24 Serenity
Emeric doesn”t push, and I couldn”t be more grateful if I tried. He half carried me back to the car, buckling me in as the cars that picked up Chad drove off, and he even had someone deliver my favorite snacks for when we got back to his place.
I decide to stay home until evening after speaking to Dad, needing some time to think things over. Chad is a problem that lingers in my mind, but he didn’t physically do anything to me. Not really. Emeric’s asked me multiple times if he touched me, and he did… just not like that.
I was smart enough to get away. Not smart enough to tell off my dad earlier but smart enough for this.
“You’ll come with me Saturday?”
He shoots me a look as we drive to work on his day off. Even when he isn’t supposed to work he takes me in. My car is at his house but I’m rarely using it. “To the graduation?”
“Yeah. Vienna asked if you’ll be there.”
“She met me a week ago.”
I shake my head at him, a smile tugging my lips. “And she likes you. She thinks you’re good for me.”
We pull into the lot for the club, and I eyeball some cars that are there early. For the auction, we’re inviting people who are not yet members to do a trial before the official day. Hopefully it’ll help ease some of the nerves. I’m unsure if having people who”ve never joined the club before go up for auction is a good idea, but when I asked Jo she didn’t seem concerned. Apparently the rush is what convinces the participants to join to begin with.
She’s not responding much to my texts anymore, but that one she got back to me about.
“She thinks I’m good for you because I don’t think the same way your dad does,” he tells me seriously. “I don’t give a shit what he says either. That’s usually a bad sign.”
“Not with him,” I reply, shaking my head as we climb out. I haven’t heard anything else about Chad, but Anita did tell me the delivery guy was someone else today at the hospital, and everything was late being delivered.
Emeric doesn’t comment, but he does hold out a hand for me as we cross to the doors. Someone pops out of her car but he ignores her, letting us into the building before he pulls the door shut. There’s an hour before we open and if it’s a new member we want time to set up.
“Parents make stupid choices sometimes, but it doesn’t mean they are all bad. Your mother may be out of the picture right now but she isn’t ignorant like your dad.”
I raise a brow, walking towards the office. I’m supposed to show four people around today, and I still need time to finish getting things logged for the auction this weekend. When we planned this, I didn’t factor in Vienna’s graduation in the morning. So we’ll go to that, rush in after lunch and check how things are going before the auction that evening.
Nothing like overplanning.
I get to work, punching in the last of the tedious information that I need to get done before the workday.
Emeric is already downstairs, his class just started. I haven”t seen Kimber attending since I made a scene, and no one else seems to be as pushy as she is. I don’t watch his classes all the time, because I have way too much to do to focus solely on that every time I’m here.
By the time I need to go downstairs to help with tours, I’m wondering why Jo and Vinny never had anyone else handle this task. With the auction coming up, it’s just another thing to add to the workload, but Callie buzzed saying she had someone new down at the bar.
When I mentioned to Emeric that maybe Nate or Callie could help out with tours, or one of the other seasoned members, his eyebrow twitched. Until after the first auction, he doesn’t think it’s a good idea to spread out tasks. If it’s a disaster and something is missed it comes back on us, not on whoever gave the tour and messed up.
I find her right away, Callie waving at me before heading off with a tray. She”s the earliest out of everyone I’m seeing tonight, her black hair tied back in a thin ponytail and her dress screaming office secretary, not sex club.
She wants to go up for auction? I try to remember what she wanted to offer, but I can’t. She’s like a blur in my head and I realize I’m not going to remember the details of anyone without my notes. There are just too many tours tonight.
“Kathy?” I ask, getting the girl to turn. She has rich eyes that contradict her dark hair, the color something close to amber or gold instead of hazel like my sister.
“Uh, Kat,” she corrects, forcing a smile. I glance at her and notice the twin bracelets on her wrists, the rigidity of her back, and the slight downward tilt of her chin even though I’m taller.
