“Is Luke in tonight, Stuart?”
“Mr Pullman is in his office, I believe. I suspect he’ll be in the bar later,” he supplies.
“Thank you,” I reply, heading down the stairs.
I make a beeline for his office and arrive at the door before anyone stops me. I’m a little out of breath as I knock, and I hear a woman’s laughter seconds before the door opens.
Jessie, the club’s manager, stands before me in a tight leather dress. I take a step back.
“Oh god, I’m sorry if I’m interrupting something,” I stutter, backing away from the door. Within seconds, Luke appears behind her and pulls the door wider, gesturing for me to come in.
“You weren’t. We were just catching up,” he says, smiling at the sight of me.
“Hi Jessie,” I say, smiling awkwardly as she grins at me.
“Nice to see you again, Emmy,” she says. “Can I get you something from the bar?”
“No but I’d like to enquire about booking a room,” I reply with a boldness I do not feel. “One with… restraints.”
Her face lights up and she inclines her head.
“Number eight is free this evening,” she replies smoothly. “I’ll ensure it stays that way.” She gives me a wink and then strolls out, pulling the door closed behind her.
“I didn’t know we were seeing each other tonight,” Luke says, pulling me into his arms. I swear I hear him sniffing my hair.
“We weren’t,” I reply, my breathlessness returning. “But I had a rough day and I thought I could lose myself with you for an hour or two. Tick something else off the list.”
He smiles and my heart kicks in my chest.
“Sure. Do you want to get a drink first? Talk about what’s happened?”
“Nope,” I reply, tugging at his shirt and pulling his mouth down to mine. “I’ve got better ideas.”
He opens and sweeps his tongue against mine. If I were a smaller, daintier woman then I’d have jumped into his arms and wrapped my legs around him. But I settle instead for dragging him backwards with me until my legs hit the edge of the sofa, and we fall into a pile of cushions. Our kiss turns ravenous and within moments, I’m panting, need pulsing in my core.
“Playroom?” I ask, as we break for air.
“Playroom,” he says, and pulls me to my feet.
Room eight is a beautiful space. The lighting is moody and the four-poster bed is a rich dark wood, furnished with plum-coloured sheets. Luke locks the door behind us and gestures around the room.
“This is my favourite room,” he says, with a small smile.
“It’s gorgeous,” I reply, peeling off my very unsexy cardigan and throwing it on a nearby chair.
“You’re in a hurry tonight,” he says softly, stepping back into my space.
I smile and undo the ties of my dress, pulling it open and chucking it over with my cardigan.
He strokes his knuckles down my cheek, eyes searching as I wriggle and try to undo my bra.
“Are you ok?” he asks, as I finally get my bra off. His eyes turn molten but he doesn’t break eye contact with me as he waits for my reply.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” I say, breezily, dropping my knickers to the floor. “Let’s do this.”
I’m standing there fully naked before him and he’s not even taken his shoes off yet.
“Let’s do this?” he laughs, cupping my jaw. “Famously seductive words. Are you sure you’re ok?”
