by Grant, Livia
“Yet, it still matters to Jaxson and Chase and Emma, and therefore it matters to us.”
“Yeah? Well, if it matters so much, where the fuck is Jaxson? I know they wanted to have their little Valentine’s morning fuckfest in Colorado, but when does he get his ass here?” Spencer snapped, glancing back at the stage to see Terry and Garreth setting up the roulette wheels on stage. At least someone is getting shit done.
“You do realize Colorado is two hours behind D.C., right? He left as early as he could, on a chartered plane from what Emma said, and he’ll land about 4:30.”
“Four fucking thirty?” Spencer groaned and scraped his fingers through his short hair. “With traffic it could be six o’clock before he’s here from the airport. That’s barely before Roulette starts!”
“Then it’s lucky for us that Jaxson isn’t the MC for tonight,” Maxine replied with an almost motherly tone, which somehow grated his nerves worse than her normal sharp banter.
“Yeah, Elixxir.” Spencer huffed. “That kid hasn’t done anything like this before, and he won’t be able to just turn on some music if he forgets his lines.”
“He’s great with the crowd, Cook. Everyone loves him already and he’s got a great personality — which you’d know if you ever gave him a chance.” Maxine gave him a pointed look over the top of her tablet. “You need to take a breath, finish that drink Klara poured you, and relax. Jaxson will be here in time to do his little welcome comments, DJ Elixxir will be fine, and if you can keep your head out of your ass long enough to keep the fun going for Roulette then you might actually win this little pissing contest with Elijah.”
“We are going to win,” Spencer ground out through his teeth, and Maxine just smiled.
“Of course you are.” Tapping her tablet once more, she dropped it to her side and reached across to smack him on the arm. “Try not to rip everyone’s heads off. Save the badass routine for the members when they arrive, alright?”
“Don’t you have things you can be doing?” he asked, crossing his arms as he stepped away from her.
“I absolutely do. I’ll be upstairs, but feel free to send one of your minions after me if you need me to hold your hand.”
“Fuck off, Maxine.”
“I think there will be plenty of that tonight, don’t you?” she quipped, laughing to herself as she turned to walk back toward the stairs up to Runway.
Growling under his breath, Spencer marched back to the bar where Klara was already setting another whiskey on the bar top.
“Did you play nice with Maxine?” Klara asked, leaning on the bar to give him an excellent view of her cleavage and those sinful red lips she wore every time she tended bar.
“No.” Grabbing the drink, he tipped it up and let the burn roll down his throat.
“Well, that’s good. Wouldn’t want to confuse her into thinking you’re not an asshole.”
Spencer’s head snapped up and Klara just grinned at him.
“But I love you, and everything is going to go just fine tonight. Elijah and Black Light West won’t know what hit them.” Reaching over, she squeezed his hand and he didn’t brush her off. No one in the world got him quite like Klara Eriksson-Cook, but tonight wasn’t something she could guarantee. Fierce little Swedish bartender or not, tonight was going to come down to the couples playing and whether or not Jaxson liked what he saw.
Maybe I should have been nicer to the cocky prick all these years.
Finishing the drink, he set it down with a thunk. “I’m going to go find someone to yell at.”
“That always makes you feel better,” Klara answered with a grin, giving his hand one more squeeze before she let him go.
“Love you,” he said, and she winked at him as he turned to march out onto the floor to see who was fucking up — and God help the first idiot he found being lazy. He’d put the freshly cleaned whips into practice before he lost this war without a fight.
Showtime at Black Light East
Elixxir
Black Light East
February 14th, 6:30pm
Adjusting his headphones, Marvin ‘Elixxir’ Washington shifted on the plush couch, flicking through his notecards one more time. Chase had given him tips for the MC gig tonight, but even after they’d talked about it… he didn’t feel confident. Sure, he performed in front of hundreds of people almost every night of the week, but this was different.
It wasn’t a bunch of drunk club kids listening to his music. No, this was politicians and rich people and doms and subs that he respected listening to him — just him — talk while running the most important event of the entire year.
No pressure.