“Right, Kat,” I say, gesturing to the club. “You’re here pretty early, and I’m sure you want to see everything but we won’t have a show tonight-”
“I’m just concerned about the auction,” she tells me, clasping her hands in front of her. I give her a smile, gesturing down the leftmost hall, and she paces down the space with me without looking at a thing. This is going to blow past before I have much to say.
“Right. What did you want to auction again? I know I have it upstairs-”
“A power exchange,” she says plainly, and I suddenly remember her in detail. She wants full power exchange, similar to what Emeric said a Master/slave partnership would have. She wants to give up all her control to someone else and the best approach she’s come up with is to join the auction.
“Oh, right,” I say awkwardly. Emeric’s done a lot of the tours since Chad, and I’m feeling rusty and out of practice. “Well,I should let you know that the vast majority of our clientele are mainly Dominants, though there’s a handful of Masters who might be what you’re looking for-”
“Just one,” she mutters, and I glance at her. She’s still glancing at the ground, and I can’t figure out what’s so interesting about the floor. “One will do.”
“Sure. Emeric, he’s the other manager here, wanted me to remind you that the auction is pricey. I don’t know if you’ll see a lot of draw from it.”
Kat shrugs, looking unconcerned about that reality. When I emailed out the auction details, with Emeric’s input and Jo and Vinny’s approval, some of the draw is that the participants receive half the funds offered. When I realized the amount some people pay, I couldn’t fathom how the prices hit such steep numbers. But Emeric told me it’s happened before, and a lot of members who never come in are planning to attend. People have deep pockets and unlimited checkbooks, so the balances will be paid without question.
But paying for a power exchange? I don’t know how that works. She seems pretty adamant about it though.
I try talking to her as we tour the rest of the club, but she mostly just nods. I don’t know if she cares about what I’m saying or not, but she signed an agreement that her part of the auction can be fulfilled outside the club. That’s another thing that stressed me out.
But Jo says they do this if at least one party is a trustworthy member, and what people get up to outside the club walls is to their own discretion. We aren’t responsible for that.
“How did you hear about the auction,” I ask her, knowing that the marketing was targeted at people who had a knack for searching for kink related content or had a prior relationship with the club. I don’t recall Kat checking any of the boxes.
She purses her lips. “I used to know someone who came here. And some of my co-workers are members.”
My eyebrows lift. Discretion is integral outside of the club, so I wonder what she’s heard. “Oh. I didn’t realize-”
“It’s David and Myla,” she says, glancing up at me. Those strange eyes snap to mine again, pinning me in place. “They don’t know I know. It was an accident that I figured it out. I applied to be a member last year but never followed through. Now seemed like a good time to try again.”
I nod, unsure what to say to that. From what I’ve heard David and Myla started some sort of domino effect and quite a few members joined because of them. I smile, deciding to not dig further.
“I don’t really intend to come around before the auction,” she says, nodding to me. “I will be back on Saturday evening to check in.”
She’s direct, which I suppose is nice. It’s just jarring to see someone who knows how things are run and doesn’t have any questions. Kat doesn’t look like she has a vast knowledge of BDSM, and she’s shy so I’d assume she isn’t comfortable with the lifestyle yet. But she shrugs off the rest of the preliminary questions I have before she crosses her arms.
“If it’s okay, I’d like to join now. I know I want to be here.” She pauses, a wistful look crossing her face. “There’s someone I’ve been looking for.”
Well, that’s questionable. Maybe she heard a name in passing through David and Myla. But I turn, gesturing to the stairs. “We can do that, but you’ll need to pay the membership fee-”
“Membership fee?”
I frown. It’s definitely in my email I sent out. “We charge everyone who isn’t partnered. Those who are officially partners pay a joint fee. Since you’re going up for auction on Saturday, there’s no reason to join someone-”
“I’ll wait then,” Kat says quickly, but she doesn’t smile. Her eyes are down again. “That’s simpler.”
“Right.” I wait a beat to see if she says anything else, but she’s gone strangely silent, clasping her hands in front of her body. I wonder if she’s like this outside of the club or if this is a persona she takes on in a kink environment.
“I’ll be okay waiting until Saturday,” she agrees, pivoting on her heel towards the door. “Do you need anything else from me?”
