Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 87629 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 438(@200wpm)___ 351(@250wpm)___ 292(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87629 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 438(@200wpm)___ 351(@250wpm)___ 292(@300wpm)
How long will I be waiting here?
Then—
I jolt when something silky slides over my eyes.
“Don’t be frightened.” A whisper caresses the back of my neck.
“Mr. Dark and Sexy?” I ask timidly.
“Mr. Dark,” he whispers. “Are you sure you want to do this? You don’t have to.”
I gulp.
He’s giving me a chance to back out.
I should probably take it.
“I’m ready,” I say.
“Then come with me.”
“But won’t people wonder why I—”
“Shh,” he whispers. “No one will see you. There’s an entrance to the club behind the bar.”
“But why am I blindfolded?”
“Doesn’t that make it more exciting?” he whispers.
I shiver. He’s right. It does.
“I figured it had more to do with the fact that you’re taking me to a private club—a place I had to sign an NDA just to enter.”
“That’s another part of it. Since you’re not a member, I can’t let you see where the entrances are. But really, don’t you think the mysterious aspect is a better explanation?”
He’s still whispering. Probably because we’re still in the bar. He pulls me into a standing position and then puts an arm around my waist.
“Just walk forward. I’ll let you know if you need to turn or anything.”
I listen, my ears on alert, for anything out of the ordinary. All I hear are normal bar sounds—the clinking of glasses, the din of conversation. Until—
“We’re going to walk down some stairs now,” Mr. Dark and Sexy whispers. “Just follow me. Here’s the first step.”
Carefully, I step down.
“There are fifteen more,” he says.
I count to fifteen and then stop, making sure I’m on level ground.
“We will walk down the hallway.”
He’s still whispering, which has me slightly confused. Everything’s quiet now.
“Remember, Mandy,” he whispers. “You may leave at any time. If you’re feeling unsafe, or if you’re frightened, you will be escorted back up to the bar.”
“I understand.”
“All right.” The sound of a door opening. “Welcome to Black Rose Underground.”
“May I take my blindfold off now?”
“You may.”
“Why are you still whispering?”
“Just setting the mood.”
I slip the blindfold off my eyes. Mr. Dark and Sexy stands next to me, wearing black jeans and a leather vest. His entire face is covered by a mask except for his mouth. His hair is dark and slicked back. And his eyes… They’re dark as well—as well as I can see in the dim light of the club.
People are dancing on a large dance floor, and along the back wall is a bar. The bartenders—both male and female—are topless. The entire large room is shrouded in a dim red light.
A security guard sits at the desk at the door. “I have your paperwork, ma’am.” He turns to Mr. Dark. “Here’s her collar and her pager.”
“Thank you, Claude.” Mr. Dark and Sexy is still whispering.
“Collar? Pager?” I ask.
“He’ll explain everything inside,” Claude says.
“Okay.”
Mr. Dark and Sexy takes my hand—I burn at his touch—and we enter the large area. It’s like a ballroom—except no one is dressed for a ball. Some are dressed casually, as I am. Others are clad in sexy leatherwear. Still others in nothing at all.
This is a sex club. A BDSM club. A leather club.
What have I gotten myself into?
My body tingles all over, and I don’t know whether it’s from fear or desire.
Something about Mr. Dark and Sexy seems familiar to me, but I can’t quite place what it is. Whatever it is, I feel safe with him. Protected.
Maybe it’s the agreement I signed—the agreement that ensured my safety at all times. But a piece of paper doesn’t offer protection. Only I can ensure my own protection. Still…I feel safe with him.
He leads me through the room to the bar. Though I hesitate to order any alcohol, I need to do something with my hands. This is definitely not the place to order a Virgin Mary.
Mr. Dark and Sexy hasn’t said anything since we left Claude.
“Mr. Dark?”
“Yes, Mandy?” Still a whisper but a harsh one. It has to be for me to hear over the music playing.
“What did Claude give you?”
He hands me a small pager—it reminds me of the pagers Jack and I get when we’re waiting for a table at our favorite sushi place in the Village.
“You’ll keep this at your fingertips at all times. If you ever feel unsafe, you simply press the button.”
I swallow. “Isn’t that what a safe word is for?”
“Yes. But if your mouth is bound, you won’t be able to say your safe word.”
“What if my mouth and hands are bound?” I gulp out.
“That won’t happen your first time at the club.”
My nerves skitter. Pager. Safe word. Your safety is guaranteed at all times. I can leave now. Simply tell Mr. Dark and Sexy I’ve changed my mind.
All it will take is a couple of words…
“You can leave now, Mandy, if you choose to.”
What? Is he reading my mind now?
He nods toward the entrance. “There is no shame in admitting this scene isn’t for you.”