Den of Desire (6 page)

She watched as one by one the lights began to blink out in each of the rooms.

All but one.

Her eyes narrowed. She knew the room. It held a large circular bed with a red velvet spread. She liked to think of it as the roses room, because it was as close to romance as she was going to get in a club like this.

But it wasn't the room that caught her attention. She got to her feet to walk over to the screen, straining to get a better look. She stood directly in front of the monitor, her mouth falling open.

It couldn't be.

A woman lay across the bed wearing a white lace dress. A white silk scarf was draped across her neck. Her black hair was spread out on the bed. Her mouth hung open, her eyes glazed.

Mara's heart began to pound. It had to be a member. But Joe said that he was going to lock up. She glanced at the other screens. All of the other rooms were dark.

If it was a member, what was she still doing here?

And why did she look ... dead?

Her pulse was racing. The other screens reflected her shocked expression back to her. It was just a coincidence. Three years ago, she had written about a woman wearing a similar outfit. But in her book, the woman was killed.

She searched the screen, waiting for someone else to enter the room. The sound of a door slamming behind her jolted her around. The door to Joe's office was still slightly ajar. She walked over to it, pulling it open to peek out into the hallway. The corridor was completely dark, despite the blue lighting that lined the floor.

“Joe?”

No response came.

She took a deep breath before stepping out into the hallway. The club was a maze of back corridors that regular members never had the opportunity to see. From the couple times she had been back here with Joe, she knew from experience how easy it would be to get lost in them. She ventured a couple of steps forward, her hand reaching for the wall.

“Mara.” She heard a strange whisper call out to her from up ahead.

“Joe? Hello? Is someone there?” she replied.

She took another step forward, her pulse quickening. With each step she took, fear crept up her spine.

“Come closer,” the voice urged.

“Damn it, Joe! This isn't funny!” she yelled.

Suddenly, a hand grabbed her from behind. She screamed.

“Whoa! What's wrong?” Joe asked, his hands sliding up her arms.

She sagged against him for a minute, dragging in a deep, steadying breath. His hand came up to cup her cheek.

“Mara, what's wrong?” he repeated.

“I heard a voice,” she explained, her hands clutching his forearms.

He frowned. “A voice? Mara, the club's closed. Everyone already went home,” he reasoned.

She shook her head. “But I saw someone on the monitor. A woman. In a white dress.”

He tensed beneath her hands, his eyebrows drawing together in a furrow. “Are you sure?”

She nodded. “It was in the roses room.”

A puzzled look marred his forehead. “The roses room?” he queried.

“The room with the round bed and the red velvet spread.”

His gaze traveled over her head as he looked down the hallway. He reached into his pocket to pull out a remote control. With a punch of a button, all of the lights came on. She blinked as her eyes struggled to adjust to the brightness. He took her arm, pulling her behind him.

“Stay behind me. One of the members must have slipped by security,” he instructed, already heading down the hall.

Finally, they reached the room. With a wave of his hand, he motioned for her to stand back. She watched as he moved forward, his gaze traveling back and forth. After a minute, he turned back to face her.

“There's no one here, Mara,” he stated, his eyes narrowed.

Her eyes widened, and she hurried over to his side. Just as he said, the room was empty. She rushed into the room, searching everywhere, but she found nothing.

“I don't understand. She was right here.”

She looked back at Joe, hating the disbelief she clearly saw in his eyes.

“Look, it's late. It was dark,” he reasoned.

She pinned him with a lethal stare. “Joe, I know what I saw,” she reminded him in an icy tone.

He held up his hands in surrender. “Okay, okay. I believe you. Look, we'll search every inch of the club until we find them,” he suggested.

A half an hour later, after a thorough search of the club, Mara's unease was at an all-time high.

“I don't understand. I saw her,” she repeated, more to herself than to him.

“The doors are locked, Mara. There's no way out. If someone was here, we would have found them,” he asserted.