“No, the rest of the forms are digital-”
“Okay, great. I’ll see you then. Goodbye, Ms. Serenity.”
Now I’m just stumped. She hurries out of the place, startling Emilio and Laci who are by the doors. She’s not afraid, per se, but I wonder what kind of drama she’ll stir by joining the auction.
And Ms. Serenity? I’ve never heard anyone call me that. I’m still stumped, looking around the space to try and figure out what kind of weird tour that was, when my eyes snag on the display cabinet with the sensory deprivation kit I liked.
It’s gone now. Someone snatched it up, and I’m surprised I’m a little disappointed by that. Emeric doles out his own punishments for me, so I shouldn’t have to worry about him refusing to deny me something. I can’t quite explain it, but not getting everything I want is sometimes elating, especially when Emeric is the one denying me.
It’s some sort of twisted desire that I like, and he brought it out of me. I suppose I can make a kit myself, or ask Rich about it, but I kind of liked that one. I should’ve jumped on it when I knew sensory deprivation is something I like, but Emeric always claims he wants to buy me these things for gifts.
I’m dying for one of those kits. I wonder when it will happen, if ever. He likes to use unexpected things on me, like the hot tub.
“Who was that?”
I glance over my shoulder, finding Tyson there as he startles me from my daydreams. He has a measuring tape in hand, and he’s supposed to install the soundproof, replacement doors tomorrow. He’s staring after Kat, eyes wide and unrecognizable, like he’s just seen a ghost.
Stupidly, I answer him. She isn’t a member quite yet so I shouldn’t be giving up those details to anyone, but that interaction left me feeling lost. “Uh, her name’s Kat.”
His eyes flash to mine. There’s a flicker of surprise before it morphs to anger, and I blink to see if I’m imagining it.
Nope, he looks livid, and that’s really weird. His behavior is odd, just like the last time we spoke.
“Kat,” he echoes, nodding to me. He blinks, and the darkness swirling in his eyes disappears. “What a strange name.”
The next sentence spills from my lips, and I know I’m oversharing. “It’s short for Kathy.”
“Kathy.” He rolls her name over his tongue like he’s testing it out. “Interesting.”
“Do you know her?” I ask immediately, hoping he does. That’ll mean I’m not over here making a mistake.
“No,” he muses, shaking his head as he turns back towards the office. “I don’t think I know her at all.”
He gives me the cold shoulder, turning away to aggressively pull open the tape again, measuring a wall I’m pretty sure he’s done with. I turn away, deciding to find some busywork instead of getting in his face again. He’s in a bad mood.
Since I can’t go upstairs and stress about Kat joining the auction Saturday, I focus on the downstairs. People are still trickling in after getting off work, and subconsciously my steps carry me to the entrance of the theater.
Emeric is finishing up, talking to a couple this time instead of single students. They hang on his every word, and I know there’s no performance tonight so there’s no rush to get them offstage. I wander in that direction, admiring the way his hips move and he instructs the guy, the female in the group lounging on a tall barstool. The theater is mainly empty since there’s no performance, though people sometimes come in here to make use of the tables and booths.
He rolls his hips before grabbing the pole, executing a flip that makes my head spin.
He’s so good at teaching this type of stuff, but would he enjoy it at all if I tried? Grinding on me on stage one time doesn’t count, and if I ask my partner -
I trip over my feet, and he glances down from the stage to ensure I’m okay. When did he stop being my co-worker and become my partner?
I laugh to myself. He’s been more than a co-worker for weeks now, I’m just too stubborn to admit it.
Looking back up, I nod to him that I’m okay and he turns back to finish the lesson. The couple booked a private, but I never considered that the lesson would take place onstage like the regular classes.
The truth is, I’m not going to be as graceful and seductive as he is when he moves. But he liked me the one time I was up there so why can’t I try again?
Pursing my lips, I sit down and wait for the lesson to be over. I want to see what else he can do. I need to take some notes if I’m going to impress someone who’s known for taking off his clothes.
