“Where did you get this?” She asked.
“He gave it to me.”
Her eyes widened slightly. “Wow. That’s…something. Not sure if I would call him up though. I mean, if we’re continuing the same conversation here.”
“He’s experienced I guess.”
Samantha cleared her throat. “You could say that.”
I tilted my head and looked at her with narrowed eyes. “Yes, but what would you say about him?”
She shrugged slightly. “I would say that he has a bit of a reputation around the club. Clearly, this is confidential between you and me, and I really don’t know anything for certain. But when you work at a place like Club V…you hear things. I’ve been there long enough now to have heard some pretty crazy stories about the owners.”
“What do you know about them?” I asked with genuine curiosity. I had gotten quite a glimpse at Jake Mesa that evening, but I wondered what else Sam might know. She was right about workplace gossip and if he was doing what he did to Miss Diamond Collar to other women who worked at the club, I had no doubt that word was making its way through the groups of women who worked there.
“Okay, so, the club was originally started by three friends when they were in college. They are all still owners of the club and still very active, although I haven’t really worked much with any of them. I’m still pretty low-level bar staff. They don’t really engage with us much. Anyway, they were all friends in college and decided to start up Club V. They started with one location and it grew and as you may or may not know, they are all over the country now. They’ve got one in almost every major city.”
“So these guys are filthy rich?”
She exaggerated her nod. “Filthy, fucking rich. There are so many people coming in from foreign countries to become members and they charge them an arm and a leg— more than domestic memberships. They’re making money hand over fist with no sign of stopping anytime soon.”
I chewed my lip. This was mostly stuff I knew, but I wasn’t sure how far to press Sam for personal info on the guys, Jake Mesa in particular. It didn’t sound like she had much interaction with any of them.
“Who are they?”
“Neil, Pete, and the one who gave you his card is Jake. I’ve probably seen more of Neil around, but Jake has the reputation with some of the girls around the club. There are a few who have messed around with him and they quit shortly after.”
I frowned at that. It didn’t sound good at all. “Why?”
She shrugged. “I’ve heard things. It’s not like he’s done anything wrong or unlawful, but I think he’s got an interest in things that some of the girls are not really into. And he’s kind of scary and intense. He’s really got that whole alpha male, brooding thing going on.”
“I gathered that much,” I said quietly as I reached for the card and turned it over in my hands.
“He gave you his cell number.”
I nodded. “He did indeed.”
“Did he just come up to the bar and give it to you? Like was he flirting with you or anything?”
“I’m not sure, but he might have been trying to get me to become a member or something. He mentioned ‘fresh blood’.”
“Holy shit, Tay. Please don’t call him. I don’t think he’s dangerous, but I don’t think he’s the sort of guy you want to mess with. Not with what you’re looking for. He might give you a good time, but I think his good time consists of something more than what you are looking for.”
I nodded. “I know.”
Samantha stopped mid-sip of her tea. “What do you mean you know?”
I looked up at her, realizing what I had said. I hadn’t been sure that I was going to reveal what I saw to her, but knowing what she knew about the guy, I didn’t think I would be revealing anything too surprising about his proclivities.
I took a deep breath. “I was trying to find the bathroom this evening because the staff one was out of order, and I accidentally stumbled into his office.”
Samantha put her mug of tea down. “Oh hell no. This is some Beauty and the Beast, ‘stay out of the west wing’ shit. Tell me you turned around and walked right out of there.”
I tried to smile, but failed and it turned into a grimace.
“Shit. Does anyone know you were in there? Is that why he gave you the card?”
I shook my head. “No one knows I was in there. Celeste thought I took so long in the bathroom because I was masturbating…I was, but that is beside the point. She doesn’t know I was in his office. More importantly, he doesn’t know I was in his office.”
Samantha sighed in relief. “OMG, I’m so glad. Jesus, that could have gotten both of us in a shit load of trouble.”
“Yeah, so no one knows I was in there, but…I saw things.”
She buried her face in her hands. “You may need to stay away from the club for a while.” Clearly curious to know, she looked up at me again. “Dare I ask what you saw in there?”
“A lot,” I said with a nervous laugh. “Whips, a girl tied to a chair, him eating her out. Then he whipped her.”
She gulped. “Yeah, that sounds about right, but I don’t think that’s the full extent of it. See what I mean? This is not your type of dude. He is so controlling, so demanding about what he wants from the women he is with. You do not need to be with someone like that.”
“Yeah, I know. You’re right.”
I was quiet as I thought about what my friend was saying to me. Sure, this guy was on the dominant side. So was I. At least in my fantasies I was. I always thought about telling a guy what to do, making him please me without any regard for him. I knew it was a little on the selfish side, but I was long past the point of realizing that I had a voracious appetite when it came to sex.
Still, there was something about this guy that seemed very appealing to me. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but I was intrigued by the idea of submitting to Jake Mesa. He looked like he knew exactly what he was doing, and wasn’t that what I was after anyway? A guy who knew his way around a woman knew how to please her, and was gorgeous on top of all that. Maybe he was not exactly what I wanted, but he could be what I needed. The thought made me shudder. I wasn’t sure if the chill was from being turned on by the thought…or being a little frightened.
