Black Light: Roulette Rematch (Black Light Series Book 20)

by Livia Grant

  “Since you didn’t make it into the playoffs, you should have plenty of time to visit now,” Covington said, giving the player shit.

  Bartlett turned on the still seated actor. “Fuck you, Covington. The Superbowl is over so every team is in the off-season, asshole. Even your precious Packers.”

  Despite the ribbing, the men were both grinning, telling Elijah they knew each other at least well enough to dish shit. However, Shane had turned his attention to Bartlett’s submissive standing next to him, obviously waiting to leave together.

  “Hey…” Covington said, taking a good look at the beautiful redhead. “Aren’t you the actress from that hot Netflix series? Born in Blood?”

  “Oh my God.” Only a second went by before she turned to Bartlett, smacking her hand against his chest. “See! Shane fucking Covington watches my show, and you didn’t even know what it was!”

  “Alright, alright. I told you, I’ll watch the series.” The football player who was double her size raised his hands in a sign of surrender.

  Elijah had to stifle the smile that threatened as he enjoyed watching yet another dominant guy softened by the right submissive.

  The wheel really is magic sometimes.

  Susie arrived from the direction of the elevator just as the new couple said their goodbyes. She was pushing a huge cart with a half-dozen stacked trays of newly cleaned bar glasses. On normal nights, the bartender and her staff kept up by handwashing the glassware, but on big nights like Roulette, it was easier to trolly the glasses upstairs to the industrial dishwasher in the kitchen to save time.

  “Hey, was that Bartlett leaving with McKenna?” Susie asked. “I was kinda worried he was gonna dump her after grilling me over how many alcoholic drinks she’d had.”

  Elijah reassured her. “I’m no matchmaker, but if I was a gambling man, I’d put money on that turning into a long-term couple. I’ve known Bartlett long enough to recognize the change.”

  “The change?” Shane pressed. “What the fuck are you talking about old man?”

  Elijah was too tired to let Covington bullshit him. “Don’t play dumb with me. Especially you. You did a one-eighty after you met Nalani. Just like Jaxson after finding Emma and Chase, Ryder after meeting Khloe—I could go on for hours. Doms like to pretend they wear the pants, but we all know it’s the subs who have all of the real power.”

  He didn’t get to expound on that though because Tyler chose that moment to pull back the velvet curtain, securing it open with the sash and letting a group that had been congregating in the main play space head into the bar area.

  Feeling guilty for sitting on his ass long enough to catch his breath, Elijah pushed to his feet, beelining it to join the infamous trio and their guests—the judges from Black Light East.

  “You’re still here. I was hoping I’d get a chance to say goodbye before you left,” he said to Elliott and Lisa, trying not to sound too eager. “Come in and I’ll buy you a drink. On the house. We were just rehashing how the night had gone and I’d love to hear your thoughts.”

  Elijah could feel the pointed stare of Jaxson at his back, but he didn’t give a shit. It had been bad enough last year when he had to wait until the next day to find out who had won the competition between the clubs. This year, the trio had declared they needed until Tuesday afternoon to calculate the winner. That felt like a lifetime away, which meant he needed to glean any tidbit of information from the judges before they left.

  Even though he had waved his arm in a welcoming motion, he noticed the couple stood grounded to their spot just a few feet into the bar. Upon further inspection, he noticed how heavily Lisa was leaning on her dominant. Her lipstick was absent and the rest of her make up smeared. The buttons on her dress were askew and it looked like she’d skinned her knees on the carpet at some point during the night.

  Looks like they had had some fun.

  “I think we’ll need to take a raincheck on drinks,” Elliott said, keeping a stabilizing arm around Lisa. “My sub had a bit too much fun tonight and I think it’s time I get her upstairs and tucked into bed.”

  “That’s great that you guys had so much fun, but the night is still young. The crew and I always spend a few hours shooting the shit as we get the club put back together and you’re more than welcome to park it in the bar and rehash the best scenes of the night with us.”

