Double Entendre: (City of Steel 2) (The Vault)

by Katherine Rhodes

  “Give me a few days?”

  “Yes, of course.”

  He took a deep breath and nodded, then dropped a kiss on my head. “I have to get into the office. I have some paperwork to process. I’ll call you later and we can chat some more about this.”

  “Thank you, Simon. I know this is a lot.”

  “It is. We’ll figure it out.” He gave me a sweet, chaste kiss on the lips and headed for the door. I watched him walk, admiring his ass in the tailored pants.

  A scrape and bang, and Whiskey was on the chair next to me. “Wellllllll?”

  “Well what? I just sprung the suggestion of a poly relationship on a guy I’m pretty sure I could spend the rest of my life with.” I covered my face with my hands. “God, why? Why, of all things to happen…”

  Whiskey patted me on the back. “Go hide in the upstairs lounge for a while. I’ll call up and tell Tim you just need time alone.”

  “Thanks, Whiskey.”

  She grabbed Simon’s beer and headed back to her bar. I grabbed mine and headed up the stairs to the second, private lounge. I did need to compose myself, but I wasn’t going to have a chance.

  My phone vibrated in my corset, and I plucked it out.

  Laicy: How did it go?

  I sighed and typed back.

  Vanity: He needs time.

  Laicy: That’s all we were hoping for, right?

  Vanity: Well, he didn’t just walk out. So that’s something.

  Laicy: Give it time, V. Just give him time.

  Vanity: That’s all I’m doing.

  Laicy: Can we get coffee?

  My finger hovered over the keys. Could I? Should I?

  Vanity: Yes. Sure. Tonight, at the usual.

  Laicy: See you then.

  Simon

  I tossed the folder back on the desk. This afternoon of paperwork had become an exercise in futility. I couldn’t concentrate, at all. I didn’t have a prayer of actually getting anything done.

  I ran a hand down my face and stared at the folders. There were only three I cared about, anyway: the three additional victims of the Northside Sadist. He had attacked them all, but in no discernable pattern. They were grouped together by the locations and the brutality of the beatings.

  Another one at Sadique House, one in a private, rental dungeon, and then one at the Vault. Mistress Faye—Millie, the owner of the Vault—was beyond pissed that she had this happen on her premises. She ran a tight, clean ship and this just boiled her patience away.

  But my hopes of getting more organized with this were nil. Not now.

  Not after my girlfriend had just dropped a bomb on me.

  Poly. I mean, she was being honest and upfront. I hadn’t realized she was bi, and I could tell all this bothered her.

  It stung that I couldn’t meet all of her needs. I was just about ready to ask her to move in with me—and here was this.

  I believed every word of her promises. She was such a sweet, honest soul despite the desire for the dirty, dark sex.

  But I didn’t know if I could deal with sharing her with someone I wouldn’t know. I needed to talk to someone. Someone who dealt with the lifestyle day in and day out.

  Before I realized what I was doing, I had grabbed my coat and headed for the door, dialing a number in my phone. It rang once, twice, three times, and then someone answered.

  “Doctor McInnis.”

  “Killian, Detective Garabaldi.”

  “Detective. This is unexpected.”

  I smirked. I could hear the worry in his voice. “Not a professional call, Kay. I was wondering if you had a few…well, hours, to chat.”

  “Certainly,” he said. “The usual place?”

  “Actually…” I blinked a few times. “Can we meet at the Speakeasy?”

  It was quiet for a moment. “The Speakeasy? At the Vault?”

  “Yes. I need to check in with Mistress Faye anyway. It’s just more private than anywhere else I can think of. No one there knows me.”

  He grunted, “True. Half an hour?”

  “That’s perfect. Thanks.”

  I walked. From the precinct house to the Vault was just about a half an hour. The BDSM club disguised as an exclusive B&B was just on the outskirts of the Murray Hill district. Mistress Faye had bought a massive old gothic Victorian and renovated it. It was painted perfectly in yellow, dark purple, and white. Fences made good neighbors, and she also encouraged her visitors to park elsewhere and Uber or taxi to the house.

