The ropes sharpen every sensation; my nipples ache, my skin hums, my breath comes too fast. But the real rush isn’t physical. It’s the surrender. I’m bound tight, but I’ve never felt more free.
20 minutes later, we’re reaching the crescendo of the scene. Luke has completed what he described as a bunny tie, and my elbows are now up in the air while my hands are bound somewhere near the back of my neck.
It’s absolutely exhilarating. I feel both wired as fuck and absolutely serene. But I’m also approaching my limit of essentially being edged for 45 minutes and I’d like to drag Luke to his office.
The crowd goes wild as Luke stands back and presents me, reaching out a hand to help me twirl so everyone can see me. I’ve never felt so beautiful and empowered as Salt’s members clap and cheer and the house lights come up. I scan the room, smiling at everyone until I lock eyes with a familiar face and my heart stops in my chest.
Nick is standing at the bar, his coat still on, and his mouth wide open. I have never seen him look so shocked in my life andI turn to Luke just as he also clocks Nick. All of the colour drains from his face in a heartbeat.
I look back to my brother but he’s already storming out of the bar.
“Go!” I say to Luke as the curtains fall, shuttering our view of the bar.
He looks at me in panic, steering me down from the stage before he yells for Jessie.
“That was amazing!” cheers Jessie, materialising behind him.
“Get Emmy out of this, NOW. I need to go after Nick,” he barks as Jessie blanches, catching up to the situation instantly.
“Of course, I’ve got her. Go!” she says, guiding me back towards the changing rooms before briefly vanishing.
I am suddenly enraged at being so fucking helpless and I pull and twist in the ropes, desperate to follow. Panic is rising in my chest and I can feel my skin going red.
“Hold on, hold on,” says Jessie, reappearing with a large pair of scissors. “We always have these in case of an emergency,” she explains, cutting through the ropes easily. They fall to the ground around me and I realise I’ve left my dress on the stage.
“I need?—”
“I’ve got you,” she says, handing me a slinky black dress from the dressing room. It just about fits and I call out my thanks as I yank it over my head and disappear.
“I’ll radio Jonah to get your coat ready at the door,” she calls after me as I sprint up the stairs. I grab my coat on the way out and Jonah points in the direction Nick and Luke must have gone. I make it two streets over before I hear raised voices. Neither of them sees me approach.
“How fucking DARE you? She’s my little sister! She’s just been through a hellish fucking breakup! And you took her to your club full of perverts and what, showed her off likefresh fucking meat?! She’s BARELY HOLDING IT TOGETHER, LUKE!” Nick bellows, his face purple with anger.
“It’s not like that,” I hear Luke’s voice, the epitome of calm.
“I don’t fucking believe you. We all know you just fuck around, using women for whatever sick pleasures you want and then tossing them away. That’s the whole reason you started the club, right Luke? So, you could avoid having a relationship but still get to have your cake and eat it. Women throwing themselves at you every night before you go home to your house all alone.”
I’ve never heard Nick speak this way before and I’m filled with rage.
“She’s barely hanging on, Luke. She needs to be on her own for a while and then she needs to be with someone who has the emotional capacity to love her properly. To be everything she deserves.”
“Don’t you think I know that? She deserves to be properly, truly happy. She’s everything to me.”
“Well, you can’t fucking have her. She’s not your little fuck toy and she’s not someone you can use up and send packing. She’s not Lucy.”
Luke visibly flinches and I have to resist the urge to run to him. They need to have this conversation before it festers into something we can’t come back from.
“I know,” Luke says softly. “She’s nothing like Lucy.”
“I cannot believe you both lied to me about this,” Nick says, hands raking through his hair. “This cannot be happening. And to think I came here tonight because I was worried about you! You’ve been dodging my calls and I wanted to make sure you were ok!”
“I’m sorry,” Luke says, his voice barely above a whisper.
“This ends now. I forbid you from seeing her,” Nick states, enunciating each word coldly.
There’s a long pause where they just stare at each other and then my heart crashes through my chest as I watch Luke give up right before my eyes.
“It’s probably for the best. She’s too good for me,” replies Luke. Is this truly what he thinks? Of me? Of himself?
