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Instead of the soft collision with his balls I was looking for, my thigh was stopped by the palm of his hands.
“Word of advice,” he said. “Putting your hands on the shoulders gives away your plan. Next time, just use the knee.”
“Landon!” I called, a little more desperately. “Creeper alert. Defcon one, or whichever is the worst defcon level!”
There was a loud bang and the door finally cracked off its hinges. Landon shouldered his way in and put his arm between Edward and me.
For a few painfully tense moments, neither man said a word.
“This one yours?” Edward asked finally.
“Yes,” Landon said.
The cold certainty in his voice gave me chills. Any other time, I probably would’ve butted in with some smartass comment to the contrary. But right now, I only felt a glow of comfort in knowing Landon was here to keep Edward and his creepy hands away from me.
Edward studied us for a few moments, as if trying to detect whether Landon was telling the truth. “Name your price.”
“She’s not for sale. Or for trade. She’s mine.” His tone brokered no argument.
Another wave of chills. Sale or trade? What the actual fuck? I was starting to think Landon may have been right when he said I didn’t know what I was getting into by coming here alone. I was also starting to wonder if I really knew Grandpa Willy at all.
“Everything has a price. We’ll just have to see what yours is. I want this one,” he tried to reach to touch my arm, but Landon swatted his hand away.
Edward chuckled. “Always so tense.” He turned his attention to me, and his eyes grew predatory. “Sydney did mention you were playing with a new toy. Hello, toy.”
I cringed back.
Landon put his hand on my chest and urged me back toward the door. “Sydney has no idea what she’s talking about. And if I even think you’re planning on touching Andi again, I’ll break both your hands. Then I’ll make sure you lose your coin. All of you,” he added, turning his gaze toward the darkness.
I felt another cold shiver. This Edward guy was creepy enough. How many more like him were lurking just beyond the light? And what the hell were they doing before I came into the room, sitting in the dark and telling scary stories?
“That’s a dangerous path,” Edward said. “You’re sure that’s the stance you want to take?”
“Positive.”
“Can we go?” I whispered.
Landon glared at Edward for a few more seconds, then nodded. “Come on,” he said gruffly.
For once, I followed him without complaint and let him lead me back through the smoky room, the black curtain, down a winding hallway, and through a padded leather door. We were in what looked like an ordinary—if almost laughably gothic—bedroom.
I shook my head once we were inside and alone. “You take me straight to a bedroom, huh? If you think I’m going to just jump your bones because you saved me back there, you’re—”
“No,” he said. “I just wanted a quiet place where we can talk.”
I crossed my arms. “Okay. Let’s start with what the hell that was? And how many people were in that fucking room? You were talking to the shadows like you knew there were people there.”
“That was Edward Kraft. He’s… a necessary evil.”
I bulged my eyes and spread my hands. “And that means, what? You know he’s a creep, but you let him come to the club anyway? Or like how superheroes would go out of business if there were no supervillains? Because that’s bullshit. Superheroes could help people on moving day, with taxes, and way more practical stuff. Supervillains—”
“It means part of the purpose of the club is to let everybody have a safe place to experience whatever BDSM is to them. For Edward, it’s his harem.”
“His harem…” I said slowly. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t that like when a king has a swarm of fuck buddies at his disposal?”
“Something like that. Edward recruits women, and sometimes men he takes a liking to. They’re all submissive to him. He wanted you to join. That’s all.”
“That’s all. He just wanted to bully me into joining his sex slave club?”
“Despite what it seemed like; he knows the rules of the club. Nothing would’ve happened if you didn’t sign a contract.”
“Why don’t you sound entirely convinced you’re telling me the truth?”
Landon sighed. “Because I’m not sure anymore. There have been some rumors about Edward’s tactics swirling around the club these past few weeks. Rumors that he’s starting to act like he’s above the rules, or that he thinks he knows—just never mind. The point is I’ve got it handled.”
“Then take away his coin, or whatever that was you were talking about. You’re in charge, aren’t you?”
“Being in charge of a place like this isn’t a ticket to ultimate power. There are sects. Groups of influence. Above all of that, there’s the idea that nobody should feel singled out for their kink. People who lean toward Edward’s tastes see him as a kind of leader. So, if I got rid of him, I’d be setting the kind of precedent that could destroy the club and what it stands for. The price of feeling accepted for our oddities is having to accept everyone else for theirs.”
