by Allie Quinn
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Epilogue
Loose Id Titles by Allie Quinn
Allie Quinn
BY INVITATION ONLY
Allie Quinn
www.loose-id.com
By Invitation Only
Copyright © October 2015 by Allie Quinn
All rights reserved. This copy is intended for the original purchaser of this e-book ONLY. No part of this e-book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without prior written permission from Loose Id LLC. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author's rights. Purchase only authorized editions.
Image/art disclaimer: Licensed material is being used for illustrative purposes only. Any person depicted in the licensed material is a model.
eISBN 9781682520086
Editor: Ann M. Curtis
Cover Artist: Ginny Glass
Published in the United States of America
Loose Id LLC
PO Box 170549
San Francisco CA 94117-0549
www.loose-id.com
This e-book is a work of fiction. While reference might be made to actual historical events or existing locations, the names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Warning
This e-book contains sexually explicit scenes and adult language and may be considered offensive to some readers. Loose Id LLC’s e-books are for sale to adults ONLY, as defined by the laws of the country in which you made your purchase. Please store your files wisely, where they cannot be accessed by under-aged readers.
* * * *
DISCLAIMER: Please do not try any new sexual practice, especially those that might be found in our BDSM/fetish titles without the guidance of an experienced practitioner. Neither Loose Id LLC nor its authors will be responsible for any loss, harm, injury or death resulting from use of the information contained in any of its titles.
Dedication
To Rachel, Ben, and Stephanie.
Acknowledgment
Thank you, Ann Curtis, for stepping up to the plate for me, for being a great listener, and for doing a fantastic edit job on my stories. Thank you to the dedicated staff at Loose Id, who take my dream of a story and help bring it to life.
Chapter One
Alexandria
You are invited to a night of pure pleasure at Midnight Castle on Friday evening, the 1st of October, at nine o’clock p.m. Please wear the enclosed mask when you check in with Alistair at the gate. Give him only your first name—Alexandria. Apparel will be supplied for the occasion.
I read the invitation for what had to be the hundredth time. My heart pounded just like it had the first time I’d read it.
I had been invited to the place of sexual decadence. I still couldn’t believe I had been invited. Who knew my secret, most internal yearnings? I had done my best to suppress them these past few years.
The invite had been delivered to me a month ago, and it was signed An anonymous admirer who would like to bring you the greatest pleasure of your life. I’d briefly glossed over the instructions and verbiage, having been to a few places like Midnight Castle during my younger, more rowdier days. I’d always been interested in what went on at Midnight Castle but had never had the opportunity to check it out. Here was my chance.
If I dared.
Was I ready to dive into that world again? Was I interested in the mystery of not knowing who my partner was? An incognito sex partner? My pussy spasmed, reminding me it hadn’t seen any action in quite some time.
I wasn’t certain yet what I would do, but I did keep the appointment with the OB/GYN that had been set up for me. Just in case I made my mind up and did want to go. I was so indecisive, partly because I just didn’t know if I wanted to get involved in playing again. Although at times I did miss it. I had even gone shopping and found some matching lingerie. A girl needed to be prepared. Just in case.
I lifted the beautifully decorated beaded black masquerade mask out of the box. It was exquisite. If I agreed to the terms in attending the appointment at Midnight Castle, wearing this mask was required the entire time I was there. I gently laid it back in the box.
My heart still pounded at the idea of simply being invited into the castle at all, that mysterious place people constantly whispered and wondered about. Hell, I’d never even seen it, despite the fact I’d lived in Rock Haven nearly all my life, as the mansion sat way back off the main road. There was a gate and woods and an iron-picket fence surrounding it. The castle could not be seen from the gate.
The only way anyone got into Midnight Castle was by invitation. As far as I knew, it might be nothing more than a shack with a mattress on the floor.
My heart felt like it actually swelled. I had a secret admirer, someone who wanted to bring me the greatest pleasure of my life. I chuckled under my breath. Just the slightest brush to my breast through my shirt might do that for me, considering how little affection, intimacy, or even touch I’d had in—how long had it been? A year? Two? Three? Damn, had it been three years since I’d broken up with that loser Gavin? I started counting on my fingers. Yes, it had. And my last hug had come from Aunt Helen at Christmas.
I was in dire need of some pleasure. At the same time, I had to admit I was terrified of receiving it. Besides, in twenty-twenty hindsight—which was amazingly clear—I didn’t think Gavin had really brought me pleasure. Especially there at the end; that had been more like aggravation. It had been more like automatic robot sex and had held no pleasure, since it was the same vanilla size, shape, and position every time and held not an ounce of anything fun or kinky. Now that I thought about it, I probably could have set my watch to it every time, it was so predictable.
“Here’s that c-c-case you asked me to f-f-find.”
I quickly placed the invitation facedown on my desk so James, my paralegal, couldn’t read it. I also didn’t want him to see the Midnight Castle logo. “Thank you.”