  The bar was around the back, in an old converted four-car garage, and it was always open. Even when it wasn’t supposed to be. As an officer of the law, I should have had them shuttered. But as someone who made a modicum of effort to understand the lifestyle, I realized how important this little bar was and didn’t say a thing.

  I sat down at a hightop table, and Willem had a beer in front of me in just minutes. Troegg’s seasonal. He grinned. “Anything else, Detective?”

  “Thanks, I’m good for now. Killian will be along in a minute.”

  “I’ll get the good doctor’s brew ready.” He tossed the bar rag over his shoulder and headed back to the bar.

  Killian was there just a few sips into my beer, and he settle back against the wall. “I’m guessing I did well by leaving my wife at our house?”

  “I got a big problem, and I don’t even know where to start thinking about this,” I admitted.

  Willem dropped off the Rolling Rock and headed away again.

  “What’s on your mind, Detective?”

  “Polyamory.”

  He choked without even having taken a sip of the beer. “I’m sorry, what?”

  I chuckled. “Polyamory. I’m sure you’ve heard the term before.”

  He took a drink before he nodded. “I am familiar with the term. But why is something like that on your mind? I thought you and Vanity were doing well…oh.”

  “Yeah.” I gave a one-shoulder shrug. “That’s the problem. Vanity and I have been doing incredibly well. Like, I’m ready to move her in and get this divorce over and done with from my unresponsive wife. And she sprung that on me today.”

  Killian scratched at an eye. “Well, what about it, though? You know it’s not uncommon in the lifestyle at all. Polyamory exists so that if one of the partners can’t have a need fulfilled, it’s fair to seek out someone who can do that.”

  Waving his speech off, I grunted, “Yes. That I know. I know what it is. I just don’t know what to do about it when it’s a possibility for my future.”

  “She found a Dom? She’s been with Darien—”

  “It’s not a Dom. It’s a woman. Well, I mean, I guess she could be a Domme, but I didn’t get that far. I just kind of ran out after I got Vanity calmed down.”

  Killian waited for me to continue. I didn’t need to rush what I was trying to sort out and he knew that.

  “She found a woman she wants to date. To just see if it would work with her. Or that’s what I understood. She said I didn’t have to meet her, and that they were going to get tested before they got involved. But… Well, Jesus fuck, I was ready to invite her into my life fully. Now she’s not going to be there fully, because she wants to try a poly with this woman.”

  Killian brushed the condensation off the bottle in front of him. He turned it a few times and blinked slowly. “I’m going to give you a few questions you need to think about and you need to ask her.”

  I nodded. I was lost. I needed direction.

  “First, what need does this woman fill? A poly relationship has to fill a need that’s not being met. If she’s asking because she wants to try out a relationship with a woman, that’s not a poly. That’s a breakup and try something else.

  “Is this need something that you can fill? Be it sexual, psychological, or something else, if you can fill or learn to fill it there’s no reason for a poly relationship.

  “What are the limits of this? Is it just a once a month, once a week, once a day thing? Do you need a schedule?

  “
Is she clean? If she’s sleeping with her, the other woman is sleeping with you.”

  I snorted. “Those were my exact words.”

  “You didn’t get mad at her?”

  “I didn’t want to. I want to understand what this is, and if I can keep her and be okay with this. I’ve been okay with Darien so far, but…” I cleared my throat. “I was going to ask him to show me how to keep her happy.”

  Killian lifted his brow. “You are serious about this, aren’t you?”

  “I am. She’s just so much fun. She’s happy. She’s sweet. And my house feels better with her there. I don’t know why she needs this. She said she’s drawn to this woman in a way she can’t explain.”

  Killian ran a hand down his face and sighed. “We are in the Vault, and this is where this information stays.” Again, I nodded. Who did I have to tell? He blew out a breath. “Cece and I have a couple that we see. Sometimes we bring them in together, sometimes apart. When this first started, we had to set lines, rules, guidelines. Things that everyone could agree on. We’re comfortable with it, and they are as well. It’s not easy to set this up. Cece and I have a very, very strong relationship and we trust on a whole other level. We’re also incredibly kinky and it’s easier for us.

