That much was true. Rough ’n Ready was Honolulu’s premier BDSM club and it did have a hefty price tag to ensure the patrons were serious about their lifestyle. May wasn’t poor. Chris paid her a good price to manage Dupree’s, but she also didn’t have money like that to throw around.
“That much we can agree on.” She looked around and noticed they’d lost Chris somewhere along the way. “What happened to your better half?”
“He’s talking to Micah. I still can’t believe you agreed to a public submission.”
“You’re the one who talked me into it.”
Cynthia laughed. “I know, but I am still surprised.”
May glanced toward the area where many of the people where gathered. She hadn’t seen it up close, but she knew there were glass squares that allowed patrons a front-row seat to the D/s play going on in the rooms below. The participants choose whether or not to allow the audience to see the session.
She shivered thinking of all those people watching her. She hadn’t completely come to terms with what she needed and she’d agreed to her first true session in front of a flipping audience. Crazy, or as her grandfather would say, pupule. She couldn’t contain the dueling emotions as they flooded her. Fear with a healthy dose of arousal and excitement fought for control and she was amazed she hadn’t gone completely pupule from the battle beneath the surface.
The desire to know more about herself, what she needed, was the only thing keeping her in the club. It wasn’t until she started talking to Cynthia a few months earlier that May realized why she might be bored in the bedroom. She hadn’t slept with a lot of men, but she’d had enough lovers to know she was missing something. With a little research, she’d come to understand why she found most of her sexual partners lacking.
She shook herself out of her thoughts and studied the customers. There were a few faces she recognized, including one of the former line cooks from Dupree’s. It was crowded as she assumed it was every Saturday night, but she understood it was busy every night of the week. Most clubs like it were little more than meat markets. They played at being BDSM clubs, but they weren’t serious. They didn’t have the strict security guidelines Micah insisted on or the hefty joiner’s fee. Rough ’n Ready required a thorough background check for security. That made the other clubs not only subpar, but also potentially dangerous.
She glanced at her friend. “I didn’t have much choice. It was that or pay the five thousand. I just can’t spare that amount of money.”
Cynthia nodded. “I know, but…when I was starting out in this world, I wouldn’t have had the nerve to do it, not in a public forum. Of course, I don’t have your fantasy of exhibitionism.”
“Really?” May faced Cynthia. “I’d never guess you had any second thoughts.”
“I did. And third, fourth… You get the idea.” She shrugged. “Thank God for Chris, because I was really out of my depth. And seriously, I probably would have never made that leap if it hadn’t been for him.”
Something caught Cynthia’s attention over May’s shoulder. A second later, her whole face lit up with a smile and May knew who she’d seen. She couldn’t fight the little twinge of envy that curled in her gut. Twisting around, she watched Chris make his way through the crowd. He kept getting interrupted along the way, and being the ultimate businessman, he stopped, smiled and chatted.
It gave her time to study the man with him, who she assumed was Micah. Taller than Chris by an inch or two, he probably outweighed him by fifty pounds—all muscle. Long, silky black hair spilled over his shoulders, a testament to his Native American background, as were the high cheekbones and strong jaw.
“He’s pretty, isn’t he?” Cynthia asked.
Without taking her attention away from Micah, she nodded. His lips where full, sensuous, and even looking as irritated as he did now, he was gorgeous. The light was dim, but she could see the reddish gold tone to his skin. He stood out from the mostly leather-clad patrons due to his stature and his clothing. A dark blue dress shirt fit snugly over his impressive chest and the casual dress slacks hugged his lean hips. It wasn’t what May expected the owner of a BDSM club to wear, especially at work.
“I hate to say it, because it probably sounds bad, but all I can think of when I see him is a conquering warrior,” Cynthia said.
Again, May didn’t take her gaze away from the man who was now impatiently looking around the club. She wished she could see the shade of his eyes. They weren’t black, or even brown, but something lighter.
When his eagle gaze zeroed in on her, she froze. The frown wrinkling his brow cleared, and one side of his mouth quirked. Touching two fingers to his forehead, he gave her a salute. Heat ping-ponged through her belly and her heart skipped a beat.
May licked her lips. “Oh, that is one dangerous man, sistah.”
Cynthia laughed. “Yeah and you just agreed to submit to him to get in his club.”
“Holy Lord, what was I thinking?” She barely whispered the words, so not even Cynthia could hear her. Before she could come to terms with Micah and just what she’d agreed to, another man, one who used to make her knees go weak and her body vibrate with lust, stepped into view beside the club owner.
“What the hell is Evan doing here?”
