The Club Sin Series 4-Book Bundle Page 25

  Color returned to Presley’s cheeks. “Thank you.” Her eyelids lowered, and she gave Aidan a quick look beneath her long lashes. “She made me promise.”

  Dmitri brushed his knuckles over her cheek and murmured, “I can appreciate that. It means you’re a loyal friend.”

  Fuck that. Aidan didn’t appreciate it, as it confirmed his worries that Cora was in trouble. If there was nothing wrong, Presley would have nothing to hide. While they were play partners, Cora was also a good friend. He protected his friends. In the club, she was his submissive, and he wanted answers. His heartbeat pounded that she had such dark emotions in her soul. It raised every Dom instinct to hunt down the source and remove it.

  Turning to Aidan, Dmitri raked a hand through his stylish blond hair. “I won’t force Presley to share. You’ll have to talk this out with Cora.”

  Aidan jerked his chin in understanding. They were Doms, not assholes, and wouldn’t make a submissive break a secret. But damn it all to hell, he’d rather be an asshole with answers than a clueless idiot.

  A loud slap of skin, followed by a sharp scream, drew his focus to the flogging scene. While he watched a Dom turn his submissive’s skin a deep shade of red, question after question raced through Aidan’s mind.

  What hurt her?

  How could he fix it?

  He didn’t appreciate the sense of uselessness he was now feeling, and he’d not sit idly by knowing she suffered. As her friend, he owed her that much. If he could somehow make whatever troubled her better, he would.

  No questions asked.

  He glanced away from the flogging and noticed Dmitri caressing the side of Presley’s cheek. She leaned in to his touch and stared at him with such devotion. A headache loomed right alongside the ache in Aidan’s body. Though it pleased him that his friend had found happiness, he also didn’t need the reminder of what being loved by a submissive looked like.

  With a chest so heavy he had to force himself to breathe, Aidan jerked his gaze away and shut his eyes. His last committed relationship happened swiftly, knocking him on his ass. Lily had been everything he’d wanted in a woman. A submissive who was spunky with a side of sweet.

  She began working for him as a law clerk when he completed college and worked in his father’s law firm. After a late night at work, a drunk driver decided to get in his car and go down the same street as Lily, ending her life.

  When she died, he died, too.

  He had lived with that pain for five years. His gut twisted, thinking that Cora may have experienced such darkness. But that was the problem. He had no idea what caused her to plummet into misery.

  Pulling him away from his thoughts, Dmitri said, “Go and find Cora. Please make sure she’s all right.” Aidan looked to them as Dmitri pressed a kiss to Presley’s forehead. “Tell her to wait in the living room for me. I want to make sure she’s not suffering sub drop and her head is in a good place before she leaves.”

  Aidan’s muscles quivered in a demand to refuse that order. Cora was his to care for, although she’d just run from him. Christ, he did not want to make this any worse. Dmitri was the better choice for that discussion, and with a long breath he pushed away the tension.

  Presley stood on her tiptoes to reach Dmitri’s lips with a soft kiss. When she lowered, she said with her sweet smile, “Thanks for understanding.” She took two steps forward before she stopped. She glanced over her shoulder and said to Aidan, “Just so you know, I don’t like that—not telling you things.”

  “I know, Presley.” He smiled in hope of comforting her. She was a loyal friend to Cora, and he respected that. “Master Dmitri’s right. It makes you a good friend, regardless that it might annoy me.”

  She grinned at him before she hurried off through the dungeon, almost as fast as Cora had. Aidan dropped down onto the couch and rubbed his hands over his face. When he lifted his head, Dmitri sat on the glass coffee table, resting his elbows on his legs.

  With a steady gaze on Aidan, Dmitri steepled his fingers under his chin. “I saw Cora not too long ago and she looked fine. She was red-cheeked, glossy-eyed, and satisfied.”

  Aidan nodded in agreement. “That’s how I left her.”

  Dmitri’s brows furrowed, then released. “If Cora was in danger, Presley would’ve told me. She respects her friend’s wishes, but only to a point. She wouldn’t let anything bad happen to anyone. I’m sure Cora’s okay.”

