13 Serenity
I try to focus the next day at the hospital, but it just isn’t working out. There’s too much chaos going on in my head.
We’re starting the auction announcements next week. It might be Saturday, but that doesn’t mean I get the weekend to prepare with Dad’s trauma schedule. If anything, half the time it’s more hectic here depending on what comes in.
Vienna shoots me a dozen nosy messages, but I don’t know what to say to my sister. Any sort of comfort she’s offered so far does nothing to help, and it feels like I’m just treading water with her.
Daddy Emeric.
That’s like the eighth time the nickname has floated through my head since I got here. He threw me for a loop with that one, but calling him Daddy Emeric helps me get over how strange it is.
He does take care of me, but in very different ways than anyone ever has before.
I drag my teeth over my lip, thinking about last night. When I finally staggered downstairs the front door security guard of the night wandered over, telling me that they think Chad snuck in for a few minutes before being told to leave.
Asking him why they didn’t buzz us was a stupid idea. They did, but we couldn’t hear shit over the sounds of sex.
A knock comes at the door and startles me. I half expect it to be someone looking for Dad. But Anita pops her head in through the door, looking troubled, her hair pulled back in the severe bun she always wears at work. “I think you have a visitor.”
I blink at her, confused. “What?”
“A visitor.” She steps further into the room, her dark scrubs catching the lights as she moves. She really is beautiful, and I’m proud of the confidence my friend developed since she got with Russell.
Dread settles in my stomach. “Who is it?”
She winces. “Chad. Myla mentioned talking to you about him-”
“I asked her at the club, yes.”
Anita presses her lips together, dark eyes narrowing. “He’s not a good dude. Do you want me to ask Emilio to stand with you?”
“Where’s Russell?”
She shrugs. “He’s not working with Wayne today.”
Right, my Dad. Anyone working with Dad would know my business, and Emilio is too mixed into the circle to believe he’ll say nothing to his friends.
A little bit of paranoia creeps in, the kind I’ve tried to ignore since joining the club and having to walk in Jo’s footsteps for a while.
With a sigh, I set aside the paper I’m supposed to be working on. It’s not work for the hospital but for the club. I need to get on this auction thing before it runs away from me. “I’ll go talk to him.”
Her eyes widen. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”
“We’re at a hospital,” I say with a shrug. “He probably doesn’t want to look like an asshole to people he sees a lot during the week.”
“I hope that’s true.”
Standing, I give her a quick nod. “I’ll take care of this.”
Truthfully, the idea of dealing with Chad makes me nervous. There’s too much crossover between the club and my day job, and I don’t need any of this backfiring.
There’s already enough confusion with Emeric. I don’t need anything else going on right now. Clenching my cell in my hand, I stalk out of the office.
Chad’s standing just down the hall, one shoulder resting against it while he chats with a nurse. He notices me and smirks, straightening up.
This is going to be painful, I can already tell. Chad’s a smooth talker like Myla warned me. He’s good at getting under my skin with his slick tongue, but his words pale in comparison to what Emeric did to me.
The more I think about Emeric, the more I want to play again. It’s exactly what I shouldn’t be doing, but getting a taste of what he can do to me makes me want more, more, more.
Chad”s smirk is still in place when I reach him. “Hello, Serenity.”
I don’t bother with formalities, glaring up at him. I’m not sure what made him ask for me today, but there’s one thing that bothers me above everything else at the moment. “Don’t talk to my father about the club. He doesn’t want to hear all the dirty details.”
He shoots an eyebrow up, looking ready to challenge me. “I’m just letting him know what kind of place you’re hanging out. Or maybe he’d like to know about Daddy Emeric?”
I blanch, gaping up at him. The smug look on his face makes me want to wipe it off. So he did somehow sneak in yesterday, but how did he overhear that in the office? I thought it was hard to break through two doors, but maybe it isn’t as hard to listen through one…
Without thinking it through I grab his arm, pulling him with me towards and around the nearest corner, out of direct sight of the nurses station.
Awkwardly, I clear my throat. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Chad grins, crossing his arms with a cocky confidence that makes me despise him. “I just heard someone moaning and thought I should listen in.”