She sighed heavily. “It's just that she looked like...” She trailed off, afraid to put the vision into words.

He came closer. “Like what?”

She pulled her lower lip beneath her teeth, worrying it gently. “Nothing,” she said.

As much as she wanted to tell him what she saw, the evidence was already mounting that she was crazy. If he didn't think it yet, he would if she didn't stop babbling about a person who didn't exist.

The entire walk home, she couldn't shake the eerie feeling that they were being watched. Once they reached her door, she turned to face him.

“Do you want to come in?” she invited.

He looked past her into her apartment. “I should probably check on the club again. Just in case,” he reasoned.

She nodded, suddenly uncomfortable. He leaned in to give her a chaste kiss on the lips before turning to leave. She stared after him for a few moments before going inside and locking the door. Leaning back against it, she let her head rest against the wood.

Damn it.

Things had been going so well.

Now he thought she was some kind of kook.

A vision of the woman in the white dress flashed through her mind.

She wasn't crazy.

She had seen the woman!

It looked like she had stepped right out of the pages of one of her books. It had been so real.

Then, there was the voice.

She didn't imagine that.

Did she?

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Chapter 9

He watched her through the window.

The light created a halo around her, illuminating her trim figure. Her head turned as she looked down the length of the street. Her gaze traveled back and forth frantically as if she was searching for someone.

Searching for him.

She would never see him.

He was too smart for that.

She wouldn't see him until it was too late.

He had been watching her all night. He watched her get fucked in front of everyone like the slut she was. And she wanted it. She had practically been begging for it. Jealousy burned in his gut. It should have been him! He should have been the one to tie her up, to claim her virgin ass. Not scum like Joe Gates.

But that would change soon.

Tonight was just a little taste of what he could do. A teaser to make her buy the book. And she would.

In the end, she would be begging him for it.

Having to deal with the whore tonight was a minor irritation. He had picked her up on Bourbon Street, and though she originally claimed that she didn't want any part of his plan, the money he offered had quickly changed her mind. He had bought her, just like he had bought so many others. Maybe later he would find her and take out his frustration on her.

Mara leaned forward, and he could see the outline of her breasts through her dress. The bitch! How could she let someone like Joe Gates touch her like that in front of everyone? He would definitely make her pay for that mistake. That and more. If it was chains and handcuffs she wanted, he would certainly be more than happy to accommodate her. But before he drove into that tight pussy, he would make her scream for mercy.

She slid the drapes closed, turning her back on him. Once he claimed her, she would never turn her back on him again. She would be his. His and his alone. And he would never, ever let her forget it.

Sleep tight, baby.

Because I'm coming for you.

* * * *

It had been three days since she had been to the club. She couldn't deny that she had gotten a lot done since then. But one thing continued to trouble her.

What was Joe thinking?

Did he think she was crazy?

She didn't want to think he would, but she couldn't help but wonder.

Still, it wasn't like they were seeing each other. She didn't even know where he lived. That bothered her more than she wanted to admit. He'd been inside her body, and she didn't even know his telephone number. Maybe it was better if they cooled things down for a little while.

A knock at the door caught her attention. She got up and crossed the room to pull the door open. Lexi stood on the other side in a black leather skirt and a see-through top. Her lacy bra barely covered her breasts. She tilted her head to the side, her red hair bouncing around her shoulders.

“Look, you've been cooped up in this apartment for three days. It's time for an intervention.”

She brushed past Mara to fall into an overstuffed chair in the corner. Mara shook her head as she closed the door.

“Doesn't an intervention usually require more than one person?” she challenged.

Lexi's eyebrows rose. “Well, I was obviously the only one available, and lucky for you I could fit it into my busy schedule. Besides, all of your other friends gave up on you when you decided to become a hermit. So, hurry up and get ready so that we can go to the club tonight. I don't want to get stuck with the ugly leftovers.”

