Chapter 15
Ihad to get out of the city and away from work and people for some me time, and to think about what my next steps should be. Usually, holing up in my apartment and not answering my phone accomplished the same thing, but I’d left Rose there, and although I was sure she’d left by now, my apartment would smell like sex and her, and that made any clear thinking on my part impossible.
I pulled up to the gates of Asgard and took a moment to take in the immensity of the stone wall that stretched across the mountainside that ended at the massive, black metal gate. It probably sounded stupid to most people, but the gate was one of my favorite pieces of the security Erik, Lincoln, and I had installed. Well, the intricate carvings were Erik’s idea, but what made the gate open, and how one gained access to the private club was my baby.
The gate stood like a lonely sentinel, all that stood between the chaos of the outside world, and the peace I knew I’d feel once I crossed the threshold. Embedded into the stone at the left of the gate was a high-tech security panel. I entered a code into the panel and the gates silently parted. I always imagined this being like the true entrance to Asgard, where my namesake stood guard. He was the one who was the last defense from threats. He alone stood against many enemies who wished to destroy the realm of the gods. Sometimes I felt exactly the same, today being one of those times.
As I passed beyond security onto the grounds, my breath caught as it did every time I came here. Asgard was a whole other realm. I could see the sun piercing the canopy of the woods comprised of ancient trees and put my window down to take deep breaths of the pungent earthy smell of the forest lining both sides of the road.
The tension in my shoulders eased with each deep inhale I took. Home whispered in my head and, in a lot of ways, it was home. It belonged to our group of eight, and we opened it for elite members and employees when we hosted special events.
Recently, Thor had proposed to Raia here in front of us and our community, offering her a ring and a collar to symbolize their union both in and out of the lifestyle. One day I hoped to follow their lead and collar my submissive here, and if the timing was right, maybe more.
Asgard came into view, perched majestically atop a grassy knoll. Stone and wood fused and showcased a classic Norwegian-style frame. It was the epitome of luxury and relaxation, a true getaway for the gods. At least that was how we phrased it when we discussed it with others.
Of our three clubs, Midgard was the only one set up with the public in mind. We allowed people off the street and had a low enough membership rate that the place had been a booming success since it opened its doors.
Valhalla didn’t bother with hiding what it was. The place felt like a sensual palace of iniquity with velvet and silk draping the walls interspersed with large, framed erotic works of art. The only way to enter was to be a member or a guest of a member. The exclusive club had hefty yearly dues, but that hadn’t stopped those dedicated to the lifestyle who filled the place nightly. Valhalla also offered private parties and was known as the best BDSM club on the eastern seaboard.
Once inside, I dropped my bag off in my room, threw on a pair of shorts and headed to the blue lagoon pool. I poured myself a Lagavulin on ice and kicked my feet up on a lounger.
The melting ice in my crystal tumbler mesmerized me while my thoughts strayed to Rose. She was, after all, the entire reason I’d sought sanctuary. I turned on my private app and rewatched the moment she woke up and realized I was gone. She didn’t hide the disappointment when her hand reached out to touch the sheets and found them cold. She’d read my note and winced. Yeah, I think I would have as well if the roles were reversed.
I watched her getting ready for work, and not from the cams that came with the suite, but the privacy ones I installed just for me that night she’d stayed out late with Mari. The new cams had sound, allowing me to hear her conversation with Mari as she’d had it on speaker while she got ready for work.
I replayed her reading the email from work several times and her anger at what she read, but who could blame her? I’d given her a piece of myself for the evening, called her my sub, and then disappeared. It was not honorable of me, and it certainly didn’t shed a positive light on me as a Dom, either. Fuck me, I was an asshole, but she’d wanted a deep conversation I wasn’t ready for.
* * *
Now, a few days later, I was as lost as I’d been when I arrived and hadn’t moved far from my perch by the pool. I found it very relaxing and realized that was most likely the reason Erik had a water habitat for a floor in his suite. Resignation moved through me as I rehashed my actions from my one glorious date with Rose, to running away.
It wasn’t fair to her to stay away like this and she had the app to tell her my whereabouts, but she wouldn’t know what was here if she googled. The results would show her farmland and pastures for miles. The app kept Asgard a secret from those who were not members.
Mari had left me messages, as had Rose and Jared, but I wasn’t ready to talk just yet. I needed space to think and with Asgard empty, I had the privacy I needed, except it wasn’t helping me. I craved Rose and wondered what she’d think of this place. Would she fall in love with it as much as I had?
Of course she would. Rose appreciated unique architecture, and Asgard had that in spades.
