by Dale Cadeau
Angel was about to grumble something trite in response when the truth of what Mark said hit him. This club required a membership—people wouldn’t pay to play here if they weren’t dedicated to the scene. And even employees like Mark seemed to be into BDSM, too. Angel seemed to be the odd man out here.
Wait, what about Cyn? Was she part of this lifestyle, too? She was if she was in here. Angel’s stomach rolled.
* * * *
After Angel had left with Mark, Lance resumed his seat and looked at Cinnamon still clutching his chair.
“Did Angel do something to you? You seem scared of him, but also fascinated, if I do say so. Just give me the word and he’s out of here. He’s Clay’s friend and colleague, not mine. So if you are uncomfortable, just say the word. There are other guys from Clay’s firm that can come in and help us.”
Cinnamon unclasped her hand from the leather chair and walked in front of Lance’s desk, taking a seat.
“What do you mean? He doesn’t bother me in the least. He’s just another Dom, no different from the others strolling around the place.”
Cinnamon looked down at her hands and seemed very interest in her nails.
Lance knew she was avoiding dealing with the feelings that he’d witnessed between Angel and her. “I thought the way you hid behind my chair and gripped the leather that you were afraid of him. Or maybe I have it wrong. Maybe you were holding yourself back from rushing him? I’ve never seen you act this way before,” Lance told her sarcastically
Cinnamon reached up and pulled a few hair pins out and pulled the black wig from her head. Holding it in her lap, she took her other hand and brushed it through her long copper locks and gave a sigh. “God, that feels better. I don’t know why I have to dress up every time I go into your side. The regulars all know me now and it’s such a waste of time having to dress up just to take inventory. Which, by the way, I didn’t get to finish.” Cinnamon didn’t want to talk about Angel. She didn’t know what to make of her reaction to him herself, let alone try and explain it to Lance.
Lance picked up the phone on his desk and in a minute he had Fred at the spice bar take over the inventory for her. She didn’t like to bother the bartenders. She knew that they had enough on their plate just keeping up with the crowd, without being saddled with a job she should have done. But she didn’t protest this time. She needed space between her and Angel. If she went back over to Lance’s side of the Playground, she would surely run into him.
Lance, after laying the phone receiver down, folded his hands on top of his desk and looked her straight in the eye.
“Listen, Cyn, I know you better than most people and what I saw here in this office with Angel is something I have never seen before. You’re always so cool and collected, even when dealing with a Dom twice your size. I know he is a bit intimidating, but you have dealt with worse and always come out on top with their respect. Angel got to you, didn’t he? And don’t lie. I only want the best for you.”
“To tell you the truth, Lance, I don’t know what I’m feeling right now. You think I would be used to big muscle-bound Doms by now, but for some reason he just got to me. Can we leave it at that? When I can explain, I will, but until then let’s just drop it. As far as him being here, he must be the best for this situation, or Clay wouldn’t have brought him in. I know you trust his judgment and I won’t allow my feelings to get in the way of catching the man grabbing the women in the parking lot. I couldn’t forgive myself if something happened to one of them just because of my reaction to Angel. I’ll go to my office and just get on with the nightly paperwork. Have Fred bring in the inventory list when he’s finished and I will e-mail our order out tonight.” Clutching her wig, she gave Lance a small smile and, walked out of his office towards her very vanilla bar. Just the way she liked it.
Reaching her office, next door, Cinnamon walked to her desk chair and slumped down in it. Throwing the wig on her desk she took out her contact lens, and she laid her head back in her chair and closed her eyes. That didn’t help at all. Her vision was filled with Angel as he had stood on the steps leading down to the bar again. He still took her breath away.
What was it about him that made her want to rush and jump him, as Lance had kindly pointed out to her. As he had approached the bar, she felt like his body heat was reaching out to her. She felt her temperature rise and her body had reacted by gushing out cream on her panties. In fact, she knew they were still wet and getting wetter by the minute as she remembered his body dressed in the tight leather attire that most Doms wore in the club. Her corset was starting to bother her as it scratched over her very sensitive nipples every time she took a deep breath. Reaching down, she undid most of the lace ties to give her some relief. Waving her hand in front of her flushed face, she tried to cool down as she picked up the top invoice, and she got her mind back on her job and off the hot man just on the spice side of the bar.
Chapter Three
Angel’s night at the club was a real eye opener for him. He had watched people get their rocks off in ways that he hadn’t thought possible. He sure was glad that Mark had stuck around for the first couple of hours of his shift, as he had almost blundered and stepped in to stop a couple of scenes. Mark had stopped him and explained what was going on and it was fully consensual. Angel had always had the philosophy of live and let live, but that was before he witnessed people getting off on pain. He would have thought they were nuts. He was glad to be back in his jeans and the T-shirt that he’d changed into in the locker room. He decided to look into the vanilla side and see if he could spot the mysterious Cyn. Clay might still be there with Laura and might be able to give him some insight to the owner of the bar.