  It was Jaxson who stepped between the men, shooting Elijah a dirty look. “I’m pretty sure Elliott and Lisa need to call it a night. Their body clocks tell them it’s after two in the morning now, and let’s not forget they chose to fly back to D.C. tomorrow. I’m sure they want to catch some rest.”

  Turning to talk more directly to Elliott, Jaxson added, “Feel free to leave your judges report with security before you head out to the airport tomorrow afternoon.” Shooting Elijah another glare, Jaxson added, “I left a manila envelope you can seal it in to keep it confidential.”

  Elijah wanted to throttle the owner, but he plastered a smile on his face instead.

  “Well, it was great to meet you two. I hope you can make it out to our club again sometime in the future. You’re always welcome.”

  Jaxson couldn’t resist being an asshole yet again. “Nice of you to invite them, Keaton, but since they pay Black Light fees, they, just like any Black Light member, is welcome at either club any time they’d like to travel to the opposite coast. No special invitation is needed.”

  It was Elijah’s turn to shoot Jaxson a death glare.

  Elijah stuck his hand out for a shake before Elliott and Lisa backtracked to the small elevator to head up to their suite.

  As soon as the doors closed, Jaxson was in his face.

  “Don’t think I don’t know what you were trying to do there. I warned both you and Cook. There would be no trying to sway the judges. You dragged me into this fucking pissing contest of yours, so I’m making it my mission to keep an even playing field.”

  Elijah was having none of it. “Oh, and you think Spencer wasn’t kissing up to Jack and his sub all night out in D.C.? I had you here running interference on me all night like I need a damn babysitter. Meanwhile, Spencer got a free pass to schmooze his judges all night long, and don’t for a minute think he didn’t.”

  “Of course I thought of that, which is why I put Klara on the case. She’s gonna keep Spencer in line. Other than me, she’s the only one who might be able to succeed at the job.” Jaxson had been ready with his argument, but that didn’t convince Elijah.

  “Maybe, but she’s also his wife and submissive. If you really think she’ll stand up to him, you’re nuts.”

  “Then I’m nuts, because that’s exactly what I think. Now, I’m done talking about judging. You want to shoot the shit rehashing the highlights of the night’s scenes, I’m all for it, but we aren’t gonna do it in a way that’s cheating.”

  Damn Jaxson. He was a fucking hard-ass, but he was a fair hard-ass. If he said he put things in place to keep the playing field fair, Elijah would have to go along with it.

  What choice did he really have?

  “Fine,” he spat, not sure what else he had to say on that matter. He pivoted by calling out to Tyler who had wisely kept a few feet separate from the showdown. “Tyler! I had to let Jafari into the elevator to take his buck-naked submissive up to his suite. He left his bag of toys and stuff back in the Dungeon Room. Can you be sure someone gathers it together and takes it up and puts it outside of his suite door?”

  Tyler wisely agreed quickly. “Sure thing, boss. I’ll have the new kid handle that, but I’ll have to get his suite name from the computer.”

  Madison and Trevor chose that moment to join the crowd. Chase and Emma had moved over to the bar to help themselves to a cocktail leaving Madison to jump on his ass next.

  “You let someone walk upstairs naked? Did I hear that right?” she asked in her Mistress Madison tone of voice.

  Turning, he tried to reassure her. “Yes, but I’m sure it was fine. It’s not like it’s a far wal
k from the elevator.”

  “Oh, well that’s so much better!” She threw her arms up in the air, flailing. “It’s not like we aren’t full tonight, many suites taken by Runway guests, not Black Light. Guests who would be leaving the Runway Valentine’s Day party right around the same time Roulette ended. I can’t wait to see how many complaints I get.”

  “Oh, give me a break. We don’t have kids staying here. Anyone staying here is over the age of twenty-one. Are you really telling me party-goers who’d partied all night at either Runway or Black Light are going to complain about seeing a gorgeous couple naked for two seconds?”

  Elijah heard the edge to his voice, but dammit, he was tired—physically, mentally, and emotionally. He had been in problem solving mode for weeks. The last thing he needed was to have to solve a problem that didn’t exist.

