it had felt classy and seductive. There wasn’t much on the site, and I hadn’t expected there to be. A legit BDSM club, or at least one I would want to join, wouldn’t have much for privacy reasons, to respect their members.
“Not that I’m going to join,” I said as Cinder watched me. “I’m just saying if I was, privacy is important.”
After copying the address provided on the site, I’d pasted it into the search bar of the mapping app and watched as the little red pin had landed on a building that could have been Carson’s from above. With my heart in my throat, I’d switched to street-view and found myself staring at the parking lot Lee had pulled into, the heavy metal door that led to the tiny lobby with the scary door, and the back windows on the top floor I knew looked into Carson’s apartment.
Even as I’d confirmed my worst fears, I hadn’t been able to forget Carson’s arms, his touch, his comfort. Against my better judgment, I wanted more.
Groaning, I flopped down onto my bed as I passed it. “What. Am. I. Doing?”
I didn’t even have time for a good wallow as my phone rang in my hand. Lifting my head up, I saw Lee’s name. It wasn’t that much of a surprise. Besides Tina, my boss, and Alex, my coworker, Lee was the only other person who had my phone number.
“Hello?”
“I’m here. Get your ass going. We don’t want to be late,” Lee said, his usual excitement back in his voice.
I glanced at the clock on the kitchen wall and laughed as I stood and gathered my bag. “We still have thirty minutes, and it only takes twenty to get there.”
I felt something low in my belly clench tight at the thought of where we were going, well, not where we were going but who was there.
“But traffic,” Lee whined. “There could be traffic or an accident. Hurry, I don’t want to miss anything.”
“Okay, okay, I’m coming.” Stepping out the front door, I waved at Lee as I hung up. I locked the door, turning the knob twice just to make sure, and then ran toward Lee’s car as he used both hands to hurry me up.
“I’m ready. I’m ready,” I said as I jumped into the car.
“About time,” he teased.
I stuck my tongue out at him in defiance. “We have plenty of time.”
“Says you.”
I tried to make small talk, but Lee wasn’t having any of it. He was clearly distracted. Messing with the radio, I noticed Lee looking at his phone as it rested in the center console. “Are you waiting for something?”
“What? Oh, yeah. Sorry.” Lee grabbed his phone as we waited at a red light and checked his notifications. “Law and I submitted a proposal for a project a few months ago. The results were supposed to come out last night, but there have been some delays. We’re both kind of antsy.”
“What is it for?” I asked, always curious about his work. Every time he talked about it, he always revealed the most interesting things.
“It’s for an art museum downtown.”
Going into detail, Lee began explaining their concept. Somewhere between projectors and screen walls and interactive, immersive experiences, he lost me. Not that I minded.
“Well,” I said as we pulled into Carson’s parking lot. “I hope you guys get it. It sounds amazing.”
“Thanks. Honestly, I’m probably going to be useless tonight.” And with that, he parked and immediately dove for his phone.
“Anything?”
“No,” he moaned in disappointment. “Aaaaah I hate waiting.”
Stepping out of the car, I grabbed my bag and followed Lee. I wiped my hands on my pants as I watched him punch in the code to open the door. When the little red light turned green, Lee held the door open and waved me in. Back in the tiny lobby I swore I’d never set foot in again, I ignored the other door as I waited for Lee to join me.
Of course, luck wasn’t on my side.
Just as I set foot on the first tread going up the stairs, I heard the click of a lock disengaging. I paused and looked over my shoulder at the door we’d just come through. I waited to see who would enter, but the door remained shut.
“Well, well, well, who do we have here?”
I whipped my head around at the smooth, seductive voice. His appearance didn’t match the voice I’d heard. He leaned against the wall by the forbidden door. He looked kind of sweet