Rude Awakening (14 page)

“I think I’m in love with you,” she whispered.

She didn’t know if he’d heard her, but if he did, he gave no indication—no change in his stance, no faster breathing. He held her against him until the clock chimed in the hallway, signalling their daytime was coming to an end.

Harry let her go, stroking her cheek. “It’s time to get ready.”

Her heart fell at still receiving no reciprocating response, but she wanted nothing more than to be the perfect sub to him. Smiling, she took his hand and followed him out of the library, giving the books a last, lingering look.

It felt like her life was only just beginning, and for the first time in what seemed forever, she was happy to live it.

Chapter Ten

With Ruby’s arm curled around his, her hand on his wrist, Harry led her through the club doorway and into the elegant foyer. The usual receptionist, Veronica, a brunette in her forties who would have looked at home in a lawyer’s office, greeted them with a smile and raised eyebrows over her red spectacles, an action he knew was specifically for him. He trained subs from here, never from outside, and her speculation amused him. Harry Knowles breaking from the norm? Unheard of.

Well, people will have to get over it.

He produced the card from his suit jacket pocket, conscious of Ruby shaking—from nerves or excitement, he wasn’t sure. Whatever it was, he squeezed her arm against his body with his and gave her a brief smile. She beamed back at him—it was excitement, then—and her eyes sparkled.

She looked beautiful tonight, her short black dress emphasising her slight body, the high black heels seeming to extend her legs. They appeared to go on forever, and damn, if they weren’t here, he’d…

He ignored his thoughts and placed the card on the faux oak desk, smiling at Veronica. She frowned and slid it towards her—reading, her lips moving with every word.

“Uh, where did you get this?” she asked, turning it over and eyeing the black pattern on the back then looking up at him.

“It must have been posted late last night.” Harry frowned. “Is there a problem?”

Veronica shrugged. “Only that I haven’t seen one of these yet tonight and I wasn’t aware there was any special meeting just because of a new piece of play equipment.” She shrugged. “Always the last to know these things. Anyway, you know the rules, so here you go.”

She pushed a guest book across the desk, and Harry signed them in. He felt for Veronica not being told about this. On special occasions she dressed up in full bondage gear, loving the chance to express herself. Tonight’s outfit of a black pencil skirt and white blouse probably made her feel just what she was—a receptionist.

Harry nodded to her and led Ruby to a door at the rear. Once through it and in a long hallway with several mahogany doors either side, he stopped and curved his hands around the tops of her arms.

“Nervous?” he asked.

“Yes, and excited. This is nothing like I expected. It looks like a bloody doctor’s surgery.” She indicated the doors with a dip of her head. “There’s all the consulting rooms, look, and back there’s where you sit and wait for your appointment. Except my doctor’s place doesn’t have leather chairs and sofas and those beautiful potted palms.”

He chuckled. “Well, through that door at the end is where everything is a little different. These are some of the play rooms, dungeons, the more private ones for one-on-one interaction. Through there”—he jerked his thumb in the direction of the hallway’s end—“is the meeting room, and from there you can take the stairs and go into the more adventurous dungeons.” He stroked her face, loving the wonder clearly written there.

“More adventurous?” She widened her eyes.

“Yes, as in…well, some rooms look like torture chambers to the untrained eye, but of course, they’re not. I’ll show you once the meeting is over, if you like.”

“All right. And…will you do anything to me while we’re in them?” She smiled conspiratorially, a glint of hope in her eyes.

“That depends how comfortable you are after you’ve seen the show.”

“There’ll be a show?” She frowned.

“Yes, there’s usually a weekly show every Sunday where a new sub is presented, or a Dom and sub wish to provide entertainment or share what they’ve learned.”

“Oh my God. And we’d watch them…
doing
things?”

He grinned, stomach bunching at his thoughts of watching Ruby observing them. “Oh, yes, we’d watch. Are you happy with that?”

She blinked several times as she processed the information. “Um, I don’t know. I think so. Oh, hang on. I’m not sure… It seems a bit rude.”

“You could try it, and if it isn’t your thing we can leave. It isn’t a problem, Ruby. You must do whatever makes you feel right. I will never make you do otherwise, do you understand?” He raised a hand and brushed her cheek, the feel of her soft skin stirring his cock to life. Inwardly he cursed. Walking into the meeting room with a hard-on wasn’t his style. Once in there when the show began, yes, it was difficult to suppress it, but not now.

“Okay,” she said, nodding, as though convincing herself it would be all right.

“I mean it,” he said. “Do
not
do anything just to please me. It has to be for yourself first. What makes you happy makes me happy. Understand?”

Her eyes watered, and he pulled her close, one hand at the small of her back, the other in her hair. He pressed her cheek to his chest and smiled when she snaked her arms around him.

“You’re too good to me, Harry.”

“No,” he said, caressing her hair. “I’m not good enough.”
Because I want to keep you, never set you free to explore with other Doms. I want to love you.

Hell, she was under his skin, beneath the muscles, right in his goddamn marrow.

“You’ll never know…” She eased her head back and looked up at him. “I…I’m so glad I ended up at your place.”

“You never did explain just how you got there. It’s quite a way on foot from the city.”

She bit her lip. “I hitched, planned to get far away, but the guy—”

“You got in a car with a
man?
” He clamped his jaw closed, fighting the urge to shout. “My God, Ruby! Don’t ever do that again!”

You won’t have to if you stay with me.

“I won’t. I’m sorry, but you don’t realise how bad it was, how much I needed to get away. I was trying to get to my mother’s. He, the guy, thought I was a prostitute and he—”

“Jesus Christ… Where does your mother live?”

“A few miles from you, but thinking about it now, it would have been a shock for her if I’d just turned up. She… I haven’t seen her since…”

Her eyes watered again, and he crushed her to him.

