“I’m happy,” Sierra said when the silence descended for a little too long.
Luke didn’t need to ask her why. He could tell. For the last month or so, they’d made some significant changes in their lives, and so far, they’d drastically improved their relationship. Not that Luke wanted to get into the habit of making changes just for the sake of trying to fix issues, but in this case, it was long past time.
The new house, the new club, it all seemed to fit into their lives. Much more so than watching Sierra and Cole try to form their lives around his. Luke preferred things the way they were now.
“Did you have lunch with Ashleigh today?” Luke asked absently.
“I did. She’s doing better. The doctor is letting her out of bed, although I’m not sure Alex knows she’s actually doing it.”
Luke chuckled, taking another long pull on his beer. He remembered how he and Cole were when Sierra was pregnant. Even at the time he knew they were probably taking things a little overboard, but no one could’ve told him that at the time. It was a male thing. He and Cole wanted to protect her, even from herself. It might not make sense, but it’s the way it was.
“Did she mention Dylan?”
“Yeah, she did. I don’t know if he’s doing better or if she just wants him to be doing better.”
“Kane said he hasn’t seen him in the bar as frequently as he was there for a while.”
“She said Dylan and Alex got into a fight. A physical fight.”
Luke laughed, the image of the two of them going at it flashing through his mind’s eye. “Wish I could’ve seen that one.”
Sierra smacked him playfully on the chest, and Luke laughed again. “What was that for?”
“You’re a typical male.”
Well, he could’ve told her that. He didn’t say as much though.
Cole chose that time to walk outside, carrying two beers. He handed one over to Luke before taking a seat on a chair opposite them.
“What’s up?” Luke asked Cole, noticing he had a concerned look on his face.
“Nada,” Cole answered solemnly, staring out at the water.
Sierra obviously took his nonchalance to mean something because she sat up and faced him squarely. “What’s wrong?”
“I just got off the phone with my mother,” he said, not looking at either of them.
“And?”
“She and Jackson want to come visit.”
Luke grinned to himself, trying to hide his smile behind the lip of his beer bottle. Victoria and Jackson had taken quite an interest in Hannah, but Luke fully expected them to because Victoria was her paternal grandmother. In fact, they’d taken quite fondly to Sierra as well, even before the pregnancy so, needless to say, when they learned that they were going to be grandparents, they were quite excited. For some reason, Cole was somewhat uncomfortable by their visits.
“That’s wonderful,” Sierra said, getting up and moving over to sit on Cole’s lap. “Do you have a problem with that?”
“Not necessarily, but you might.”
“Why would I have a problem with it?” Sierra was watching Cole intently, and Luke was waiting for what Cole could’ve possibly come up with for his reason.
“They want to keep Hannah overnight,” Cole stated. “Something about wanting to give us a night alone.”
Sierra smiled which actually surprised Luke. She had only let Veronica watch Hannah overnight one time, and that was the week they had moved in to the new house. Luke thought they were going to have to tranquilize her to keep her from freaking out. She’d made it through the night, but not until she called her mother at least five times. Veronica had secretly texted Luke, asking that he intervene. That or take her phone away.
“I think that’s great. Are they staying with my mother when they come down?”
Cole’s head jerked toward her like she’d actually slapped him and he stared at her like she’d lost her mind.
“You’re ok with it?”
Luke fought the urge to laugh. He really did find this amusing.
“And you’re not?” Sierra asked. She glanced over her shoulder at Luke, and he simply smiled back at her. “What about you?”
“I don’t have a problem with it,” Luke told them. “You know Veronica’s going to make sure Hannah is just fine if that’s what you’re worried about.”
Cole laughed, a sound that was hovering on hysterical. “I don’t know what the hell has gotten into you two, but shit, please do me a favor and warn me when you’re going to transform into completely different people.”
Sierra laughed, throwing her arms around Cole. “And just think, that’ll give us an entire night to ourselves.”
“Baby, I suggest you abstain from any sort of sexual activity until that time because I can tell you, no one will be sleeping that night.” Luke tipped his beer up as he said the words and laughed when they both just stared back at him.
Oh yeah, he couldn’t wait.
Chapter Twenty Seven
“Sierra?” Xander’s rugged, deep voice echoed across the enormous warehouse and had her stopping what she was doing and turning to face him. From the sound of it, he didn’t expect her to be there today.
“Hey,” she greeted him, turning back to put the last finishing touch on one of the flower arrangements she’d just put together in the main reception area.
At her suggestion, Luke and Cole decided to go with her idea of enclosing a section of the front of the warehouse to greet guests as well as set up at least two meeting rooms for potential members to meet. With nearly fifteen hundred square feet, Sierra felt they almost went a little overboard, but the outcome was better than she expected. At the very least, the area offered a little more privacy than allowing the main doors to open right into the club, and considering the changes they made, Sierra thought that was a crucial addition.
“Have you seen Luke?” Xander asked as he stood just a few feet away.
“He’s giving Logan and Sam a tour of the place,” she said with a smile.