Sighing, he leaned forward again to peek down three stories to the dance floor of Runway. The club wasn’t open yet, but it would be soon, and he could already see the giant inflatable coyote attached to the second floor DJ stand. That asshole DJ Fullmoon was going to make Runway look like a fucking joke on Valentine’s Day, and he was using his DJ booth to do it.
“Fucker,” Elixxir mumbled under his breath, sagging back against the couch to stare up at the dimmed lights in the ceiling. Music thumped steadily in his ears, blocking out whatever noise was rising up from below, but it wasn’t helping him focus like it usually did.
When Chase, Jaxson, and Emma had asked him to MC for Valentine Roulette, he’d jumped at the chance. Ever since he’d found out about the club, he’d been going on his off nights to enjoy it. He’d even played with some of the subs, and he liked it, but he was still a newbie.
Everyone knew he was a newbie.
And now he was leading the fucking event that people scrambled for every damn year.
Tonight could either be awesome for him, or a complete and utter fuck-up, and which way it was going to go would be down to fate… but he’d always had a knack for sneaking by on wit and charm and he’d just have to use that skill to make it a success no matter what fate had in mind.
“Marvin!” Maxine snapped from the doorway, her face flushed with fury, and he jerked to attention, ripping his headphones off as she huffed. “You’ve been hiding way up here all this time? I swear I’ve been over every inch of this damn club! Do you have any idea what time it is?”
“Shit!” Standing up, Elixxir glanced at his watch and groaned. “I’ve been reviewing my notecards for the welcome speech, and—”
“I don’t care what you’ve been doing! Spencer is going to skin you alive if you don’t get downstairs right now!” Muttering under her breath, Maxine marched toward the elevator and he followed quickly on her heels. “I can’t believe you were up here on the third floor, Marvin.”
Cringing, Elixxir tucked the notecards away. “Come on, you know how much I hate that.”
“Yeah? Well, when you act like a child, I’m gonna call you by your name. Elixxir is supposed to be a professional who doesn’t hide in a damn lounge three floors above where he’s scheduled to work!”
“I’m sorry, Max. Come on, you know I wouldn’t have been late for real, and I’ve been stressing because that fuck DJ Fullmoon is messing up my area and—”
“No!” Maxine raised a finger in his face just as the elevator arrived. “You don’t get to complain to me right now. Get inside.”
Moving into the elevator, he tried his best charming smile and spread his arms wide. “Max, when have I ever missed a gig?”
“Don’t look at me with your cute face, you don’t get to use cute face right now. Spencer has been on my ass all day, and I had to step away from Runway stuff to track you down.” Huffing, Maxine swept her bangs off her forehead as she pressed the button for the first floor.
“I’m sorry?” Elixxir offered, still working his smile, and eventually he saw Maxine’s lips twitch at the corner.
“Ugh, I hate how much I like you sometimes.” Her shoulders relaxed a bit as she rolled her eyes. “Fine, you’re forgiven, but that isn’t going to mean much when you face Spencer and Jaxson in a minute.”
Fuck.
�
�Jaxson is here?” All the wit and charm in the world wouldn’t mean jack shit in front of Jaxson Cartwright-Davidson. The dude was serious as fuck, and always more intense when Emma and Chase weren’t around.
“Yep,” Maxine replied with a crisp pop of her lips, and all Elixxir could do was groan. “But he’s not who you should be scared of, Spencer is on the warpath today with his little pissing contest against Elijah out at Black Light West.”
“Right, the whole voting thing the non-participants are doing.”
“Well, yeah, but we all know that Jaxson and Chase are going to make the real decision on which club wins overall. It’s war, and we’re right in the middle of it.”
“Lucky us,” Elixxir muttered as the elevator opened.
“Go head downstairs, I have stuff to handle up here,” Maxine said, already walking in the direction of the bar.
Even though he should be hurrying to Black Light, he couldn’t move from his spot because the ten-foot-tall inflatable wolf was now blinking on and off in a variety of colors. It looked cheap, and stupid, and instead of apologizing to Maxine he should have pointed out this crap and told her exactly why he would have preferred anyone other than DJ Fullmoon filling in for him tonight.
