“I have a brain. I tend to think from time to time, yes.”
“Sass. You are so full of sass, Miss O’Sullivan. Talk.”
Tiffany hated that even over the phone he could read her like a book. “It’s nothing.”
“One.”
“You know I hate you counting.”
“You know I hate you hiding things from me.”
He patiently waited thirty long seconds, knowing she would eventually cave. She always did. “You mentioned the contract again. I told you Lukus, I don’t want a contract between us.”
“And I told you, baby, it’s not meant to be some binding document. It is just gonna help me understand where your head is at on a few things, that’s all.”
“And I told you, honey, that we don’t need a piece of paper to do that. Just ask me. Talk to me,” she replied.
“This isn’t the time or the place for this conversation. I need to see your eyes. You can’t hide anything from me when I can see your eyes.”
An unladylike snort erupted from Tiffany. “Believe me, you don’t need to see my eyes. Sometimes I think you have secret cameras watching me. It is spooky how you can read me even over the phone.”
“Hey, not a bad idea. Okay, you should almost be here by now. I’ll let Derek know. He’s gonna meet you at the entrance and will park your car for you. I don’t want you walking in the alley alone after dark,” Lukus said.
“It’s barely dark. I’m sure I’ll be fine.”
“Must you argue with me at every turn? Can’t you at least let me pretend I might have a chance at controlling this relationship like the Dom that I am?”
Tiff wanted to be angry, but as always when he got bossy, she knew he was only trying to protect her. It helped her answer without so much as a trace of annoyance. “I’m sorry. I’ll be happy to let Derek park my car.”
“Thank you. Was that so hard?”
“I guess not.”
“Great. You here yet?” he asked.
Oh, no.
“Um, not quite yet. I’ll be there in like ten minutes.”
“You said that ten minutes ago.”
“Well, since I’m not moving, that’s still the plan.”
Silence greeted her until he proved once again he had secret cameras watching her. “You didn’t use your new Bluetooth, did you?” he said eventually.
“Damn. How do you do that? No, I didn’t charge it, okay? I’m sorry. But I did pull over to use my phone instead of calling you while I was driving. That has to count for something.”
“We’ll talk about this when I see you.”
“Talk?”
“Talk.”
“Okay.”
“Derek is gonna give you the code for the alley door. Hang a hard left when you get in the door; that hall will take you to the back of house, and the elevator to my loft. I also programmed your code for all of the doors you’ll need to pass through.”
“But not the actual club.” The annoyance in her tone was back.
“Tiff. We discussed this. You aren’t ready for the club yet. Hell, I’m not ready to have you in the club yet.”
“I don’t understand. Bri and I used to go to BDSM clubs years ago. I’m not going to freak out.”
“We’ll talk when you get here. Hang up and drive,” he said.
“So bossy.”
“So sassy.”
“Bye.”
“Bye, baby.”
Tiff threw the phone in her purse and drove off, thinking about the possible reasons behind his refusal to let her see the main floor of The Punishment Pit. She’d been in the club while it was closed last Saturday night, so it couldn’t be the club itself. That meant it had to be what happened there when it was open. The closer she got, the more curious she got. By the time she was pulling up at the nondescript entrance, marked only with TPP 7969 on the cold steel door, her curiosity had turned into an insatiable need to know. The thought of being a voyeur at the punishment club had her panties turning damp.
Derek burst out of the door, looking every bit the hulking body builder she remembered from the weekend before. Had she met him in this alley under different circumstances, he would have scared the shit out of her. Instead, he reached in to help her from her car and promptly scooped her up into a tight bear hug that had her high heels leaving the pavement. She felt like a rag doll.
“Tiffany! Thank God you’re here. He’s driving me nuts today.” After he finally put her back on her feet, she pulled back enough to look up at his lopsided smile and dark brown eyes. “Promise me you’ll move in, tonight,” Derek continued. “He missed seeing you for one night, and was driving me and the security crew fucking crazy all day.”
“Hi to you, too, Derek. And the last time I checked, Lukus never asked me to move in. Considering we’ve known each other for exactly five days, that seems a bit ridiculous.”
“Fuck. Well, don’t take too long. His mood swings are gonna kill us. One minute he is all happy and relaxed, and the next he is biting someone’s head off.”
“And what makes you think his mood swings have anything to do with me? Maybe he’s coming down with something?” she said.
“Oh, he’s coming down with something all right. It’s called Tiffany O’Sullivan.”
Tiff managed a nervous snicker. “I think you’re exaggerating, but still, thanks Derek. Lukus talks about you a lot. I know you’re important to him.”
“Just trust him.” Derek smiled at her. He reached into the pocket of his tight jeans to pull out a keycard, along with a post-it note containing a six-digit code. “Here’s your keycard and your entrance code. It’ll get you into the back of house as well as Lukus’s office and the elevator. Insert the card, then push the seventh floor to get to the loft.”
Tiffany collected her overnight bag, taking a minute to throw all the contents of her purse from the floor back into her bag, before closing the car door. Derek zoomed off in her car as she turned to the door. She forced herself to take a calming breath before punching in her entry code.
The pounding music from the club greeted her as she stepped into the dim hall. The hallway opened up to the grand foyer that led to the main club entrance. She paused a moment, remembering the last time she’d been here, being led by Lukus. He had stood before that final door, giving her a last chance to turn around and leave.
Thank God I stayed.
In that moment she was sure she had done the right thing by staying; and that simple truth calmed her. She was about to turn left when the club door burst open. Two men dressed in suits, their ties loosened at the neck, strode out. They looked like businessmen who had stopped by for a drink on their way home from the office.
Tiff’s curiosity had her calling out to them. “Can you hold the door, please?”
The men looked up. Tiff had to fight the urge to laugh at their reaction to seeing her there. She should have known the second their eyes started undressing her that she’d made a mistake, but in for a penny, in for a pound. She rushed forward, brushing between them to sprint through the door before they could stop her. “Thanks, boys.” For a second, she was afraid they were going to follow her back into the club. She was relieved when the door slammed shut behind her, trapping her on the main floor of The Punishment Pit.