“It means a lot to me that we’re taking care of each other.” So much emotion flashed across her face. Fear and uncertainty, but he glimpsed hope, too. “I’ve never had that before,” she continued. “I don’t rely on people. I’m not just independent, I’m closed off.”
She grew quiet.
The music swirled around them while they danced close. Their connection was so much more than physical.
“This isn’t just a work thing,” he said, peering into her eyes. “We’re fighting this, but there’s something going on.”
“I’ve been trying to keep you at arm’s length. But…I, I can’t…anymore. I just can’t.”
The sounds of cheers and noisemakers floated through the club and into the office. “Happy New Year.” He tightened his hold and kissed her. Soft fingers slipped into his hair and she caressed the back of his neck. When the kiss ended, she didn’t let go, didn’t break away. This time, she stayed. As he breathed in her delicious scent, the answer came to him.
She’s the one.
Then, she kissed him with such ferocity that a growl shot out of him, the passion and need hitting him full on.
“We’ve got this,” he said, though he didn’t have a clue how to navigate through it. Love meant loss and abandonment. Love meant living in fear. Love meant leaving.
“You mightthinkyou’ve got this,” she caressed his jawline, “but you’re grinding the hell out of your teeth.”
“Let’s finish what we came to do, then get the hell out of here. We need to welcome in the New Year with you screaming my name while I make you writhe with pleasure beneath me.”
“Oh, God, yes.”
They spent over an hour combing through Eckert’s database, but there was no record of a woman named Rave ever having been there. The champagne was long gone, and Sin’s shoulders ached. He pushed out of the chair. “I’m going to check the place out. Come with me.”
“You go. I’ll catch you in a bit.”
Sin’s club was successful because he knew his members. He spoke with them, counseled them, and offered them suggestions for expanding their kink or playing with a different partner. The only way he was going to find Rave was to ask around.
He sauntered into the rope bondage play area and stood in the back. After a few minutes, a man and a woman approached.
“Happy New Year,” the man said. “Watching or playing?”
“I’m looking for Rave. Seen her?”
“Sorry, no idea who that is,” said the man.
“Wait, who?” asked the woman.
“Rave. She’s into bondage.”
“Katarina might know her,” said the woman. “She’s into ropes.”
“Is she here?”
“Yeah.”
Sin pulled out a fifty. “Bring her to me and this is yours.”
The couple left and Sin leaned against the wall. Two women approached him.
“What’s a good-looking guy like you doing all alone on New Year’s Eve?” asked the first. “Into bondage?”
“I’m into control and sensory deprivation,” Sin replied. “What’s your thing?”
The second woman tilted her head back and stared up at him. “Welcoming in the New Year with you. Holy hell, you’re rockin’ hot.”
“I’m looking for a woman named Rave,” Sin said.
