Den of Desire (10 page)

But she wanted it to be.

As much as she told herself that she could handle their arrangement, things were getting complicated. She was headed for heartbreak, and there was nothing she could do to stop it.

A knock at the door startled her, breaking her concentration. Wrinkling her nose in frustration, she crossed the room to pull it open. Lexi stood on the doorstep, her arms crossed over a manila envelope that she held against her chest.

“Hi, Lexi,” Mara said, leaving the door open as she returned to the computer.

She heard Lexi huff in aggravation behind her. “Hi, Lexi? That's all you have to say? You've been missing in action for days,” she observed as she closed the door.

Mara focused on the computer screen as she finished typing a sentence. “Oh, I'm sorry. I've been a little busy.”

Lexi snorted. “Yeah, I'm sure you have. And I'm sure that I know who you've been busy under.”

She turned in her chair to face her friend. “Believe it or not, I do have a career. I mean, there's more to life than ... than...”

One eyebrow arched. “Sleeping with Joe Gates?” she supplied.

Mara sighed heavily. “Lexi.”

She tilted her head to the side. “Just how serious are you two?” she inquired.

Mara looked away, not wanting her friend to see too much. “We're not serious. We're just...”

“Having sex?”

“We're...” she stuttered.

“Getting it on?” Lexi asked, her eyebrows bobbing up and down suggestively.

“No, we're...”

Lexi leaned in, a devilish smile sliding across her face. “Making love?”

“Lexi!”

“Yes?” she replied.

Mara slumped down in her chair. How could she answer Lexi? She wasn't even sure what was happening herself.

Lexi wrinkled her nose. “Look,” she said, walking over to pat her on the shoulder. “Don't get yourself all worked up. I was just curious.”

She handed Mara a manila envelope.

“What is this?” she asked.

Lexi shrugged her shoulders. “Got me. It was sitting outside your door.”

Mara turned the envelope over. She frowned as she realized that there was no name or address on it.

Lexi strolled into the kitchen. “So, do you have any food in this place, or are you on that starving writer's diet?”

Mara opened the envelope, sliding the contents out. Her eyes widened. The envelope held a photo, but that in itself wasn't the surprise. It was what was in the photo that made her heart stop. The picture was of her, strapped to the table, her head thrown to the side as Joe slid a dildo between her legs.

Oh my God.

Her heart began to beat double-time. Someone had been watching them, taking pictures of them. To see such an intimate moment in gross display made her stomach roll.

Who could have done such a thing?

And why?

The photo fell to the floor, and she gripped the arms of the chair for support.

Lexi came to her side. “What's wrong?” she asked, bending down to scoop it up from the floor. Her mouth formed an ‘O’ as she stared at it.

“Wow!”

Mara ripped the photo out of her hands, quickly stuffing it back into the envelope. “I can't believe it!”

Lexi put a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Hey, calm down,” she instructed Mara.

She shook her head. “Lexi, don't you get it? Someone is watching me. Following me. First, the scarf...”

Lexi held up her hands. “Whoa! Slow down. What scarf? What are you talking about?”

Mara crossed the room to shove the envelope in her bag. “Never mind. It's nothing.”

“Oh, no!” she argued. “You can't do that to me after what I just saw.”

Mara took a deep breath before turning to meet her friend's gaze head on. “The other night I saw a woman in the club,” she began.

“Uh huh.”

“The club was closed, Lexi.”

Silence stretched between them as realization finally dawned.

Even though she didn't want to, she forced herself to keep going. “The woman was wearing a white dress with a white silk scarf around her neck. When we went to check it out, no one was there. At first, I thought I was just imagining things. That maybe my brain got scrambled, you know?”

Lexi nodded. “Considering what's been happening lately, overstimulation is a plausible theory,” she added.

“But when I got home yesterday, I found the scarf tied to my door.”

A worried look marred Lexi's features. “What does Joe think about all this?” she asked.