  “No, she’s not.” Aidan shook his head, shutting his eyes and remembering how she looked in that moment. “It was her eyes…” If he couldn’t get rid of that darkness he saw in her, it would haunt him. “It concerns me.”

  He opened his eyes, looking directly at Dmitri, a friend he’d been close to since they met at a public BDSM club, Chains, more than eight years ago. Their friendship had been one of the reasons Aidan came with Dmitri when he opened Club Sin. With a dry mouth, he said softly, “I’ve never seen her that way.”

  “What way?”

  Aidan glimpsed down at his brown leather boots with the scuffs on the toes. The sensual sounds around him stirred nothing but the desire to flee. He wanted to think. He craved silence. Lifting his head to Dmitri, he replied, “She’s always been so confident and so strong in her choices.”

  He loved playing with Cora for that reason. He could push her and know she wouldn’t crumble. “Tonight bore the markings of a woman with a broken heart.” His jaw clenched as he rubbed the ache in his temple. “I don’t like it.”

  “Ah, I see,” Dmitri said with a knowing twinkle in his gaze.

  “Don’t go there.” Aidan snorted, heaviness coursing through his body. “She’s my friend and I’m concerned about her.”

  Dmitri had told Aidan, more than once, that he thought something deeper lingered between Aidan and Cora. Aidan wasn’t in the mood to defend his actions. He was content in his D/s relationship with Cora.

  That conversation was old.

  “All right.” Dmitri cupped Aidan’s shoulder. The dance in his eyes had vanished, and warmth exuded in his expression. “What do you need from me?”

  The submissives giggling on the far side of the room drew Aidan’s gaze. He pondered. Should he leave this alone? Was it any of his business? A submissive didn’t need to tell him personal thoughts outside of the dungeon.

  Cora’s personal problems shouldn’t interest him.

  Yet they did.

  What kind of friend would he be to simply ignore that and let her suffer through her despair alone? Not a friend he could live with. Her look churned inside him. A swell of hot possession sent him into a flurry of need for answers, and he needed them now.

  “She’s hiding something.” Hollowness struck Aidan in his chest. “Whatever it is, it isn’t good.” His responsibility to Cora and his care of her helped make his decision an easy one. “Not that she’ll ask to play with another Dom, but I’d like to keep her under my protection until I find out her pain.”

  Dmitri smiled. “That determined, are you?”

  Aidan sank back against the couch and folded his arms. “Cora should know better, I’m a lawyer—hunting down the truth is what I do best.”

  Chapter Four

  On Saturday morning, the sun shined through Cora’s big bay window. A blur of three children rushed through Cora’s front door past her and into the living room, screaming, “Hi, Aunt Cora.”

  Cora glanced over her shoulder with a smile. The open concept of her house showed off the bright chef’s kitchen and the sleek, modern leather furniture and metal coffee table in the living room. The kids went straight to the white leather couch and the books that Cora had bought for them more than a week ago.

  “Did Mom call you?”

  Cora turned to her older sister of three years, Cassandra. While Cora had her father’s genes, Cassandra looked more like her mother, with dirty-blond hair and big brown eyes. “Yup, big ole family dinner for Dad’s birthday—two months from today.”

  Cassandra laughed, spying her children over Cora’s sho
ulder. “She is ridiculous, planning so far ahead.” She looked to Cora with a frown. “We’re going to have them out to our house on Wednesday. It’s our turn this week, right?”

  “I had them over last time,” Cora said, nodding. “But I don’t mind—I can again.”

  “Nah.” Her sister dismissed Cora with a wave of her hand. “Besides, it’s easier at our house for the kids. It’s kid-proofed, and they won’t break anything.”

  Cora stared at her sister, who resumed watching the kids. She chuckled, shaking her head and pushing her sister toward the front door. “Okay, go have fun. I’ll see you in a couple hours. And I’ll put dinner on my calendar.”

  Worry etched Cassandra’s eyebrows. “You’re sure you don’t mind babysitting for a bit?”

  “Of course not. The little stinkers are fun.”