James was cute in a lost-puppy kind of way. He had gorgeous dark hair, but his nerdy dark glasses made him look like he’d just stepped right out of a 1960s TV sitcom. I suppose some women would be attracted to his tallness. But since I’m only five-two, everyone is taller than I am. He is good at the job he does for me, which is finding information and cases that help me win my court cases. I am the first to admit that I hired him because I felt sorry for him, considering his stutter and his extreme shyness. However, every single day I am reminded of why I hired him; because he’s the best at digging up information. The absolute best. And, okay, I admit it; when he isn’t stuttering, he has a damn sexy voice. Not to mention, every now and then I get a glimpse of his physique, especially when he carries a load of law books down the hall, and I can see the arm muscles beneath his shirt. Any woman with a brain in her head, including me, would have to wonder how it would feel to be held in those arms. I blinked several times and brought myself back to my present surroundings. I could not let myself think of him that way. I had to work with him.
“C-c-can I ask you why you wanted the c-c-case files? You already delivered your closing statement; the verdict should be deliver
ed today.”
I was so used to his stuttering it barely registered when he spoke. “This is for a case Helen wants to give me about a teenage girl who’s alleging her teacher touched her inappropriately. You know how hard those can be to process. In this case, the teacher is female.”
I’d been practicing juvenile law for some time now, specializing in putting away sex offenders. I don’t want them merely registered; I want them off the streets, away from kids. Sex crimes perpetrated against children were hard to stomach to begin with. They were rarely cut-and-dried, although many people thought they were. With some children, a physical exam was enough to lead me to a prosecution and conviction. In the case of a teenager, who might be clever and cocky, who might hate her teacher, who might hate her school, who might need attention, who might be having trouble at home—she might be making the accusation because she has nothing better to do. I’d seen before where lives and careers were ruined over one angry sixteen-year-old pointing a finger at a teacher because the teen was afraid her parents would find out she’d had sex with her boyfriend.
I’d also seen where teachers were guilty. Sometimes my job was like walking a tightrope. And each case was different, each one a new juggling act.
“After you’re f-f-finished with the c-c-case file, I’ll read it and see if I c-c-can find other cases like it, so we can see how it was handled and what k-k-kind of sentence was handed down, if any.”
I patiently waited for James to get his complete thought out. Talking for him or finishing his sentences only made his stutter worse. I had never told anyone about his stuttering. James kept to himself and, because of his shyness, rarely spoke with others at the law firm. He did accompany me quite often to court, though, to hear the defense. He was good at picking up on things and looking at evidence in a different way, which helped me look at evidence in a new light, so I didn’t miss anything.
“Thanks.” I looked at him, my gaze caught on his smile. He had nice, full lips. I’d been catching myself more than once wondering how he kissed. I mentally shook myself. How he kissed was of no importance to me. Besides, he kept to himself. I figured he had a girlfriend. I doubted a short-statured workaholic who needed to hit the gym a few more times a week was his type anyway. Not that I was interested.
I was, however, interested in knowing who my admirer might be. “Any news on a decision yet?”
“No. Not a single ph-phone call this afternoon.”
The case I’d just finished had been a bear. I really did need some pleasure, some way to release all the stress I was holding inside. Hell, right now, I’d be happy with a simple shoulder massage. Or a pedicure. I smiled at James. Whatever decision was made about my latest case—a man accused of luring three children into his basement—I definitely needed some relaxing pleasure. The man was a pillar of his community, a man loved by everyone. Hardly anyone believed the three kids. I inwardly sighed. It had been a rough several weeks. Would my mysterious stranger, my anonymous admirer, settle for a massage if I asked him for one? It could be a start.
“Alex?”
Agnew Winslow, a nasty snake of a defense attorney, burst into my office, startling both James and me. I did my best not to let it show. I had just dealt with him for weeks on my latest case, hearing how his client was an outstanding citizen. It amazed me how child molesters were always pillars of the community. “Do you ever think about knocking, Agnew?”
“My client wants to make a deal.”
“Ah, no, it’s a bit late for that.”
He might be a snake of a lawyer who worked hard to see that pedophiles didn’t serve any time, but he was a good-looking one: tall, broad-shouldered, with dark cropped hair. He wore suits tailored to fit him that showed off the fact he worked out (more than I did). His eyes were a bright, beautiful blue, like the ocean at Cancun. I was always cautious of him, though, careful not to pick female jurors he could easily sway with his looks alone.
Could he be my mysterious admirer?
The question popped into my head like it had a few times before. After all, he never missed an opportunity to come to my office. He’d asked me to lunch and to dinner more times than I could count. He always let me know he was available. And I remembered the proposition he’d made two years ago—six months after I’d started working at the firm. He’d casually mentioned that we would make an undefeatable team. When I’d reminded him we worked on opposing sides, he’d corrected me by explaining he meant an undefeatable team as a married couple. I’d lied and told him I had a boyfriend, even though I’d broken up with Gavin a year before, six months before I had even started working here.