It still amazed her how the group managed to utilize the one hundred thousand square foot warehouse effectively and turn it into an immaculate new club that was receiving more than one hundred applications per day.
“Thanks,” Xander stated before turning and heading out of the reception space. Before he made it to the exit, he stopped. “Hey, Sierra.”
“Yeah?” She turned to face him again.
“The place looks amazing.”
His compliment made her smile. It was the first time he’d told her as much. Sierra had grown quite fond of Xander Boone over the last few months. For such an intimidating man, he was one of the sweetest she’d ever met.
“Thanks,” she replied, grinning as he once again turned and exited into the newly designed club space.
Sierra had put a significant amount of work into the place, hiring various consultants to help her with the new design, ensuring their overall objective was met. Her biggest concern was that she was going to make the place appear too commercial considering what they had to work with at the beginning. The overall structure of the building was one of the most unique she’d ever seen and now that they were nearly finished, she was more than a little proud of their final product.
There had been several meetings initially with Luke, Cole, Trent and Xander to discuss and outline how they could incorporate what each of them was looking for. What they ended up with was so much more than she expected. Considering the amount of money they put into the place, Sierra shouldn’t have been all that surprised.
“Hey, baby.”
Cole’s rich, sexy voice caught her attention and had Sierra turning to face him.
“Hi,” she replied, walking across the spacious lobby area to greet him appropriately.
“Want to do one more walk through?” Cole asked as he held her close, placing a kiss to her forehead as he pulled her against his body.
“That would be perfect,” she answered. Sierra was more than a little nervou
s about the soft opening scheduled for tomorrow night, although no one else seemed to be.
Cole took her hand, and they followed the same path Xander had taken a few minutes before, leaving the lobby and going into the club area.
The space opened up perfectly, an exquisite design of glass and steel that spread out before them, and Sierra stopped to take it all in. It was still hard to believe that this used to be one insignificant space that boasted more concrete than anything. Now, thanks to her insistence, there wasn’t anything left of the drab, well-worn brown slab. It was sufficiently hidden by plush carpet, rich, dark hardwood, and expensive, yet understated tile flooring.
Cole stopped just inside the space, glancing from floor to ceiling as she stood beside him doing the same. The main floor had been remodeled completely, and despite Luke’s initial intention to keep the restrooms that had been centered right in the middle of the warehouse, Sierra had suggested that they redesign them and move them to a more appropriate location. She insisted that this wasn’t going to be a meat market. If they were looking for a much more upscale clientele, then they were going to have to work for it.
Now, directly in the center of the warehouse, on the main floor, there were four glass enclosed rooms that butted up against one another. From where she and Cole stood, Sierra could see straight through to the opposite end of the club, which she certainly liked. The restrooms had been moved to the opposite end of the building, no longer the focus of the space.
On each end of the glass enclosures, two bars stood opulent and proud, backlit with red LED lights that reflected off of the blue tinged glass. When the overhead lights were turned off, which they would be during operating hours, the bars would practically light up the entire area.
In order to keep the openness, a second floor had been added, although they kept a similar design to the other club, incorporating twelve hundred square feet of rooms, some private, some enclosed in glass and visible to anyone who wanted a front row view. From where Sierra stood looking up, she saw mostly steel beams and catwalks and a very sexy wrought iron railing that outlined the second floor. The upstairs rooms outlined the perimeter of the building and accessible from the narrow hallway, which meant that, from the first floor, there was a brief glimpse of each room through the railing, but guests would be mostly hidden from view. Some of the rooms had glass fronts, which would offer occupants the ability to be seen from the outside if that was, in fact, their choice. Others had solid doors that afforded them a measure of privacy.
Cole led her past the first bar, the large glass rooms that could be reserved for the most adventurous types who wanted to be the center of attention, the second bar and then stopped in front of the dance floor. Sierra was a little amused by the fact that Trent insisted on a dance floor. It was nice, she had to admit, and she couldn’t wait to see what sort of dances went on there. Trent was currently in the process of trying to persuade Luke to let him hire some dancers of his own. He’d even had a couple of catwalk stages designed and installed for that very possibility. Sierra was pretty sure Luke would cave eventually, but for now he seemed to enjoy making Trent beg.
After checking the few details she had left on her list of the first floor action items, Sierra moved to the stairs with Cole directly behind her. At the top of the back stairs, they turned to the right, entering a code that would allow them access to the main offices.
The area was soundproofed with the most expensive material, but Sierra still doubted it would filter out all of the noise. Because she had a couple of items she needed to follow up on, she stopped by Trent’s office first. He wasn’t in, so she stepped in, checking to ensure that the blinds had been installed and that the broken tile in the en suite bathroom shower had been fixed. When those items were checked off, she followed Cole to the next office, which belonged to Xander.
“Come in,” the rusty baritone called from behind the closed door when she knocked softly.
Sierra opened the door slowly and stepped inside.
“Cole,” Xander greeted him quickly, then turned his attention back to his computer screen.
“Just wanted to make sure they were able to get your requests taken care of,” Sierra stated, glancing around quickly. She was well aware of the fact that Xander Boone had some rather intense kinks and his office had been outfitted to accommodate those, which she found rather amusing.
