Turning up the Heat
13
G age had been to the lounge twice already, checking on the plans for Saturday’s fetish night. The Arabian harem theme had been Garrick’s brainchild and the members he met in the dining room were talking excitedly about it. Members could dress up in Middle Eastern garb, and some planned to don the traditional white robes and keffiyeh headdresses. All the subs, whether they were part of the extended team or accompanied by a member, would be fully dressed while in the public areas, but once in a private room, their clothing became optional. Sonya was putting the finishing touches on the harem uniforms, and she would deliver them tomorrow. He opened the list on his computer to double-check what each of them would be wearing. He told himself it was purely to ensure nothing was missing.
Bettie would wear burgundy and gold, Melinda’s outfit was royal blue and silver, and Brynne would be in deep purple with shimmering gold accents. He had Sonya create a second one in sage green for Tink, but the deep shade of violet won out. Maybe he had gotten carried away, but as an added adornment, he had also ordered special jeweled metal cuffs for their arms and wrists.
Gage sat back in his chair and closed his eyes. Why did he keep picturing a gorgeous and defiant redheaded slave girl, brought to kneel before him? The imagery in his mind’s eye was vivid. And alluring. And a problem.
A knock at his door jolted Gage out of his daydream. He pulled his chair forward to conceal his tented pants.
“Aye?”
“It’s Garrick. I have the menus for you to review.”
His club manager knew not to walk in unannounced and he was glad to have a minute to compose himself. “Come in.”
Gage feigned interest in the menu and gave Garrick the nod. “Looks good, man. Food fit for a sheik.”
Garrick grinned. “Right. We have an array of choices from Persia, Lebanon, Armenia, Arabia, and Turkey. Servers will pass around the appetizers, then we will set the buffet up around eight. The key is to keep everyone well fed, so no one gets too smashed.”
“Agreed. Sounds like you’ve got everything covered.”
“That we do.” Garrick nodded. “I’ve also hired extra security—four new guys will come in for training tomorrow.”
“Good. We’ll need to keep a close eye on Brynne and Dimitri.”
“Speaking of our rebellious little redhead, I see she’s not here until Thursday. It’s been rather boring around here. Wouldn’t you agree?”
Garrick was goading him, and he refused to play. “I hadn’t noticed.”
His friend snorted loudly, unable to conceal his amusement. Gage glared at the big man, whose shoulders shook with laughter.
“Don’t you have somewhere to be?”
“Aye, that I do, boss. Cheerio.”
Alone at last, Gage went to lock his door and poured himself a scotch. He told himself he didn’t miss her, he just enjoyed sparring with her. If he had taken her home, what would have happened? Would his willpower have remained steadfast against the temptation? He wasn’t sure. There was something fresh and innocent about her one minute, and willful and fiery the next. She was a contradiction. A siren and a virgin. Which one was real?
It was difficult to conceal his shock when she boldly admitted her desire to invite him to bed her. In his experience, women played games. One minute they flirted, and the next they played hard to get. If they said what they wanted, there was always an agenda.
She would not play him for a fool. One way or another, he would find out what she was up to.
Gage closed the party files and tackled his Venture Capital email inbox. His assistant had sent him four messages, and the last one was rather terse. Fiona didn’t like being ignored and told him so. He realized his preoccupation with the club was adversely affecting his team in Edinburgh. He had a strong COO to handle the day to day, but large acquisitions needed his explicit approval. She was asking for his signature on several documents related to land purchases, so he fired off a reply and told her he would review all of them before tomorrow. When his phone buzzed, he sighed audibly. No rest for the wicked.
“Hello, Mother.”
“Darling, why don’t you sound happy to hear from me? Never mind, don’t answer that. Tell me when you’re coming back to Edinburgh. Haven’t you had enough of London and that sordid club?”
“No Mother, I haven’t. I can’t leave the business right now.”
He heard her huff on the other end of the phone. “It’s time you found a nice girl and settled down. I just wish you hadn’t given up on Sierra. She was good for you.”
“Mother, I have no intention of rehashing this with you. It’s over with Sierra. She was not right for me. The furthest thing from it, in fact.”
“Fine, then let me introduce you to—”
Gage interrupted her. “This is the last time I’ll say this: Butt out of my life. If I want to hire a submissive, fuck the women’s volleyball team, or torment an annoying redhead, there’s nothing you can do about it.”
She sputtered, “Good heavens, son, you don’t have to be so vulgar!” She quickly picked up the scent, though. “Who is the annoying redhead? Anyone I know?”
“None of your business, Mother. I’ll be in Edinburgh sometime next month and will let you know when.” He punched the hang-up button and slammed his fist on his desk. “Bloody hell.”