“You pressed your ear to the door downstairs and listened like a creep,” I correct, putting the pieces together. How he snuck that by the guards and anyone who walked by the door I don’t know, but it’s getting under my skin in all the wrong ways.
I try to piece together who worked the front last night, and I think it’s a new guy. Even then, he should’ve had Chad’s name on file somewhere to know he wasn’t allowed in.
“Not a creep, babe. It’s a sex club, right? We’re free to feel and take pleasure there, aren’t we?”
I frown, stepping back from him. I’m not trying to back down, but I’m not interested in having him in my bubble either. “Yes, I suppose. But-”
“But sleeping with the other manager is frowned upon?” he mocks, and I glare at him again. “Or you just don’t want people dropping rumors about you?”
My skin tingles at his words. Half my aversion to sex came from Jo and the backlash she got. I’ve heard way too many rumors, and they all trashed her. That’s not the kind of problem I’m looking to have, and staring at Chad I get the feeling he’s the type to cause drama. “You’re going to make this hell for me, aren’t you?”
He shrugs innocently. “I just think it’s interesting that the two of you are in charge and now you’re together.”
I don”t waste my breath to correct him. I can already tell he’s created a story for himself about what’s going on between me and Emeric, even if it’s none of his business.
Even if there’s nothing going on at all. We’re being far too careless, but that’s it. I tried to use Emeric, but it’s starting to feel like he’s using me too.
“Is there a rule against that?” I ask, raising a brow. “Management gets together all the time in the workplace. The owners are married.”
“That’s true,” he agrees, digging out his phone. He fiddles with something, spiking my irritation, before pressing the volume key. “But I really don’t think you want them hearing what you like. That’s why you fuck in the office, right?”
Before I can retort, I realize what audio he’s playing. “Shh, little one. Let Daddy take care of you.”
My jaw falls open. The voice isn’t loud, but it’s clear enough. He… he recorded me. Us.
My brain misfires. Members are required to turn in cell phones at the front for security reasons. Who let him slip through and get away with this last night?
I wonder if he even checked in, or if he got into the club another way to record that.
“You’ve only had one of my piercings tonight. Let me show you the other one.”
I swallow in shock. It’s more of Emeric talking than me, but I know what comes next. I thought that the steps between the upstairs office and the two doors would muffle any noise, but when I left I noticed it was cracked. I didn’t think anything of it…
“E - Emeric!”
“Try again, Serenity”
“Daddy Emeric.”
Despite myself, I cover my face in shame. It’s clearly consensual, and there’s no question I’m enjoying it as much as he is.
Chad laughs, and I consider shoving the heel of my shoe into his foot. “You think Dr. Zimmerman would appreciate that getting broadcast?”
“It’s my reputation, not my Dad’s,” I snap immediately. I drop my hands, but Chad doesn’t look at all perturbed. “You can’t just record people without them knowing.”
“It happens all the time, babe.” He wiggles the phone, mocking me with it before sliding it into his back pocket. “I’ll make you a deal to get it back, pup.”
I scowl, looking around. There’s no one to grab who won’t immediately raise suspicion.
My fingers tighten on either side of my arms, thinking about what to do next. The club is supposed to be safe, a heaven of sorts for people to play…
Does he do this often? Does he have recordings of other members I need to fret about?
Digging my teeth into my lip, the long list of problems spirals out of control in my head. I need to get a grip and deal with this, but all I can focus on is Chad”s smug face as he watches me.
Paranoia creeps into my brain. It”s just audio, no video. Anyone could”ve recorded that, and anyone could be the voice. But something tells me people would believe it”s me just for the shock factor. It”s more fun to believe the rumor than to dig for the truth.
I purse my lips, already dreading what”s next. I should probably text Emeric, or call Russell and just try to get the recording off his phone using Russell’s tech skills. But if it isn”t sent out someplace then I can”t imagine how to access it.
I can’t focus. Jo let one little thing slip through and it messed up her life. Worst-case scenarios play in my mind, all of them outlandish but still somewhere in the realm of possibility, and I can’t stop myself from stressing. Against my better judgment, I tilt up my chin. “What exactly do you want?”
When he smirks at me, I already know I’m not going to like the answer. I have a bad feeling this is going to blow up in my face.