“You do what you want to do. I think you know what’s best for yourself.” Samantha added. “I care about you though and I don’t want to see you hurt. Part of what is making me want to tell you to steer clear of this guy is because I know his history with women. I know that he takes them and uses them for his own pleasure for a while, and then he sends them away. I would hate to see you hurt by him.”
I smiled at Samantha warmly. I did truly appreciate the way she cared about me, but I knew I could look after myself.
“Maybe that’s all I want. Just a little bit of fun with a guy I have no intention of having any kind of relationship with.” I stood up and turned out the lamp next to me. “I think I’m going to go ahead and go to bed.”
“Don’t forget your vibrator,” Sam called after me. “It’s on the bathroom cabinet counter.”
I laughed. “Thanks, Sam.”
I went to the bathroom to brush my teeth and get ready for bed, grabbing the vibrator on my way back to my room. Our apartment was tiny and run down, but it was perfect for the two of us. And it was evident that Sam didn’t mind my buzzing through the walls.
I set the vibe on low as I lay back against my pillows, thinking of Jake and the girl in the diamond collar. She had enjoyed herself. There was no reason to think I couldn’t call the guy up and get the same kind of treatment. I turned it up one more notch when I thought about him getting on his knees and diving between her legs, his tongue lapping at her clit. My vibrator was no comparison to a tongue, that I knew, but it was close enough and I thought of what it would be like to be the girl in the diamond collar, spread and prone in front of a man like Jake Mesa. He was the kind of guy who knew exactly what he wanted and took it. The girl left pleased
, I could see it as she came back to the main floor of Club V.
Pressing the button on my vibrator again, I turned it to a throbbing pulse that made my breathing ragged. Why not let Jake Mesa be the one? I asked myself as I worked the vibe against my clit. All I was looking for was a fuck—a good hard one. At the very least it seemed like he was able to provide exactly that. I could give him a chance, see where it went, and drop him in a few days or a few weeks. However long the sex lasted and I was pleased, that would be good enough for me. Why not have a wealthy club owner—the owner of Club V—be the one to take my ‘v’ card? Without truly knowing much about the guy that was based on fact, outside of what I had witnessed with my own two eyes, I had a feeling that an offer like that was something he would have a hard time refusing.
“Fuck,” I cried out as I crested the peak of an orgasm. I held the vibrator there, making myself continuing riding the high. It was almost painful, almost too much for me, but I wanted to imagine what it would feel like to have someone between my legs who refused to stop, even when I was screaming.
Finally, I let go and relaxed against the pillows, spent and tired. Jake Mesa sounded like a damn good time, but was he worth it? Did I want to mess with the ego of some alpha who thought he could get whatever he wanted, just by snapping his fingers? There was something about that I found very off-putting. At least the guys at the garage seemed appreciative of my attention. With Jake, it seemed like it would be expected. Like the guy had probably gotten the attention of every woman who had crossed his path without even trying.
I smiled as I began to fall asleep, realizing that was at least one thing that Jake Mesa and I had in common.
Chapter 5
I was at the garage the next morning around the time the sun rose. Dad was coming downstairs to make coffee in the break room off to the side of the garage, the same as he did every morning. Rodrigo was already there, working on a car that was in one of the bays. It had been a hard job, but one he was willing to take on alone since the particular issue with that car was one he had a lot of experience with.
I, on the other hand, didn’t mind getting to have a good view of Rodrigo in a tight white tank tucked into his overalls, which were undone to the waist. He was muscular and brown and just seeing him there made me lick my lips. It had been over a year since I had begged him to follow me upstairs to my room, back when I was still living here in the apartment above the garage with my dad.
Before that day there had been nothing more than a little messing around between us. We were almost exactly the same age and had been in the same class at school. There had always been that unspoken thing between us, but when Rodrigo had finally come to work for my dad I had tried to push most of those feelings out of my head. A hand job here or there, making out behind the garage whenever I was certain my dad wouldn’t be able to catch us. It was all in good fun and it stayed that way for a while. Rodrigo knew there could never be anything between us and for the most part, he seemed to be okay with it.
It had been a cold day in November and my birthday plans weren’t until the weekend. My birthday was in the middle of the week and I had wanted some way to celebrate. I had been bugging Rodrigo all day, telling him he should give me something or find some way to make my day special. He kept saying he wasn’t going to get paid for another week, he didn’t have any extra money, and that he would have bought me flowers, but he was an idiot and forgot that the day was coming up.
I told him it was no big deal and that I had a few other ideas. Then after work, when my dad went to go deal with a customer’s car at their house after it had nearly blown up in their driveway, I had told Rodrigo that there was something upstairs I wanted to show him. I dragged him upstairs. He was reluctant, knowing that my dad had always said the apartment was off limits. I think my dad had an idea about how I felt for Rodrigo or at the very least worried that we might mess around and the last thing he wanted was for me to end up pregnant. No worries there. That wasn’t what I had in mind on my birthday.