Her gaze lowered to the floor. “I didn't tell him,” she confessed.

Lexi's mouth fell open. “Mara? Are you kidding?” she demanded.

“I didn't want him to think I was some kind of kook who was prone to hallucinations.”

Lexi pointed at the envelope. “Well, that is no hallucination. Whoever took that is a member of the club, and they've obviously only got one thing on their mind.”

“Which is?” she replied.

“You.”

[Back to Table of Contents]

Chapter 15

“When did you get this?”

Joe stared at the picture, a sickening feeling forming in the pit of his stomach.

“This afternoon,” she replied. “Someone left it on my doorstep.”

She shifted back and forth uneasily. The look on her face said it all.

She was scared.

His gaze returned to the photograph. It was obvious that whoever had taken the picture had accomplished their goal. The message was intimidation, and it had come through all too clear. The worst part was knowing that they had done it inside his club.

Club rules were specific and ironclad. No one got in unless they were a friend of a member. Friends could only visit once before applying for membership themselves. The approval process was rigid. The potential member had to have a sponsor. Then they went through a lengthy background check. By the end of it, Joe knew more about the members than he did his own friends. Most members never risked doing anything that might cost them their club access. Sponsors took their job seriously. Mostly because if the potential member was refused or their membership was terminated, the sponsor's membership followed suit. No one wanted to risk their own membership, even for a friend. Some potential members balked at the process, but given what the club had to offer, they usually complied.

That meant that the person who took the picture was either a member or a potential member. All potentials were registered and vouched for, but it wasn't impossible to think that a bad apple would come across their plate.

“I'll check surveillance footage. See if I can find out who did it,” he explained.

It was a long shot, but he didn't want to tell her that.

She fidgeted with the edge of her skirt, her nerves clearly on edge.

“Was this all they left?” he prodded.

She looked away.

“Mara?”

Crossing the room, she leaned across the desk. “The other night when I saw the woman here...”

He shook his head. “I told you, I searched this place high and low. There was no one here.”

She nervously wet her lips. “Joe, the other day when I came home, I found a white scarf tied to my door. It looked exactly like the one the woman was wearing that night.”

He leaned back in his chair, absently running a hand over his face. As much as he wanted to reassure her, he was worried. He didn't like the thought of someone using his club to terrorize another person.

Especially when it involved someone he cared about.

As if that wasn't bad enough, the last thing he needed right now was another incident. Cal would have his head if he knew what was going on. They had been friends for a long time, but friendship only went so far. Besides that, Cal had made it glaringly clear that he would only stay invested in the club as long as it didn't publicly threaten him or his family. If Cal pulled out, he would lose everything he had worked for.

And that wasn't an option.

He had to solve this problem and fast, before things got out of control.

He stood up, walking around the desk to pull her into his arms.

“I'm scared, Joe,” she admitted as she shivered against him.

His hand cradled her head, his fingers running through her hair. “Mara, I'll take care of this. I promise,” he assured her.

He pulled back to look into her eyes, his hands framing her face. The fear he saw there was like a sucker punch to the chest. Whoever was doing this was going to be sorry when he got a hold of them.

“Trust me, okay? I have records on every person who steps foot in this club. I will find him.”

Her lower lip trembled as she nodded.

“Look, after I close up, we'll go past your apartment so that you can grab your things, and you'll come home with me.”

When he put his arms around her, an unwelcome feeling crept up his spine.

The club was his home. It had been ever since they first opened the doors.

And someone had invaded it.

Fear struck him hard. Whoever was doing this knew too much about Mara. They knew where she lived and where she played. That meant that either she knew the person or they followed her home. He wasn't sure which thought bothered him more. The one thing he was sure of was that until he found the bastard who was doing this she wasn't safe.