Mara rolled her eyes. “No way, Lexi. I'm not going to the club tonight. Not after what happened,” she replied, her jaw firmly set.

Lexis stood up, walking over to stand before her. “What? Are you going to let big, bad Joe run you off? Girl, you need to grow some balls,” she chastised.

Mara let out a huff of aggravation. “Lexi, this has nothing to do with balls,” she retorted.

Lexi's eyebrows arched. “I wish it did. It would be much more interesting to me. Balls can be fun.”

She let out a long sigh. “Lexi, is your mind always in the gutter?” she inquired.

Lexi tilted her head to the side for a minute as if she was deep in thought. “Probably. I guess that's why I don't get any invitations to church meetings, huh? Why? Is that a problem?”

She collapsed in a chair. “Lexi, he thinks I'm insane,” she muttered.

Lexi offered a reassuring smile. “Is that what this is about? So your brain got a little scrambled from all of the great sex? So what? He can't hold that against you,” she reasoned.

The look Mara gave her made it clear that she wasn't convinced.

Lexi took a seat in front of her on the edge of the couch. “Look, if he does think you're a little bit batty, there are plenty of other hot bodies running around to keep you busy.”

Mara looked away, not wanting Lexi to see the truth.

She didn't want another hot body.

She wanted Joe.

“Wait a minute,” Lexi said, her hand raised. “Is this about more than sex?”

Mara tried to think of a good answer, but before she could, Lexi stopped her.

“Mara, are you falling for this guy?”

She wanted to say no.

She wanted to deny that she was stupid enough to think that this was anything more than a hot affair. But she couldn't. Somewhere along the way, she had developed feelings for him. She loved the way he touched her. The gentle way he held her. The way he knew how to be rough just when she needed it that way. No matter what she told herself, she couldn't make it go away.

“I think so,” she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper.

Lexi leaned back against the couch. “Mara, I thought that this was just a distraction. Something to get you out of your rut,” she confessed.

Mara stood up, beginning to pace back and forth. “I know. It's ridiculous. I mean, he runs a sex club of all things. He probably sleeps with a different girl every night.”

She waited for Lexi to contradict her. When the words didn't come, she felt even more stupid than she had before. “Why did I ever agree to go there?”

Lexi got up, her hands covering Mara's arms. “Look, get dressed. You're going to come to the club with me tonight and find a new man to distract you. After tonight, you will forget all about Joe Gates.”

If only it were that simple.

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Chapter 10

Mara stood in front of one of the rooms. A woman in a black corset and thigh-high boots cracked the whip against a man who was chained to the ceiling. She didn't want to be here. Despite the fact that she had been searching the hallways for him, she had yet to see him. The man in the room threw back his head as the whip came across his back.

Maybe it really was over?

Maybe he had grown tired of her?

Lexi stood next to her, her gaze scanning the other members. “What about him?” she asked, pointing to a man at the end of the hall.

Mara craned her neck to see the man Lexi pointed to. He stood in front of another room. His body was half turned away from it as he searched for a partner. He wore black pants that were way too snug and a dark red dress shirt that stretched over bunched muscles. His dark hair was cut military style. He turned to look at her, smiling as he gave her a quick nod.

“Lexi, I don't know about this,” she said.

“Well, I do. He's hot, and he's got a nice body. He'll do,” she replied as she waved him over before Mara could protest.

“Lexi!” she hissed through gritted teeth.

Lexi's eyes widened. “What? If I want to talk to him, it's my business. You can just stand there and be a nudge as usual.”

Mara let out a heavy sigh as the man came over to stand before them.

“Hi,” he greeted them, his brown eyes twinkling.

“I'm Lexi, and this is Mara. She's new here.”

Mara rolled her eyes.

“I'm Eric,” he replied, his gaze roaming over Mara's body.

Lexi tilted her head to the side. “You know what, I see a friend of mine up ahead. I'll be back in a few,” she said, quickly excusing herself to leave Mara alone.