“No, I really like it. It’s not what I imagined it would be,” I admitted. When Jack’s brow furrowed, I quickly added, “I mean that in a good way. You hear about places like this, and you think they’re going to be dark with hard leather benches, chains, and guys crying in pain.”
“Oh, all of that definitely happens,” Jack promised. “Tonight’s a pretty relaxed one for us. We have a bit of a special event going on that I wanted you to see.”
“Okay.” My heart raced and my palms began to sweat. “Don’t worry, it’s nothing extreme. There will be no whips, chains, broken skin, or anything else.”
“Darn,” I responded playfully. “I was sort of hoping for all of the above.”
“You were?”
I pressed a hand to Jack’s chest. “No. Haven’t you learned by now I am a sarcastic shit most of the time?”
“I just wanted to make sure,” he told me. “Come on. There’s someone who’s been dying to meet you.”
He led me to the perimeter of the room where a burly man, who had to be about Jack’s age, was talking to a much slighter guy with sandy brown hair. He barely looked old enough to be in here, but it was obvious, even from a distance, that the older man deferred to him.
“That’s Sam,” Jack told me. “He’s my right-hand man around here.”
“The big guy?”
Jack chuckled. “No, sweetheart. The younger guy. I think you’d really like him. The other is William.”
They were still far enough away there was no chance he’d heard Jack say his name, but William glanced over his shoulder, his eyes going wide when he noticed me. He quickly turned back to say something to Sam, then moved toward us.
“I didn’t think you were going to drag him down here right away,” William quipped. I glanced up at Jack. His lips were drawn into a tight pucker, like he was resisting the urge to say something, and his body went stiff next to mine. There was something unspoken between the two of them. Whatever it was, I started to question Jack’s motivations for inviting me to the club. Had he been goaded into it by this guy? Would he have made the invitation otherwise? William held out a hand. “William Andrews.”
“Slade Roberts,” I offered in return, shaking his hand. No matter how insecure I felt with Jack’s sudden discomfort, I held my shoulders square and my back straight. He was the only one who got to see my vulnerability.
“Sweetheart, William is the lead instructor here,” Jack informed me.
“Also, one of his best friends since high school,” William added.
“So, the two of you work together?”
“He could only get so lucky,” William quipped. “He keeps trying to put me on the payroll, but I do much better on a volunteer basis.”
It must be rough. Here I was, busting my ass trying to make ends meet, and this guy volunteered his time working at the club? It made no sense. People didn’t do that out of the goodness of their hearts—decades of friendship or not.
William quickly excused himself, saying he had to finish talking to Sam about something. I turned toward Jack, wanting to clear the air before I got lost in my own head. “What did he mean about you dragging me down here? If you don’t want me to be here, tell me. I can go home and wait for you, just like every other night.”
Jack curled his hand around the back my neck, dragging me close enough that he could press his forehead against mine. “Sometimes I have a tendency to get stuck in my own ways,” Jack admitted. “There are a host of reasons why I had been reluctant to bring you down here, but please don’t ever think any of them had to do with you. William’s known me long enough that he figured out what I was doing, and he called me on my bullshit.”
“It’s always good to have a friend like that.” Jordan was that person for me, and I felt better knowing Jack had someone like that in his life. “So, what bullshit did he get on your case about?”
“He was giving me a hard time because we don’t go out and do anything,” Jack admitted. “He told me that if I really love you, I have to stop treating you like a booty call.”
My heart might have stopped beating right then and there. It was way too soon to be throwing around words like that.
“Hey, easy, sweetheart,” Jack whispered when he noticed I was on the verge of a panic attack. “I’m not saying that’s where things are between us just yet, but he made a very valid point. I can’t treat you like this is casual if it’s anything but. You wormed your way into my heart, now it’s time for me to show you the rest of my life. That way, you can make an informed decision on if you want to stick around or if it’s all too much.”
“I wouldn’t care if you worked here, having sex for money,” I insisted. “How I feel about you has nothing to do with what you do for a living. I don’t give a shit that you have more money than I do, or that you’re surrounded by naked men all night. And what we do behind closed doors is enough. If it wasn’t, I would’ve said something.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive,” I responded competently. “I know I made a big deal about you having money when we first met, but I’ve gotten over that. I see now that you’re not the type to flash your wealth around. We might still have a lot to learn about one another, but I’ve already figured out that you’re a pretty private guy. I figured that was why we didn’t go out and do a lot of stuff in public.”
“I am,” he confirmed. “But that’s no excuse. I’m still trying to wrap my head around everything between us.” He pressed his lips to my forehead. “Promise you’ll be patient with me and always speak up if you’re uncomfortable with something?”
“That was part of the original deal,” I reminded him. “That hasn’t changed, and it won’t.”