Walking across the hall into the vanilla side, Angel looked around and spotted Clay sitting alone in one of the middle booths that gave him a broad view of the room. He walked up to the booth, and squeezed into the other side, startling Clay, who’d been observing the room. This was unlike Clay. Nobody was usually able to get the jump on him. And Laura wasn’t here. It didn’t look good in Angel’s eyes. She couldn’t have forgiven him yet for trying to tell her what to do concerning her at home business. He understood Clay’s reasoning, he wouldn’t want strange men coming to Cyn house when she was alone either. He hoped Laura would understand Clay’s point of view and forgive him soon. Clay for the last while had been more at ease and smiled a lot more, since he had met Laura which was unusual for him as he was as military and stiff as the best of them. Never letting people in on his thoughts or feelings. Clay turned in the booth and looked at Angel
“What are you doing on this side? Should you be on the other side checking things out?
“Don’t you realize it’s almost two o’clock? Time to go home. Most of the bar clients seem to have left.”
Clay wiped a hand over his brow and seemed to take a deep sigh. “I didn’t realize it was that late. Did you come up with anything? I’ve been watching all night and didn’t see anyone matching our description of the guy. Hope you had better luck.”
“As for luck, no, can’t say I saw anything tonight that stood out. But it’s hard to tell. I must admit that I was taken aback by some of the contraptions and scenes being played out over there. So tonight, I think it would have been pure luck on my part if I would have seen anything. Tomorrow should be better. The shock value will have worn off and I hope to have my full attention back in the game.”
“Well, let’s get going. I don’t think at this time of night anything is going to happen.” Clay started to rise from his seat.
“Can you hold on a moment? I want to ask you a question about a woman I met tonight. It has nothing to do with the job. But I’ll admit that she caught my eye and interest. I was hoping that you would know more about her, or seen her as she operates this side of the bar. She seems to be a friend of Lance’s.”
Clay sat back down and looked at Angel with disbelief. “She must be some lady to have caught your attention. I thought you were only interested in find
ing your soul mate. Don’t tell me you found her in a BDSM club? You didn’t even want to take the assignment. I had to call in a favour.”
Angel knew he had been reluctant to take the BDSM side when Clay had asked him. And he knew that he had been intolerant of something he knew nothing about. “OK. OK, don’t rub it in. I did see a lady and I don’t know if she is my soul mate, but something in her just reached into my inner self and made me take notice. I’ve never had that strong of a feeling before and I want to find this lady and see what develops.”
“You say she’s a friend of Lance’s? I probably know her. Give me her name and description and if I don’t, I will ask Lance next time I see him.”
“Lance called her Cyn. She’s about five seven with black hair in some kind of a bun and according to Lance she runs this part of the club. I didn’t have time to learn any more as one of the dungeon monitors came to show me around the club. Did you see her in here tonight? She would have stood out. She was wearing a black corset and skirt the last time I saw her,”
“I don’t remember anyone by that name and I know most of Lance’s friends. The person that runs this part of the bar is a small woman that wears big glasses when working and has shoulder-length brown hair. She’s never said much the few times I have met her and she always stays in the background. So it can’t be her. And I shouldn’t have to point it out, but most women in here are wearing a black corset with a skirt. Maybe to you she would stand out, but not to me mixed in with all the others.”
Angel sat back as he took in Clay’s words and scanned the bar for himself. He knew he would recognize her right away. Scanning the area, he noticed a few women still finishing their drinks and the woman Clay was talking about behind the bar. Her head of copper-coloured hair could just be seen over the top. She couldn’t have been more than five-foot-two at the most, and Angel could see the large glasses she was wearing when she turned and picked up a glass off the bar.
Angel couldn’t get over the feeling that he was missing something but turned to Clay, and they both got up to leave.
” Make sure you ask him as soon as you can. I don’t want to lose her after just finding her.” Angel told Clay as he followed him out to the parking lot.
Clay laughed at Angel’s impatience. “God, I can’t wait to see this mysterious woman for myself. She really got to you. I promise to ask Lance first thing. OK?”
Angel left Clay at the parking lot and made his way to the side entrance where he had left his motorcycle. Jumping on, he gunned the engine and made his way through the blackened street to his small house on the outskirts of the city. It wasn’t much and he could afford better, but he liked the small house and didn’t believe in paying rent if it could be helped.
Pulling up to the front of the garage, Angel got off. He opened the garage door and pushed his bike in, closing the large door after him. He took the side door, which led straight into his kitchen. Turning on the overhead light, he made his way to the fridge and took out a bottle of water. Sitting down at the table he opened it and took a large drink.
Thinking over the night, he had to smile to himself at all the mixture of people and equipment he had seen tonight. He might as well have been a virgin with his wide-eyed expression at the sights. Mark had been nice and had let on as if nothing was amiss. A picture of Cyn popped into his head. He could still see her standing beside Lance at his desk. He didn’t know how Clay could have missed her in the bar. If he would have ever been introduced to her, he didn’t think Clay would have forgotten. Well, just another mystery to look into tomorrow. Grabbing the water, Angel got up from the table, turned the light out, and made his way to bed. He still had a nagging thought that he had missed something in the bar. He decided to sleep on it and maybe it would come to him.
