Chapter 6
Chapter Six
Still feeling the effects of being in the dark room, Jo lowered herself to one of the plush, velvet couches in the main lounge.
Her legs felt like they barely belonged to her anymore, her senses still dulled by lust and the delicious disorientation that came from surrendering herself entirely to someone else’s touch.
She leaned back against the curved armrest and scanned the softly lit space.
The ambience here was mellow—the music gentle, the lighting golden and low, casting hazy glows along the floor and highlighting sequins and satin dresses as women passed by.
It was a stark contrast to the shrouded thrill of the dark room.
Maybe one day, once she felt more confident in herself, and whatever this new part of her identity was, she’d switch pendants.
But for now, the colour she wore suited her.
Safe. Cautious. She wasn’t ready for more attention, and frankly, she didn’t want it.
Not when Lia’s touch still lingered on her skin.
The ache between her thighs, the racing pulse in her neck, the tingle on her lips.
God, Lia had ruined her for anyone else tonight. Maybe for good.
It’s a sex club. It doesn’t mean anything…
Jo lifted her whiskey from where it balanced on her knee, watching the amber liquid catch the light.
She took a sip, welcoming the burn that followed.
It grounded her while she tried to understand why she was still sitting here.
Maybe it was to stretch the night out a little longer, or maybe it was to delay the solitude that would settle in once she got home.
Winding down alone felt like the right end to an already surreal evening.
This night had somehow outdone the last. Lia—insanely hot, devastatingly attentive Lia—was everything Jo didn’t know she needed.
Part of Jo wanted to see her face. She wanted to know who she’d been wrapped around, breathless and bare, but then that would destroy the mystery. That would make it real. And if it became real, maybe it wouldn’t be perfect anymore.
“May I join you?”
A familiar voice pulled Jo from her thoughts. She frowned slightly as she brought her whiskey to her lips. That voice…there was no way. It couldn’t be.
Fuck, fuck, fuck!
Jo turned, and sure enough, there she was. Amelia. Standing just to her left, stunning and self-possessed, her gaze curious as she stared down at Jo. Her eyes widened as panic flared deep within. “W-what are you doing here?”
Amelia lifted a shoulder and smiled. “You spoke so highly of your experience. I had to see what all the fuss was about.”
Jo shifted, trying to remain or at least look composed as she gestured to the empty space beside her.
Her stomach fluttered, not just from the shock, but from the way Amelia looked tonight.
The black dress she wore hugged every curve, her makeup unsurprisingly flawless.
Then Jo lowered her eyes and saw it. The pendant nestled against Amelia’s cleavage. Red. Bold. Possibly dominant. Oh, shit.
“You seem eager,” Jo said, trying to keep her voice level as she nodded to it.
Her mind raced with the knowledge that Amelia had a membership here.
It was also a complication she hadn’t imagined.
The idea of running into her, of possibly doing more than just talking if boundaries blurred…
it sent Jo’s brain into a spin. “Been here before?”
“No. This is my first time.” Amelia looked away as she said that. Jo noted the hesitation. She wasn’t sure she bought what Amelia was saying.
“How did you know where to find the place?”
“It’s the only women-only sex club in the city.” Amelia turned back to her, sipping her wine as though they were simply catching up. “Have you just arrived?”
“Oh, no. I’ll be leaving soon.” Jo offered a small smile, trying to appear nonchalant despite her racing pulse now hammering in her ears.
Amelia smirked against her glass.
Jo narrowed her eyes. “What are you smirking at?” She was too aware of their surroundings. The teasing and seductively gentle music, the scent of perfume and wine lingering in the air. This wasn’t a place to flirt. Not with her.
“I wondered why you seemed so…relaxed when I arrived at your table.” Amelia’s eyes swept down Jo’s body. “You’ve had your fun.”
“Y-yeah.” Heat settled on Jo’s cheeks. It was no secret why she was here, and certainly no secret what she’d been doing, but to have Amelia so calmly acknowledge it…it made Jo feel exposed in a way she hadn’t expected.
Amelia leaned in, her breath hot against Jo’s ear. “May I just say that you look much happier when you’ve just had a mind-blowing orgasm.”
Jo’s pulse skyrocketed as she clenched her thighs together. “T-thanks.”
“Seems to me that the woman you’ve been with is quite something.”
Jo lowered her gaze and took her bottom lip between her teeth as she tried to gather herself.
