Total pages in book: 124
Estimated words: 116232 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 581(@200wpm)___ 465(@250wpm)___ 387(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 116232 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 581(@200wpm)___ 465(@250wpm)___ 387(@300wpm)
Beyond the archway, there was an old, ornate staircase that turned the corner as it traveled upward. It was stunning and must have been original to the house but looked like a bitch to clean with all the woodwork. Just off the base of the stairs, there was another black door that hung open—although this one didn’t have a brass number on it.
That wasn’t the only thing telling me this room was different. The walls were painted a deep red, and the hairs at the base of my neck tingled with awareness. The doorway was at the end of the room, so I couldn’t see much of the inside, but when I started to go in, Noah’s hand went out to stop me.
“Not yet,” he said. “Let’s go upstairs first.”
It made me wonder if whatever was in that room was the grand finale.
The staircase creaked and groaned as we climbed it, and then we were on the second floor, which was a bit of a maze and totally deserted. These had once been the bedrooms of the house, but the doorways had been widened to make it easier to move around. The flow of it still wasn’t great, but I kind of liked that.
There were more quiet corners and alcoves this way.
The lounge atmosphere continued up here, but this one was cozier, with exposed brick walls and a fireplace—although this one looked like it was no longer functional. The most dramatic difference was that the side tables up here weren’t empty. They had large dishes on them, like the ones you’d see filled with candy, only these shiny wrappers didn’t contain treats.
“Is that a giant bowl of condoms?” I hadn’t meant to giggle, but I couldn’t help myself. There were bottles of lube next to the dish too. “This shit is wild.”
He chuckled. “They want their guests to stay safe and have a good time.” He was quiet for a moment, letting me take it all in. “This floor is the only part of the club where men are allowed to get naked.”
I scrunched my face with confusion. “What about women?”
“They can get naked anywhere.” He must have realized he needed to amend it. “As long as they’re inside the club.”
“Isn’t that—I don’t know, sexist?”
He shrugged. “If it is, I’m okay with it. It’s safer this way, and . . . men are pervs. I’m glad I’m not seeing dicks the second I walk through the door.”
Oh, my God. A grin spread across my face. “You’re not wrong.” My grin stilled as I remembered what he’d said. “Wait a minute. The guy downstairs was getting a blowjob.”
“He was.” Noah took another sip of his drink. “Maybe he forgot, but I’m guessing he knows he’s breaking the rules. Some people like getting caught.”
“What’ll happen to him?”
“He’ll get thrown out, and his membership revoked.” He ticked his head toward the stairs, indicating he wanted to head back down. “Places like this have zero tolerance for rule breakers.”
I walked beside him, having to move at a faster pace than normal because his strides were longer. “Places,” I repeated. “You’ve been to others?”
“Yeah. There was a club in New York I went to often enough I became friends with the owners.”
“Friends like us?” I asked as we descended.
He found my question amusing. “No. Claire and Enrique are in their late sixties, and they’re heavy into masochism. That’s not one of my kinks.”
My breath caught. Well, now I needed to know what all his kinks were. I was dying to find out because . . . what if his aligned with mine? What if he could show me things I didn’t even know I was into?
I wanted to learn them with him.
But I didn’t get a chance to ask any of that, because I followed him into the red room, and my brain short-circuited.
FIFTEEN
Charlotte
This was more like what I had expected to see tonight.
The paint on the walls was the color of sin, and most of the furniture was black. Rows of folding chairs had been lined up, with a narrow aisle cutting down the center, and several groups of people had already claimed their seats. They faced the short, raised platform at the other end of the room, and the brick wall behind it.
The ‘stage’ only had one thing on it—a large wooden X.
Even though I didn’t know what it was called, I knew its purpose. There were silver rings in various places, which I imagined were used to clip handcuffs to, or to tie off rope.
I could barely take my eyes off it.
And the room had a seductive energy swirling in the air, whispering that wicked things had taken place in here.
Noah’s deep voice snapped me out of my stupor. “Should we find some seats?”
I turned to gaze at him. God, he looked so good in his dark suit, so confident and at ease. And why shouldn’t he? This was his world, after all.