Chapter Four
The next day Cinnamon walked into her vanilla bar and took a quick look around to make sure that Angel wasn’t anywhere in the area. He was such a large masculine man that she knew she couldn’t deal with him today.
All night her dreams had been of a large warrior of old on horseback chasing her. In her dreams she didn’t know if she wanted to be caught or not, but she knew the safest route was to stay away from him. She’d never had a man make such an impact on her and had decided to ask Lance to keep her secrets to himself. He probably wouldn’t understand her weirdness about Angel, but she had to make him understand.
Walking back through the door into the hall, she made her way to Lance’s office door. After a quick knock she walked in. Lance was sitting at his desk, looking frustrated at pictures strewn across it. He was combing his hands through his hair as he looked up at her entrance.
“Were they able to find out anything last night? I didn’t hear of anything happening,” Cyn said to Lance.
“No, we didn’t get anything last night. He couldn’t have been around. Grant and Brad installed the new cameras yesterday, and I looked at the feed this morning when I came in. Nothing. It’s almost like he knew we were ready and watching and is being more careful after almost snatching Betty the other night. I don’t want to believe that it’s anyone that works here. But they were the only ones I briefed on the new set up. I’ve been looking over the photos from our old system and hoping something jumps outs. But the pictures are so grainy that it’s hard to even make out the people in them that I do know. We have to do something before the women stop coming to the club. If the women stop, the men won’t be far behind. We might have to close up shop and move to another district.”
“I don’t think we have to consider that right now. Didn’t you say that Clay’s firm was the best? They only installed the cameras yesterday. It could just be a coincidence that he didn’t strike last night. You’re just frustrated. Give your friend time to work. I know this started weeks ago but you just brought in Clay a few days ago. I think if they’re as good as you say, that within the week we will know something. You just have to calm down and let them do their work.”
Lance finally looked at Cyn sitting in the chair across from his desk. She was always so pulled together and nothing seemed to get to her. She had learned to hide her emotions no matter what was going on around her or in her life. But today he noticed she seemed fidgety and uncomfortable.
“What’s up? You’re here early. We usually don’t see you until just before the doors open at eight.”
Cyn clasped her hands tightly in her lap and stared down at them. “I wanted to ask a favor of you. I know how busy it gets later on in the day. So I thought I would come in early. I really don’t know how to say this to you. I know you really like your friend Clay.”
“Did Clay say or do something to you?” Lance started rising from his seat, ready for battle even if it was with one of his best friends.
Cyn leaned forward and waved him back into his chair. “No, nothing like that. I’ve learnt from my last experience and that is never going to happen again. Clay is not the problem. He seems like a very nice man, a little intense, but I guess with the job he does he has to be. No, this is about his friend Angel.”
“Yea, I noticed the reaction you had to him. What’s the problem? And stop fidgeting in the chair, just tell me,” Lance told her.
“Well, here’s where the favour comes in. Last night he saw me in the ridiculous costume that you make me wear over on your side of the Playground. I don’t think he suspected that it was just a costume. I want it to stay that way. I don’t think he will recognize me in my everyday wear. If he asks, I want you to avoid telling him anything about me.” Cinnamon tried to stop squirming and look directly at Lance. She wanted him to take her request seriously.
“I thought last night you said he didn’t bother you, and that you could handle him like any of the other Doms in the place. What happened overnight to change your attitude?”
“Nothing really. I just thought everything over and decided that I don’t want to deal with him. He’s a very alpha male and as you know I don’t want to get involved with another controlling man. Can
’t you just leave it like that?”
“No, Cyn, I can’t. You can’t judge every male with the same brush that you did Ward. He was a special case and you were young. He was put away and I thought that you had dealt with what happened. I don’t think you can compare Angel to what Ward was. He doesn’t even like the BDSM side of things. Clay had to talk him into taking over that side of the club surveillance.”
“Well, you would never know it. The way he wears his leathers, he looks like he was brought up in the life. Can’t you understand that I can’t and won’t let a man control my life again? I’ve gained my independence and pride, all thanks to you. I just need you to do this for me. Please don’t ask any more questions? I don’t think I could answer them. I really don’t know why I feel this way, but I know I’m safer if I stay away from him.”
“OK, it’s your call, but I think you’re making a mistake. Angel seems like the first man in five years to make you sit up and take notice. I think you should go with it, not run away. You have to start your life back up again sometimes. Living alone with just your TV for companionship is wrong. You’re letting Ward win. He kept you sequestered from all of your friends in that cult of his and you’re doing the same thing to yourself now. You’re hiding from your friends and he’s not even around now to control you.”
“I’m not doing anything of the sort. I told you I needed a breather from life. I just want to make sure everything is on track, before I let anyone close again. And you make me sound like a hermit. I’m not. I come here every day and socialize with people,” Cinnamon argued.
“Yes, you do. You socialize with a bunch of people that you don’t know. What about all your friends? When’s the last time that you called any of them?”