With some coaxing and giggling, I managed to get Rodrigo up the stairs and once we were behind closed doors and alone I pressed him against the wall and kissed him fiercely, letting him know in no uncertain terms exactly what I wanted from him. He was sweet and kind of shy and wasn’t going to let me do anything I didn’t want to, but I assured him that this was exactly what I had planned for my birthday and if he did anything to mess it up I was going to be very sad indeed.
We made it to my bedroom and I could tell he was still unsure about whether or not he should jump at this opportunity.
“Listen,” I said, trying to reassure him. “I’m a virgin and I’m not looking to change that anytime soon. But I want you to taste me.”
I didn’t have to ask him twice. In a half second, I was on my bed and he was pulling down my jeans, peeling off my panties, and nuzzling my crotch. I wasn’t sure what I had expected, but it hadn’t been for him to be so enthusiastic about the whole thing. It took a minute to get used to him and figure out our rhythm. In the end, though it had been great and I had seen Rodrigo off and out of the garage before my dad made it back home that evening.
Now, seeing him working on the car at the other end of the garage, it made me feel a little hot to think of the memory. It was the most I had ever done with any guy. I had a feeling that was going to change sometime soon though. I knew that nothing would ever happen between me and Rodrigo again, but the memory of it was nice enough.
I went into the break room where my dad had finished making coffee and was now pouring a cup for him and one for me. I smiled. “Morning.”
“How ya doing, sweets?”
“Good. We expecting much today?”
He shook his head. “No, but there is one thing I want to talk to you about. Come into my office.” He handed me the mug of steaming coffee and I followed him into the crowded office. It was only big enough for a desk, his chair, and two chairs across from the desk. The rest of the place was stacked high with papers, the definition of a fire hazard, and I couldn’t remember the last time the place had been cleaned out. I was certain that somewhere in the stacks there were receipts from before I was born.
“Have a seat.”
I sat down in one of the chairs across from him and watched as he sat down with a sigh. He looked a little troubled like he had something on his mind, and that wasn’t really like him at all. We were close, but not the type of family that confided our deepest feelings or anything like that. My dad was a good guy, a little bit old fashioned and buttoned up. He didn’t like anyone to see his weaknesses, least of all me.
“What’s up?” I asked, trying to keep my tone light and not indicate that I thought something was going on.
“Well, I’ll just get right down to it. Money is pretty tight around here and what with us doing a little less business than usual, I’ve been having to look at things on a monthly basis. I don’t think I can afford to keep employing the same number of people around here.”
I blinked, trying to make sense of what he was saying. Sure, I had noticed that we didn’t have quite the same amount of work, but it was still enough to keep us all busy throughout the week. There wasn’t as much on the weekends anymore, but that didn’t seem to be a big deal.
“You’ve only got me, Rodrigo, and George. That’s not many employees.”
He nodded and let out a sigh. “I know. It’s not many at all. And I wish I could afford to keep everyone on. It’s just not in the cards, Tay. I’m looking at the books and seeing how things stack up and I’ve got to do what needs to be done.”
It suddenly hit me—was my dad firing me?
“Wait, me? Are you letting me go?”
He looked taken aback and shook his head. “You? No, of course not. You’re the best worker I’ve got around here. You’re young, but you’re the best. I can’t be ageist about all of this and let George go either. He’s younger than I am. I figure the only fair thing is to let the last person I hired be the one to go.”
“Jesus, Dad. It seems so unfair to do that to him. He’s been working here for a while after all and he’s such a good worker. I’d hate to see him cut off so abruptly. Isn’t there anything else we can do to make this work?”
My dad shrugged and shook his head. “I’ve looked at the books every which way and tried to find the extra money, but as long as we aren’t pulling in the same amount of work we once were, it’s not going to help for me to try to find money in the books. It’s not there. There’s nothing to pay him. I’m going to give him two weeks notice and let it go from there. I feel like that’s as fair as I can be, even though I wish I could be better to the guy. He’s been good to us.”
I nodded slowly and sipped my coffee. Now that my dad had dropped this bomb I had no desire to go back out into the garage and face Rodrigo.
“When are you going to tell him?” I asked solemnly.
“I figure the sooner the better would be in his best interest. I just wanted to give you a heads up so you wouldn’t be surprised. I think he’s a pretty level-headed guy. I’m not worried about him blowing up or anything.”
“Probably not.” I thought that Rodrigo would be okay, but hearing that you’re being let go isn’t easy news for anyone to take. I hoped that he would be fine with the news in the end. It was going to be a tough two weeks after this though.
“You doing okay, Tay?” My dad asked, a look of concern on his face.
I nodded my head and brushed it off as I stood to leave the office.
“Yeah, it’s nothing. Just worried about him. And us. Is there anything I can do to make things better?”
He shook his head. “You just keep being you. You do good, hard work and I don’t know what I would do without you here. Thanks, Tay.”
I smiled at him and stepped out of the office, leaving the door open. I went to work on one of the cars that was parked outside of the garage, close enough to be within earshot, but far enough away that it gave the two men some privacy for this conversation they were going to be having. I was sure I wouldn’t want anyone else to witness this if it was happening to me and I didn’t want to do anything to damage Rodrigo’s pride.
Undone (Club V Book 2) Page 4