Chapter Six
Eli had been working at Club Sensation for a week and was blown away by literally every change in his life.
Sure, the dishwashing could be tedious at times, but it allowed him a chance to think.
He turned on the sanitizing machine, then grabbed the next load of dirty plates and bowls that one of the busboys had just dropped off.
While he sorted the plates from the cutlery and the glasses, he replayed all the cool scenes and demos Ryan and Ty had taken him to over the past few nights.
The energy at the club was similar to what he’d experienced back in LA at Kiss of Leather.
The demonstrations weren’t only about technique, they were about connection, trust, the careful dance between power and surrender that he’d only read about.
Watching the rope work demonstration two nights ago had left him mesmerized, the way the rigger's hands moved with such precision while his partner melted into the restraints with obvious bliss.
Eli loaded a rack of glasses into the machine, steam rising as the hot water hit the surface.
The heat reminded him of that first night when Ryan had found him at the shelter, how the warmth of their offer had felt like a lifeline thrown to a drowning man.
Living with Master Zane, Ryan, and Ty had been an adjustment—the house rules, the protocols, the way they moved around each other with such obvious care and structure.
However, nobody pressed him for details about his past, for which he was extremely grateful. Maybe at some point he’d want to unburden himself, but for now, the memory of that night was still too raw.
Eli paused, swiping the back of his hand across his forehead to remove the sweat. The other thing he couldn’t stop replaying through his head was the night Avery came over and dropped off his things. He hadn’t stayed long, but Eli could swear the handsome Dom wished he could.
His stomach did the fluttery thing it always did when he thought about Avery.
If he was being honest, his fantasies about Avery were getting out of control.
But how could he help himself? Now that he’d discovered that Avery was a Dom, wasn’t with anyone, and had made sure Eli knew he could come to him anytime if he needed something, he had zero control over where his filthy little mind went.
Eli started up the machine, then went to clock out.
Ryan was meeting up with him after his shift so they could hang out in the club together.
So far, he hadn’t run into Avery again, even though Ryan had spilled all the beans about Avery.
Not that Eli would’ve ever asked, but after Ryan heard the story of what happened between him and Avery - two completely amazing things happened, at least from his standpoint.
Ryan assumed that the big secret Eli was keeping from him was running away from his hotel job because he’d been living in the laundry room.
He’d also bent over backwards to reassure Eli that Avery was a good guy, and gave Eli plenty of intel on his dream Dom so he didn’t have to embarrass himself by asking.
Is that what’s going on? Avery as my Dom? He still wasn’t sure he was ready to take the next step in his kink journey, but maybe? If only he weren’t so inexperienced. Avery was probably an expert. After all, he was best buddies with the owner. Eli sighed. He’d only make a fool of himself.
He’d already removed his apron, so he waited in the hallway that joined the restaurant to the club.
The bouncer assigned to the passageway knew him by now, so they nodded to each other in greeting.
Eli was learning a lot by not only working there but from being friends with the owner’s boys.
He loved how every detail was handled. Because the restaurant and club were connected, and the general public was allowed in, the bouncer kept those who weren’t members from sneaking in the back way.
The thump, thump, thump of the dance music bass was much louder now that he was in the hallway. It was after eleven, so things in the club had heated up. The main level demonstrations would be over, and everyone would either be on the dance floor or upstairs.
So far, he’d stayed in red bracelet territory, and the only people he danced with were Ryan and Ty.
He still wasn’t sure he should be getting too close to anyone.
What if he had to run again? Or what if everything resolved, and he decided to go back to California?
If either of those things happened, he’d lose new friends and would never know if there was a chance for him and Avery. As usual, he had no idea what to do.
His phone buzzed in the pocket of his hoodie, and he wondered if Ryan was running late. He gasped when he saw who that caller was.
“Lenny! Where have you been?”
The bouncer looked over at him, and Eli remembered he should keep his voice down. Not because he was disturbing any club-goers’ enjoyment, but because he didn’t want to chance anyone hearing his business. He turned his back to the bouncer.
“Sorry, dude,” said Lenny. “It’s been wild. Are you okay where you are?”
“I am now, but I was so worried when I didn’t hear back from you. What happened?”
“Oh, man.” Lenny groaned. “I’ve been stressing out hardcore. I don’t want to be all like, yo, anyone hear anything about some lady getting shot in an alley?”
