Desire for Love (The Club #13)

by S. E. GILCHRIST

  Desire

  for Love

  (The Club series)

  By

  S. E. GILCHRIST

  DESIRE FOR LOVE

  Copyright © 2016 S. E. GILCHRIST

  All Rights Reserved

  Suzanne Hamilton

  The right of Suzanne Hamilton writing as S. E. Gilchrist to be identified as the author has been asserted by her under the Copyright Amendment (Moral Rights) Act 2000.

  ISBN-13: 978-0992526665

  ISBN-10: 0992526665

  DEDICATION

  This story is dedicated to:

  For my wonderful children, Kerstie, Kyle and Blake –you are always my soul.

  For my mother for her courage and strength.

  For my father for sharing with me his love of the sea and this great country of ours.

  And for my brothers, Michael, Paul & Peter – thank you for sharing my childhood and giving me such great memories.

  For Phil, for all those magic moments.

  Last but not least - for my wonderful CP’s & friends – Sandie James, Juanita Kees, Erin Moira O’Hara, and Kerrie Paterson.

  Also by S. E. GILCHRIST

  SCIENCE FICTION ROMANCE

  Darkon Warriors series:

  Legend Beyond the Stars

  The Portal

  Awakening the Warriors

  Star Pirate’s Justice

  When Stars Collide

  Bargain with the Enemy

  Touring the Stars

  The Slave Trap

  Mars Academy Series:

  Stranded

  Cosmic Fire

  Apocalyptic:

  Paying the Forfeit

  Storm of Fire

  Don’t Look Back (Warders of Earth)

  CONTEMPORARY/RURAL ROMANCE

  Dance in the Outback

  Cowboy under the Mistletoe (A Wingarobba Outback Romance)

  Bindarra Creek Makeover (A Bindarra Creek Romance)

  The Cowboy’s Gift (A Wingarobba Outback Romance)

  FANTASY/ANCIENT WORLDS EROTIC ROMANCE

  Bound by Love

  Bound by Lies

  Coming Next:

  Book 1 in the Search for Home series

  The Paper Cowboy (A Wingarobba Outback Romance)

  ~

  Table of Contents

  Desire for Love

  DEDICATION

  Also by S. E. GILCHRIST

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Copyright © 2016 S. E. Gilchrist

  FROM THE AUTHOR:

  BIO

  Chapter One

  From the living room of their small rental, the chimes of the antique clock Madeline had been unable to resist buying at a local garage sale rang out the half hour. She came flying out of her bedroom, a partially packed duffle bag clasped in one hand and attempting to brush her long hair with the other.

  “That can’t be the time. Please, Matty, tell me that isn’t the time?” She shoved her brush into the duffle and scooped up her only pair of black-smut-bitch stilettos as she padded across the scarred timber floor in her bare feet.

  Her brother barely managed to lift his eyes from the game he was playing on the television. “Dunno.”

  “You are no help.” Madeline squeezed one foot into a strappy stiletto while continuing to hop toward the front door.

  Heaving a heavy sigh as if he’d been asked to dig a trench from Karim, Texas all the way to New Orleans single-handed and with a spoon, Matty pushed aside his game console and checked his mobile. “Yep. Seven thirty on the dot. You’re gonna be late.”

  “Tell me something I don’t know already.”

  “You’ve still got your sleep pants on.”

  Madeline froze and stared down at where, sure enough, her full-length, candy pink pants patterned with yellow dogs wearing purple sunglasses covered her legs. Why oh why, hadn’t she finished dressing in her work clothes the minute she’d gotten out of the shower? But no, instead she’d pulled her comfort pants on without a second thought. That damn meeting at the high school and the consequent announcement that Karim Academy was increasing its fees. She’d been so rattled she’d totally forgotten she was on roster for work tonight. “Oh, my God!”

  “Chill, sis. They look like sweat pants.”

  “No, they don’t. They look like pajamas. Shit! I don’t have time to change.”

  Her brother made a big show of tapping a finger against his mobile to remind her of the passing of time.

  “I know. I know. Okay.” Madeline pushed a strand of hair from her eyes. “Do your homework and don’t forget to take out the trash. And bedtime is strictly nine o’clock.”

  “Come on. I’ve got a physics test tomorrow.”

  Madeline made furious hand gestures indicating his game console. “You could be studying now instead of fooling about on-line.”

  “You’re just pissed that school meeting ran over-time.”

  “Nine-thirty. No later. And you’re right. Your principal wouldn’t stop talking. All that crap about rising costs and teachers’ salaries.” She stopped, not wanting to keep venting and knowing her brother was concerned about their tight finances. Although, he liked to pretend otherwise. She smiled, relieved when he grinned back.

  “I’ve gotta go. I’ll change at work.” She reached over and planted a kiss on her brother’s mop of straight brown hair. “Make sure the door’s locked.”

  “Don’t stress, sis. I’m fifteen, not a baby.”

  No, he wasn’t a baby but he was all the family Madeline had and she didn’t intend to take any chances where he was concerned. Especially as their rental house was situated in a fairly rough neighborhood smack bang on the edge of gang territory.

