Garrick didn't break his stare with Jade when he answered. "Just a few more minutes, Kimberly."
"Good, It's so hot in here." She began to fan herself with one hand, still resting the other on his arm. "I didn't get a chance to talk with you before tonight, but I was hoping we could talk now?"
His dark eyes swung away. "Kimberly, we've said everything that needed saying. I'm in the middle of something right now." Without being overly showy he pulled his arm away and raised his chin in the direction of the crowd. "I'm sure Sam could use a partner tonight."
Something close to rage flashed in her crystal blues before she shoved it away and a brilliant smile appeared. "Sure. Maybe I'll see if I can find him." With not so much as a glance Jade's way, she turned and shoved her way back through the crowd.
"Well known in these parts?" Jade supervised the venom in her own voice. Garrick simply grinned.
"I thought you weren't going anywhere special tonight?" he leaned against the bar, drawing her closer to him by leaning toward her. He'd shaved; she could smell the musk of his shaving cream. The warmth of the spicy scent tempered her frazzled nerves. Being the cure and the cause at the same time didn't clear things up for her.
She glanced over the crowd as it began to filter away from them. "I think they opened the doors." She picked up her glass, intending to get lost in the sea of people, but his hand rested on her arm, completely stilling her.
They'd been friends for years; they'd even fallen asleep in bed together during high school, but this wasn't high school. And it wasn’t any old touch.
He didn’t simply ask for her attention; he denied her the ability to walk away. It was a command. Silent, but still there. The heat from his hand radiated up her arm, sending a chill down her spine. Every bit of a contradiction.
When her eyes swept up to meet his, her breath hitched. A stern expression met her; his warm brown eyes darker now that he stared down at her. His lips were relaxed, and full, and like every other time she'd noticed his mouth, she wanted to kiss him. To feel his heat pressed against hers, and have her breath knocked out of her.
Damn him. She hated sappy romance, and there she was, living it. The room began to cool down as the party goers filed into the dungeons and private areas, leaving them only with a handful of other couples in the lounge.
"Why didn't you tell me you were coming here tonight?" he asked in a low voice.
"Why didn't you tell me you'd be here?" she countered. There were plenty of times he didn't tell her what his plans were, though now she had a better idea as to why. "Maybe you thought it was private?"
His left eyebrow arched, and his hand moved to relieve her of her wine glass. "You don't do well with wine on an empty stomach, and I have a good feeling you didn't eat dinner before you came." It wasn’t fair. He knew so much, and she stood there knowing nothing.
"I-" She stopped short of lying, that damn eyebrow nearly disappeared into his hair line. The usual attraction she felt toward him shifted into overdrive with his dominant side starting to peek out at her. She needed to get away from him if she had any hope of enjoying the evening without pining away for him. "I didn't think you'd go for this sort of place, and I didn’t want another lecture about dating." Somewhat true. His habit of getting all in her love life grated on her. He didn’t want her, but he seemed unwilling to let anyone else have a shot either.
"Go for it? Hell, I own a small percentage of it." His arrogant grin didn't persuade her to drop her annoyance.
"You own this place?"
"Not all of it, just a few shares."
"You never told me you bought into a BDSM club." She pointed out, annoyed with his own deception. They told each other everything. At least she thought they did.
"I have shares in a lot of clubs." He took a sip of her wine. "Besides, I didn't think you'd go for a place like this."
Using her own words against her was harsh.
She took a deep breath and looked for Carissa. Of course, she was nowhere to be found, probably off with the Neanderthal.
"Well, I guess we have more in common than we thought." Her cheeks heated at her words. They were at a club where spanking, bondage, and sex were bound to be center stage, and she talked about it as though they enjoyed the same genre of movies.
"I guess," he laughed. Finishing her wine, he slid the glass across the bar to the bartender. "No more, thanks. And no liquor for Jade here. Only water or pop."
The bartender nodded and made a note on a pad of paper on the bar.
"What the hell?" She shoved at his arm.
"I already said, you don't handle your wine on an empty stomach. And if you shove me like that again, I'll be forced to show you what else we have in common."
"Oh, yeah? What's that?" The alarm bells rang, but she wasn't about to answer. Not yet.
He stepped closer to her, pushing her short locks behind her ears and capturing her face in his hands. Her knees weakened at his close proximity, but when he brought his face close to hers, looking like he was about to kiss her, she had to grip the bar to keep from slipping out of his grasp.
Warmth rolled off of him and washed over her lips. Her eyelids fluttered closed, and she parted her lips, waiting for his lips to press against hers. Her pulse ran rapid, and her breath became harder to control, but it would be worth it. His kiss would settle all of her raging emotions.
"Discipline." The whispered word yanked her from her trance.
Her eyes flew open, and she found him staring into them, a soft smile tugging at his lips. Like he knew what he'd just done. Drew her in, made her want him, and yanked it all away.
"What?" She tried to pull back, but his tight grip didn’t give, and she didn't want him to stop touching her.
"Discipline. Punishment. We have those in common, too."
Chapter 4
If her eyes widened any further, she might actually damage them, and her eyes were too damn beautiful, too damn transparent to be injured.