If it wasn’t one thing, it was another. He could see why Cole preferred to hire professional submissives to fulfill his needs—sexually and sometimes socially. The idea looked more and more appealing. He wouldn’t have to listen to any family drama. He could enjoy himself and send the woman home in a taxi afterward. Thank you, miss, your shift is over. See you Friday at six o’clock sharp. Wear the red corset and heels. Say nothing unless I give you permission.
His cock twitched at the thought. The problem was he could only imagine one feisty redhead being his beck and call girl.
Disgusted with his train of thought, Gage dialed one of his two best friends. It was time to set a plan in motion.
“Mack! How are you?”
Gage smiled at hearing Cole’s distinctly Southern drawl. “I need your advice.” No sense in beating around the bush.
“Wow. Since when do you need advice from me? Unless it’s about a woman? Who is she?”
Gage laughed, but it sounded strangled. “She is an employee and therefore off limits.”
“Ah fuck, that’s funny.”
“No, I promise you it’s not. It’s highly problematic.”
“No, I meant it’s funny because I have a similar problem. I hired a woman who I’m not sure I can trust. She’s got a fake social security number and looks like she’s on the run from something or someone. And being the knight in shining armor that I am, I let her move into my coach house.”
“Okay, maybe I should have called Aaron. You probably can’t help me.”
“Ouch, that hurts, Mack. Aaron is a workaholic and a hermit, and he has more commitment issues than you and I put together.”
“I can’t argue with that.”
“Can’t you just fire the girl and then fuck her?” Cole always had a way with words.
“The thing is, I don’t believe she is submissive. She’s got an agenda, and I can’t figure out what it is. But she’s defiant and mouthy and not my type at all.”
“Uh-huh.” Cole cleared his throat. “She sounds fun. The exact opposite of that plastic blonde you almost married.”
“That’s a low blow.”
“The truth hurts, my friend. It sounds like y’all need to figure out if she is for real. And the only way to do that is to show her who’s boss.” Loud laughter rang in his ear and Gage considered hanging up, but Cole continued. “You’re long overdue to get laid, man. Pent-up sperm is clouding your judgment.”
“On that, you might be right. We should fly over to Berlin next week. I haven’t been there in ages.”
“I can probably swing that, but I must be back stateside by Thursday. Can’t leave my little runaway filly alone for too long. She could take off with the silverware.”
Gage chuckled, shaking his head. He missed his friends and their easy camaraderie. They certainly had some great times at university. Cole and Aaron were the only two people in the world he trusted. They came from very different backgrounds, but quite by accident, they found they had similar predilections for BDSM. Had it not been for Harvard’s annual sex week—and a dare from their fellow fraternity brothers to go to a “munch” club meeting for students with kinky interests—they might never have known. That was their first and last munch meeting, but it wasn’t long before their reputations became known around Cambridge. They moved off campus in their second year and their house parties were legendary. Any woman who wanted to try a little bondage or submission could get an invitation.
Gage suddenly felt lighter now that he had an escape plan. “I’ll have Fiona alert my crew to put a flight plan together. I’ll see you Friday at the Mandarin. Eight sharp.”
“Sounds good. And Gage, I’m looking forward to meeting your little hellcat.”
Click . Gage scowled into the phone.
Brynne was eager to see Gage, but two hours into her shift, he was nowhere in sight. It was slow for a Thursday—she and Mel had four tables between them. She had just finished serving four flirty guests when Bill waved her over.
“Gage has ordered dinner, Tink. It will be ready in about ten minutes. You’re to fetch and deliver. And he will have wine tonight. I’ll open the bottle.”
She hid her excitement and went to prepare the tray. When Mel came in, she told her, “I’m on delivery duty again, love. Can you watch my tables for a few minutes?”
She nodded. “Sure, Tink. Don’t let him get under your skin, okay?”
“Nothing to worry about, Mel. I am immune to his charms, considerable as they may be.”
Mel bit her lip to stop from laughing. “Sure you are, doll.”
Brynne smirked and got to work preparing the tray. She added warm rolls and butter and set down the glass of wine before sprinting upstairs to get the entrée. Tonight, he will have nothing to complain about.
When she reached his office door a few minutes later, she was very proud of herself. She tapped the door with her foot and waited.
“Aye.”
“It’s Tink. I have your hot dinner. Could you please open the door?”
She thought she heard him groan. He opened the door and turned away from her without so much as a glance. The asshole is in residence tonight.
Gage pushed the papers to the side and stood back so she could place the tray down.
“Is there anything else I can get for you?” Her voice sounded weirdly high pitched to her own ears.
“Yes. There are three packages over there. Open them and dispose of all the paper wrapping.” He pointed at the far end of the office, without so much as a glance. She gritted her teeth and thought about curtsying. Dumb idea, girlfriend.
“Okay.”
“Pardon?”
Brynne rolled her eyes. So that’s how he’s going to play it. Turning back to face him, she coated her words in honey. “I meant, I would be happy to, sir.” And added a curtsy for good measure. She spun around and waited for his reaction. The scrape of his knife and fork on the plate meant he wasn’t going to play.
