by India Kells
“Great! A very good move, Lili. You deserve some fun. But I don’t know if trolling will really help you after only breaking up with your former bastard boyfriend.”
Lilianne laughed. “I’m not trolling, silly. I only want to have fun. I convinced Margot and Seb to come with me. And now you will come, too.”
Mac opened her mouth and closed it before looking down at her wet running gear. “Sorry to disappoint, but the only place I’m heading to is the shower.”
Sebastian stepped forward. “You’re a vision, but I agree. You’re definitely underdressed for where we are going.”
“See! So I have to decline, Lili.”
Lilianne gestured rapidly, discarding her statement. “The night is young! Come on! From the moment you arrived here, you never went out, except when you’re transporting those big boxes or when you go for your midnight run. You need to have fun, and you need to have fun with us.”
Mac debated the option a moment. Her other choice was to stay home and watch TV or hoping for a call from Gabrielle, with her mind filled with the same images as before. Muscled warrior with blue eyes. Torn to stay, torn to go.
“How dressed up do I need to be?”
Mac blinked when the pixie woman started jumping up and down, clapping her hands. A quick glance at Margot rolling her eyes and Sebastian with an endearing expression on his face confirmed that she wasn’t acting out of character after all.
“Oh, you’ll see, it’s a great place. They have an orchestra, and they cater to people from restaurants and clubs that normally can’t go out during the weekend.”
That didn’t answer her question, but with the sexy outfit of Lilianne and the slick dress on Margot, she got her answer.
“I’ll need time to get ready. Why don’t you go there, and I’ll come as soon as I’m presentable? Just give me the address.”
Lilianne pulled a small card from her clutch. Mac read “Club Swing Encore” and found it wasn’t very far away.
Mac promised to be quick, and as the trio departed, she hurried up to her apartment.
It took her half an hour to get ready. She only had one worthy outfit for the occasion, a flowy, dark-blue knee-length dress with cap sleeves. The draping fabric revealed all she had and carefully hid everything she didn’t. A good purchase from an impromptu shopping spree with Gabrielle and some other girls from Purgatory last year, as they returned from a mission. An impulse buy she didn’t regret tonight. She added volume to the natural soft curls of her shoulder-length red hair and put on a pair of simple, clear crystal drop earrings. A pair of black heels would have to do. As a finishing touch, she did the smoky eyes and red lips trick.
Once ready, as she didn’t have a clutch, she locked her door and dropped the key into her bra along with some money. The phone would stay at the apartment. Time for reverse psychology; if left behind it would ring.
The night was cool and damp, but she decided to ignore the chill and head straight for the club.
As she turned to get to the street, she bumped into someone with such force, she lost footing. Damn heels. Only a strong grip on her elbow and one arm circling her hip avoided her ass from hitting the concrete.
Her whole body tensed, ready to fight back, when she recognized the wall.
“Hey! Are you all right?”
Mac exhaled when Wesley scrutinized her face with concern. He was dressed in workout clothes, a sports bag slung over his shoulder, probably coming back from the 24-hour gym at the street corner.
“Yes, I was running behind and I didn’t see you.”
Wesley looked at her, but didn’t let her go. “It’s dark in here. No harm done, Wes.”
For a moment, they both didn’t move, his hands on her hips, hers gripping his arms.
“Wes?”
“Yeah?”
“I’m really late.”
Wesley swallowed and slowly let her go, his eyes taking her in.
“You look beautiful.”
At the low rumble of his voice, she couldn’t help but smile up at his compliment. “Thank you.”
“You have a date?”
It almost looked like he blurted out the question out of surprise. “Not really. I’ve been invited by Lilianne, Margot, and Sebastian to a bar two streets down. Lili wanted to have fun and pointed out that I needed it, too. I don’t know the place; it’s called the Encore Swing Club.”
Wesley nodded. “Yes. Never been, but heard it’s a popular spot. Lively.”
“Why don’t you come and join us?” Why did I just say that? She wasn’t even sure if she could invite him.
He seemed to hesitate. “Thanks, but I don’t think your friends would be happy to see me. I need a shower.”
And as simple as that, he walked away. Strange to have seen him taken off guard, unsure. Too bad his irritating hedgehog self returned full force.
Mac exhaled a calming breath, and hurried two streets down, immediately finding the club. As she entered, she couldn’t help but smile. The place looked as if she had stepped inside a speakeasy. The orchestra was good and the club was already in full swing.
Mac straightened her dress and pushed her hair behind her shoulders when she noticed Lilianne signaling her from a corner booth. The party had apparently started as a drink was already waiting for her.
Lilianne almost shot up in her arms before grabbing her hand, admiration in her eyes. “Mac! You look amazing!”
Grinning, Margot raised her glass to her. “Blue suits you! With that red hair of yours, it’s a miracle all the men of Seattle haven’t kidnapped you already.”
