Chapter 14
Did the music always sound this loud?
The bass throbbed through the walls of Club Bandit, vibrating up through Zee’s boots and into his ribs. The air was thick with sweat, leather, and expensive perfume, an intoxicating mix that clung to the skin.
Club Bandit pulsated with people and the chaotic energy of a dozen scenes unfolding at once. A new sub, cheeks flushed and eyes glassy, was being strapped to a bondage chair with wide black leather belts that squeaked as they tightened.
On stage, Alex’s twin floggers snapped through the air in rhythmic, hypnotic arcs—perfect Florentine form that had the crowd murmuring.
If Ella were here, Zee might’ve joined in, maybe even drawn her up onto that stage and shown off together. But she wasn’t.
She was exactly where he’d ordered her—at home, on painkillers, resting.
It had been two days since she dislocated her shoulder. The pain at night bothered her, and she still needed to rest.
The only way he could keep Club Bandit going was knowing that she was safe at home.
That’s the only way he was going to be able to fulfill the commitments that he’d made.
And guilt clung to him, tilting his world off-kilter. The stage lights seemed too bright and not bright enough.
He ground his molars, making his way through the crowd to Max. The place hadn’t changed.
The details they had carefully chosen still shone.
The gold textured walls caught the light, hardwood floors gleamed, and the high-end furnishings gave the place that luxe vibe they were going for.
But tonight, it all felt off—like the edges were beginning to fray.
The bondage scene in front of him? He’d seen it a thousand times.
The Dom nearby, methodically wrapping rope around his sub’s limbs in a cross-tie? Predictable.
His skull throbbed with every beat of the music.
All he wanted was a dark room and a bed.
You’re sounding old, Zee muttered to himself. But he plastered a smile on his face and went over to Max who was monitoring the private rooms in the downstairs hallway.
“Hey, Max, what can I do for you?”
“We’re out of blankets in the rooms, Zee. They weren’t restocked at the beginning of the night and I’ve had patrons complain about wipes. I apologized telling everyone we’re short-staffed”
Zee brushed a hand over his face. He didn’t even know where they kept the baby wipes. “Let me see if I have any back in the office. Anything else?”
“Yeah, members are complaining that the new security measures are taking too long.”
“Charlie has told me all night.” Zee tapped the headpiece he was wearing. “But they can live with it.”
Members had asked him for tighter security and now that they had it, they complained about it. But Zee wasn’t going to budge. He had to leave the day after tomorrow, and he wasn’t going to risk Ella’s security.
“Blankets and fresh towels and I found baby wipes.” Suki, one of Ella’s helpers, came to the hallway with one of Ella’s wheelie carts.
“Thanks, Suki. I appreciate the help.”
“I would have come earlier if I had known we were this short staffed.” Suki flung her long braid over her shoulder and Zee could see the flash of hurt on her face.
“That was my fault. I thought we were good. Ella told me to call for more help. She’s the one who keeps the place afloat.”
“We all know that, sir,” Suki gave Zee a wink that made him laugh and shake off some of his stress.
What made this place special was the care and details Ella had lovingly put into it. Even if it hadn’t been her idea at first. She had worked tirelessly to maintain his vision.
It hurt not having her by his side and it wasn’t the same without her.
He should have stayed at home with her, listening to one of her favourite concerts, brushing her hair, helping her off the couch.
But she had told him she was fine, and he had left her snuggling on the couch because it was more comfortable than the bed.
He wanted to come to the club tonight to make sure everything was covered for his absence, to check on the new security features and because he didn’t think it was fair to spur another absence on his staff if he could avoid it.
“No more sightings of that van?” Zee asked, keeping his voice low.
“None. It seems like that was a fluke. Maybe the wrong address or like you said, a patron that changed their mind.”
Maybe, but Zee still didn’t like it. He left Max to sort out the rooms with the waiting members, and stopped by the bar.
He served members, chatting with them, trying to get through the shift.
It could be nothing more than him being paranoid.
And so what if it was paranoia? He didn’t like the hang-up phone calls, and this week at work, when he left his office to go view some video, he came back and had the sense that someone had been in his office.
The university was a busy place and maybe it was a cleaner or a student looking for him or his director popping his head in.
There were lots of explanations but as Zee walked around the office, he couldn’t shake the sensation that something was out of place. Even though the trophies and the sports memorabilia the university had furnished his shelves with looked to be intact.
“Zee, we have someone in a sedan that doesn’t match the plates on the list. It’s someone from the health office. Says it’s an active investigation,” Charlie said, his voice cool in his ear.
An investigation? Zee’s heart skipped a beat, and his stomach dropped to his feet.
He didn’t have Ella here to ground him, to remind him not to overreact, to keep him steady when everything felt like it was teetering out of control.
“I’ll be right there,” he muttered.
He needed this health officer to go away, fast. Club Bandit members trusted him to keep their anonymity. Zee left the bar, making his way back to Max.
“Did I see Martin and Belle go down the hallway earlier?”
“They are in the third room.”
“Can you get him for me?” Max shrugged, left his podium and whistled down the hall. A few minutes later, Martin appeared, setting black frames on his face.
“Charlie tell that car to park to the side, stall them. I’m coming out.”