  “Fine. You’re probably right. But, next time, I wish you’d make him put her in a robe at the very least,” Madison grumbled.

  “Noted, but I am not planning on there being a next time.”

  It was Chase who jumped in trying to lighten the mood. “Well, I was super impressed with Jafari and his sub on their scenes tonight. They had some of the edgier kinks and he proved he’s pretty experienced with needles.”

  “I was with him during the cell popping scene, and he showed great control and was even pretty artistic,” Tyler added, grabbing a draft beer from the tap.

  Trevor had grabbed drinks for himself and Madison before pulling her down into his lap as his fiancée voiced a concern.

  “Was anyone watching that Pavlov guy? Or Parvol? I don’t remember his name, but he was that really scary looking guy that rolled pretty early. I was kinda worried about his submissive. It seemed like he could eat her up and spit her out,” Madison observed, worry in her voice.

  Weston, one of the roving DMs for the night, jumped in with an update. “You asked me to keep an eye on him, and honestly, after the second scene, I was worried I might need to step in because she was crying pretty hard. But he totally took charge, helped her down from sub-drop, was calling her his blossom, and making out with her every time I checked on them. They left together so I’m pretty sure it was a good match.”

  Madison sighed. “That’s great. I love when the wheel makes a good match.” She paused as more of the team joined them to take a break and shoot the shit in the bar. “Speaking of making a great match, did you guys catch much of my girl Harley? I was thrilled she ended up with Geo.”

  It was Tyler who jumped in with the update on Madison’s friend. “You won’t believe this, but in the Dom’s choice pirate hostage scene, Harley actually had the balls to crawl on her hands and knees through the Red Light District trying to escape.”

  As one, the whole group let out a loud, “Ewwww…” mixed with a “Yuck…” and a few “Gross!”

  Tyler laughed. “Geo caught her just before the velvet curtain and hauled her off to the whipping post.”

  Jaxson cheered, “That’s my man.”

  “I can’t wait to call her and get the full scoop tomorrow.” Madison was grinning, and she’d just finished her sentence when the group was joined by Dominic and Annie, both with their coats on, looking ready to hit the road.

  Elijah stood back up, crossing over to first shake Annie’s hand and then turned to Dominic, holding his hand out to the talented costume designer. “Thanks so much for coming back to work for us. I can’t even imagine getting through tonight without you here helping.”

  Annie jumped in with a relieved, “I would be dead right now if Dominic wasn’t here with me tonight.”

  Elijah didn’t disagree with her. “We had so many role play scenes, I know you were both hopping tonight. I heard several members comment on how awesome the costumes were that the Roulette couples had on.”

  Dominic never turned down a chance to toot his own horn. “Of course the costumes were fabulous, as usual. I even made a phenomenal puppy costume out of thin air, but I’m here to tell you—we need a lot more pet play costumes and accessories. We are super low.”

  Elijah didn’t want to deal with the minutia details. “Whatever you need.”

  Dominic grinned. “That’s awesome. I’ll get to ordering first thing next week. I’ll be sure to send you the bill.”

  It was Jaxson that jumped into their conversation. “Now wait a minute. Just how much money are we talking about here? Don’t forget, we do have a budget set aside. If you need more money allotted, you should submit a proposal to Emma and she’ll review the expenses.”

  Emma had been standing with Chase next to the bar, but she moved to sit in Jaxson’s lap as she told Dominic, “Just send me the links of what you want to buy. We were under our costume budget last year. I can just carry some of that forward to this year without a problem.”

  “Magnificent!” Dominic grinned victoriously as he hiked his Gucci purse up over his shoulder and said his farewell. “I’m outta here. I have a hot date with one of the spectators from tonight. He’s promised me a bit of role play of my own. Later!”

  And off the flamboyant artist went, Annie following beside him.

  “Even Dominic ended up with a hot date. This blows. Every year I spend all Valentine’s Day watching members fucking in all these creative scenes and yet, once again, I get to go home hornier then shit,” Tyler complained.

  Kaiden jumped in. “At least you got to walk around and catch a bunch of different scenes. I was stuck in the private room of the Red Light District all night.”