“Tell me about her.” Amelia’s thigh brushed hers, bare skin against bare skin, and Jo’s breath caught. “All I’ve wanted over the last several months is to see you happy, Jo.”
Emotion swelled in Jo’s chest. “Thank you. That means a lot.”
“You know how I feel about it all,” Amelia said, her voice softening. “But you’re moving on, and I, for one, am very happy to know that.”
“She’s…I don’t know.” Jo stared down into her glass, watching the liquid sway as she weighed up the pros and cons of being truthful with Amelia.
No matter what, she was still Callum’s mum.
“Her name is Lia. She told me that tonight.” Jo’s voice shook.
“I know it’s just the idea of being in that room and the fantasy of it all, but it’s like she knows exactly what I need.
Tonight, she made me feel so wanted that I’m struggling to think of anything else. ”
“You may say it’s just the fact you’re here, doing whatever you’re doing, but have you thought that maybe she’s interested in you?”
“It’s a sex club, Amelia.” Jo kept her voice low, conscious of the people around them.
The last thing she wanted was to sound ungrateful or judgmental of the space that had offered her so much.
“I’m pretty confident she was attentive because it’s what she does.
I’m also going to bet she’s here every night…
giving any woman that walks into that room whatever they desire. ”
“You do realise that those rooms are hired out for ordinary people to use, right?”
Jo frowned. “No, she’s definitely some kind of domme. She’s far too confident to be an ordinary person who walked in off the street. I’ve never met anyone like her before.”
Amelia cleared her throat. “That’s…not the type of club this is, Jo.”
“I’m sorry?”
“The whole pendant thing and the rooms…they’re purely to make the less confident people feel more comfortable here.
This isn’t a BDSM club.” Amelia held up a hand.
“I mean, if people wish to partake in that lifestyle, that’s perfectly fine here, but ultimately, it’s just a club for women to meet other women.
” Amelia smiled, her tone calm and…matter-of-fact.
“Yes, some women prefer to be in the dark rooms because it adds an element of mystery, but down the line, you are likely to come face to face with…Lia, did you say?”
Jo’s stomach flipped. The possibility of seeing Lia—of learning who she was—was a dizzying thought. Hopeful and terrifying all at once. “Nah. You’re fucking with me.”
Amelia lifted a shoulder. “Okay.”
“Wait! How do you know these things? You said you’ve never been here before.”
“A little white lie, so you didn’t go running out the door the moment I sat down next to you.” There was something different in Amelia’s eyes now. As though a confession was on the horizon. “I’ve been to this club many times before.”
Jo felt like she’d been punched directly in the face. “R-right. I didn’t know that.”
“Why would you? I don’t exactly pour you a coffee and tell you who I fucked the night before, do I?”
That mental image hit Jo like a train. Refined and graceful Amelia…saying that? Jo’s mind raced while her body reacted in a way she really didn’t need right now. She could practically feel that sultry voice in her ear. “Yeah, uh…this feels odd. This isn’t the Amelia I know.”
“No, I know. You only know the one who sits at home wishing she had something more in her life. The one who puts everyone else before herself. The one who is all about family, friends, and commitments. The one who works herself into the ground.” Amelia regarded Jo with a wry smile.
“I’m sorry if this is too much.” She placed her glass on the table and shifted towards the edge of the seat.
“I shouldn’t have come over here to you. This isn’t the relationship we have.”
Jo reached out instinctively, her hand landing on Amelia’s bare thigh. The contact was exactly how Jo imagined it would be. Electric. “Hey, no. I don’t want you to leave me alone at this table.”
“I should. I don’t want to make things feel strange between us.”
“Is this Amelia as fun as the one I already know?” Jo asked as she lifted a brow, her hand remaining in place.
Amelia looked down at Jo’s hand, a bright smile settling on her beautiful lips when she eventually looked back up at Jo. “I’d say she’s more fun than the one you already know.”
Jo cocked her head towards the other side of the room. “Then you should go to the bar and get us some fresh drinks. It’s Saturday night, and we should be enjoying ourselves.”
“I wouldn’t be offended if you’d rather we didn’t sit around here drinking together…”
“Well, I would be offended if you decided to leave me alone.”
Amelia leaned in and pressed a kiss to Jo’s cheek. Soft, slow, devastatingly good. A shiver worked its way down Jo’s spine, her whole body catching fire in its wake. God, she prayed Amelia hadn’t noticed.
“Thank you for not judging me for being here.”
Jo gave Amelia’s thigh a gentle squeeze. “You know I’d never.”