  “You’re not, Detective. You’re not naturally in this lifestyle. What she is asking you is not a vanilla thing, and you have to remind her of that. And make sure this isn’t just a fling or is going to lead to a painful breakup for both of you.”

  I nodded. It figured that Cece and Killian would have a poly relationship, and now I was incredibly glad I called him.

  He studied me over the beer. “Something is bothering you, of course.”

  “I’m torn on this. I want her happy and I want her with me. But is she cheating on me with this? Is this relationship going to overtake ours in importance? Will she want more time with her? Will she want us to meet? Move in? I don’t know how any of this works, or what I should be feeling, thinking, doing…”

  “Would you feel more comfortable meeting her? Or never seeing her face?”

  I swallowed. “I have no idea.”

  “I think you need to figure out why she needs this more than how you feel right now. Because right now you’re pretty sure of how you feel. She’s the one tottering around, seeking some kind of satisfaction she didn’t know she needed or craved.”

  My thumb chased the water down the bottle. “If you were me, and I know you’re not, but if you were…” I couldn’t even get the words out.

  “My advice for someone who knew nothing about the lifestyle is different from what I’m going to tell you. Give her permission and leave her with the ‘why’ question. And then just carry on with your relationship. Let her figure this out, because this will come back up again. Either she’s going to walk away or she’s going to need to incorporate this more solidly. You can work on details then.”

  “What would you tell someone who was straight vanilla unaware of this?”

  “It would be you focused. How are you doing with it, how do you feel? Could you live with this? Could you live without her?”

  I scrubbed my hands over my face. “What would you do?”

  “Dude. Simon. Cece and I are two of the most flexible, kinky fuckers this side of the Atlantic. We do things in our bedroom that would give the Marquis de Sade pause.”

  I raised an eyebrow.

  “Cece can tie you up in the most amazing positions that just switch you right into subspace. And I seriously get a thrill watching Ilsa or Trick fuck her.”

  I made a face. I wasn’t sure what face I made, but I did and Killian laughed. “I told you. We’re kinky beyond anything you could imagine. But we trust each other. And it’s a trust like no other. It goes to the very soul of each other. And that’s what you need. You have to trust her to figure this out.”

  “So, if I were going to ask her to move in, I should still do that after I give her permission to see this other woman?”

  He nodded. “Plant the questions and let it go until it’s had time to sprout and grow. If she likes you as much as I’m sure she does, nothing will be easy, but everything will be worth it.”

  Vanity

  I was as nervous as a freshman at her first high school dance. My fingers were drumming the counter, and I had nervously peeled the label off my beer.

  The bartender looked at me with a smirk. “I have some potatoes if you want to keep going.”

  Narrowing my eyes and trying to be angry for just a moment, I melted into a smile. “Okay, all right, I get it. I’ll stop.”

  “First date?”

  “First official date, yes.”

  “Good luck.”

  “Thanks.”

  I was so damn nervous. There were butterflies that had left my stomach and were currently trying to take over my limbs and head. This was insane.

  Then. She was there.

  Sat down right next to me, grabbed my hand off the counter, and turned me on the bar stool. Her eyes were the most amazing sky-blue as she traced the contours of my face, searching for her answer.

  I took a deep breath. “He agreed to try it.”

  She kissed me for the first time. Leaning in, there was no hesitation, no fear, no question on her lips when they took mine. There were strawberries and sugar in her kiss, and she was fierce.

  I felt myself melting into her as she possessed me, her tongue strong and sure against mine. She had a powerful presence, one that clearly signaled to me she was what she claimed: a Domme.

  She leaned her forehead on mine and smiled. “His conditions?”

  “Just you. No one else. That we both prove we’re clean and he will as well. That you not meet until we have ourselves sorted about this.”