“I don’t understand.” Eli gripped his phone tighter, thrown back into the terror of what he’d run from. “Why would you be asking anyone about anything? You can’t say a word.”
“Duh, I know that.” Lenny snorted. “What I’m saying is there hasn’t been anything on the news.
It’s like we imagined the whole thing.” He groaned.
“And on top of that, I have your folks climbing up my butt about whether I’ve heard from you.
Sorry, but it’s easier for me to say I have no clue about where you are if we’re not gabbing all the time. ”
“Yeah, I guess I didn’t think of that.” Eli’s mind raced, his thoughts confused and fractured. “God, my poor mom. I feel awful.”
“I know, dude. But her being upset is better than the other possibility.”
Eli chewed on his lower lip. “Do you think I overreacted? I mean, if you didn’t see anything reported, and you haven’t been able to dig up any other info, maybe…”
“We imagined it? It was an April Fool’s joke in October?” Lenny huffed. “Come on.”
Eli rubbed his forehead, helplessness surging through him. If only he could find out something regarding the murder. Because if it was being suppressed somehow, or hadn’t been discovered, that only made his situation worse. He’d never be able to come out of hiding.
“Okay, you’re right. And you haven’t seen anyone weird while you’re at work, or when you go out?”
“Dude. I’m in LA. Everyone is weird.”
“Lenny, for real. You don’t feel like you’ve been followed or anything?”
“Nah. I’ve been crashing at my brother’s place. I paid my part of the rent at my apartment, but I’m basically treating it like a storage unit for now.”
“Wow.” Eli winced. “So you were serious about not going back.”
“Hey, I only went over the hill into Hollywood. You went to the other side of the country.”
“Okay. Fair point.” Eli straightened at the sight of Ryan smiling and waving from the direction of the restaurant as he moved toward him. “Lenny, I gotta go. Don’t ghost me though, okay? And be careful!”
He ended the call abruptly before Lenny had a chance to respond. “Hey, Ryan.”
“Hey, hon.” Ryan pulled him in for a quick hug. “Were you trying to call me just now? I didn’t think I was late.”
“Oh, I…” Eli shoved his phone in his pocket as if it might blurt out his deepest, darkest secrets. “I was just checking on something.”
That didn’t sound suspicious at all.
Ryan squeezed his shoulder. “It’s okay. I might have a tendency to be nosey, but it’s none of my business.”
“Sorry.” Eli lowered his eyes. “I’m not a very good friend.”
Ryan looped his arm through Eli’s. “That’s not true.
“Yes it is. You're being totally sweet to me when I'm clearly keeping secrets from you.”
Ryan’s eyes softened, and he guided them toward the club entrance. “Everyone has stuff they can’t talk about. Doesn’t make you a bad friend,” Ryan said, raising his voice slightly over the music as they entered the club. “Master Zane always says trust is earned over time, not demanded upfront.”
The mention of Master Zane made Eli think of Avery again, the brief encounter at Zane’s that still made him wonder if anything could ever happen between them.
“Come on.” Ryan grabbed his hand, guiding him through the crowd.
“Master left us some gear in the changing room. I was supposed to bring everything, but it’s been a day.
” He glanced over his shoulder. “Two volunteers didn’t show up at the shelter, so I was running back and forth like a wild animal let loose from his cage.
” Ryan laughed. “But that’s cool. I’m soooo ready to have a good time tonight. ”
A couple of decked-out bears molested him with their eyes as they squeezed past, and Eli sucked in a sharp breath at the realization he didn’t have the red bracelet on yet.
“Oh no!” Eli quickly stepped closer to Ryan, feeling exposed. “I need my red bracelet.”
“That's why we’re heading to the changing room first.” Ryan tugged him along faster, weaving through the crowd with practiced ease. “Master Zane put aside some special gear for us, but I was thinking we could maybe get you a yellow bracelet tonight instead.”
Eli nearly stumbled. “Yellow? But that means…”
“That you're open to watching scenes up close, yeah.” Ryan's eyes sparkled with mischief. “Not that you have to participate, and only if you’re ready to take the next step. But it gets you into more areas.”
Eli’s heart thundered. The thought of getting closer to the action sent a thrill through him, but also a wave of anxiety. What if he did something wrong? What if he embarrassed himself?
“I don’t know,” he said, biting his lip.