Mac smiled to hide a wince as she was definitely not interested in any kind of kidnapping, not with a bad guy after her. Sebastian got to his feet and kissed her cheek. His aftershave tickled her nose in a very pleasant way. She was attracted to him; what kind of women would she be if she wasn’t? It was only on the physical level. What she really relished in was his attention. In most of her missions, she was working with many alpha males, but since she was Purgatory, they treated her almost as a man, even forgetting she was a woman sometimes. So, just for fun, she would allow a gorgeous man to remind her she was a woman again, even if it wouldn’t go any further than that. Even if she wished another man would remind her instead.
Sebastian pulled her to sit beside him and handed her a glass with an amber liquid and ice before lifting his own.
“To an evening with beautiful women.” All three women laughed and toasted to that.
The orchestra started playing some sort of upbeat tune and couples filled the dance floor.
“So, Mac, as you were courageous enough to accept our invitation, and are at our mercy, I think now is the time for your interrogation.”
Mac had to shake her head at Margot’s tone. “Is that your mistress voice, or you only use it on my behalf?”
Laughing, Lilianne clapped her hands. “I like her; she didn’t cower at your tone!”
Margot pouted for a moment. “Must be fatigue. I lose my edge when I’m tired.”
Sebastian sat back and shook his head. “You never lose your edge, Margot. I think the tone was just fine. In my opinion, it was as if sexy Mac had already experienced handling such a tone.”
Margot looked back at Mac. “As a baker? How could she have?”
All three gazes turned to her, from curious to fascinated. Now, Mac started to become uncomfortable. She had encountered dominants, she worked with many of them each and every day. Instead of replying, she took another sip.
“Ah! And for the first time I see a breach in you, Mac.” Sebastian leaned forward, his eyes gliding over her. “As soon as the conversation turned to you, you withdrew.”
She didn’t pull away and answered in the same low voice. “If you have sensed that of me, there may be a very good reason, Sebastian.”
For a long time, he looked into her eyes, and his black gaze softened. “I understand. But if you need to talk to someone …”
She could never confide in him, but sh
e nodded, silently thanking him for his offer.
When she sat back, it was impossible to mistake the unsaid conversation the two women had.
“You can erase that look on your face, ladies. Nothing of that sort will take place tonight.”
“Oh, you’re telling the wrong people about that … because all three of us know that every night, anything can happen. But we aren’t talking of what Sebastian wants, as he’s very oblivious that he will never have what he wishes for.”
Sebastian swirled his glass. “Oh, I understand, Margot, but as I’m the one sitting beside her tonight, nothing is completely lost. On the contrary.”
Mac shook her head and smiled, taking a bigger gulp of her drink. It was whiskey, very strong, one to be reckoned with. And a definite taste from home.
“May I remind you that this is Lili’s night, one to have fun as I recall.”
“Oh, I’m having fun, and I will have even more fun if Sebastian invites me to dance!”
Mac turned to the man at her side, smiling. “I think you’re being summoned.”
The dominant rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I’ve heard that.”
She scooted to her feet, letting Sebastian up to take a very excited Lilianne to the dance floor. Luckily for Sebastian, the tune was on the slow side.
As she sat back down, Margot slid closer to Mac. For a moment, they simply looked at them, Sebastian trying to contain a bubbly Lilianne and failing at not laughing when she twirled in his arms.
“I can tell what you think.” The seriousness of Margot’s statement made her turn to her.
Unsure, Mac took another sip before responding. “And what am I thinking about right now?”
“How normal we can be, how it can be possible that we have this type of life, and do what we do for a living.”
Mac let her words sit for a moment. She didn’t know why someone would do what they did. But wasn’t it the same for her line of work? Who she appeared to be, and who she really was? And that same thing applied for everyone at Purgatory. One fork in the road made them choose an entirely new path, very far for anyone else.
“Margot, you don’t know me well. But if you did, you would not think that of me. In fact, if you did, you may realize you have more prejudices about me than I have about you.”
Frowning, the woman put a hand on hers. “I’m sorry, Mac. I didn’t mean to insult you. I only wanted to make a joke.”
Mac smiled. “You didn’t insult me. It would take a bit more to achieve that.”
Margot tilted her head. “You’re strange, Mac. I’ve never seen any outsider accepting us in stride, not passing some sort of judgment on what we do, or give us a glare of contempt. As you say, I may be the one who have misjudged you.”
“What you do is your choice, Margot. And you’re not killing anyone.” Mac made sure not to wince when the words left her mouth.
Margot laughed lightly. “No, but we’re not the norm. We do curious things … with the sub’s consent anyway. I’ll say it again, to have this conversion with me right now, you’re the strangest baker I’ve ever met.”
“I’ve learned from a very young age that people are important, not appearances.”