  It’s all I can afford and it won’t be forever. “Just do it. Okay?” She slipped on her other shoe.

  “’Kay.” Matty picked up his console, no doubt already dismissing his sister from his mind.

  Madeline rolled her eyes and hauled her thick, red and green checked overcoat with attached hoodie over her scarlet corset and wrapped a white woolly scarf several times around her neck.

  She hustled out the door and down the three steps onto the cracked cement path to where their rust bucket of a Chevy was parked at the curb. The sedan was thirsty on the gas, but was built like a tank which gave Madeline some peace of mine with Matty eager to get his driving license as soon as legally possible.

  Night had fallen. Their road was poorly lit by the few street lights that remained un-smashed by the street gangs. A cold wind picked up, rustling dry leaves from the ancient Drake Elm tree planted in their front yard and she hopped into the car with a sigh of relief. There was something eerie about the sound that had sent a quiver over her skin. Shaking off her momentary unease, she cranked the engine and reached for her seat belt.

  She headed to the center of town as fast as she dared. The last thing she needed at the moment was a speeding ticket. Driving with one hand on the steering wheel, she slapped on makeup with the other. Whenever she stopped at the lights to wait for them to turn green, she peered at her reflection in the mirror.

  Every so often, she wriggled her toes to increase circulation. The car’s heater wasn’t working—again—and Madeline’s feet were rapidly becoming numb. Her breath made small clouds of fog inside the cold car as she blew on first one hand and then the other, to warm her freezing fingers. With the temperature rapidly dropping to its forecast of thirty-one degrees, just the thought of how cold it was outside had her shivering.

  One day. One day, I’ll be able to say goodbye to this
job forever. Move to a decent neighborhood. Get a decent car.

  It wasn’t that she disliked working at the Club. In fact, she enjoyed her position as a female Dom and, she had to admit, she reveled in having a man on his knees in front of her. But it wasn’t her forever job. On a very basic level, she suspected remaining at the Club kept her from moving on emotionally from her difficult childhood.

  And there were times when she wondered whether her joy in forcing a man to submit was merely her way of punishing the guy who’d planted his seed in her teenage mother and never came back.

  Her shoulders slumped and she huddled deeper into her jacket. Enough of this psychoanalysis bullshit. Who cared what her reasons were? All that mattered was she had a well-paying job that was funding her plans for the future. And she’d do whatever was necessary to keep a roof over their heads and give her younger brother the opportunities she never had. She would keep their little family of two together. Matty would get a good education. He would have choices and if all went according to Madeline’s schedule, they’d both be on their way to a new life. The outcome all hinged on Madeline finishing her degree and keeping her brother at the prestigious Karim Academy. And most importantly, away from the possibility of being sucked into the shadowy world inhabited by the gangs that prowled this end of town.

  At the next corner, she took a hard right then the third turn to the left onto Gerome Street, slowing as she searched for a parking lot not too far from the Club’s entrance. She parked several doors down, locked the Chevy, and pulled on a pair of gloves over her stiff fingers. Duffle in hand, she strode past two bars that thumped with hard rock and the roar of noisy crowds.

  At least the street was well lit, with old fashioned wrought iron lamp posts. Although situated in the old section of the city, the area was reasonably affluent with its dark architecture and narrow windows.

  Madeline smirked. No doubt from all the business the Club threw to the other bars and cafes nearby.

  Her heels clattered on the stone pavement as she approached the Club. Situated on the corner and three levels high with no windows on the ground level, it dominated its smaller neighbors with its aura of danger. Or was it the forbidden? There were several balconies on the upper levels, but all the doors were closed, and the upper windows curtained.

  Madeline eyed the black door, wondering over the unusual reluctance that suddenly gripped her. Just another work day. She wiped her clammy hand over the side of her coat before placing it on the scanner.

  There was a click and the door swung silently open to reveal a large marble-tiled foyer manned by one of the regular security guys, Ezekiel Harding. Black shades covered his eyes, and his face remained expressionless as he stared Madeline up and down as she walked inside.

  “Nice outfit, Frosty. What is it, a twisted take on a new BDSM role-play?” A grin split his face as he rocked back on his Italian, hand-made boots and took another long look at her.

  “You’ll never know.” Madeline deliberately refrained from making a big deal over the name she’d earned for herself amongst both the staff and the clientele of the Club. She knew it stemmed from her continued aloof attitude. This was work, which in her eyes meant maintaining a professional façade at all times.

  Besides, her feelings had been well and truly locked away the day she discovered her prostitute mother dead from an overdose on the floor of their trailer.

  Orphaned at sixteen, destitute, and with the role of mother to her four-year old half-brother thrust upon her, she’d been desperate to avoid social services and the possibility of being separated from her brother. They’d stayed off the radar with Madeline taking any work she could get—washing dishes, working at truck stops, waiting tables. They’d lived in squats at first, then graduated into a tiny bed-sitter that remained their home for a couple of years until she’d landed the job at the Club, thanks to Jet Mak. He’d taken a chance on employing a girl with little experience, but Madeline hoped she’d made it up to him by working hard and abiding by the Club’s rules.