“Sure did,” he answered with a sly grin, not looking up from his computer monitor.
“Perfect,” Sierra said shyly and then backed out of the room with Cole behind her. She heard him chuckle, and she couldn’t hide the smile as she shut the door.
“What are you laughing at?” she asked, turning to face him.
“You.”
“And why do I amuse you?”
“You’re just so damned cute.” Leaning down, he kissed her on the nose before she turned away.
“Cute? I’m cute,” she mumbled beneath her breath as she moved on to Luke’s office.
Out of respect, not knowing whether he was inside talking to Logan and Sam or not, she waited for him to answer. When there wasn’t a reply, she opened the door and stepped inside.
All four men’s offices were exactly the same size, and they all lined the far back wall of the warehouse, sandwiched between the exterior wall and a wall of windows that overlooked the entire space. From each office, they had a unique view of everything that was going on below them, as well as several of the rooms. Their windows were mirrored so no one else could see in, even if the lights were on, but they could see out.
Luke’s blinds were open, and as Sierra stepped inside, she noticed Logan and Sam heading back down the front stairs to the main floor with Luke a few feet in front of them. Wanting to have a minute or two to talk to Sam, Sierra made quick work of checking the last few items on Luke’s list and then moved quickly to Cole’s office through the adjoining door. The other offices did not connect to one another, but Luke had insisted that they have adjoining doors, although either or both could be locked from each office.
“Were they able to fix the issue in the bathroom?” Sierra asked as she checked to see that the carpet had been fixed per her request.
“Not sure. Maybe you should check?” Cole said gruffly, and Sierra glanced back at him over her shoulder.
“You’re a devious man, Cole Ackerley.” Laughing, she headed to the opulent bathroom that looked exactly the same in each of the offices to see that the shower door was now in place. Before she could turn around fully, Sierra found herself pressed against the tiled wall with Cole’s solid chest sandwiching her from the front.
“One of these days, we’re going to christen this office,” he growled, his lips coming down to hers softly.
“Promise?” she asked breathlessly, wrapping one leg around the back of his in an attempt to pull him closer.
“Absolutely.”
The kiss deepened, her nerve endings danced merrily and she suddenly wished they had a few spare minutes.
Cole pulled away, smiling down at her. “I know, I know. You’re supposed to be refraining for the time being.”
Sierra laughed. Yes, if Luke had his way, she would not be having sex until later that night. The night she’d been looking forward to since Cole had told her that his mother was coming for a visit. Hannah would be spending the night at her mother’s, and Victoria would be there to happily coo and cuddle with her granddaughter.
As much as she hated to be away from Hannah, and she knew Luke and Cole felt the same way, she was looking forward to having this night with them. Sort of like an opportunity to tie up some of the loose ends they’d all been feeling were present in their relationship.
In fact, that meant she had one errand to run before tonight.
“Come on,” she said, grabbing Cole’s hand and leading him back into his office and then out into the hallway. “I need to check two of the rooms, and then I’m good.”
They finished with the impromptu walk through and then headed back to
the main reception area where she found Sam waiting for her.
“Can you do me a favor?” she asked in a conspiratorial tone after Cole left her to go back and talk to Luke. Sierra had a plan for the following night when the club opened, and with Sam’s help, she just might be able to pull this off.
Chapter Twenty Eight
Luke was the first one home after having spent the better part of the afternoon with Xander going over the last few details before the soft opening of the club tomorrow night. They were ready. More than ready, actually.
Because of the changes they’d made, some of them significant, some not, Luke knew his new club was a fitting tribute to the old club that they were officially letting go of. At least the fetish piece of it.
Before he did anything else, he called and ordered dinner to be delivered, grateful for the services that would deliver practically anything from any restaurant right to the front door. Since he knew tonight wasn’t the sort of night that should be celebrated with pizza and beer – well, without the pizza anyway – he knew he had to come up with something.
A few minutes after he hung up the phone, Sierra walked in, a smile spread across her face.
“What are you grinning about?”
“No reason,” she laughed as she walked into his arms, wrapping hers around his waist as she looked up at him. “Have I told you how much I love you lately?”
“No, in fact, I don’t think you have,” he joked, pressing his lips to the top of her head.
“Well, then, I guess you’ll have to wait a little longer until I tell you again.” Sierra stepped away from him, and Luke smacked her on the ass as she turned.
“What’s in the bag?”
“None of your business,” she answered slyly as she moved just out of his reach and disappeared into the other room. “Don’t you dare come into the bedroom until I tell you that it’s ok,” she hollered as she headed toward the master bedroom at the back of the house.
Grabbing a beer out of the refrigerator, Luke hoped it would help to calm his nerves. Or maybe just curb his excitement. He had been waiting for tonight for what seemed like forever, although it had only been a week since Cole mentioned his mother was coming into town. It had given him plenty of time to work himself up about the prospect of what would happen. Giving up total control, or even the prospect of it, was much more difficult than he expected that it would be.
Devotion (Club Destiny #7) Page 21