~~~
Later, about forty minutes before the club is set to close, Nate appears at my shoulder. Emeric is off talking to a couple who signed up for the auction, and I haven’t asked exactly how that works. I had enough time between tours to go upstairs and check numbers. Jo and Vinny will be thrilled to know that memberships are already up twenty percent and we haven’t even had the auction yet.
Watching Emeric, I keep thinking about my plan. I’d like to surprise him somehow since he’s taught me a lot, but I haven’t really come up with anything.
Nate touches my shoulder, startling me as I turn, and his eyes flash to Emeric who seems to be finishing his chat. “You need to come upstairs.”
“Oh, let me grab Emeric when he’s done-”
“Now, go now,” Nate urges, and I frown up at him. “You need to see this.”
Wild ideas fly through my head at the dark look in his eyes, and I wonder what’s happened. No way Chad came in, and Dad might have an attitude but he’s not going to show up here. “What were you doing up there?”
“Serenity, go.”
He’s never forceful with me, so when his tone turns desperate and angry I’m surprised. Narrowing my eyes I step away, hurrying to the office door to let myself upstairs.
The space looks pretty much the same as earlier. But Callie is up there, which is also a surprise, and she gestures to me.
There’s a news report playing on Emeric’s computer, and my eyes widen when I lean in and listen:
…escaped Citrus Grove Asylum, formally CGP or the Citrus Grove Penitentiary, late last night. No news on how the convicted felon will be apprehended when it took authorities so long to arrest him in 2010. The suspect is considered armed and dangerous after his escape, and residents are advised to be on the lookout for him.
My jaw drops, watching as a photo flashes across the screen. I used to see his face in the news, but it’s been a long time.
…Alastair Constatine is being pursued for the alleged battery of a woman visiting the facility he’s resided in for fourteen years. For the protection of the witness, her identity is being withheld -
My phone is in my hands, and I see Callie doing the same. This is a live feed, so we aren’t watching a playback. The report is being filmed right now.
Alastair Constatine…tell me he didn’t kill Jo.
Vinny picks up on the second ring, his voice tired on the other end of the line. “I can’t talk about this over the phone, Serenity. Tell the others to not call right now.”
“Are you kidding me,” I seethe, thankful I called him instead of Jo. Callie is strangling her phone, her eyes wide and wild. “You can’t expect me to accept that!”
“I’m handling it,” he says tightly, and I can’t imagine what he’s handling right now. “Things are out of hand.”
“Out of hand,” I question, barely acknowledging when the door opens. “I thought you went to Florida to sweeten him up so he’d help the FBI find a copycat! Why is she hurt?”
“Serenity,” he says, and I don’t remember a time I’ve ever heard his voice so pained. “I’m dealing with it. We can’t talk over the phone.”
“Then when do you plan on explaining?”
“When we’re back home.” There’s a pause, and I want to reach through the phone and strangle him. “It’s going to take time. I can’t say more. You know I can’t.”
“Then you need to call me when you can!”
“Things are different,” Vinny says, and Emeric leans down to get in my face. The report is still playing, and distantly I realize that Nate is watching it, but it’s all white noise to me. “I can’t explain. But I’ll make it right. You better fucking believe me.”
“You’re not going to come home anytime soon,” I say dully.
“Not until there’s nothing left to deal with here. I have to go. Jo needs me.”
He hangs up without so much as a goodbye, and I move my phone to stare down at the screen. Emeric taps the contact, trying to call him back, and it goes directly to voicemail.
Callie’s calls to Jo do that too. They aren’t answering, and my eyes lift to the monitor.
“...update as more develops. Our thoughts are with the families of the Citrus Grove Slaughter-”
I turn to Emeric, who envelopes me in a hug. My phone falls from my hand, slamming into the floor, and no one even flinches at the sound.
“How do they let a sociopath escape?” Callie snaps, looking around the room. “He’s not supposed to be able to get out. What was it? Twenty-seven life sentences?”
“I’m sure they didn’t mean to-” Nate begins.
“And now, what? We’re just supposed to stand around until someone reports to us about Jo?”