* * * *

Later, Joe walked through the club, his eyes scanning the crowd. The club was in full swing, men and women filling the corridors. It was hard to believe that a member of the club was watching them. He angled his head to the right as he noticed a new member at the end of the hall. Walking toward him, he mentally reviewed what he knew about the man. The application had been approved just three weeks ago. Grayson Sams had referred him. Grayson was a high-powered attorney who had been one of the first members. He made regular donations to the club, which meant he usually got what he wanted.

He watched as the man stared at a scene involving two women. Suddenly, he turned to search the crowd. Was he searching for Mara? If he was, the bastard would be disappointed. He had made sure that she was safely tucked away in his office. Just as he was about to reach him, someone grabbed his arm. He spun around to find Andrea staring at him.

Andrea had been a member for the past five years. When she first joined, he had been leery of approving her application. At only twenty-one, he was afraid she was being introduced into a lifestyle that she wasn't ready for. After a month, he quickly realized how wrong he was. Despite her angelic looks, a little devil lurked inside.

A devil who knew exactly what she wanted and how to get it.

“Where have you been?” she asked, her eyebrows arched.

He offered her his most patient smile as his gaze drifted over her trim form. Her black hair hung in loose curls around her shoulders. Her white shirt was knotted at her midriff. Several buttons were conveniently left open to reveal pert breasts that were pushed together in a black lacy bra. A plaid skirt flared high on her legs. White stockings climbed up her thighs. He couldn't deny the fact that Andrea could tempt just about any man.

Well ... almost any man.

“Did you need something?”

She trailed her hand across his chest, her fingers tracing his nipple through his shirt. “Well, since you were nice enough to ask...”

He caught her hand, halting her progress. Her eyebrows drew together in frustration.

“Oh, come on, Joe. I just wanted to have a little fun,” she explained, her body brushing against his.

He tilted his head to the side. “This club is full of people who would be happy to have a little fun with you,” he chided.

Her lower lip stuck out in a sexy pout as she looked up at him. “You know that you're the one I want to have fun with.”

He smiled as he pulled her hand away. “Andrea, I'm working,” he reminded her.

She let out a huff of aggravation as she rolled her eyes. “Were you working when I saw you with that blonde the other night?” she challenged, her anger apparent.

His eyes narrowed. “Andrea, what I do or don't do here is my business.”

She tilted her chin up an arrogant angle. “Well, just a little tip, when you fuck someone in the middle of your club, you make it everyone's business.”

Before he could reply, she moved through the crowd. He stared after her, his scowl deepening. Her anger surprised him. Despite occasional flirtations, he had never once been intimate with Andrea, or any other member of the club for that matter. Awkward moments like these were the reason he had imposed his own set of rules. Of course, all the reasons in the world hadn't stopped him from being with Mara. Even though he tried to rationalize things by saying that Mara wasn't an official member, he knew that it was just an excuse.

The truth was that he couldn't seem to stay away from her.

“Mr. Gates?”

He turned to find the man he had been watching standing before him, staring at him expectantly. “Is there something I can help you with?” he replied.

The man extended his hand. “David Thomas. I joined a couple of weeks ago.”

Joe shook his hand. “Good to see you again, David,” he said.

David looked around for a minute before returning his gaze. “I was wondering ... Well, I saw this girl here the other night, and I just thought...” He trailed off, clearly uncomfortable.

“You thought what?” Joe prodded.

He offered a sheepish grin. “I was just wondering if you knew her,” he admitted.

Joe let out an impatient sigh. “You're going to have to help me out a little bit, David. Can you at least give me a description?” he asked.

David cast a furtive glance around before leaning in. “She was wearing a red dress. She had blonde hair. I saw you talking to her the other night. She was with a redhead.”

His jaw clenched. If he wasn't suspicious of the man before, he sure as hell was now. “David, you know that it's club policy not to give out information about members,” he said.

“I know. I just thought ... She looked different than the others.”

Joe couldn't help the flash of anger that crossed his face.

David must have seen it, too, because he held up his hands.

“Look, I'm sorry, Mr. Gates. I didn't mean to overstep my bounds.”