  With the irregular hours and often late nights working at the Club and with her family commitments, she had little time to spare for making friends. And certainly hadn’t actively sought a long term relationship for herself. She’d learnt early on that guys who professed an interest in her, were only after one thing; a quick fuck, another notch on their bedpost. Just like all the men who’d walked so casually and so damned callously in and out of her fragile mother’s life.

  Just like all those other guys, they certainly weren’t interested in anything more long term. Not when they realized Madeline came with a brother.

  Never, never would she give her brother up and lose him in the system.

  When the Club initially opened its doors, she was one of the first to apply for employment. Fantastic wages, tight security, and hours with a bit of wiggle room that allowed her to play an active part in Matty’s life.

  She took a firmer grip on her duffle bag and went to brush past Harding.

  “Hold on a sec, Frosty. You’re to report to Roberta the moment you arrive.” He hesitated a beat before adding, “Be careful, she’s up to something.”

  “Thanks, Ezekiel. I appreciate the warning.” She passed through the first door on the right that housed the evening security office and climbed the stairs to the next floor, thereby avoiding having to walk through the Club and maybe scare off any early patrons with her manner of dress.

  She kept going to the third floor, where the room she normally used was located and where her supervisor, Roberta Sangrini, had her office next to one of the owner’s suites. Taking a deep breath, she knocked once on the door and without waiting for a response entered.

  Roberta sat behind a desk working on what looked like the roster for the coming month. She didn’t look up and pointed at a chair facing the desk.

  Repressing her sigh, Madeline sat as indicated, placing her duffle on her lap and hoping by doing so, an argument about her clothes could be averted.

  Apparently, not a chance.

  “I saw you arrive on the security screens.” Roberta leaned back and eyed Madeline coldly. “What the hell do you think you’re doing coming to work dressed like some homeless whore.”

  This woman was a total bitch. Remember Matty’s school fees. Remember the rent. Remember the plan. “I was running late. Anyway, it’s early. There shouldn’t be too many punters here.”

  “That’s beside the point. You know the rules. The second you walk in the Club’s door, you become the Club. You are a walking, talking advertisement for us. This is your final warning, Marigold.”

  By using super human effort, Madeline managed not to roll her eyes. What was with Roberta’s insistence on all the girls who worked in her section using flower names? It was dumb. And so was Roberta’s chosen persona; Honeysuckle.

  “Are you smiling?” Roberta said in a voice that could have frozen hell.

  “No, it’s a nervous habit,” Madeline quickly improvised.

  “Mmmm.” Roberta picked up a pen and tapped it on the desk. Now she smiled one of her saccharin smiles and all Madeline’s senses went on high alert. It was never a good thing, when her supervisor was amused. It meant trouble for someone.

  “I have a special appointment for you tonight.”

  Madeline frowned. “What about my regular?”

  “She cancelled. Something about her mother in the nursing home.”

  “Oh no. I hope it’s nothing serious. I know how close she is to her mom.”

  “Who cares? How about we concentrate on your job? Now.” Roberta steepled her fingers together. “There’s been a bet placed in the Club and it concerns you. It’s a very impressive score and the Club’s managers are keen that the house wins. I hope you understand.”

  Madeline’s heartbeat kicked up a beat. “What does that have to do with me?”

  “Listen and stop interrupting. Several high-rollers have a bet going amongst themselves that one of them can claim your cherry. Full sexual penetrati
on with a partner chosen by them.”

  “My contract does not stipulate that necessity,” Madeline said quickly. Her specialty was sexual release through total domination and she rarely had to worry about a lack of clients.

  “Of course it doesn’t,” Roberta responded smoothly. “That’s the beauty of the bet. You do your job as usual and the Club wins the bet.”

  “No way. I don’t want any part of this demeaning idea.”

  “You don’t have a choice. I’ve been reviewing the roster. Club attendance has been down the past few weeks, which means your hours will be cut by half. If you do as you’re asked tonight and the Club wins, there’ll be a nice bonus for you.”

  “Does Jet know about this?” Madeline asked, referring to the Club’s owner.

  “Who do you think organized it?” Roberta pushed her chair back and rose to her feet, her face as hard as set concrete. “Let me be completely clear about this, Marigold. You do your job and you get paid. If you don’t? There are plenty of girls out there who’d jump at the chance at working here.”

  Madeline set her jaw firmly. “I want to speak to Jet. He’s the one who hired me.”

  “That’s out of the question. He’s not at the Club tonight as he’s taken personal leave.”

  “Then I want his private mobile number.”

  Roberta stared down her too perfect nose. “You are already fifteen minutes late. Your client has had to be placated with two free drinks already. How much more money do you expect the Club to lay out just to satisfy your trust issues? If you can’t do the job, then there is the door. And don’t expect to be allowed back.”

  Madeline fiddled with her coat zipper. How hard could it be? There’d been plenty of times when she’d been tempted in the past by a handsome face or a charming smile, but she’d always held back. The trauma of witnessing first-hand the life of a woman who’d gone down the path of selling her body to anyone with a dollar in their pocket remained carved bone deep.