The Pleasure of Sin (10 page)

It was time to give her what she thought she wanted.

“I’ve been a member for a few years,” he confessed.

Her mouth fell open, clearly shocked with his honesty. “You and Ruby…” She trailed off, unable to voice the question.

“No. I didn’t even know she was a member until I ran into her one night.”

She glanced away, as if she was afraid to look at him. Her tongue snaked out to wet her lips, making his cock twitch.

“Did you
ever
?” she asked, her voice barely a whisper.

“No.” His harsh reply filled the room. “It was over between us a long time ago. It was over long before it ended.”

He didn’t tell her the rest.

He didn’t say that nothing happened because he had turned down her offer to ‘remember old times.’ More important, he didn’t tell her that, for him, it had ended the minute he touched her at the party. She had too many reasons to run from him right now.

He didn’t need to add to the list.

“But that first night…were you following me?”

He shot her a probing glance. “No, I was early. I saw you leaving when you were supposed to be meeting me in a half an hour. Curiosity got the better of me. Then, when I saw where you were going, I had to know why.”

She shook her head, her brows furrowing together on a frown. “Why didn’t you tell me?” she demanded angrily.

His eyebrows arched high. “What? That I belong to the club? Somehow, it never came up in conversation,” he replied sarcastically.

“Why didn’t you tell me before?”

She didn’t have to finish the question, because he knew what she was thinking. Why hadn’t he told her before they had sex? It was a question he had known would come, but one he still wasn’t ready for. In truth, he had only wanted some answers when he followed her into the club that night. But one touch, and he had been like an addict afraid that someone was going to steal his stash. He had been greedy. He had wanted her from the beginning, and that night he had simply taken.

Telling her that certainly wouldn’t score any points.

Instead, he decided to ask the question that he already knew the answer to.

“Was it really so terrible?”

Her gaze lowered, unable to meet his eyes. Unwilling to answer, she spun on her heel, pulling her shawl off the rack.

“I have to go,” she murmured.

“Isn’t it time you stopped running from me?” he bit out, clearly frustrated.

She turned to face him, her eyes blazing fire. “When you stop lying, I’ll stop running.”

* * * *

With that, she escaped into the hall, slamming the door behind her. As she waited for the elevator, she thought he would come after her. But he didn’t, and that fact hurt more than the altercation. She couldn’t believe it.

How could she have actually believed him?

She had bought every lie he fed her and begged him for more.

As soon as she was safely inside the apartment, she heard the phone ring. If he really thought she was going to answer that, he had another thing coming. She glared at the answering machine as his demanding voice filled the room.

“Jade, answer the phone,” he commanded.

“Go to hell,” she muttered, knowing that he couldn’t hear her.

“Jade, if you don’t answer the phone right now, I’m coming over there.”

She cast a fierce look at the machine.

How dare he threaten her?

Just how did he think he was going to get in?

As soon as the thought occurred, an image of Clay angry and unyielding, breaking down the door to the apartment, flashed into her mind.

“Fine! Have it your way!” he bit out seconds before the phone went dead.

Panic set in. She couldn’t deal with him right now. She had to get out of here before he showed up. Grabbing her keys, she rushed out of the apartment. She hurried down the darkened street, the clip-clop sound of horse’s hooves her only companion. Just a few blocks away, she could hear the music from Bourbon Street. The debauchery taking place there was a PG-rated version of what was happening just blocks away at the club.

She didn’t know where she was going.

She just knew that facing Clay right now would set her already volatile emotions into a tailspin.

She glanced up at the familiar sign. She wasn’t sure why she had ended up here tonight, but suddenly being anonymous was too intoxicating to resist. She walked over to stand before the large, imposing door. There was no way they were going to let her in without Zoë, and it was way too late to involve the other woman in her late-night escape. Still, it was the one place he wouldn’t look for her tonight.

Especially after what had happened.

Before she could talk herself out of it, she rapped her knuckles against the door. The small window snapped open.

