by Wilde, Rhea
He pulled his head away from me and I slowly opened my eyes. I grinned at him as he sat there and stared back at me.
“I have to tell you something,” he said.
“Of course. What is it?”
“It’s…”
Before he could finish, the sound of the coffee boiling filled my ear.
“Just one second,” I said. “I’ll be right back.”
I hopped out of my seat and headed to the kitchen to get him a drink. I was wondering what he was planning on telling me but figure it wasn’t important. At least, that’s what I was hoping. I was enjoying my time with him. It was nothing spectacular but I felt like there was nowhere else I would rather be and no one else I would want with me.
“I hope you don’t mind if it’s black,” I said. “I don’t have any cream or sugar at the moment.”
“You have coffee but not cream and sugar?”
“I… I haven’t really had the time to do any shopping lately.”
“It’s all right,” he laughed. “I like black coffee just fine.”
He leaned over and took a sip. I sat next to him, staring at him curiously.
“What was it you wanted to tell me?” I asked him.
“Right… That.”
He looked at me and sighed a deep breath.
“Harley, I want you to know that I enjoy spending my time with you. I like being here with you. Even if all we do is sit here.”
“I… I enjoy your company, too, Luther.”
“I know. I… I have feelings for you. And that’s why I want to be completely honest with you.”
“Okay…”
“I’m telling you this because you deserve to know the truth. But before I do, I don’t want you to get upset.”
“I don’t know if I like the sound of this,” I sighed.
“I care about you. And that’s why I have to tell you this.”
I wasn’t sure what he was going to tell me.
He’s too good to be true. I knew it. Victoria, you idiot. Why did you let yourself get caught-up with him so fast? I thought you learned your lesson, damn it.
“All right,” I said to him. “I’m listening.”
He took my hands in his. He stared into my eyes as he gripped them tight.
“I know who you are.”
“What? What do you mean?”
“I know who you are. I know your name isn’t Harley.”
“Well, that’s not really a big secret—”
“Victoria Hill. You’re an investigative reporter for The High Standard.”
I had to hold back how shocked I was that he had said my name. I stared back at him, not sure of what I was supposed to say. There was no point in denying it. All I could do was just be honest with him.
“How—”
“Your phone number is in the database at Platinum. It’s on your profile. Come on, Victoria. You don’t think we do full background checks of everybody we hire? The number was linked to you and your phone bill.”
“I guess I should use a different number when I’m investigating things like this.”
“Maybe. But in this case it wouldn’t matter. We have all of the resources we need to find everything we want to about someone. Your phone number just made it easier.”
“…All right. You know who I am. Now what?”
“What are you investigating?”
I swallowed anxiously. He stared at me and I wasn’t sure what to tell him. I slowly pulled my hands away from his and remained silent.
“Is it me?” he asked. “Are you going to write a story about me?”
“No! No, it’s not you… Well, not entirely.”
“Then what is it about?”
“It’s about Platinum. All of the things that happen there… and what happens after.”
“I see… Landon was right.”
“What?”
Luther looked distraught. He paused before he continued, sighing another deep breath then running his hand through his hair.
“Landon’s a paranoid guy. I can’t really blame him. People are always bothering him. When you’re the owner of a billion dollar company, everybody is always trying to get a piece of you. He’s constantly trying to stay out of the spotlight. It doesn’t help that he hosts these… events. Those things are private. He wants to keep them that way.”
“And if I write a story about it, he’s going to lose that privacy.”
“No,” Luther shook his head. “Everything that happens in Landon’s mansion stays there. The police wouldn’t have the authority to do a search. Nothing that happens there is illegal.”
“…Luther, why are you telling me this?”
“It’s not just about the police. It’s about everyone else. Landon doesn’t want the notoriety. If you write this article, then the secret will be out. He doesn’t want you to write this story… and he wants me to stop you.”
“What?” I exclaimed.
“Landon wanted me to get close to you and try to influence you. He wanted me to convince you to drop this story and look for something else to write about.”
I stood up from the sofa and turned my back to him. I closed my eyes, not sure of what I was hearing. Not only did Luther know who I was but he was doing another man’s dirty work. When I looked back at him, I tried my best not to show him how I upset I was.
“So all of this,” I said. “This was all some attempt to manipulate me into not writing this story? This was all a lie.”
“It wasn’t all a lie,” Luther said as he stared back at me. “Victoria, listen…”
He stood up from the sofa and took a step closer to me. He took my hands back in his. As he stared at me, I found it difficult to look back at him. I was still trying to take in everything that he just said to me.
“I care about you,” he said. “I remember when I first saw you at Platinum. You looked like no other woman I’d ever seen before. I just had to get to know you. I didn’t know who you were. I didn’t know you were a reporter. None of us did. It wasn’t until after Landon found out did he want me to try and convince you not to write this story.”
“You care about me? How can you say that when it’s taken you this long to be honest with me?”