Cynthia stepped up beside her and cocked her head. “He probably comes here most weekends.”
Both women watched as Evan and Micah started arguing, Evan doing most of the shouting as the other man said little.
“That’s odd. I always thought they were on friendly terms. Evan is considered one of the top Doms, and Micah does like the way he draws a crowd when he performs.”
May glanced at Cynthia whose frown deepened. “Oh, crap. Now Chris is getting into the middle of it.” With one last gulp of her drink, she set it down on a nearby table and grabbed May’s hand. “Let’s go smooth some male egos.”
Evan Chambers strode through Rough ’n Ready, searching for Chris Dupree while various scenarios of hurting his best friend flitted through his mind. All of them included an extreme amount of pain and degradation.
What the fuck is Chris thinking bringing May to a place like this, let alone setting her up for public display? She didn’t belong in a BDSM club anymore than Evan belonged at a monastery. Even that ridiculous image couldn’t cool his temper. Nothing would until he had it out with Chris.
Violence bubbled in his blood as he brushed past the milling patrons. When he spotted Chris chatting to Micah, Evan’s anger surged. Evan changed directions and headed straight for them, ignoring more than one person as he practically plowed his way to where they stood.
He ordered himself to calm down, to control his fury as he neared the two men, but as he thought of what he’d been told, a red haze filled his vision and he lost the ability to think straight.
“What the fuck are you thinking bringing May here?” Evan shouted.
“Well, good evening to you, Evan,” Chris said, then calmly sipped his drink.
“I don’t have time for this shit. What the hell are you doing?”
“I was talking to Micah.” He gestured toward his partner.
Evan felt his grip on his temper slipping. “Why did you bring May here? And what is this crap about her having a public submission to gain her membership?”
“She told Cynthia she wanted to see what the club was like,” Chris said. “How did you find out about it?”
“Jay told me the moment I walked through the door.” Evan scowled, thinking of the way the bouncer had licked his lips when he told him about it. “It’s probably all over the fucking club by now.”
“Hell.” Chris heaved a sigh and shrugged. “There’s nothing that can be done now.”
“It isn’t like they wouldn’t figure it out soon enough.” Micah’s calm voice sent another surge of rage coursing through Evan’s veins.
He glanced at his friend who stood there in the middle of the most decadent club on the island, looking as if he were discussing the weather.
; “And just what the hell are you thinking? Taking on a rookie sub? Hell, I can’t remember the last time you performed for a crowd.”
“What does it matter to you, Chambers?” Again Micah’s cool, composed tone set his annoyance soaring.
“May’s a friend and she just isn’t the kind of girl for something like this.” He ground his teeth together and bit out every word. “Definitely not for public display. And with her recent problems, I would think something like this would be ill advised.”
“Hello, boys.” Cynthia’s sultry southern voice lifted above the music and the clashing male egos.
Evan glanced over her and frowned. Petite and curvy, Evan noticed Cynthia had definitely dressed for the club tonight. It wasn’t often Chris’s fiancé wore all black, but when she did, she stood out. She smiled at Evan.
“Looks like you’re having a bit of a problem. Is there something we can do to help?”
Evan didn’t miss the sparkle in her eyes that told him she knew exactly what the argument had been about. A switch like Chris, Cynthia understood the ramifications of what May had agreed to and should have protected her. He didn’t feel like fighting with her right now. Besides, there was a good chance Chris would kick his ass if he did.
“No, there isn’t anything you can do other than get May out of here.”
He dismissed her without another word and ignored her amused snort. Instead, he turned his attention to the woman causing the irritation.
Maylea Aiona was the kind of woman you took home to Mama, that is if you had one. Since the day he met her, May had been like the little sister he’d never had. Okay, not really. There was a moment or two…or maybe three that he’d thought of how it would feel to have all that black, silky hair tickle his chest as she worked her way down to his cock.
He shifted his weight, trying to relieve the sudden pressure in his groin. That one image had been haunting his dreams—not to mention his daytime hours—for the past few months. With the way she was dressed now, he knew they’d be worse tonight. The snug black sleeveless top accentuated her full breasts, showing just enough cleavage to entice. The skirt was long, leather and black and from the attention she got walking toward them, he was sure it hugged that wonderfully rounded ass she had.
“Is there a problem?” May asked. Her lyrical voice held a hint of sass that he’d come to love. Evan sometimes would sit near her stand at Dupree’s just to hear her talk. And laugh. God Almighty the woman had a sexy laugh.
He cleared his throat and tried to ignore the way his blood rushed to his shaft. “Yeah, something’s wrong.”
The Last Detail Page 11