Brynne hurried to rip the wrapping off the first piece. She noisily scrunched up the brown paper and dropped it on the floor. The frame faced the wall, so she left it that way and uncovered the second and third pieces. After rolling all the garbage into a ball, she faced him.
“I should get back; Mel is on her own.”
“Mel is fine.” Glancing at his computer monitor, he added, “There are no new tables.”
“You can see the lounge on your computer.” It was more a statement than a question. Jared had told her he had cameras everywhere.
“Yes, I can see almost every room in the club. For security reasons.” He cut a piece of steak and waved it toward the paintings. “Show them to me.”
Her fists clenched, and she whirled around and flipped the frames, so they faced him. Brynne’s breath caught in her throat. Keeping her back to him, she stepped back so he could see them, too.
“Aren’t they beautiful?” His voice gave away nothing.
It was a minute before she managed a reply. “Yes. Quite stunning.”
Brynne could not tear her gaze away. Her hand reached for her neck, sure that her racing pulse was visibly fluttering just beneath her hot and clammy skin.
Gage cleared his throat, and she turned to him. “Come here.”
His eyes were the darkest she’d ever seen. The way they glowed, they could have been lit from behind. She felt like a small rabbit targeted by a hawk, its intention clear, its power unmistakable. If she was quick, she might get away.
He took a sip of wine and pointed to the chair opposite his desk. The silent command raised goosebumps on her arms.
Brynne took a seat and clasped her hands together to keep them still.
“You seem quite taken with my new photographs.”
“Yes. I’ve never seen anything quite like them before. Do you know that woman?”
“Yes. She is well known in the scene. I’ve seen her in bondage before, but nothing like these. The photographer is very talented.”
“Mhmm.” She nodded.
Gage sat back and ran a hand over his jaw. “So, you like them?”
Brynne hesitated. She turned back and pretended indifference, but it was impossible. She was growing more captivated by the second. “Yes. I like them.”
“What specifically do you like, Red?”
“They are very elegant and erotic, the way the light hits her body. Her skin looks burnished. There are so many intricate layers of rope…and everything is symmetrical.”
“Do they turn you on?”
Brynne considered her response and reluctantly turned back to face him. Her eyes studied him. “What do you think?”
“I can see your shallow breathing and your skin is flushed pink.”
Her chin jutted, and she threw caution to the wind. “It’s true. I’d like to be her. What are you going to do about it?”
His eyes glittered. “Nothing. Get back to work.”
She didn’t need to be told twice. Brynne huffed out a curse and made for the door, half expecting him to call her back to pick up the garbage. Smug bastard .
After sprinting up the stairs, she needed a minute to compose herself before going back out to the lounge. Those images were burned in her brain.
If only she had the balls to ask him if that’s what he does with his submissives. She swallowed a moan and forced the thoughts out of her mind. The trouble was, she couldn’t conceal the way her eyes had dilated, and the heightened color on her cheeks.
Mel came over to where she stood. “No new tables. It’s been slow.” Her eyes roamed over Brynne’s face, and she tilted her head in a way that reminded Brynne of Aunt Josie, who could spot a situation a mile away.
“What’s the matter? Did Gage get you all hot and bothered again?”
She wrinkled her nose at Mel, who most would disregard as a bubble-headed blonde, but she knew it was just an act. “I am not hot and bothered. Well, okay, I might be, but it’s not about him. He is being a prick tonight—all cold and demanding. But he had me unpack some new artwork, and it was seriously erotic.”
“Ooh, I hope he hangs them up where I can see them.”
Brynne smiled. “Fair warning, you won’t be able to concentrate if you do.”
Mel sighed. “I would love the distraction. But hey, we’ll have plenty of excitement on Saturday night. Since this is your first fetish night, I’ll show you what the plan is.”
Half an hour later, Brynne was fully briefed and quite wigged out by what she learned. This was going to be a full-on sex party. Mel assured her that nobody was going to be having sex in the lounge and most of the guests would keep their parts covered—until after midnight. The rooms upstairs were all booked for private scenes—some allowed observers and some didn’t. In the Pareo playroom where she was spanked, it would be a free-for-all sheik’s harem. If luck was on her side, she might get to deliver refreshments up there. Extra security would ensure nobody took liberties, but the alcohol would flow, so everyone needed to keep a close eye on all the patrons and report anyone getting out of hand.
This was her big break. A chance to see people who lived the lifestyle and some who just played in it. Mel offered to stay so Brynne could cut out early; she welcomed the chance to get home. She remembered to get a taxi chit from Garrick and sneaked out without seeing Gage again. The next time she saw him would be Saturday. Hopefully, he would be in a better mood.
The black cab pulled up, and she got in, taking an extra look around. She forgot to tell Jared about the Range Rover. No matter—it was probably nothing.