  Tyler chuckled. “I did that gig two years ago. It wasn’t so bad. You at least had privacy back there to whack one off where no one could see you.”

  Elijah chuckled at the look of missed opportunity that filled Kaiden’s face. “Well next year, I call dibs on some other station. We can let whoever joins the staff next sit back there all night.”

  It was Susie from over behind the bar that piped into the conversation next. “Speaking of new DMs, it was nice to see a female DM working here tonight. In the three years we’ve been open, I can’t believe Brielle is the first woman DM you’ve hired, and yet she tells me she’s still a temp? Why the hell is that?”

  Elijah felt the full room of eyes pointed in his direction, waiting for an answer. “I don’t know. I guess no women have applied when I’ve posted an open position in the past. I’ve brought her in as a temp a few times before and had her come tonight just to help out with Roulette.”

  “Oh, so she isn’t even gonna get to be part-time? That’s bullshit.” This time it was Madison globbing on.

  Dave wasn’t helping by pointing out, “Don’t forget, I got a promotion at the firehouse. I’m only gonna be able to pull one shift a week here going forward. If I know about special events like Roulette in advance, I can take extra days off, but I’m gonna have to cut back Black Light hours.”

  “See. You need more help,” Susie added just as Brielle, the woman of the hour, walked into the room carrying what looked like a crate full of soiled towels and robes to take to the laundry.

  It wasn’t lost on Elijah that, at the present moment, almost every DM and Black Light employee was presently sitting their ass in the bar taking a break and the only two people still working were Nalani, who didn’t even work there anymore, and Brielle, the temp chick.

  Just as Brielle was heading toward the elevator to take the soiled linens up to the housekeeping department for laundering, Elijah called out to her. “Brielle!”

  “Yeah?” She stopped in her tracks, turning with a pained look on her face like she was about to drop her heavy load.

  “Did you like working here tonight?”

  “Sure, boss. It was awesome.”

  He hesitated. “Fine. We have an opening. You’re hired. We’ll talk schedules next week.”

  “Em… okay. Fine. Thanks.”

  Unsure what else to say she started to move again, and this time Elijah barked out an order to Weston. “Don’t just sit there, help her find the cart we usually use to carry heavy shit
like that upstairs.”

  He dared glance over at Madison and she was grinning from ear to ear. Susie’s look of victory was even bigger.

  Jaxson on the other hand weighed in with, “You sure know how to grill those candidates before hiring them, Keaton. We need a new housekeeper upstairs. Maybe you can dream of who to hire tonight in your sleep. It will take about the same amount of energy as that just did.”

  “Screw you, Jax. For your information, I interviewed her before hiring her for the temp position. She came with strong recommendations and also works as a DM over at Explorations. She’s a switch and a damn fine DM.”

  Jaxson raised his hands in surrender. “If you say so.”

  “I say so.”

  A few seconds of tense awkwardness filled the room before Trevor broke in to ask, “Is it true the last couple to get matched are actually stepbrother and stepsister? I was in the theater with Madison all night, but I heard a rumor he made his sister shout out that she wanted her stepbrother to fuck her ass.”

  The room erupted with everyone’s account of one of the more memorable scenes of the night. Elijah was lucky enough to have been near the stage as that scene played out and he was pretty sure Orlando and Juliet would be raking in a lot of the spectator votes for favorite scene with that one.

  Nalani had come in to join them, quietly taking a seat in Shane’s lap. As tired as Elijah was, just seeing his dear friend Nalani so happy buoyed his whole spirit. After all she’d been through in her past, she deserved every happiness, and as much as he’d worried about her sticking with a dirty kinkster like Shane Covington, one look at her face and he knew she was where she belonged.

  It was Shane who carried the conversation forward pointing out his favorite scene of the night. “God knows I love a great humiliation scene like that, but holy hotness, that Sybian scene at the start of the night was fucking hot. I still can’t believe that sub edged herself for over forty-five minutes without coming.” Hugging Nalani tighter in his arms, he added, “My little sub here can barely make it ten minutes on the Sybian at our house.”