Garrick released her, but didn't step back, nor did she pull any further away.
"Now. You have a few choices here, Jade. One; you can stick by my side tonight, and I'll give you the tour of the place or you can go off on your own."
Her mind worked fast. He didn't know anyone who could size up a situation as quickly as Jade, probably a side effect of being an ER nurse.
"If you give me the tour will you introduce me to some of the guys here? Like the good ones?"
She didn't understand, but he was nothing if not a patient teacher. "No." He shook his head. "If you stick with me, you'll be mine for the evening."
"Oh." Her lips formed the perfect ring, and her body released some of its tension. "Uh, what does that mean exactly?"
He laughed again. Turning, he pressed his back against the bar and his arm snaked around her waist. With a swift move, he yanked her to his side. Damn, she fit so well. He always loved pulling her against him. It always felt right, but this time there was more than comfort involved. This time, he claimed her. For him to hold a woman at the club in the way he cradled her to him meant she was under his protection. Those who knew him, would see the act and know what it meant.
"It means, Jade, that you belong to me."
"Garrick, I can handle myself. I'm not a little girl." She pulled out from his side and faced off with him. The woman really didn't know. She had no fucking clue how much he wanted her. It was his fault really, having distanced himself from her for so long. For her protection, he'd thought.
"So, you want to go off on your own?" No fucking way that was happening.
She stuck her thumb nail between her teeth and nibbled.
"Jade." He pulled her hand from her mouth and pulled her toward him until her chest pressed against his. Her dress barely held her tits inside of it, not that he minded, but he really wasn't into sharing or having his girl flaunt what was his. Except they weren't his, yet. "Do you really want to go out on your own? I mean maybe you just think of me as a friend, but-" he paused. That fuc
king friend zone shit needed to end, and it was ending now. No more hiding there. The whole point of the night for him was to bust out of his restrictive mentality. "I don't think of you that way anymore. I haven't for a long time." There. He’d said it.
Her fingers wiggled in his grip, but he didn't let go. She needed to say the words if she wanted to be let go on her own.
Confusion passed over her expression first, but only for a second before understanding filled her. In the glow of the white Christmas lights sparkling overhead, he could make out the fresh blush of her cheeks. Every tense muscle relaxed in his body all at once.
"Really?" She tilted her head. If she was waiting for him to say he was kidding, she'd be standing there a long ass time.
"Really."
Her teeth scraped over her bottom lip and her pulse pressed harder against her wrist. "Okay."
"Okay?" That's all? He'd practically poured his heart out, and he got an okay?
"Yeah. I mean, give me the tour. You obviously know a lot more than me, and if things aren't totally fucking weird by the end of the night, maybe we could talk more about it. Later."
Practicality was yet another trait he liked about her. No frantic panting, or panicky questions. Just open mindedness toward something new, even when chartering the new waters with him.
"And if it destroys our friendship, I'll kick your ass." She yanked her hands out of his and waved to the bartender. "Can I get a Moscato please."
He didn't intervene, instead he stepped aside to let her get nearer to the bar. She hadn't forgotten his dictate about the wine, no, she had a memory like a steel vault. She either hoped he'd cave because of their unique situation, or she pushed to see what he would do. Either way, his response remained the same.
"Sorry, Jade. Garrick said no wine; I can get you a water if you'd like."
She turned her eyes to Garrick. "You really meant that? I mean he's going to listen to you about what I can have?"
Garrick nodded and cupped her elbow, pulling her away from the bar. "Absolutely. And you should have listened, too." He didn't pause in his step even a moment when she hesitated at the door to the dungeon. "We'll just count that as one. I wouldn't let the count get too high before the night ends, though."
"What does that mean?"
He gave her a knowing grin. "I think you know. Now, let's see what sort of trouble is going on in here." A well-timed crack of a whip greeted them as they stepped into the main dungeon.
Chapter 5
Garrick was into her? Not just into her but wanted to play Dom with her. Jade could barely wrap her mind around that new development let alone listen to all of the things he talked about as they toured the dungeons.
She'd seen plenty of BDSM porn and knew what most of the rigs were used for, but she hadn't expected to get so aroused by watching the scenes playing out before them. Naked bodies everywhere, sounds of fucking coming at her from all corners of the room. And the entire time Garrick held her close to him, their bodies pressing against each other at all times. It was as though he didn't want to give her a chance to blow away from him. Like she would even consider it.
All those years of secretly crushing on him, and he'd been doing the same? There was something to be said for open communication.
"There's Carissa." Garrick pointed toward the corner. The room he'd taken her in had a homey feel to it. There were a few spanking benches, but no other bondage rigs. A few couches were scattered throughout the room.
Carissa was with the same guy from earlier and when Jade took a step toward her, Garrick pulled her back. "She's in a scene, don't interrupt."
"A scene?" Carissa sat on the floor in front of the guy, who sat in a chair behind her, brushing her hair. "What are they doing?"
"That's Jamison. A friend, she's in good hands." He cupped her elbow again and gently pried her from the room. Once they were in the lounge again, he sat her at a table and went to the bar to get them drinks.