  Her sister had already been back through the house despite Cora’s efforts, repeatedly kissing the kids. Finally getting Cassandra onto her front porch, she figured her five-year-old nephew, Eddie—who was the spitting image of his grandfather—would thank her. He had looked disgusted at his mother’s constant affection. “It’ll be fine,” Cora reassured her once again.

  Cassandra’s husband, John, was halfway down the drive. They’d been high school sweethearts and still seemed so happy. They lived the American dream, and even had the white picket fence. She was sure her sister was very vanilla, though they never really talked much about those things, oddly enough.

  John still looked like the football jock he’d been in high school. Tall, fit, with a baby face and soft brown eyes. “Come on, Cassandra, how often does this happen?”

  Her sister had always been the straight-A student and a worrier. In fact, Cassandra reminded Cora of her friend Presley, only without the kinky side. If her sister knew the lifestyle Cora led, she’d likely faint in pure dramatic fashion.

  Cassandra was the good girl who went to college, married, and started a family. Cora had been the adventurous one who didn’t stick to traditional ways. Things hadn’t changed all that much into adulthood. Plus, her sister was a damn control freak, which was why Cora didn’t babysit as much as she’d like to.

  Even if they were different, Cora and her sister had a great relationship. When Cora was seventeen, Cassandra’s wedding had brought them closer together with all the planning. That bond hadn’t faded. They talked weekly, and though they didn’t have much in common, Cora loved her and her family very much. She had no complaints and had wonderful memories of her childhood.

  She might have been a difficult teenager, but Cora had spunk and she’d never been ashamed of that. Perhaps she had skipped school and gotten into typical teenage trouble, but she’d come out of it with a great job and a home of her own. Apparently, she’d done everything right—she just took a different road to get there.

  Her parents were proud of her, she knew that.

  Hell, she was proud of herself.

  Cassandra once more looked to her children, who were all now crowding the porch to wave goodbye, before she lifted the bag in her hand. “Here are some toys for them to play with.”

  Before Cora could accept the bag, her nephew ripped it out of his mom’s hands. Cassandra frowned, shaking her head at her son. “Honey, be careful with those, you don’t want to break your toys.” Turning to Cora, she said, “If he gets to be too much, take them for a walk or to the park.”

  Cora placed her hand on Cassandra’s shoulder. “You’re only going for a couple hours. I can handle this. Seriously, cut the cord.”

  “Listen to your sister,” John called, now standing by their minivan, holding the passenger door open.

  Cassandra sighed. “Call if you need anything.”

  “Will do.” Before Cassandra could say more, Cora hustled the kids back inside and shut the door. “Good grief.”

  “What does good reef mean?” her three-year-old niece, Julia, asked.

  Cora patted the top of her blond head, staring into her sparkling brown eyes that looked nearly identical to John’s. “It means your mom needs to go out more, sweetie. Go play.”

  As Julia skipped away to the bag of toys Eddie had now dumped all over the floor, Cora’s telephone rang. She grabbed the cordless phone off the glass coffee table and pressed it to her ear. “Hello.”

  “Hey,” Presley said. “I’m calling to check in after last night. Is everything all right?”

  “Yep, it’s great.” Okay. Lie.

  Presley didn’t need to know that Cora was still mulling over what happened with Aidan. Lord, she hoped he’d forget about her running out last night. After Dmitri came to talk to Cora before she left Club Sin, Presley had said that she hadn’t told Aidan anything. Not that Presley had anything to tell, so what did Cora have to worry about?

  Her secret was still hidden.

  That’s all that mattered.

  “Okay, I’m glad you’re good.” Presley hesitated. “I’m only going to ask this once, and then I’ll stop bugging you. But do I need to worry about you?”

  Cora leaned her hip against the wall, pressing the phone harder against her ear. She watched her nephew pull out magazines from the holder next to the couch and throw them up in the air. “Of course not.” She paused, feeling a pang in her heart. Presley was such a good friend, and the phone call to check in only proved that. “If something was wrong you know I would come to you.”