“We’ll talk about this another time. You can ring her, and I’ll take you to see her once the weather improves, all right?”

She nodded against his chest, and he gently pushed her back to look into her eyes.

“We’ll get through this, understand?”

She smiled and blew out a shaky breath. “I understand…Sir.”

A cheeky smile lit up her face, and his insides melted.

Damn. How will I ever manage without her?

“Come,” he said brusquely, cursing himself for sounding so terse. “We’ll be late for the start of the meeting.”

He held out his arm for Ruby to grasp and led her through the end doorway, his thoughts in turmoil. He’d begun to care for her more than he’d thought possible. Her revelation of how she’d arrived at his home that night swirled in his mind, making him think of what could have happened if the driver hadn’t let her out of the car. So he didn’t torture himself further with macabre visions, he glanced around the meeting room for sight of someone he knew. Rows of black leather bucket chairs were in front of the stage, a polished-wood, the podium set front and centre. Several of his friends and their subs stood before it. Others chattered in small groups, while some had paired off, deep in conversation.

“I’m going to introduce you to my friends,” he said, guiding her towards them, seeing Judge Leo Jones had no partner tonight. “They’re very nice, so no need to be nervous.”

He glanced at her and she nodded, staring up at him as though he was some kind of god. He’d have to watch she didn’t become too attached. Her telling him earlier that she loved him… Well, it had shocked him to the degree he couldn’t respond. She was suffering on the rebound, he knew that. No way did she love him in the real sense.

Did she?

He wasn’t sure now, what with the look on her face saying otherwise. She trusted him, that much was clear, and it seemed while she was at his side she was a beautiful, tiny butterfly just freed from her cocoon, content to settle on his arm for now.

But butterflies fly away and discover other things, places, people…

“Harry, old boy! Damn good to see you.”

Leo’s loud greeting gained the attention of others in the room, and those with him turned to watch Harry and Ruby approach.

“I see you’ve brought a guest.” Leo nodded his salt-and-pepper-covered head once and held out his hand. “Pleased to meet you…?”

“Ruby,” she said quietly, allowing him to shake her hand.

“Ruby. Lovely. Sub name or real?” He quirked a fuzzy eyebrow.

“Real,” she said.

Harry smiled, pleased she’d answered and didn’t act so subservient that she waited for him to do it for her or to give permission. Other introductions were made, and Ruby behaved impeccably with them all. The group moved away, continuing whatever conversation they’d been having before Harry and Ruby arrived, leaving Leo with them.

“Jolly good to see you, man.” Leo cocked his head at Harry. “Seems an age since last weekend. Bloody bugger of a working week just gone. Damn court cases just wouldn’t stop coming. Couple of times you’d have laughed, though. I wanted to smack the devils with the gavel for being in my courtroom at all. Still, that’s me done until Wednesday now, and even then if we get another large snowfall I suspect some cases will be postponed.” He cleared his throat. “So, you’ve come to show off your sub?”

“Uh, no.” Harry turned to smile at Ruby, who gave him a wide one of her own. “She’s not quite ready for that yet.”

Leo clapped him on the back. “But you’ll soon have her shipshape and raring to go, yes?”

Harry shrugged. “I’m not sure. What do you think, Ruby?” He placed his arm around her waist and held her tight, looking down at her. “Would you prefer to watch some play before you decide?”

She blushed a wonderful shade of pink. “I…I don’t know. I think so, yes.”

“Fabulous!” Leo said. “It’s always a joy to see new subs become so comfortable with their Dom they can perform for us.” He leant forwards, between Harry’s and Ruby’s heads. “Don’t tell anyone, but it always makes me get a lump in my throat.”

He drew back, winking, and Ruby let out a tinkle of laughter. Leo would get Harry’s thanks later for putting her so at ease, but the shuffle of several feet behind him indicated tonight’s meeting was about to begin.

“Is there definitely a show on tonight?” Harry asked.

“Isn’t there always? You know this lot. If there isn’t one scheduled, someone always steps up to the plate.” Leo stared at the stage. “But I had an invitation delivered. You?” He turned back to face Harry and raised his eyebrows.

“I did. New equipment.” Harry felt better someone else had received the unusual summons.

“Yes, and I wonder what the devil it is!” Leo smiled broadly. “I can see, if it’s a good piece, a scrabble to be the first to use it tonight.”

Harry laughed, stroking Ruby’s lower back. He was concerned at how quiet she was, realising it must be somewhat daunting to be a new person among so many friends. He nodded to Leo and led her to the back row of chairs.

“We’ll keep out of the way in case you don’t like it,” he said, pulling her down into the seat beside him. “We can leave without disturbing the others.”

“Okay.” She gripped his hand. “Leo was friendly.”

“He always is. Seems he’s let his sub go and is on the lookout for another.”

Did it hurt him to release her like it will when I let Ruby go?

“So you’re both teachers, then?” she asked.

“Yes, two of the only seven here, in fact. Everyone else is a proper couple.”

“I’d love to be a proper couple,” she said, gazing at him and squeezing his hand.

“I think I’m rather leaning towards that myself these days.”

That was all he’d give her, the only indication he was feeling something more for her other than the relationship they’d initially agreed on. He couldn’t influence her any more than that. It wouldn’t be fair. She had to choose him herself, and for the right reasons. He would have to judge whether she’d made the correct decision if she wanted to be with him.

He stared at her lovely elfin face, at the hope in her eyes and the pretty smile on her lips.

Let her choose me. Jesus Christ let her choose me…

He looked away, at the stage, unable to gaze at her for fear of giving himself away. Everyone had taken their seats—around forty or so people—and the club owner, the beautiful and elegant blonde Laura Stiles, stood behind the podium.