"Carissa's more into age play than I thought," she commented when returned with a bottle of water for her.
"Guess so." He sat in his chair with his hands folded in his lap. "Now, about you." His eyes narrowed as she sipped her water.
"Me? I'm not into age play," she shook her head.
"What are you into? What did you see tonight that got those lace panties all wet?"
She'd spent most of the night pulling her dress down so no one would see those panties. "I'm not wet." The lie slipped through her lips before she could even second guess the idea.
He shook his head. "I promise you; you are soaking wet."
"Garrick-"
"Jade." His eyes darkened and he leaned forward, putting his hands on her knees. "You can either admit it, or I can check. Which is it going to be?"
Laughter bubbled up inside of her. The whole situation was getting silly. Garrick was one of her best friends. The idea he'd check her panties, and that she wanted him to, shook her a bit more than she'd thought it would.
"You giggle when you're nervous," he said. "You also chew that damn lip of yours when you're thinking too hard. And you scratch the back of your neck when you're trying to come up with a lie." She realized her fingers were running along her neck.
"This isn't fair, you know too much." She teased him and pushed his knee away with her foot. A playful act, that usually would warrant him to roll his eyes, but this time was different. This time, he was not just her friend.
"Come here, Jade." He pushed his chair back from the table and crooked his finger at her. She pressed her lips together hard, not wanting to giggle again. He'd been right about that, and at the moment she was more than a little nervous.
"I rarely ask twice. Make note of that. Now, come here." He pointed to the spot on the floor right in front of him.
"Garrick, what if this changes everything in a bad way?" She stood from her chair but didn't move toward him.
"It won't." Confidence filled those two words. As though he'd weighed it all before, he'd approached her. "Now, if I have to ask a third time, there will be punishment."
Not sure she wanted to go there with him yet, she stepped to him, stopping when he spread his knees and pinned her between them.
"Now. This dress, although extremely hot on you, is unacceptable. I don't want to see you dressed like this again, do you understand me?"
She regarded him silently, unsure of what to say at first, then decided he probably wanted a yes or no. "Yes, I understand. Carissa lent it to me." She pulled down on the hem again, then yanked on the neck line to pull it back up.
"Now, I want you to lift the dress up, show me your panties." He leaned back in his chair, looking unwilling to assist her in the slightest.
"Uh-" she looked around the room. Several other tables were filled with couples or small groups of people.
"What did I say about me repeating myself?" A hardness entered his tone. She’d always known him to be less than patient, but this new tone of his- it sent shivers through her. Good shivers, and all to the right places.
"But there’s people." She raised her chin toward the rest of the room.
"I'm aware. So where were you when you made the decision to come here tonight. Do you think one of these other guys you were going to try to hook up with would have let you stay clothed this long?"
He probably had a point, but she hadn't hooked up with any of them. She'd hooked up with him. One of her best friends.
"Are you angry I came here tonight? How can you be upset about that?"
"I'm upset because I'm going to have to repeat myself. Jade, lift up your dress and show me those panties." He annunciated each word perfectly; his eyes never wavering away from hers, and his jaw set.
"Sorry." She nodded and grasped the hem of the dress. The fabric pulled easily as she raised it up, past her sex, past the tiny patch of hair hidden beneath the purple lace of her panties, and up around her waist. In for a penny in for a pound, after all.
He inhaled and grinned. "I can smell your arousal,
that's how wet you are."
She darted her eyes to the other people to see if they'd heard him. No one even glanced in their direction.
"Now, roll your panties down to your knees."
"Garrick." He'd seen her in her panties before, at least once or twice in college and a few more as adults. But this time was different. This time, she felt his stare, felt the warmth of his eyes on her. This time there was intention that wasn’t there before. This time, there was open desire.
He sighed but made no other move to make her obey or give any other warnings.
Her shaking fingers found the elastic of her panties, and she rolled them down over her rounded hips and further still until they were around her knees. When she stood up, she caught a glimpse of his smile. Pride. And it made all the difference. The embarrassment she harbored dissipated.
"Put your hands on my shoulders." He scooted a little further up on his chair, making it easier for her.
Garrick worked out four times a week, which included weight training and running. As much as she teased him for all the weight equipment he kept in his apartment, she fully appreciated it when her hands rested on his shoulders. Beneath his collared cotton shirt, she could feel the strength of his muscles. She'd seen him with his shirt off before, but she hadn't felt him, really felt him before.
"Now, I'm going to check, and if you're wet, that means you lied. And if you lie, what do you think happens?"
He had to crane his neck back to look up at her. "You'll punish me?" she breathed.
He chuckled. "You want to confess?"
Of course, she didn't, but she didn't want to ruin the evening by lying either.
"You're scratching your neck again. Put your hand back on my shoulder."
Damn him.
"Last chance."
"I might be a little," she whispered, looking at a spot over his head.
"Well, let's see."
Before she could register the fact Garrick was about to touch her, he was. Two thick fingers glided between her folds. The action met no friction since she was more than a little wet. Even the nervousness of being on his arm all night hadn't dampened the desire which built with each new scene she'd witnessed.
Club Dark Lace: Complete Dark Lace Series Page 2