  “I hope you would,” Presley said softly. “So, you will, if you need to talk?”

  “You got it.” Cora waved her finger at her nephew. He grinned, unashamed, as he pulled the cushions off the couch and started to pile them up on top of one another. “Thanks for worrying about me, sweets. But I’m okay. Really.”

  “That’s good enough for me.” Presley’s voice lifted. “Any plans for the day?”

  Cora watched her nephew climbing the cushions, hoping he didn’t fall. She’d been around him enough at family dinners and the few times her sister allowed her to babysit to know he was a freaking monkey. At least the cushions were soft. “I have a house full of crazy kids.”

  “Your sis is over?”

  “Nope.” Cora watched her nephew bulldoze the cushions and then jump on them as if they were lily pads. Julia was quietly coloring a drawing in her book while lying on the floor. She missed the paper a few times and colored the hardwood floors instead. Nothing a little cleaner couldn’t fix. “I volunteered to babysit this morning so Cass and hubby could have a brunch date.”

  “How nice for them,” Presley replied. “And how nice of you.”

  A sudden head popped up in front of Cora, and she laughed as her other niece was making funny faces at her. The seven-year-old brunette with the cute curls looked and acted more like Cora than she did Cassandra.

  Poor Cassandra was in for it when her daughter became a teenager.

  Cora said into the phone, “After the kiddos leave, I plan to go shopping. Wanna come?”

  “Buying something sexy?” Presley asked.

  “Well, of course.” Cora stuck her tongue out at Hannah. Her niece gave a full-out belly laugh. Nothing matched the laughter of a child—so sweet and pure, it made Cora laugh, too. She said to Presley, “I’ll come get you at three, okay?”

  “Sounds good. See ya later.”

  “Bye.” Cora clicked the off button on the phone and returned it to the coffee table. She smiled at Hannah. “Yes, were you trying to get my attention?”

  Hannah bounced up and down. “Can you do my makeup again?” Her light brown innocent eyes, surrounded by thick lashes, peered up at Cora. “Mommy never lets me.”

  She tapped Hannah’s button nose. “When you are here, you can do anything you want.”

  “I love you, Aunty Cora,” Hannah exclaimed.

  Cora knelt down and hugged her. She had always wanted children, and thought she’d be a fun mom. Though how could she dream of that now? She was in love with a man who couldn’t possibly give her a future. Still, she had many childbearing years ahead of her, and she held out hope
that one day Aidan would forget the past and live in the present.

  In his own time…

  She leaned away from Hannah. “I love you, too.” Gathering the young girl in her arms, Hannah giggled as Cora stood. “Let’s go get into the makeup and make Mommy really mad.”

  Chapter Five

  Blocks away from the famous Fremont Street, Aidan swiveled in his chair to face the large windows on his right. He leaned against the backrest, lacing his fingers behind his head. The sun burned brightly, and Aidan was glad to be in his office, surrounded by air-conditioning. The afternoon sun looked scorching hot.

  He stared out into the dry Vegas desert, preferring the scenic view as opposed to the Vegas strip. His father, Edward Knight, owned the office building where his law firm was located.

  One day the building would belong to Aidan.

  He’d never questioned following in his father’s footsteps, nor was he ever undecided that he’d practice in his father’s firm after law school. Now, after his father’s retirement last year, Aidan took control of the firm.

  Those five years they’d worked closely together had been good memories. Aidan had learned all he could from the man he greatly respected, and he had enjoyed working side by side. Vegas lawyers feared and admired his father. Aidan strived to leave a similar imprint in his few short years. He was proud to be Edward Knight’s son, and he had no doubt his father was equally proud of him.

  He stared out at the mountains and smiled. He didn’t live in Sin City for the casinos or the party atmosphere. While he’d grown up in Vegas and enjoyed the nightlife in his twenties, he stayed in Vegas for that view.

  Nothing beat the Vegas desert.

  A sudden dinging of his computer had him turning to his thick, dark oak desk. He looked at his computer screen, noticing a telephone call coming through on Skype. He clicked the accept button, and immediately his parents’ faces appeared on the screen.