Hell, he could not be my mysterious admirer. Even just the thought had my heart sinking. There was no way he could ever pleasure me, mask or no mask. I peered a little closer. Could he? I had the strange, horrid feeling that even blindfolded and deafened with earplugs, I would still recognize Agnew and feel no pleasure. I mean, I’d spent the last month watching every man who even came close to my office, including the janitor, and no one remotely looked at me as if he wanted to bring me pleasure.
Well, except for Agnew, who repeatedly undressed me with his eyes.
I couldn’t go. I would have to ditch setting foot in Midnight Castle.
That’s all there was to it. I could never let Agnew touch me. The cookies I’d eaten earlier for a snack suddenly churned in my stomach. Then I thought of something.
Agnew was too outspoken to ever send an invitation and a mask. He would simply have popped into my office unannounced and asked, “Hey, how about we go to the Midnight Castle and fuck a little?”
Unless he was trying to portray himself as something else so I couldn’t guess it was him. Yeah, I really couldn’t see him being so discreet and secretive about it, though.
I had the feeling I would know it was him the moment he touched me. I liked to think that, despite wearing incognito masks, I’d recognize the feeling of having his cooties crawling on me.
“Did you hear what I said?”
His demand brought me back to the present in a snap. “Did you hear what I said? No deal.” Maybe after a bit of pleasure, I’d be more into giving deals. But not now. Now, I was frustrated and tired of seeing kids get abused. As far as I was concerned, child abusers were nothing more than bullies, and it was my job to stop them. And I was afraid to admit that maybe I was growing weary of standing alone with my finger in the dike.
“My client is willing to do time.”
“Good, because I’m sure the judge will accommodate him.”
“Come on, Alex.”
“Get out of my office.”
“You’ll be sorry for this.”
“I doubt it.”
“Don’t be looking for any favors from me.”
“Have I ever?” No, I hadn’t, nor did I ever plan to. Agnew wasn’t the type to hand out favors unless it benefited him more. Which left me wondering what he thought he would have gained if I’d accepted his crazy marriage proposal.
“I’m not kidding.”
I couldn’t believe he was still standing in my doorway, arguing. He must have really been worried about losing his case, as well he should be. His client was probably going to be sentenced to double digits in the hopper. The only thing that really bothered me was that it was taking longer than it should for this farce of a case to be over.
“I doubt she thinks you’re kidding,” said Martin Dingle, a fellow prosecutor who suddenly stood behind Agnew in the doorway. “She asked you to leave.”
Martin met my gaze, and all I could see there was…hunger.
Real, undisguised, raw desire. Hell, he even licked his lips as if he’d just tasted something delicious.
I couldn’t pull my gaze from his. My mouth was suddenly dry. My heart raced. Martin Dingle was one hot prosecutor, who was known to tip the scales or play the right cards at the right time to win a case. He would be just the kind of man—dark and mysterious—to send me an invite with a mask. To play at sensual games. I frowne
d. Last I knew, he had a girlfriend. Maybe he didn’t. Maybe that didn’t matter to him. When Agnew turned to him, the pure, uncontrolled look of want disappeared and his expression instantly morphed back into business. In fact, it slipped away so quickly and easily I was left wondering if I hadn’t imagined it. Then Agnew turned back to me, and I discovered I hadn’t imagined it. That raw, undisguised lust returned when Martin met my gaze again.
“Do you want me to call security?” Martin asked.
I held Martin’s gaze for another heartbeat, hoping he got the mental message I sent him: I can’t wait for tonight. Then I shifted my attention to Agnew. “Does he need to call security?”
Agnew left with a huff.
“I know it’s a little late, but I know you’ve had a rough last few days. Can I buy you some lunch?”
Was this Martin’s ploy to distract me from thinking about tonight, or perhaps lead me into thinking he wasn’t my mysterious admirer?
Not that it mattered. Right then, I needed some distraction while waiting for the verdict to be handed down. It shouldn’t be taking this long, and it left a sour taste in my mouth. Maybe a sweet-apple salad would help get rid of that. And maybe my pleasure could start in the afternoon? Or at least a warm-up. My heart did a little pitter-patter at the thought, and my insides clenched with anticipation. I decided then and there that I was going tonight. No ifs, ands, or buts, no matter what the verdict turned out to be. I decided not only did I deserve a night of pleasure, I needed it.
Hell, I craved it.
* * * *
The pleasure did not start with lunch.
I did, though, begin to wonder if I was wrong in thinking Martin might be my admirer. Had I misinterpreted the signals and looks I thought I’d seen him direct my way? I didn’t think so. He had been a gentleman and paid for lunch. And while I might have been out of playing the game for a while, I’m still pretty sure he looked at me as if he wanted me for lunch. Which left me wondering—should I make a move? Should I touch him? Should I verbally let him know I’m interested? We did work for the same law firm, though I didn’t really have to work very closely with him. He had an office down the hall from me, but he had his own cases. Our cases and our case load rarely ever intersected. We said good morning at the coffeepot in the break room every day. If he spent time giving me absolute pleasure, would it interfere with our working together? Would I be able to feel all the pleasure he gave me and still be able to simply say good morning to him at the water cooler?
