Chapter 28
Twenty-Eight
I stared, unable to draw my eyes away from the scene in front of me.
A naked brunette was attached to a pair of iron poles, her knees drawn up and bound by rope to each pole, spreading her wide.
The rope work was intricate and I wondered if Kal had a hand in her bondage.
Her wrists were fastened high above her head, stretching out her torso.
Desperate cries fell from her lips, drawn out of her by Damien who stood between her thighs, wearing dress trousers and nothing more. His hand moved between her legs in a twisting motion. My eyes grew wide as I watched his hand disappear inside her until he was buried to the wrist.
She screamed an incredible orgasm as Damien held her throat tight, limiting her oxygen, extending her pleasure.
He kissed her deeply as she came down, the slow flex of his forearm telling me he was still working her deep inside.
I couldn’t imagine what she was feeling right now. I wasn’t sure I wanted to know.
Eventually, Kal cleared his throat, getting their attention. Damien turned, arching a brow when he saw me.
“Hello, Troublemaker.”
“She wanted a word with you,” Kal informed him. I quickly averted my eyes from the naked woman.
“Yeah?” Damien smirked. “Looks like she’s lost for them.”
“I’m sorry, I?—”
“That’s alright. We don’t mind, do we, April?”
“Huh?” she murmured and he chuckled. I looked away as he slowly eased himself out of her shuddering body.
The room was simple, a stark contrast to the overly elaborate decor in the rest of the clubhouse.
There was a large couch in one corner, a fridge and wash basin in another and spotted around the room were various pieces of equipment I couldn’t begin to name.
With a black and red colour palette, the words ‘Sex Dungeon’ came to mind.
Damien straightened, crossing to the sink to wash his hands.
“Kal, untie her will you?” The instruction was tossed over his shoulder as casually as ‘honey, we’re out of milk’ and Kal followed, approaching the woman with a smile.
Drying his hands, Damien looked over at April who was still panting and shuddering.
“Rest up and let Kal take care of you till I get back.”
“I’d rather Kal played with me.” She smiled a soft, sex-drunk smile, not seeming to care in the least that I was there.
“Rest,” he told her, his tone firm. He looked at Kal who raised one hand, the other already loosening April's knots.
“Aftercare only. Got it.” He grinned at April. “You hungry, gorgeous? Mr Marx likes to keep his rooms stocked with Kit Kats and ice lollies...” His voice cut off as Damien ushered me out of the room, swinging the door shut behind us.
Damien stepped across the hall, opening the door opposite and waving me inside. “This one’s empty. We can talk in there.”
I hesitated, turning to Elliot. “Wait here?” He didn’t look happy about it but he gave me a stiff nod. “I won’t be long.”
I stepped into what looked like a doctor's office. There was no bed, only a gynecology chair with stirrups and a variety of medical equipment laid out on a tray nearby. I tried not to think about what happened in this room.
Damien shut the door behind us, sliding into the chair with a sigh. “So, what do you want?”
“Firstly, to apologise for breaking the rules. I know I’m not supposed to be here.” I clasped my hands in front of me, tilting my chin as he ran his gaze over me in that appraising way I was sure he’d learned from Alfie.
“Did you sneak your way down?”
“No.”
“Then you’re not breaking the rules.” He shrugged.
“We’re just bending them, for a special friend.
” He leaned back in the chair, the muscles of his abs flexing with the movement.
He was bulkier than Alfie, his skin tan as opposed to Alfie's ivory white. If my system wasn’t drunk on Alfie I might be tempted by him. “So, what can I do for you?”
“Keira.” As soon as I said her name his eyes sharpened, only a little, but I noticed it. “What happened between you two? She’s been different since the night you met.”
“We hooked up,” he shrugged. The same thing Alfie did when he was trying to dodge a topic.
“That’s it? She’s been quiet, distant. My best friend isn’t like that. What exactly did you do to her?”
“You want a play by play?” He smirked. I crossed my arms over my chest.
“No. I want to know if you hurt her.” I regretted the words as soon as they were out of my mouth. Damien’s expression darkened, all levity gone.
“No, Lola. I didn’t hurt her.” He sat forward, his eyes stony. “I don’t hurt women. Not like that.”
“I’m sorry—” I started but he waved a hand at me, cutting me off.
“It’s okay, you’re just ignorant about our lifestyle. I get it.” His expression softened a little as he studied me. “You know, I believe that an ignorant mind can be forgiven if it's open to an education. Are you open to an education, Lola?”
I swallowed, thinking of all the debauched things that went on down here. Things I couldn’t even begin to imagine. Things I wouldn’t want to explore with anyone, except maybe one person. “It depends who’s doing the educating.”
“Right answer.” He sat back in his chair, all awkwardness gone.
“Why do I get the feeling that you were just testing my loyalty to Alfie?”
“Because I was.” He held my gaze, not a hint of shame there. I bit my lip, unsure whether to be annoyed with him or not.