  She seemed surprised. “Times? Places?”

  I gave a little grin. “In the next breath, he asked me to move in with him. So, when I’m not with you, I’ll be with him.”

  “You have a very shrewd man, there, Vanity.”

  “He’s very smart,” I said. “But I’m not sharing anything more about him until you agree it’s okay for me to tell him about you.”

  A brief nod accompanied her ascent. “Makes sense.” She gave me another kiss and smiled. “Eight weeks I’ve wanted to do that.”

  I leaned into her ear. “What else do you want to do?”

  Snaking her hand around my waist, Laicy smiled. “So many filthy things. But I’m not doing a bit of it until you and I have a simple night together. Dinner, dessert, and fucking. And not necessary in that order. Or even at separate times.”

  A rush of heat blasted through me, and I had the gut feeling this was the right thing for me.

  I didn’t know how to tell Simon I needed this. I needed a trained Domme in my life to give me the release and relief I enjoyed. If he and I were going to be an item, I felt wrong continuing to see Darien. More than anyone I knew, the man was the personification of sex—and Simon wouldn’t agree to that. I didn’t want to do that to him, to Simon. He trusted me, and seeing another man for pleasure didn’t sit right in my mind.

  Laicy was looking for something more than just being a Domme at the small dungeon she belonged to. She was happy there, but she held back on the true physical interaction, the sex. She wanted that.

  We’d fallen together immediately at work, and we had fought the attraction as much as we could. She confessed what she was, and I confessed I craved that. We fought—until one day we came dangerously close to getting a room.

  I couldn’t do that to Simon. I wouldn’t. He meant too much to me now. He cared about the community, and he was one of the best detectives in the Burgh. I wouldn’t hurt him, I wouldn’t risk it.

  And now I didn’t. I could sleep in his bed, and we could ride our fantasies together, while Laicy and I shared a different kind of emotional and physical connection.

  As much as I adored Simon, the masochist in me needed to be satisfied. I wouldn’t ask him to learn to hurt me—not when he saw the vicious underbelly of
what this city was and how sick it could really be every single day.

  “Where do we start?”

  “Dinner.”

  I laughed. “Got that. When?”

  “Tonight? Or we could just go get something to eat.”

  I blinked slowly. “Or do you just want to grab something after?”

  A slow, salacious smile crawled across her face. “Oh, really?”

  “I’m off today. How about you?” I desperately tried to keep the grin away.

  “Off until tomorrow.”

  A bolt of nervousness hit my gut. I’d been with women before, but never one that felt like it needed to be more than a quick fuck and call you later. This felt like my happiness was riding on it.

  Like every bit of happiness in my life was in the balance.

  Taking a quick drink of the beer, I swallowed hard. “Got a place for us?”

  She pressed something into my palm. “Yeah. I do. I was going to surprise you later if your man said yes.”

  Glancing down, I found one of the carved wooden key fobs, with key, that belonged to the very place we were sitting in. The elegant letters read, The Vault and a room number.

  I swallowed and grabbed her hand, moving quickly out of the bar across the small manicured lawn and to the back door of the massive house turned exclusive B&B.

  Room 306. I liked the number.

  Pressing the fob to the elevator panel, we waited. Only guests could use the elevators, and all the guests had to use the elevators. The stairs had been locked down for fire exits.

  This was where Master Darien had rescued me. It was Mistress Faye who had made a fateful phone call when she found me on the floor, methed out of my head, bruised from top to bottom, strung up on a St. Andrew’s cross, crying and shaking.

  Now I could finally erase those memories of this place and put good ones in their place. Fun ones. Sexy ones.

  The door was the fourth down on the left—and walking in, I saw how well appointed it was for all tastes of BDSM. There were ropes, whips, saddle horses, a cross, a rack, a cage. There were silk ties and satin scarves. There were gags and blindfolds. On the bed sat a catalog of things that could be purchased: latex cat suits, fishnet stockings, insertable toys, oils, creams, foods, condoms. If you could play with it, Mistress Faye could provide it.