“Exactly how many times have you been here?” Leo asks Vinnie as they step off the bus.
Vinnie shrugs. “A few times,” he says, being cagey and more like his old self. “You?”
“A couple,” Leo says, which surprises me for some reason. “But never with your sister.”
Nothing should surprise me anymore, especially when it comes to the men in my life. I was too busy being a dad, working, and then dealing with Marissa’s illness to bother with sex clubs.
“Am I the only one who’s never been to a place like this?” I ask.
Lucio looks over at me as we step onto the sidewalk. “I haven’t, and I thought I’d experienced just about everything.”
The doors creak loudly as we step into the dark reception area. The music’s loud enough that the small decorations in the room bounce and vibrate on their own.
A man dressed in black leather pants and a black tank steps around a tall desk, holding out his hand to James. “It’s been a long time, man. Looking good as ever, and so is that pretty little wife of yours.”
James shakes the man’s hand, but there’s no joy on his face. “Slate. Are they up there?”
Slate’s eyes rise toward a staircase to the second level. “Alone, just as I promised they’d be.”
“You should’ve told her no,” James says, and I can hear the annoyance in his tone.
Slate barks out a laugh. “Your wife may be a sub, but telling her no is like telling a Dom to kneel.”
I look over to Lucio, and he shrugs, just as confused by the conversation as I am.
James finally cracks a smile. “Touché.”
“Go on up. No one will bother you or the ladies.” Slate’s lips turn up into a sly smirk. “Enjoy yourselves.”
4
Tilly
“Holy fuckballs.” Bianca steps forward, pressing her palms flat against the glass, and stares down at the scene below us. “This is better than I could’ve ever imagined.”
“You’ve imagined this?” I wave my hand toward the people having sex one floor down.
Not just having any kind of sex; they’re banging like rabbits out in the open.
Even in the darkened room, I can see a blush creep across Bianca’s cheeks. “So many times.”
My gaze goes back to the glass and the people below. My eyes widen as a woman steps up to a large wooden X and a man starts to strap her in. She’s naked. Nothing covering her body, and she’s not the least bit self-conscious about her supple curves or the way the people around her are staring.
Part of me wishes I could be that bold and unashamed. Nudity isn’t something I’ve ever been completely comfortable with, except with Angelo and Mitchell. Even when I’m in a swimsuit, it’s a one-piece, trying to cover as much of my pale skin as possible.
“Watch,” Izzy says as she steps next to me and points to the couple. I can’t seem to tear my gaze away from what’s happening either. “He’s going to whip her.”
I gasp, moving my hand to my mouth. “Why?”
“She wants it.” I can feel Izzy’s eyes on me. “Needs it.”
I shake my head, and I feel my eyes widen as he straps her wrists and ankles to the wooden boards, but there’s no fear on her features. “I don’t understand,” I whisper.
I’m trying like hell to figure out what could be pleasurable about a man, or hell, anyone, inducing pain and getting off on it.
“Just watch.” Izzy touches my arm and leaves her hand there like she’s protecting me. “You’ll understand more after you see the exchange.”
I’m mesmerized even as worry works across my shoulders, and the air around me seems to thicken. A small crowd has gathered around the couple, not hiding in the shadows like we are. A few people point off to the left as the man whispers in the woman’s ear, and I follow their movement with my eyes.
