laughing a little, Madison shrugged. “I’m going to get stuck up there the rest of the night, and I need a drink to settle my nerves. Can I get a double vodka with lime and soda? And then just a water?”
“You want the vodka soda in a tall glass?” Susie asked, walking backward toward the shelves.
“That’s perfect!” Smiling at the other bartender who glanced her way, Madison took a slow breath and looked around for Trevor. He’d volunteered to help the DMs set up as soon as they got downstairs, so he was probably still in the play area. As her eyes trailed back over the bar, she caught sight of two people she absolutely needed to meet. “Oh my God! Master Elliott, is that you?”
The man looked confused for a second, but the blonde woman at his side pointed toward Madison and his dark eyes settled on her.
“I’m Madison, the MC for the night!” she called across the bar, and a small smile moved over his lips before he and his submissive moved toward her.
“It’s nice to meet you, Madison,” Elliott said, shaking her hand as he tilted his head toward the pretty woman at his side. “And this is Lisa.”
“Right!” Madison shook her head. “You guys were paired during Roulette last year. Seems like things are still going well?”
“I grow on people, it just takes a little time,” Lisa replied, laughing as she reached over to offer her hand as well.
“I get that, I’m totally the same way,” Madison said, shrugging. “People don’t always take blondes seriously, do they?”
“Nope!” Lisa said with a pop of her lips, and the grin she turned on Elliott said that their first night of Roulette must have been an interesting one. Well, interesting enough to win for sure.
“Well, we’re really glad you guys agreed to join us out here on the West Coast and help us out as impartial judges.” Gesturing around the club, Madison felt a sense of pride fill her, even though she technically worked for the Runway side of things. “So, what do you think of Black Light West?”
“The rooms are fucking amazing,” Lisa gushed. “And I love your setup here. We got to walk through on a tour earlier and it’s way different than Black Light back home. You guys have so many different spaces!”
“We’re pretty proud of it,” Madison said, unable to hide the grin on her face. Movement in the corner of her eye drew her attention, and she waved at Susie who was already walking back down the bar to serve more members. Grabbing the vodka soda, Madison took a long drink before she looked at Elliott. “And Master Elliott, what do you think of our club?”
“I think it’s a beautiful space, but I’m still going to be impartial. Jaxson was pretty clear that he wants me and the other guy to take notes about the scenes we observe and provide feedback on them — not how pretty the club is.” Elliott’s tone was professional and definitely dominant, but Lisa seemed unfazed as she elbowed him in the ribs.
“He likes the club, trust me. He’s just taking this responsibility very seriously.”
“It is an important responsibility,” Elliott said, his voice low as he slid a hand around the back of Lisa’s neck. “And you need to take it seriously as well.”
“Yes, sir,” Lisa answered, and Madison grinned.
“Well, if there’s anything we can do to help you out, just ask any of the DMs. We’re all here to make this night a success!” Picking up her drinks, she took a step back from the bar. “I’m sorry, but I really have to get to the stage. People are already in the theater and Elijah will kill me if I start this late. Make sure you guys get good seats, and stay in town long enough so I can show you around Runway too! You’ll definitely want to see it in full swing.”
“Sure thing!” Lisa said, and Elliott nodded.
“Of course, thank you.”
Turning away, she didn’t even make it to the entrance of the theater before she heard Jaxson’s distinct voice call out, “Madison!”
Seriously?
Holding a glass in each hand, Madison followed the sound of his voice and found the infamous trio chatting with Elijah near one of the new couches. Chase waved her over, and she slapped a smile on her face as she approached.
“You look gorgeous as always, Madison,” Chase said, and it looked like he thought about leaning in for a hug before he noticed her hands were full.
“Thanks! Just trying to keep up the persona for the MC gig, you know?” Laughing a little, she tried to adjust her fingers, lifting them one at a time from the freezing glasses. “Are you guys excited about being here for Roulette this year?”
“I’m just glad I have both my husbands with me for Valentine’s, and we get to be together for Roulette,” Emma answered with a kind smile.
“Having a night away from the twins is also a relief. Everyone keeps telling us that the threes are harder than two, but… I’m not sure how that’s possible.” Jaxson glanced at Emma when she smacked his arm, and he shook his head, whispering, “Naughty girl.”
“Sorry, sir.” Pink rushed into Emma’s cheeks, but Jaxson’s gaze returned to Madison a moment later.
“We just wanted to thank you for continuing to handle the MC role here at Black Light West. It’s your third time, right?” Jaxson asked.
“It is!” Chase confirmed for her, and she nodded.
&nbs
p; “Yep, it’s year three.” Madison’s fingers were going to freeze off if she didn’t set these damn drinks down soon, but she couldn’t exactly walk away from the owners of the clubs she worked for.
“Time really does move faster once you have kids,” Jaxson said, chuckling softly. “It feels like no time at all since we opened the clubs on the East Coast, but that was five years ago.”
“We’re all really glad you did!” Madison made herself smile through the chill soaking into the bones of her hands.
“My family and I are just glad that it gives people a safe place to be themselves,” Jaxson replied. “I’ll make sure to say that during my little intro, but I won’t talk long. I definitely want to welcome everyone, but then I plan to spend the evening with my husband and wife.”
“Just us. It’s going to be wonderful,” Emma added in a dreamy tone.
“You know, Madison, if you ever get tired of being the MC, or just want to spend some time enjoying the event yourself…” Chase grinned. “We can find someone else, all you have to do is speak up.”
“I appreciate that, but I swear, I totally love it! It’s fun to be involved, and I like getting to know the members who spend more time at Black Light than Runway. It helps me recognize them upstairs.”
“How does Trevor feel about you spending every Valentine’s Day working?” Emma asked, and Madison immediately looked at Elijah who carefully avoided making eye contact as he pretended to watch the members hovering around them.
“Trevor is fine. He’s helping the DMs get everything finalized in the play area, and he keeps me company up on the stage when there’s a lull between spins.” Turning to look over her shoulder, she felt the anxious tension returning as more and more members continued filing into the theater. “I don’t mean to be rude, but I should probably get on stage.”
“That’s a good idea, Madison,” Elijah said, a smirk tilting the edge of his mouth as he leaned past Chase to pat her arm. “You’re such a good team player.”