“Zee, did you want to join our scene?” Charlie put his hand on his submissive’s shoulder. Belle glanced up at him, her cheeks heated.
“No, I have trouble at the gate. I need your help.”
Martin’s face became a mask of seriousness. “Let’s get to the front, where it’s quiet and you can tell us what’s going on.”
Zee followed the couple through to the front of the club, ignoring people as he passed, wishing like hell Ella was with him. She wore a better mask than he did.
“Hey Lane, how’s it going here?” Zee asked the woman at the reception desk.
“All good. A couple of members asked for Ella to look at their outfits for the anniversary party. We miss her.”
“She’ll be back as soon as possible,” Zee said. “Why don’t you take a break?”
“Okay.” Lane scurried out of the desk chair, giving the three of them a curious look.
Belle sat in the vacant chair and Zee realized Belle looked a little floaty.
“Here, Belle. Sorry I pulled you out of a scene.” Zee reached into the mini fridge and handed her a bottle of juice.
“No, we were post-scene.” She took a sip of the juice, flung her hair back. “Okay, so who is at your gate?”
“A health officer, saying someone made a complaint and they want to come in and investigate. I told Charlie to have them park off to the side and to stall.”
“Good thinking,” Martin said. “They can’t just waltz in here unannounced, but they can be pushy. Ready, my pet?”
“This is going to be fun.” Belle pushed up from her seat.
“Come on Zee, we’ll get rid of this person.”
“Zee, they keep saying it’s an active investigation and they can’t be denied entry.” Static laced through Charlie’s voice.
“I’m coming out with help,” Zee grumbled.
Outside in the cool air, Zee saw Charlie standing next to the sedan. He walked over to join them, Martin and Belle flanking him.
It was Belle who stepped up and took the lead. “Hello, I was told you were from the health department. This is rather late for you?”
“Every complaint is investigated.” A woman with frizzy hair opened the car door. “Here’s my credentials.” The woman thrust her badge at Belle.
“Rachel Patel, health officer. This is a private residence. No food is served on the premises and no alcohol. What is the nature of your complaint?” Martin asked.
“Overcrowding. Someone said you were hosting orgies.”
“Orgies?” Zee couldn’t help the smile on his face. But Belle gave him a look, a subtle warning, and he kept his mouth shut, knowing he should let his lawyer friends handle this.
“Private or not, if bodily fluids are being exchanged in shared environments, we have to investigate. The complaint stated that it was operating as a commercial venue without appropriate sanitization.”
Zee’s pulse raced. The lethargy from earlier, of thinking he had seen everything and Club Bandit was boring, disappeared in a flash. They created something here that was unique and met the needs of their members.
That Florentine routine on stage? That took skill and practice. To have a private place where consenting adults could go and get their kink on was something he held as sacred.
He wasn’t going to let anyone take that away from them.
“This establishment operates as a private membership organization. The owner,” Martin laid his hand on Zee’s shoulder, “does not have to grant you entry without a warrant or prior notice. If you have specific concerns, we’re happy to address them, in the daylight when you can call our office.
” Martin gave the health officer his card.
“When you call our secretary tomorrow, please make sure you have documentation supporting your claims.”
“We are respectfully advising our client to deny you entry. As you can see there are guests here tonight and we do not want them to be disturbed. You can call our office tomorrow.” Belle’s voice was cool and sharp.
“I am allowed to investigate,” Ms. Patel said but it came out like a whine.
“Yes, you are, when prior arrangements have been made. Goodnight, Ms. Patel,” Martin said.
The woman sighed, shook her head. “Fine but just so you know, this isn’t a usual complaint and someone is making trouble for you. I can’t wait to investigate further.”
“We’ll talk further another time,” Martin said.
The health officer got back into her car, a frown on her face and drove away.
“Fuck, am I happy you two were here tonight. Thanks for dealing with that nonsense.”
“You’re welcome, Zee. I don’t like the sounds of this but hopefully we can make it go away before a health officer ever steps foot into Club Bandit. Who did you piss off lately?” Martin asked as they climbed the steps to the front door.
“I can’t think of anyone recently,” Zee said, forcing his voice to be calm.
But inside, his mind was still spinning. Who did I piss off? he wondered. Does it even matter? The feeling of being watched refused to leave him.
His pulse remained high as he walked back through the club, his eyes flickering over every member in the Club. It wasn’t just the health officer—it was everything that had been adding up over the past few weeks. The van. His office being rummaged through.
And now, this. He needed to talk to River Stone.
“It doesn’t matter who it is, we just have to deal with it. Don’t worry Zee, you and Ella have nothing to fear from the health department. We’ll take care of this.”
“I appreciate it,” Zee said. He wouldn’t have gotten Club Bandit off the ground if his friends hadn’t supported his idea.
If Logan Marrock and Quinn Walsh hadn’t signed up to be the first members, the idea of this upscale private club would never have gained flight.
In the centre of the busy club, Zee glanced to his right at a rope scene taking place where a Dom was tying beautiful knotwork, fastening their submissive to a pole.
Across the room, a Domme was putting a bridle on their sub. The intimacy of the moment took his breath away.
This is what it was about, having space that allowed these moments of connection to unfurl, to take place.
He and Ella worked hard to get Club Bandit up and running and he wasn’t going to let anyone take it away from him.