“This long? Victoria, I’m being honest with you right now. Ever since I met you, I haven’t even looked at another woman. And it’s Landon that doesn’t want you to write this story. Not me. That’s why I’m telling you this. This is the truth. All I care about is you. Nothing else matters to me.”
Luther stared back at me. There was nothing but sincerity in his eyes. Despite my best efforts, Luther had a way of always putting my mind at ease. Looking into his eyes put me in some kind of trance.
He’s too good to be true.
“Then what am I supposed to do?” I asked him. “I don’t want your friend to hate me for writing this article.”
“I can’t tell you what to do, Victoria. I’m only letting you know that there are people who don’t want their secret out. It’s not just Landon. There are others.”
“What about you? It’s your secret, as well.”
“It is. But if it means losing you, then I don’t care who knows what I did before.”
“So you’ll support me if I write this article on Platinum?”
“Victoria, I’ll support anything you do.”
Before I could say anything else, Luther pulled me in close and wrapped his arms around me. I practically melted in his embrace. My head rested against his chest as we stood there and hugged in the middle of my apartment.
“How do I know you’re telling me the truth?” I whispered to him. “How do I know that this isn’t part of your plan to get me to drop the article?”
“You don’t,” he said. “You just have to believe me.”
“Then I’m still writing it. People have a right to read about these things.”
“Okay. Whatever you want to do.”
He kissed me on the top of my head as he continued to hold me in his e
mbrace. After a few moments, the two of us took a seat back on the couch. While Luther calmly enjoyed his coffee, I sat there and tried to take everything in. My secret was out. There was no point in holding it back any longer.
“So does everybody know?” I asked.
“Everybody who’s important,” he said. “Landon, Romeo, Franklin…”
“Franklin? Wait a minute. He has more to lose than everybody else. Why didn’t he fire me if he knew what I was trying to do?”
“Because I spoke to him and told him not to. I didn’t even knew who you were when I first saw you. And the only way I would ever see you again was at the club. I convinced him to let you stay. I told him that he had nothing to worry about. It turns out that he was right about you.”
“So, isn’t he going to be upset? I mean, he doesn’t have enough money to keep the cops out of his place.”
“He’ll be under more scrutiny, that’s for sure. But as long as Landon, Romeo and everybody else continues to support him, his business will do fine.”
“What about you? I’m not going to be working there for much longer. If you’re being completely honest with me, there’s no reason for you to ever go back to Platinum. You know where I live…”
“You’re right, Victoria. As soon as you leave then I’ll have no reason to go back there. Why do you think I’m not worried about this article you’re working on? Hell, I’ll give you an interview about it if you want.”
“Really?”
“Well, anonymously,” he chuckled. “You have to understand that Landon, Romeo, Franklin… They’re my friends. I don’t want to ruin their fun.”
“…I can see the position I’ve put you in.”
Luther nodded. I almost felt guilty about working on this story. But I was determined to write it. I had already put in too much effort. Everything I had discovered about the club was wilder than anything I could ever imagine.
“Thank you,” I said to him. “Thank you for being honest with me. I appreciate you telling me the truth.”
“Victoria, I care about you. I’ll do whatever it takes to make that clear to you. I thought it was necessary that you knew exactly what you were getting into.”
“I know.”
“Will you still be attending the festivities tomorrow evening?”
I suddenly remembered that there was another party being hosted at Landon’s mansion. Even with a disguise, I worried that somebody would find me out and do something to me. Luther must have sensed my hesitation. He leaned forward in his seat and took one of my hands in his.
“I want you to be there,” he said.
“Why? Why do I need to be there?”
“Because there’s no point in going if you’re not there.”
“Why does it have to be that way though? Why can’t we just have what we have together… here… alone?”
“Because you haven’t seen everything yet.”
“What did I miss?”
“Just come tomorrow night. I promise that I’ll find you. It won’t be like last time. You’ll enjoy yourself.”
“I’m still not sure I should…”
“Just once, Victoria. You never have to show up again after that. You’ll have more than enough information to finish your article. That will be the end of it.”
I stared at Luther and sighed. I couldn’t say no to him. Not with the way he looked at me with those hypnotizing blue eyes. He grinned at me and I slowly felt myself fighting a losing battle. I smiled back at him and started to shake my head.
“Why do you always do that to me?” I asked him. “You can make me do anything you want me to.”
“I don’t make you do anything that you don’t want to do, Victoria. You should know that by now.”
I giggled at him as he leaned in closer to me. He kissed me softly on the lips then sank deeper into the cushions of my couch. I looked over at my computer where the article I was working on was half-finished. I stared at it for a moment then leaned up against Luther. I pushed my head against his chest and we sat there together until the sun went down.
