Chapter Twenty
They’re mine.
And I’m theirs.
~Chloé
CHLOé STARED AT the beautiful gilded clock on the wall in the living room, and watched the second hand tick its way around. She wasn’t sure how long she’d been sitting there dressed as requested. But she was well aware of how fast her heart was beating.
She was nervous.
Nervous and excited and slightly terrified of what was about to happen next—but at the same time, she couldn’t wait for it to begin.
She took in a gulp of air and smoothed her hand over the lacy material barely covering her thighs.
The robe was gorgeous, with flared three-quarter-length arms and a hemline that was high at the front but cut down low under her ass at the back.
It teased the eye with glimpses of every naked inch of her body, but at the same time hid just enough to torment.
She sat up straight like some kind of lady in waiting for her callers—if, of course, her callers had ordered her to wait for them in next to nothing—before a loud knock on the front door startled her, and her eyes flew to the clock.
Ten o’clock.
Right on time.
She’d expect nothing less from someone in Ethan’s employ.
Chloé shut her eyes for a second and counted back from twenty, and when the knock sounded again, she got to her feet. A glance down her body told her everything that could be covered—which wasn’t all that much—was covered. Then she made her way to the front door.
She looked through the peephole and, when she saw Gilles standing there, panicked a little. She hadn’t been sure who would be picking her up, and while she knew Ethan and Zayne were thinking a familiar face might help, the idea of Gilles seeing her in next to nothing made her anxious.
She ran a hand over the loose braid she’d styled her hair into, then told herself to stop worrying so much. Ethan and Zayne had asked her to trust them, so tonight she was going to push aside her nerves and do just that. She reached for the door and pulled it open.
“ Bonsoir , Miss Chloé.” If Gilles noticed she was standing there in nothing more than the finest lace money could buy, he said nothing, and he didn’t look anywhere other than her eyes. “If you’ll come with me, I’ll be escorting you to your destination this evening.”
Her destination? No hint or clue where that might be. But one thing was for sure: Ethan and Zayne definitely knew how to build the anticipation.
Gilles opened the passenger door of the SUV and, once she was inside, closed it behind her. Chloé settled in and made sure to buckle her seat belt, knowing that Ethan and Zayne would expect her to look after herself even if they weren’t there to do it for her.
“This is for you,” Gilles said from the front seat, and handed her a small, rectangular box, identical to the one her robe had come in.
Her hand shook as she reached out to take it, and she flipped over the attached tag.
Since you’re good in a blindfold…
Chloé’s breath hitched as she removed the lid. Nestled inside was a black blindfold. She picked up the silky material and rubbed it between her fingers. Then she glanced up at the rearview mirror to see Gilles’ eyes on her, and knew he was waiting for her to put it on.
He had his orders, and she had hers.
Am I really about to do this?
But as she let out the breath she’d been holding and brought the blindfold up over her eyes, she already knew her answer—yes, she really was.
She tied the ends at the back of her head, then heard, “Are you ready, Miss Chloé?”
She startled at the sound of his voice, her other senses coming alive now that her vision was obstructed.
“ Oui , thank you,” she murmured.
“Of course. It should take approximately ten minutes to get where we’re going.”
She nodded as the engine started, and curled her hands around the box in her lap. This had to be the craziest thing she’d ever done, but as the SUV began to move and her mind conjured up what exactly was going to happen tonight, her pulse began to race.
The first thing that came to mind was their discussion on the plane. The conversation they’d had about fantasies—hers in particular. But there was no way that’s what was going on here, no matter what her brain was trying to convince her.
This was just some sexy dom technique they were using to get her used to the idea. They were probably waiting for her in some hotel, where the three of them would talk about how turned on she’d gotten by this little exercise—because she was definitely turned on.
Nearly naked as she was, Chloé was very aware of the insistent throb between her thighs.
It was slow and steady, and completely inappropriate while sitting in the back of a car with an almost-stranger.
But something about being practically naked in front of Gilles, that he could look at her right now without her knowing, made her even hotter.
Chloé shifted in her seat and pushed the box off her lap, and when her robe parted and cool air hit her upper thighs, a soft gasp left her. She licked at her lips and reached for the material to pull it back over her, then leaned back in her seat and rolled her hips, seeking some sort of relief.
