Page 71 of Her Vampire, His Ruin

“As you wish…” His words fade, but he lingers, unwilling to leave. I can sense what’s coming, and I have no patience for it tonight.

“Don’t test me, Viktor,” I warn. “I know what I’m doing.”

Viktor nods, smoothing out his expression. “I’ll keep Sybil occupied.”

Spinning on my feet, I pass by the crowded dance floor, then descend into the club’s shadowy basement. As soon as I enter the suite, I set the bottle of wine on the side table by the four-poster bed, slip off my jacket, and drape it over a chair, sinking into the seat.

Around me, the room glows with soft lighting, casting shadows over the red satin sheets. Black silk cascades from the canopy above, pooling at each corner of the bed. In the far corner of the room sits an armoire filled with paddles and whips, blindfolds, gags and masks, nipple clamps, cock cages and other toys for inquisitive patrons to indulge in.

Like all of the suites, three of the walls are painted a deep mulberry, while the fourth, once transparent, is now opaque. Edie demanded secrecy, and with a single touch to the control panel set into the wall, I’ve granted it. Pulling a pack of cigarettes from my pocket, I light one, inhaling the smoke deep into my lungs. The nicotine does little to relax me, but if I don’t occupy my hands, I may take out my cock and relieve the ache in my balls before she’s even arrived.

A firm knock breaks the silence. I exhale a ribbon of smoke, letting it curl through the air before I say, “Come in.”

Logan opens the door and steps aside. Edie passes him with a gentle tip of her head, her hair spilling past her shoulders, brushing against the white shirt tucked into a navy silk skirt that sways just above her knees. A leather handbag rests at her hip, its strap tracing a line across her chest. My gaze falls to her feet, and I can’t help but smile. Once again, she’s wearing the same shoes she wore the night we first met.

“Dorian?” she whispers, and I realise I’m sitting in a pool of shadow, the light not quite reaching this corner of the room.

“You can go now, Logan,” I say, taking another drag on my cigarette, the tip sizzling briefly before I stub it out in the ashtray situated on the small table beside me. He hesitates and I stand, stepping into the light, sliding my eyes to his. “Leave.”

With a stiff nod, he retreats, shutting the door quietly behind him.

“I’ve always wondered what these kinds of rooms look like,” Edie mutters as my gaze tracks over her. She notices me staring and adds, “I wasn’t sure what was appropriate to wear to a sex club.”

“You look beautiful,” I respond, moving towards her. “And these rooms aren’t just used for having sex.”

“No?” she questions, her eyes drifting to the four-poster bed behind us. “Is that bed just for sleeping on then?”

“Sometimes, yes.”

She lifts a brow. “Liar.”

I grin, reaching for her hips and tugging her towards me. She comes willingly, her palms flattening against my chest as my fingers curl around her flesh. “Okay, I admit it, for the most part these rooms are used for fucking, but on occasion a patron will simply watch one of my performers dance. Like I said, Avant Garde isn’t just a sex club, we also provide a different kind of pleasure.”

“I hope those bed sheets are clean,” she teases as I reach for her hand, cupping it in mine. Her mouth drops open as I press a kiss to her palm, my lips dragging to the pulse in her wrist as I kiss her there.

“I can assure you, my club is kept clean, and my patrons are well looked after. As you will be.”

“The music isn’t what I was expecting either,” she muses, tilting her head, the steady beat drifting into the room and echoing the quickening rhythm beneath her skin.

“What were you expecting?”

“I honestly don’t know.”

Draping her arm over my shoulder, I slide my arm behind her back, my other hand cupping hers against my chest as I press my lips against her ear and say, “Dance with me?”

She doesn’t respond with words. Instead, she sways with me as we turn in a slow circle in the centre of the room. With every pulsing beat of music, her body relaxes against mine, and when she rests her cheek against my shoulder, letting out a soft sigh, I draw her closer to me.

I’m not sure how long we dance for, but it’s long enough to forget about the monster who lives beneath my skin and simply exist in this moment, as a man in the company of a woman, not a vampire eager to sink his teeth into his next meal.

“Dorian, why am I here?” she eventually asks, pulling back as she gazes up at me. “I mean, as much as I’m enjoying this dance, this isn’t what I was expecting.”

“I promised you nothing would happen in this room without prior agreement. I’ve been waiting for you to lead the way.” I press another tender kiss against her lips. “Tell me what you want.”

“On the way over here, I considered asking Logan to turn the car around and take me back home.”

“So why didn’t you?” I ask.

“Curiosity mainly and, of course, the promise of orgasms…” She flicks her gaze away, her cheeks colouring, then she lets out a soft laugh, focussing back on me again. “I need to find my way back to who I was before Robert. I believe being intimate with you sexually, will help me to do that.”