“I was hoping that I could come in,” she mustered.

His gaze slid down the length of her body, taking in the short black dress. Without a word, the window closed.

Damn it!

She had known it was a long shot, but he could have at least pretended to entertain the notion. Just as she was about to leave, she heard the door open behind her. She turned to face the large, tattooed bald man.

“Ms. Monroe, it’s good to see you,” he greeted her warmly.

Her eyes narrowed. “How did you know my name?”

“Your membership has already been acquired. Please come in.”

He stepped aside to allow her entrance. Still, something about what he said didn’t make sense.

“Acquired by whom?”

The look he gave her let her know that he had no intention of revealing any more than he already had. For a minute, she seriously considered pushing the issue. But now wasn’t the time. Now, she just wanted to get away from the one man who had torn her insides out tonight. She navigated her way through the dimly lit hallways, the erotic images taking place around her doing nothing to still the shaking inside.

Once she was deep in the walls of the club, she stopped to watch a thin redhead in a black leather teddy standing before a man. Black lace-up boots crept up her leg to mid-thigh. Fishnet stockings revealed small amounts of the creamy flesh of her legs. She flung her hair over her shoulder, casting a mischievous wink at Jade. She stepped to the side to reveal the man who sat naked before her on the floor. In her hand, she snapped a whip.

Jade watched as the woman hit the man on the back several times. He flinched each time, but didn’t move. She smacked him again and again. Suddenly, he reached out to touch her leg. The woman standing over him whipped his hand away, her lips moving as she reprimanded him. Jade felt her nipples tighten at the display.

What would it be like to have so much power?

To control another person?

To only allow them what you wanted them to have?

She watched as the woman’s hand ran through his hair, pulling his head over to place it on her thigh. The man’s tongue teased her skin through the holes in the stockings she wore. He turned to the side as she lifted her thigh over his shoulder. Jade watched his tongue slide against the woman’s pussy. She felt her arousal pool between her legs at the sight the couple made.

Suddenly, she felt heat behind her. She didn’t have to turn around to know who it was. She felt his breath tickle the side of her neck, as his mouth came level with her ear.

“We need to talk.”

Chapter 14

“Really? Talk hasn’t seemed to be one of your strong suits lately,” she scoffed.

He leaned in further, his body leaving a permanent imprint on hers. “You’re not the picture of honesty yourself,” he reminded her. “I can remember quite a few times you lied to me.”

She couldn’t deny that, no matter how much she wanted to.

She had been no more honest with him than he had with her. That knowledge made her hesitate.

He took the advantage, holding his hand out, his palm face up. “Come with me,” he suggested in that sweet tone of his that made her want to do whatever he asked.

She curled her lips in distaste, her body tingling with arousal. “I think we’ve given everyone here enough to look at, don’t you?”

“Isn’t it time you got the answers you want?” he dared.

She rolled her eyes. “And just how am I supposed to do that?”

She could feel him grin against her cheek. “I can think of a few ways that you could get answers out of me,” he teased playfully.

She let out a huff of aggravation at his suggestion, causing him to chuckle.

“Okay, okay. I swear I won’t touch you. Scout’s honor,” he promised, holding his fingers up in code.

Her eyes narrowed as she turned to the side to look at him. “Were you really a scout?”

His lips tugged up in amusement. “Well, no. But I know the hand signal. That has to be worth something.” When she hesitated, he continued. “Look, I swear I’ll be on my best behavior. I won’t even touch you.”

Taking a deep breath, she slid her hand into his. She knew this could be a big mistake. Being alone with him always seemed to make common sense disappear. Still, he was right. She needed answers, and right now he was her best bet at getting them. He led her down the darkened hallway, pulling her into a private room.

The room was nothing like the room they had visited the first time she came here. This room was barren. Its concrete floor held none of the luxury she had experienced earlier. Chains were suspended from the ceiling. On the back wall, hooks held many different kinds of whips and toys.