Chapter 21
As I sat in the backseat of the cab, I thought about everything I’d been through up to this point. I went from seeing a picture of Landon Schrader and having a hunch to uncovering a secret I didn’t even know existed. Somehow, I managed to get to the bottom of the mystery surrounding Platinum’s exclusive clientele. And I did it while finding someone special. I didn’t understand why tonight would be any different. I could only suspect that tonight’s orgy would be the same as what I saw last time. Luther had a certain way of putting things though. I couldn’t refuse his invitation.
After the cab dropped me off, I stood there in front of the security booth next to the gate. I showed him the same invitation from last time and he was more than willing to let me back in. The concierge was different from the last time but generally indistinguishable. I changed out of my clothes. I went from a full outfit to nothing but a sole chain mask. Then I opened the door and stepped back into another world.
The lights were a cherry red. The bodies that writhed all around me were like silhouettes. I couldn’t tell where the speakers were but there was low music pulsing through the air. The slow instrumental beat was the accompaniment to the sound of moans that echoed against the walls from time to time. I made my way through the rooms, searching for something interesting. I was hoping to find Luther and finally learn what this was all about. If I didn’t, I knew that I at least had all of these images in my head to help me visualize the story that was almost finished. Everywhere I looked people were having sex. I had to do my best to keep my focus and not linger on any particular scene for too long.
I suddenly felt someone wrap their arms around me. I didn’t have to guess to know who it was. He was so familiar to me at this point that even the way he held me was recognizable. I slowly turned around and poked my head up. He greeted me with a passionate kiss. His tongue shoved its way into my mouth so forcefully that I was taken aback for a moment before I let the pleasure surge through me. I was already feeling amorous just from the scenery. The feeling of his nude body up against me only made me want him even more.
Every inch of him was rock hard. His skin was stretched tight over his muscles. I reached up and wrapped my hands around his neck to bring him in even closer to me. The wetness was building between my legs. But I couldn’t let him have me. Not so easily. Not like this.
I put my hands upon his chest and slowly pushed him away. I looked into his eyes, half of his face covered by his mask.
“What is it you wanted to show me?” I whispered to him.
“Are you ready?” he asked me.
“Yes, I’m ready.”
“Are you sure?”
I gulped at his response. My curiosity had to be satisfied. I couldn’t walk away now. But the way he posed the question made it seem like this was something that I should walk away from. I remembered everything he said to me about Landon not wanting me to spill the secret of the events he held. I wondered just how many more people that included.
“Am I in any danger?” I asked him
“Not from any of them,” he smirked. “I’m only asking just to make sure. Because if you do this, you might find something that you’re not quite ready for.”
“I… I only want the truth,” I stuttered.
“Okay. Just relax. And I’ll show you everything you wanted to know.”
He took my hand and led me through the rooms. I followed him through the corridors and down a long hallway. We eventually found ourselves in a room where several men and women were standing around. They weren’t having sex with one another. They were casually enjoying one another’s company. I looked around and all of their faces were hidden underneath their masks. It only made their bodies stick out even more. I felt completely out of place among them. The women were no different from what I’d seen at Platinum. Their physiques were immaculate without a single imperfection. The men were hard, the striations of their mu
scles highlighted underneath the red lights.
In the center of the room was a single mattress. While everybody else seemed to be oblivious to it, I couldn’t help but notice how odd it was and how it stuck out in the middle of the room.
Suddenly, Luther shoved me down upon it. I gasped as I fell upon my stomach. I pushed myself up and tried to turn myself over but he pushed me back down onto my stomach. He then grabbed both of my arms and pushed them behind my back. I tilted my head up and watched as some of the individuals around the room had slowly turned their attention to me. Then there was this strangest feeling. I could feel something around my wrists. It was some kind of nylon. I could feel it tightening around me, my skin getting rubbed in the wrong way.
What is this? What’s going on?
I couldn’t speak. I could only mouth the words. When he finally released me, I couldn’t move my arms. I struggled to flip myself onto my back but he held me in my place. The side of my face dug into the mattress, my shoulder the only thing keeping me up. He forced me onto my knees and I could feel him just behind me. My ass was up in the air, completely exposed to him. I couldn’t move. Not only because I was bound but because I was too afraid.
Luther slowly moved his head up against mine. He kissed me on the side of my face. The dangling chain mask in front of my eyes made it hard for me to see. I turned my head to search for his lips but they were nowhere to be found. Instead, he was now kissing my ear and whispering.
“Just relax. Enjoy this.”
“I can’t… They’re watching.”
“Let them watch. Let them see that you are mine and mine alone.”
“I…”
Before I could plead any longer, his face was gone. I felt his hands run softly along my ass. His palms were gentle as he massaged me. From out of nowhere, he slapped me. I gasped at the sudden stinging sensation. The pain reverberated through my entire body. He spanked me again and another gasp escaped from my lips. Then another. Then another. My chest was now heaving and breathing hard as I tried to deal with all of the pain. My eyes were shut tight. My mouth hung open as Luther continued spanking me, each one harder than the next, alternating between cheeks.