“Fucking fullmoon asshat…” Elixxir grumbled as he marched to the hall to sneak down the hidden stairs to Black Light. Just as he opened the door into the locker room, Danny started laughing.
“Oh, man, you’re in for it.”
“That bad, huh?” Elixxir asked, grinning at Danny as the man shook his head.
“I’m not sure if you’ve had your ass whipped before tonight, but if you don’t find Spencer ASAP you’re gonna find out.” Danny pressed the button to let him into the club, and Elixxir hurried inside to search for Spencer — not that it was hard to find him.
Spencer Cook was standing in front of the stage with Jaxson and neither of them looked happy. Breaking into a jog, he came up to them just as both men turned to face him with their arms crossed.
“Decided to show up?” Spencer asked, his face a mask of enraged stone.
“We’ve got plenty of time,” Elixxir replied, grinning as he shrugged his shoulders. “Plus, I’ve got this.”
Fake it till you make it, right?
“Ignore Spencer, he’s always wound tight.” Jaxson offered his hand, and Elixxir shook it with a chuckle.
“Yeah, but without him this place wouldn’t run, so we still like him.”
“Sucking up doesn’t make you less of a fuck-up, Marvin.” Spencer put more emphasis on his real name than necessary, but Elixxir managed to grin at the grouchy Dungeon Master.
“Love you too, sir.”
Jaxson chuckled a little before running a hand over his face. “Look, I’m already dealing with one pissing contest between you and Elijah, I’m not in the mood to referee for you, Spencer. I had to schedule sex this morning and then spent a goddamn fortune to fly here on a chartered plane just to be here for your Roulette war today — so cut it the fuck out.”
“You had to schedule sex?” Elixxir asked, confused.
“I can tell you don’t have kids. Between the flights Chase and I had to be on today, and the risk of the twins needing us, we were all up at the crack of fucking dawn to have time to celebrate Valentine’s our way.” Shaking his head, Jaxson looked up at the ceiling and sighed. “I swear, next year I’m not agreeing to this insanity.”
“Well, thank you for being here, sir,” Elixxir answered just as Spencer scoffed and rolled his eyes.
“Get on stage for sound check. Now.” Snapping his fingers, Spencer pointed up the stairs and Elixxir gave Jaxson a quick salute before marching up the steps.
It took longer than Elixxir expected for the sound system at Black Light to get adjusted. They didn’t use the microphone setup in the club very often, and that meant it wasn’t as well-tuned as the booth in Runway, but after almost twenty minutes they got it done.
Just a few minutes before Spencer might have actually killed him for delaying it.
People were already pouring into the club, crowding the tables and chairs near the bar, and the additional seating set up temporarily in front of the stage. He’d heard that a lot of tickets had sold for non-participants, but this was more people than he’d ever seen downstairs.
Of course, it’s not like he ever got to come on the most popular nights. Wednesdays and Thursdays weren’t exactly the hottest nights for any club, which is why he got to come down in the first place.
Several men had already begun to line up to the side of the stage, and a few women were gathered near the steps looking nervous and excited in equal measure. Hell, Elixxir was starting to catch it too. The energy in the room was vastly different than the dance club, but no less intoxicating. Sex and curiosity and lust and adventure all rolled into one.
Or rolled on the roulette wheels at least.
“You ready for this?” A man’s voice asked, and Elixxir turned to see Chad, one of the dungeon monitors, positioning a cage against the wall.
“Yeah, I’m good, man.”
Chad grinned as he sidled up to him, his eyes scanning the room like the watchful guy he always was when he was working. “Have you been upstairs? There’s a fucking wolf—”
“I saw that shit. I told Maxine not to hire DJ Fullmoon and she did it anyway. That asshole hauls all that weird shit with him wherever he goes and it’s going to take me hours to get the booth back the way I like it.”
“You regretting this whole MC thing?” Chad asked, eyebrow raised.
“Fuck no, I get the best seat in the house tonight!” Elixxir laughed and Chad slapped him on the shoulder, squeezing.