A few days later, with nothing to keep me company but the turmoil roiling inside of me, I shut down and went on a bit of a bender. I woke up hours later, half sprawled on the lounger to the sound of a helicopter.
What the hell? I checked security but saw nothing. Now I was concerned and wobbled to my feet to go and see what was going on and saw Jared entering the lagoon area.
“Fancy meeting you here,” he said in his uptight English accent. Yeah, he was American, but he never lost that British posh attitude he had when he moved here for college. He’d wanted to get away from his family, but that was another story.
“Welcome home, Loki.” I huffed with amusement. Master Loki was Jared’s club name, and him appearing out of nowhere was a very Loki thing to do. “What are you doing here?”
“What do you think? Aren’t you a little too old to run away from home?” He took the tumbler from my hand and downed its contents.
His comment pissed me off. “Are you accusing me of shirking my duties? I came to work out the glitch in the security.”
He snorted in amusement. “You are full of shit.”
“Why are you here?” I glared up at him.
“Mari called. She said you were acting like an ass and to come and talk some sense into you.”
Well played, Mari. If she’d sent Noah or Erik, this would be a more friendly discussion, but sending our resident sadist proved she meant business and so did he. Jared was highly intelligent and had balls of steel. There was no way he’d indulge my bullshit.
He surprised me when he pulled over another lounger and dropped onto it, placing his feet up and looking surprisingly relaxed for a man on a mission. He speared me with a look that made me feel like he could see my soul.
“What is going on with you?”
There was no sense in trying to get out of this. “What’s going on is I came here for some privacy and to work out my growing feelings for Rose, my new employee.”
He nodded his head sagely. “How do you feel about her?”
That was a great question. “I’m here aren’t I? Clearly I have deep feelings. But..”
“But what?”
I scrubbed my hands down my face in frustration. “You know me, Jared, I’m obsessive when it comes to security. Being with someone like Rose, well, she’s oblivious to trouble and doesn”t consider personal safety at all. How does that work with someone like me who’s clearly OCD?”
“This is about your parents, isn’t it?”
I stood up and paced, as the events of the night I lost my parents played out. “Yes, of course it is, and don’t try to tell me security isn’t important. It’s me who keeps everyone safe, Jared, so don’t deny it.”
“Gabriel, sit down. I wasn’t going to say anything of the sort. Don’t go getting all defensive over nothing. What I was about to say is that you are the best in the business, and had it not been for that horrible event in your past, would you have chosen security, I wonder? But that’s not the issue, is it? Tell me, does Rose have a safeword?”
I dropped back onto my lounger, closing my eyes and taking some deep breaths before answering him. “Yes.”
“Then what is the problem? According to Mari, you both have the same kink and you have burgeoning feelings for her. You’ve handled security or you wouldn’t be stalking her on your phone.”
My eyes flew open to see Jared holding my phone. “She is very attractive by the way.”
I snatched my phone from his hands. “I don’t want her to safeword. I want her to allow me to do all the necessary things to protect her.”
Jared smirked and gazed heavenward like he was communicating with a god. “Listen. She has a safeword and hasn’t used it. I never thought you were a coward, Gabriel, but that’s what I’m seeing right now.”
I was back on my feet. “Oh really? And if it’s so easy, why aren’t you in a relationship?”
“What I want is a partner who wants pain but isn’t broken. They don’t want to be punished in the way a brat would. They would want to walk the edge of the boundary between pleasure and pain. It is a journey I wish to take with a woman, where each session ends with her flying. When I find the one who wants the same thing as me, I will undoubtedly keep her as mine and no way in hell will you find me wallowing like a pussy by myself in the middle of nowhere.”
He had a point. More than one. Rose and I had the same kink and our chemistry during sex was beyond anything I’d ever experienced before. It was hard to keep my hands off her when she was in my proximity, so what was the problem?
“Okay. I see your point.”
“Points.” He smirked.
“Fine! Points! Now can we go? I have a woman to claim.”
Jared’s smirk morphed into a full smile. “That’s the spirit.”
“I just need to grab my things and then we can go. Wait, how did you get here? I didn’t get an alert of any cars entering the grounds.”
His smile returned to his usual smirk. “Well, of course not. I didn’t want you running away like a little pussy. I had a helicopter drop me off, and I dismantled the security and walked in.”
“Of course you did. Can’t do anything normal like us mere mortals, can you?”
He let out a huff of amusement. “Of course not. I’m Master Loki after all.”
“Full of yourself is more like it,” I mumbled, leaving him to laugh as I retreated to my suite to gather the few things I’d brought with me. Jared was right, my issue wasn’t about Rose and her safety, although I meant to increase it regardless of what she said. It was more about me coming to terms with her being the one I wanted.