Nate gives her a helpless look, and I feel Emeric’s arms tighten. “Alastair still has restraint. He wouldn’t kill her.”
“How do you know,” Callie asks, pacing back and forth. “He’s different now, isn’t he?”
Emeric pulls me flush to him, his body seeking comfort from mine instead of the other way. My face presses to his broad chest, and I can’t see anything aside from him. “I think Alastair’s always been the same.”
Callie starts arguing, and Nate contradicts her, neither willing to agree on Alastair.
Pulling back, I peer up at Emeric. “I thought Alastair was the killer.”
“He is, Doe Eyes. But, killers sometimes have feelings too. And unfortunately, we tend to love those we claim to hate.”
~~~
The Citrus Grove Slaughter - or CGS, as the news seems to label him - is all I hear about well into the next day. I can’t stand the conversations at the club, and at least it’s a weekday so we’re closed and on the home early.
The club didn’t melt into chaos after that report. Jo and Vinny never announced where they would be going, and their names aren’t listed anywhere in the report. Outside of the four of us upstairs yesterday, I don’t think anyone knows the events in Florida involve them.
I wish we were home now. It’s only midday Friday, so I’ve got my mind on a million things and no idea what I should focus on. Vienna’s graduation is all set, and she’s getting ready and going with friends in the morning so I don’t need to worry about her. She didn’t say anything about Dad, and I’m hoping he’ll at least show up.
Tapping my foot, I lean not-so-casually against the bar. Emeric doesn’t have a class today because too many people canceled because of the nice weather, so he’s helping Nate clean the stage. I have an hour or two before the evening rush, and Callie’s helping me lay out everything for tomorrow evening.
“You sleep,” she asks, and I bite my lip and shake my head. There”s been no news from Jo or Vinny since the report, and the media is all over it because of CGS. If there were updates, we would know.
But there aren’t and it’s stressing me out. Emeric tried to assure me that it would be okay, but nothing he says penetrates through the paranoia in my mind. I don’t know if Jo can survive another escapade.
“We haven’t either,” she grumbles. “Emeric’s looking exhausted too. Vinny would call if she got worse, right?”
“I hope so.” Honestly, I don’t know. I’ve never had a close relationship with Vinny, and I’m regretting it now. I don’t know how bad off Jo was when she went in, but she had to be the person who went unnamed for being injured, right? I can’t imagine who else it would be.
She nods, glancing at the stage. It’s clean and empty now, and I know Emeric mentioned checking out the rooftop and organizing it. Like me, he needs busy work.
He needs to shut his brain off.
Someone stops by the bar, and I move away so Callie can take care of it. The one time I tried to help with drinks I broke the glass and cut my hand, so there was a unanimous decision to not let me serve. I glance away from her, nervously rubbing my hands together.
I can’t sleep and neither can Emeric. No news is supposed to be good news, but if you don’t even know how things are at the beginning it’s hard to gauge how much worse something is. I had assumed my cousin was okay, just busy, but I never thought about her being in danger. That madman is supposed to be locked up for life. Not escaping.
Looking down at my clothes, I cringe. It’ll work for midday, mostly because this place is a ghost town before four on a Friday, but I’ll have to scrounge up something to wear for tonight. Most of my nice clothes are sitting in a heap of laundry at Emeric’s house. I got sidetracked between all the drama at work and moving, and I forgot to wash things until I realized almost every dress I own is dirty.
I did find something passable for tonight, but it isn’t what I had hoped for. My leggings and tight shirt look like a gym outfit, and it was okay when I was upstairs going over the hours for paychecks and hiding. As soon as I finished, Callie banged on the door to grab me, and I’ve been subjected to the crowds since.
“I think that Emeric left his shirt up there,” Callie says, leaning on the bar again. I look up. The stage is pretty far off, but there’s definitely a red dot sitting in a heap on the floor near a pole. I know Emeric chose red tonight since he’s on the bad side of a laundry pile too.
Sighing, I nod and head for the stage. There’s no point leaving it there. Even if people only want to play up there tonight, it’s going to get misplaced in the chaos of tomorrow and I don’t want to have to go around looking later.