AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Doesn’t that bother you?”
“No. I feel safe with you and not knowing. I don’t need to know what my next day will be, what the rules are, or what someone expects of me.”
Her eyes challenge me, and I hear myself.
“Spoken like a rich white man, I know, but that’s not it.” I look out the window and try to find a way to say it. “I fell in love with a woman I couldn’t have. Then I fell in love with a man I couldn’t be with and learned that love doesn’t have to know.”
“All I’ve ever known is knowing.” She shrugs. “Knowing that I loved Redix. Knowing I was going to marry him. That I was going to get the men who hurt us. I had my life planned. And now—”
“And now you’re free.”
She doesn’t reply. Her eyes cast down, and she’s looking for chains that aren’t there anymore.
“Cade.” Her eyes lift. “Let’s not know together.”
“Then what?”
“Then we’ll know it when we feel it.” I lean over and pull her into a kiss. Damn, when I touch her, I’m vacationing in a paradise that’s not mine. “Do you still want to go to that club?”
She sighs over my lips, “Yes,” and in twenty minutes, we’re there.
The brick building is nondescript. It’s one of the dozens that used to be the Navy Yard by the river. Now, businesses are popping up. But I was introduced to this place years ago and come back occasionally.
And, of course, the detective asks, “How do you know about this club?”
I clear my throat because this history isn’t romantic, unlike Charlie or Alec.
“A friend of my mom’s owns it. She’s secretly a dominatrix and hosts private parties every Saturday night.”
I drop that bomb and let Cade see through the dust.
“You know that sounds like Fifty—”
“I know.” I stop her. “Maybe that’s where she got the idea, but it’s not like that. Faye reached out to me after my parents disowned me. Guess she put one and one together, pun intended, and I come sometimes.” I laugh. “Another pun intended.”
“So you’re into BDSM?”
I park the car outside the building. There are a couple dozen parked here. Some I recognize.
“Nah. That’s not my kink. A little bondage, yeah. But pain doesn’t get me off.”
I give her a lot to ponder while I take her hand and lead her to the door where two guards stand.
“You don’t have to do anything,” I explain before entering. The guys know me and only ask for our phones. “We can just watch. But get ready. You’ll see a lot.”
“Silas, I’m not a virgin college reporter.” She doesn’t need to roll her eyes. Her tone lays me flat. “I did BDSM modeling campaigns, I’ve been a cop for seven years, and I fucked Marines for fun, sometimes two at a time. I’m fine.”
And she’s not fazed. The man bound to a St. Andrew’s cross, the woman bent over a paddling bench, the two men fucking on a sofa; none of it makes her bat a lash. Not even when Faye greets us in black latex with nipple clamps on her bare breasts does Cade’s hand twitch in mine.
“Long time no see.” Faye pecks my cheek and offers her hand to Cade. “Mistress Faye at your service, if you like.”
“I’m Cade.” She shakes her hand like it’s a bridal shower. “Thanks for having us.”
“Oh, Ms. Cade, I haven’t had you… yet.” Faye winks. “But the night’s just starting.” She sashays away, and I guide Cade to the bar.
“There’s no alcohol served. But they’re known for their virgin lemon juleps.”
“I’m never leaving,” Cade announces, accepting her drink with a smile.