God… How could she be so aroused when nothing had even happened to her? But she already knew the answer to that. Ethan and Zayne were in her head, teasing her already from wherever they were.
“Miss Chloé?”
Chloé squeezed her legs together and looked in Gilles’ direction, which was completely ridiculous, since she couldn’t see him.
She swallowed and somehow managed to find her voice. “Oui?”
“We’re here. If you’ll wait there, I’ll be around to help you inside.”
Help me inside?
Wait, she wasn’t allowed to take the blindfold off? She’d figured once they arrived it would come off like “Surprise!” But when she heard her door open and Gilles gently took her elbow, the nerves started to rush back in.
“Gilles?”
“ Oui , Miss Chloé?”
“Are Ethan and Zayne here?”
“ Oui . They’ll meet you inside.”
Inside where? she wanted to ask, but she knew she wouldn’t get an answer. If they wanted her to know, she already would.
Tonight had been meticulously orchestrated. From the moment Ethan and Zayne had left her relaxing in the bath, to what she would wear, to Gilles driving her across town, to here and now—wherever that might be.
What had Ethan said? I like having a plan.
Never had that been more apparent than it was right now.
“Just this way,” Gilles said from beside her, and Chloé let him guide her forward, putting her trust in him, knowing that Ethan and Zayne had.
She took several steps then was told to take one up, and a second later she heard a door shutting behind her.
Chloé whipped her head around, feeling her heart hammering like she was prey being hunted. It was a ridiculous thought, one that she banished as soon as it appeared, because there was no way Ethan or Zayne would let any kind of harm come to her.
She swallowed back the quick rush of fear, and she was stunned to realize that her excitement was right there bubbling underneath it.
Breathe in… Breathe out…
Her lack of sight was disconcerting, but as she took in several deep breaths, she let her other senses take over.
A faint beat was thumping in the distance somewhere as Gilles led her down what she assumed was a hallway.
She followed as best she could, trying not to stumble on her heels, and after several turns they came to a stop—and so did the music.
The only thing she could hear now was the blood ringing in her ears.
“Wait here.” Gilles moved her into place, and Chloé’s heart was beating so hard that she was surprised it didn’t fly out of her chest. A soft breeze against her arm told her that Gilles had moved behind her, and a second later her blindfold was removed.
Chloé blinked several times, and as her vision cleared, she found herself staring at a set of black double doors framed in gold—remarkably similar to the box her robe had been nestled inside.
She’d been right; she was definitely standing in a hallway, but when she looked over her shoulder, no one else was there—Gilles was gone.
A mechanical whirring sound had her turning back to the doors, and as they slowly opened up, Chloé found herself face to face with a crowd of curious and scantily dressed onlookers.
Oh my God…
She knew exactly what was going on here. Remembered every detail as it had been that night. This was her fantasy. The one they’d talked about on the plane. But she’d never imagined they’d go through with it here and now.
They were in another country, and her fantasy had involved their club, not some strange new place. But there was no denying what this crowd was here for as hushed whispers began to float through the air.
Chloé’s body pulsed as the people inside the room gave her hungry once-overs that made her feel both sexy and self-conscious at the same time.
It was strange to be under such immediate and intense scrutiny, but as she stood there and no one moved to approach her, she got the distinct impression they somehow knew not to.
Her breathing was coming fast now as she scanned the crowd for Ethan and Zayne, and that was when it happened—a spotlight lit up a stage at the front of the room.
Chloé stood frozen in place as the wound-up crowd began to cheer and whistle, and when Zayne walked onto the stage in nothing but a pair of tight black jeans and boots, she thought her knees might give out.
He was exactly how she remembered him from that night: his muscles rippling, his tattooed arms on show, and his pierced nipples caught on the light every now and then, shining like a beacon guiding her to him.
Sex and confidence—that was what she’d thought then, and it was what she knew now.
He stopped at the center of the stage and looked directly through the crowd at her, and her entire body reacted. Her nipples hardened until they were grazing the soft lace, and she could feel her clit throb as he raised a hand and gestured for quiet.