Reaching the heavy door, I tug it open and step into the dimly lit space just beyond.
My eyebrows rise as I take in the huge room. The lighting is here comes from candelabras placed at strategic points against the backdrop of a huge floor to ceiling window that spans the whole space.
A stage and stripper pole are set up to the left, and a single black leather booth. In the middle of the room there is a huge white bed, piled high with pillows. And to my right is some odd looking pleather furniture, a large wooden X, and a wall of shelves with dark boxes. I can’t help but notice that one of the shelves has a bunch of sexy toys and dildos lined up on it, going from a small sleek pink device to an enormous black dildo at the end.
What in the world have I just walked into?
“Calum?” I call out. “Hello?”
A doorway opens to my left. Calum strolls out, looking like he has just walked off a runway: he’s wearing a dark t-shirt and low slung jeans, his dark hair carefully messy. He sweeps his icy gaze over me, chilling me to the bone.
He smirks as he strolls toward me. “Hello, Kaia.”
Goosebumps break out over my entire body. I lift my purse nervously, needing to put something between our bodies. Swallowing and lifting my chin, I lay down the law.
“I’m here.” I toy with my sash. “Do you want me to just get naked?”
He arches a brow as he walks past me, to a little bar cart that’s set up in the corner. “Do you want a drink?”
He pushes a button on a panel and rap music starts filtering through unseen speakers. I gulp and shake my head.
God, this whole scenario makes me so fucking nervous. My heart is fluttering like a hummingbird in my chest.
Calum waves a hand toward the bed. “Sit. I have a contract for you to sign.”
He pours himself a drink as I walk over to the big bed, perching myself on the corner. It’s a little hot in here, enough to make me notice. My trench coat is over warm… but I’ll be damned if I’m going to take it off until he tells me to. After all, he did say to dress to impress.
So underneath the coat I’m wearing a silky see-through black teddy, a barely there black lace bra, and the tiniest black lace thong.
Calum walks over to me, smirking, and puts down a small sheaf of paper on the bed beside me. I flush as he places a pen beside it.
He stands above me, sipping his drink and staring at me as I look at the papers.
My breath catches as I pick up the contract, skimming it. The basics I glean from reading are that he doesn’t want me to tell anyone about what we’re doing, he wants to be able to call me literally anytime he feels like company, and he wants me to say yes to whatever he says.
That’s essentially signing away my right to say no.
I frown, looking up at him. “I don’t mind most of this. But… this is basically saying that I have to say yes, no matter what you propose.”
He smiles coldly. “That’s right.”
“What if I don’t want to do something?”
He edges closer, brushing my knee with his. He looks down at me, his lips twitching.
“What do you think I want to pay you so well for? Turn the page, look at the number, and then sign the fucking contract.”
My heart squeezes, my stomach flip flops. Under his cool blue gaze, it’s hard to do anything but what he says.
I look at the contract, flipping to the next page. And then my heart starts beating frantically at the number I see.
A half million dollars a month.
A half a million.
Per month.
My mouth opens, but there are no words in my empty head. I glance up at him, beseeching.
And he picks up the pen, shoving it in my hands. I take it as his fingers brush my knee.
“I—“
Calum shuts me down by shaking his head. “Enough talking. Sign the contract so we can move on to other things, beauty.”
His nickname for me sends chills down my spine. I uncap the pen and scrawl my name across the bottom of the page.
As I do, I’m aware that I’m making a choice.
I am selling myself to Calum.
He’ll own me.
Possess me.
The ink on the dotted line begins to dry.
I toss the pen and the contract aside, shuddering as I look up into his dark eyes. He just smirks.
“Good girl.”
I bite my lip and frown, not knowing what I’m supposed to say to that. Sweeping up the contract and the pen, he puts them back at the bar cart. Then he walks very slowly back to me. My heart thunders when he comes close enough that I can feel his body heat.
My head falls back and I look at him, uncertainty and questions filling every inch of me. He looks down into my eyes with a smug expression.
“You’re so beautiful,” he says, reaching out his fingers to ever so lightly touch my upper arm. “So delicate. So fucking innocent. And here I am, already thinking of all the ways that I can ruin you.”
My eyes widen. “Ruin me?”
He tilts his head, running his fingers across my collarbone and down into the fabric hiding my cleavage. “Oh yes, beauty. I want to make sure that no man will ever have you quite like this.”
I gulp. For some reason, my eyes are drawn back to the shelf of sex toys and dildos. “Are you going to use those on me?”
My voice comes out as a soft squeak.
Calum turns his head and then gives a sharp bark of laughter when he sees what I’m looking at. “Oh, beauty. I can’t wait to make you spread your legs and beg me to make you come. And those will definitely be a part of it.” He swings his smoldering gaze back to me, pinning me in place. “But we should start slow. For now, I want to sit in the booth over there and watch you dance for me.”
Without another word, he turns on his heel and heads left, toward the stage. I follow, closing my trench coat more tightly against my collarbone. Calum throws himself down against the black leather booth, folding his hands behind his head.
My hands shake as I grab the belt of my trench coat, walking up to him. For some reason, it’s harder to take off my coat than it to just be half-naked.
“Volume louder,” he shouts. The music suddenly swells, shifting to a rap song I recognize.
As I untie the belt, I bite my lip and look down at the massive man that I’m about to strip for. Part of me wants to panic, to run screaming from this room.
But another part of me really wants to stay. That part of me is curious what is going to happen and doesn’t care if being here is more than a little dangerous.
I take off my coat, letting it fall to the ground. Calum’s eyes devour me, from my head to my toes.
“Jesus,” he swears. “You are so fucking hot, Kaia.”
I blush and struggle not to cover myself. “Do you want me on the pole?”
He bites his lip, smirking, and shakes his head. “No.” He spreads his big hands out across his lap. “I’ve been waiting for you to give me another lap dance, beauty. I want to see you unravel while we are touching, just the way you almost did last time.”
I raise my eyebrows, flushing hot pink. “You do?”
His lips twitch. “No more questions. Come here.”
I take a step toward him before my stripper training comes back to me.
Head up. Shoulders back. Your hips should sway every time you walk.
Make him want you.