“Interesting. And how did you gain such a revelation?”
Mac winked. “Oh, I have amazing visual acuity. That, or it’s when I read Pride and Prejudice.”
Margot started laughing. “Too bad I didn’t have the same revelation when I finished that book.”
“Let me guess, you didn’t fall for Darcy, but for bad boy Wickham.”
“I didn’t say that. I think I would have been able to loosen up Darcy enough to make him more likable from the start.”
Mac gulped her glass, shaking her head. “I had a conversation with Lilianne about that, about using … What you do, to change behavior. I still can’t wrap my mind around it.”
Margot sat back and remained silent for a while, as they both watched Lilianne convincing Sebastian to remain on the dance floor. He tried to deny her but he stayed. And the tall, dark man smiled—a genuine smile—when the music started again and he took her in his arms. Sebastian had another persona, too, one Mac liked very much when she saw him with Lili.
“You can’t change someone’s behavior; you can never change it unless the person wants to.”
Her voice was so serious, Mac’s brows knitted when she turned to her. Margot’s eyes were still on Sebastian and Lili.
“In this thing we do, it’s the submissive who has the power. We are only a tool. A powerful one, but only a tool, all the same.”
“Lili told me about submission and surrender, her definition at least.”
Margot nodded. “It’s all about the energy, ours I mean. If the submissive wishes to be cajoled into submission, Lili is the one for them.”
Mac continued. “And if they want to be persuaded, you’ll be there for them.”
Margot gave her an appreciative wink. “You’re a quick study.”
Mac’s eyes flickered to the dance floor. “And what about Sebastian? What is his talent?”
Margot turned to him for a moment, her manicured nails ticking against the glass. “How did you feel when you first met him?”
“What?” Mac wasn’t sure where she was going with her question.
“There is no trick. The answer is in my question.”
Mac regarded Sebastian as she replied, “He made me feel like I was the only woman existing in his eyes. Sexy, interesting, mysterious … and all within thirty seconds of meeting him.”
“Bingo. His talent is to shower you with attention and love. He doesn’t seek submission or surrender, he can build your confidence and make you high on him, simply by looking at you.”
The small band played its last note and the couples clapped.
“The woman who wins his heart will be the happiest one on Earth.”
Margot laughed at her statement.
Sebastian escorted Lilianne back to their booth and Margot whispered in her ear, “If she ever opens her eyes, and stops dating jerks.”
Mac arched an eyebrow, but she couldn’t reply at the enigmatic smile of Margot. She only shook her head and finished her glass. “I’ll order another round.”
As she rose, Lilianne grabbed her arm. “Sebastian is a great dancer. You should dance with him.”
Mac backed up a little, now trying to put distance between the man and her after this revelation. “I’ll need more than just one drink to attempt this. I’ll order another round for all of us. On me. I’ll be back.”
In no time, the club had filled up, and it took finagling for Mac to reach the bar. As she waited for the bartender to come to her, very unwelcomed hands grabbed her bottom, before a big male body plastered himself against her.
“Baby, you’re the most beautiful piece of ass I’ve ever seen.” It’d been a while since Mac had gone clubbing, but that was the worst possible pick-up line she had heard. She could have flattened the obviously drunk jerk in two seconds, unfortunately that would draw attention on her, which was a big no-no. So instead, she shifted to face the alcohol-smelling Neanderthal.
“Thank you, but I’m not interested. So please remove your hands from me.”
The man, who seemed to be dumb and intoxicated, smiled. “Oh, for some women, a no means a yes.”
It was Mac’s turn to beam. “Not this woman, dummy.” She slid her hand to take the one that was kneading her hip and discreetly applied pressure against his thumb knuckle to the point where it almost cracked. As she expected, no sound came from him, but he blanched significantly. Nobody around them was aware of their discussion. In people’s eyes, they seemed only to have a friendly chat.
“Listen to me, scumbag. In any language, for any woman, a no, is a no. Understood?” She increased pressure slightly and he whimpered, knees wobbling. “Good. Now, you will say your good-byes and leave this club, immediately. If not, I’ll make damn sure you aren’t able to ever grab your own dick for a long time.”
Mac wait
ed for him to nod quickly before releasing her hold. He stumbled away, rubbing his hand, making a swift exit.
A look around confirmed that the man had been convinced and nobody had noticed her trick.
Juggling four glasses, she made her way back. To her surprise, Margot was on the dance floor, in a sultry slow dance with a very handsome partner. Now, Sebastian was sitting beside Lili. It was subtle, but the mood had shifted. Or hers had changed. Not that she didn’t enjoy the music or wasn’t invited to dance.
Music continued endlessly, and song after song, Mac felt restless … or was it discomfort? More time passed, and she became antsier. She looked around and nobody seemed out of place. Was she hallucinating again? Her hand itched for a weapon, switching her brain from fun to business.