“Well, you’ll get to see a lot of fun shit tonight. Keep your eyes open, newbie, and maybe we’ll find something new for you to try.” Grinning, Chad gave him a friendly punch on the shoulder and then rushed down the steps to take up his post near the group shower area.
Newbie.
Dammit, was everyone thinking that? Elixxir turned his back to the audience just so he could drop the smile for a second and breathe. This was final countdown time, no more room for anxiety, and that meant no bullshit like second-guessing himself or his decision.
The lights dimmed, flashed, and then he felt the heat of the spotlight on his back.
Showtime, Elixxir. Work your magic.
Turning around, he held his arms out and the music he’d set up with Owen started to play. The heavy bass hit hard even in the flat space of Black Light, and as his track continued on people rapidly pulled closer to the stage. He swayed just like he always did in the booth, losing himself in the music, and when one of the women in the audience cheered at him he lifted up his shirt to show off his abs — and the feminine cheers and screams were exactly what he needed to get his confidence back on track.
He fucking had this. He performed for a living, and this was just a different stage.
“Welcome to Black Light!” Elixxir called out, the mic amplifying his voice, and the crowd roared, a wall of sound just as powerful as Runway on its best night. Owen lowered the music a little, letting it fade into the background as he paced the front of the stage. “I know we’re all anxious to get this show on the road, and — trust me — I can’t wait either. This is the fourth annual Valentine Roulette here at Black Light, and it’s going to be dirtier, naughtier, and sexier than ever!”
Another cheer rolled out of the crowd like a wave, and he rode it with a grin as he made eye contact with Jaxson and tilted his head back.
“Of course, before I review our rules for the night, and introduce you to our participants, my man Jaxson Cartwright-Davidson is going to say a few words.”
Jaxson was chuckling and shaking his head as he climbed the stairs, raising an arm to wave at the crowd when he joined him at center stage. “Good evening, everyone!”
There was no choice but to pause as applause thundered through the room for one of the owners that made the club possible, but Jaxson took it in stride. Smiling and w
aiting for the noise to die down.
“Yes, I’m just as excited for tonight to get going as our MC is, and for those of you who haven’t heard him upstairs at Runway, this is DJ Elixxir! He’ll be leading us all through Roulette tonight, and I’m very glad to be here as just another guest, enjoying a drink and all of the sights.” A few wolf whistles cut through the room and laughter followed. “Oh yes, it’s going to be a great night, and I want to wish all of our participants good luck and thank them for joining us! Without these brave souls, we’d never be able to run this amazing event each year for all of you.”
Jaxson smiled at the audience, and Elixxir wasn’t surprised he’d been a model before all of this — the guy knew how to look charming and suave as fuck in a suit that easily cost as much as his rent each month.
“Anyway, I’m not going to take up any more of your time. Thank you all for coming, and let’s hear it for DJ Elixxir!” Jaxson clapped him on the shoulder, nodding his head at the crowd as they applauded, and then he headed back off stage.
“Thank you, Jaxson!” Elixxir called out before pointing at the audience. “Now it’s time for the fun stuff. All of you are here to either participate in this naughty game of chance, or to watch it, and that means we need to remind everyone exactly how this game is played.”
Turning around, he spun one of the wheels to send it clicking before facing the audience again.
“Our dominants for the evening will draw to see what order they’ll be spinning this first wheel, which will tell them which lovely submissive they’ll be playing with. Then,” he paused to set the other wheel spinning with a grin. “The sub will join us on stage and spin the second wheel for their first kink of the night. We’ve got a lot of fun stuff on here, and a few that might make this Roulette extra interesting.”
Laughter and shouts echoed back from the darkness beyond the spotlight, and Elixxir laughed along with them, shaking his finger in an animated way as he moved to the edge of the stage.
“Now, now, you’re all getting ahead of yourselves. We’re a civilized group of depraved kink-lovers, and that means we always follow the rules.” Winking at a woman in the front row, he spread his arms again. “Roulette goes until eleven o’clock tonight, and couples who stay together through the whole night will win a free month of membership here at Black Light, worth a cool twenty-five hundred bucks.”