“Does that also explain why Kal keeps teasing me?”
“It explains why Kal let you down here at all.” His dark eyes studied my face and for the first time I saw something besides the cocky playboy. “We all want to make sure you’re the right fit for Alfie and this place is a pretty good judge of character.”
I was tempted to argue that it should probably be up to Alfie, not them, but I couldn’t begrudge them their protectiveness. I knew Alfie had been dealing with circling sharks his whole life and I had no doubt they probably had too.
“Fair enough, throw all the tests at me you want but let me just be clear, Alfie and I aren’t a sure thing. We’re just figuring shit out, but I promise not to hurt him intentionally.”
“Fine,” he nodded, though he didn’t seem convinced, either about my promise or my declaration that Alfie and I weren’t an item. “As for your friend, anything I did to her, she asked for.”
I bit my lip, unsure where to go from here. It felt wrong to be poking in his brain about Keira but my worry for her pushed me forward. “So, nothing bad happened?”
“Look,” he sighed, “we had a good time and when it was done I tried to give her the same aftercare I give to any other woman I play with.”
Aftercare. I’d heard the term several times now but I still wasn’t entirely sure what he meant. “What is aftercare, exactly?”
Damien’s brows raised, an incredulous expression on his handsome face.
“Alfie’s really kept your training wheels on, huh?
” He chuckled. I wasn’t sure whether he was laughing at my expense or Alfie’s.
“He should be the one to explain all this to you but the short version is I’m dominant when I fuck, it’s my job to check in with my partner afterwards to make sure that she or he is mentally and physically okay.
Sometimes I bathe them, hold them, feed them, whatever. Depends on the person.”
I nodded, trying to wrap my head around what he was telling me. “Dominant as in ‘A Dominant’?”
Damien’s smile grew wider at my question. “So, you’re not a total novice then?”
“I’ve read some stuff.” I shrugged like it was no big deal, though I could feel my cheeks blushing bright red. “So, would that make Keira a submissive?” I wrinkled my nose, that term didn’t seem to fit my best friend.
“I’m not telling you that. My point is that I tried to take care of her the same way as I would anyone else.
She gave me the brush off, alright?” He shrugged again but if I wasn't mistaken there was a hint of pain behind his eyes. Whatever was there, he shook it away, moving on. “Look, she didn’t seem like an amateur to me. She knew what she was doing, so I don’t think whatever is wrong with her has anything to do with the way we fucked.
Besides, in the grand scheme of fuckery, it was nothing too dark.
Just a bit bumpy, in all the right ways.
” He laughed, rubbing a hand over his jaw as if replaying his memories with her.
I felt like I was dipping my toes way too much into my bestie's personal life. “Have you spoken to her since?”
“I’m not going to tell you that,” Damien said, his tone gentle but final.
“She’s my best friend.”
“And if she wants you to know, she’ll tell you herself.” He raised a hand before I could argue. “Look, I get you’re being a good friend, but I’m not going to run my mouth about Keira’s personal life.”
I stared at Damien Marx. Whatever I’d expected from this man, it hadn’t been this. He had a level of decency and respect I hadn’t seen coming. “I’m sorry, I’m just worried about her.”
He nodded, his expression softening. “It’s hard when your best friend shuts you out. Hopefully yours won’t take twelve years to let you back in again.” He gave a small laugh that did nothing to erase the pain in his words.
I felt guilty. I’d underestimated Damien, his character and his friendship with Alfie.
He straightened his shoulders, and I prepared to have a metaphorical door slammed in my face the same way Alfie had done so many times. “Now, as fun as this has been, I should be getting you back to the surface.” He slid out of the chair and headed for the door, giving me no room to argue.
I bit my lip. I was frustrated I didn't know what was wrong with my friend but relieved she hadn’t been hurt by Damien. He could be lying but I didn't think so. This man had no need to lie about what he did with women.
Elliot’s shoulders relaxed as I stepped into the hall and I gave him a reassuring smile before turning to Damien. “Look, I get that it’s none of my business, but whatever you’re doing with Keira, just don’t hurt her, okay? She’s not as tough as she seems.”
Damien blinked, surprised. “She doesn’t seem tough at all. In fact, she…oh shit.” His eyes widened as he looked over my shoulder. I turned, following his gaze. My heart sank as I found a glowering Alfie Tell stalking towards me.
“I’ll pray for you,” Damien whispered in my ear before keying in the code for his room.
He pushed the door open, the sound of hushed voices reaching my ears.
“Seriously? You ate all my Kit Kats?” He laughed as he entered the room, his fake outrage answered by Kal and April's giggles.
The door closed behind him, leaving me to face Alfie.
I swallowed as he approached, his eyes dark. My palms began to sweat as I tried to figure out how I was going to explain this when I realised I couldn’t. I hadn’t just crossed a line, I’d stomped all over it, and Alfie Tell didn’t forgive easily.