He closed the door before turning to face her. His eyes roamed over her legs, then her abdomen, before traveling higher to trace the outline of her breasts. Her nipples piqued at the intense scrutiny.

“God, you have a beautiful body. Just thinking about being inside of you makes me want to come.”

She felt her clit swell with desire as his words washed over her. But this wasn’t why she had come with him. She backed away. “Clay,” she said, a warning in her voice as she held up a hand to stop him.

In one swift move, he pulled his shirt over his head and discarded it on the floor. “This is it, Jade. No blindfolds. Just you and me. Face to face.”

Jade took a deep breath as she tried to still her beating heart. Her gaze traveled over the hard planes of his chest, watching as his nipples tightened from the chill in the room. She ached to cover them with her hands, her mouth.

“Clay, you said…” She trailed off.

He walked over to the center of the room, his gaze still focused on her. “I know what I said and I meant it. I won’t touch you unless you want me to. Tonight, it’s your turn.”

Her eyes narrowed, her brows furrowing together in confusion. “My turn? What do you mean?” she asked.

He turned to face the large glass window. “Tonight, you’re in control,” he explained, as he reached over to place his wrist in one of the handcuffs suspended from the ceiling.

She heard the clicking sound of him locking himself in. When he stretched his arm out, placing his other hand in the cuff, he glanced over his shoulder.

“Would you like to do the honors?” he prodded.

She stared at him, wondering if she could really go through with this. “You want me to lock you in?”

He grinned. “Someone has to make sure I don’t cheat,” he reminded her.

She walked over to stand before him, her eyes meeting his as she secured his other wrist. “Now what?”

“Your call,” he replied.

At her silence, he motioned to the back wall with his head. “There are aids, if you don’t feel like I’m cooperating the way I should.”

Walking over to the back wall, she stared reluctantly at the various ‘aids.’ She had never done anything like this before, and she felt a little out of her element. Deciding that she had to grab something, she lifted a small whip off its hook. She crossed the room to stand behind him. Staring at his naked back, she realized that he was finally giving her a golden opportunity. He had offered her answers, and it was time that she got them. She decided to ask the one question that had been plaguing her from the beginning.

“Were you seeing Ruby when she died?”

“No. I told you it ended between us a long time ago.”

“Do you know who she was seeing?”

“No.”

“What do you know about Alex Talbot?”

He hesitated for a few minutes, and she realized that he wasn’t going to answer. She brought her hand down, the whip smacking against his back. He threw back his head at the sensation. She came closer, her breasts brushing against his back to ease the ache.

“What do you know about Alex Talbot?” she repeated.

* * * *

Clay stared at the plate glass window, knowing that others were watching his domination. He was sure that they would all be surprised. In all the times he had come here, he had never allowed another to dominate him, never given up control. He had taken many women here, sating his lust well with their bodies. Each time he had been the aggressor, the dominant.

But tonight was different.

Tonight he wanted Jade to see exactly how it felt to be in control, to have this kind of power.

“Don’t make me hit you again,” she warned, her voice breathless.

Giving her power over his body and giving her power over his mind were two different things. He wasn’t sure that he wanted to divulge everything to her just yet. But he knew that if he didn’t share with her tonight, he would probably lose her.

That was something he simply couldn’t risk.

“Only what I’ve been told,” he hedged.

A sharp smack to his back let him know that she wasn’t appeased. “Told by whom?”

“People at the club,” he answered.

“And just what do they say?”

He hesitated for a moment before replying. “That he gets off on pain.”

“What do you mean?”

“One of the girls who comes here said that he liked to choke her while they were having sex,” he confessed.

Jade felt her stomach roll at his admission.

Ruby had been strangled.

Was it true? Had Alex really killed her sister?

“Why did she tell you?”

He sighed heavily, not wanting to answer. The whip cut into his back painfully, but still he didn’t reply. She hit him again and again, but he offered nothing.