Page 19 of Daddy's Rule

I twisted to look at him over my shoulder, looking for an explanation.

“It’s Friday. I usually go to the club on Friday. I figured we could go together, see our friends?”

“We see them every day at work!” I exclaimed with a pout.

“Well, it’s not good for us to just hole up here every night. And I like going to the club on Fridays. It’s my routine. So I’m going to go, and I’d like it if you went with me. But if you don’t want to… you do have other friends here, Nyla. You could always call Jasmine or Chrissy or Taylor. I know they’re still around.”

Jasmine, Chrissy, and Taylor were also old college friends who I hadn’t seen in years. They had been in my wedding, but Jake hadn’t liked them. I wasn’t tied to them financially like I was with the guys, and when we moved to New York it had just been easier to cut ties than to deal with Jake’s snide comments every time I brought them up. I felt immense guilt for how I had handled those relationships, and while I was hyper-aware that I needed to make the effort to fix them, especially if I was going to stay in Philly, I wasn’t ready to do it tonight. And I wasn't even sure I was going to stay at this point.

I jumped to my feet with a groan, feeling the loss of being over his knee with every fiber of my being. “Okay, I’ll go with you. Just let me get dressed.”

“I really need to get some club clothes if this is gonna be a weekly thing,” I said, coming out of the bedroom in the same little black dress I had worn last week.

“You look great, as always, but we can get some things if you want.” Bas shrugged. “Or you could just go in your undergarments. Something lacy and barely there… maybe a garter belt and stockings.”

I shook my head with a smirk. It wasn’t unheard of for women to show up to The Penthouse dressed that way, or to end up dressed that way, but I wasn’t about to parade around in front of the guys in my laciest underthings. Sure, I had done it a time or two back in college at The Tower, the BDSM club we had all frequented, but that was a long time ago.

“I’m fine like this. I’ll order a few things online later.”

I’d put some things on credit just for the sake of not wearing the same thing week after week, because Rent-A-Daddy or no, if I did decide to stay in Philly, odds are I would be spending a lot more time at The Penthouse.

Bas went and changed and came out looking snazzy as fuck in black slacks and a white button down with the sleeves rolled up and the top two buttons undone. His dark curls brushed against his collar and I had to keep from fanning myself at the sight of him. I was used to seeing him dressed up for work, but a few undone buttons and rolled-up sleeves took it to a whole ‘nother level.

Bas knew what he was doing to me. I could see it in the creases in the corners of his eyes and in his knowing smirk. He was well aware of the power of a rolled-up sleeve and was no doubt torturing me on purpose. It seemed like a very Bas thing to do.

"C'mon babygirl, let's go."

He gathered my coat and purse from the closet and helped me with them, leading me out of the apartment with his hand on the small of my back. The simple gesture sent shivers up my spine, and walking into the club with Bas at my side as my temporary daddy didn't feel half as awkward as I had expected.

All the guys except Theo were there, gathered at a small table in the back corner of the club with a bottle of top shelf whiskey, half a dozen glasses, and an ice bucket between them.

I raised my brows as I pulled up a chair and motioned for Lennon to fix me a drink. He actually had the nerve to look at Bas for permission before doing so, the bastard, and Bas nodded his approval. I bit my tongue and pretended not to have seen the exchange between them.

"So we're not partying in the office tonight?"

Archer sipped his drink. "We thought we'd keep it classy up front tonight. Maybe even play a little. ‘Cuz what's the point of owning a top scale BDSM club if you're not going to use it?"

"Touché."

I sipped my drink slowly, knowing very well I wouldn't get many more, and looked around the room. The Penthouse was truly gorgeous. All rich purples and blues with black leather furniture and a large black marble bar. A crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling in the center of the room, and on either side were suspension hooks that currently held half naked women bound in purple rope. A St. Andrews cross was against the far wall and spanking benches were scattered throughout the room. There were several stages and even a suspended cage for people who enjoyed more public scenes. So far the place was just starting to fill up for the night. A couple of spanking benches and several tables were occupied, but nobody was engaging in any serious scenes yet.

"I forgot how stunning this place was. It's truly breathtaking. "

"Your design." Bain tipped his glass toward me, and I lifted mine, clinking it against his.

"It was a team effort." We each took a sip and set our glasses down on the table, looking around the room. "Are you going to play tonight, Bain?"

"Depends who shows up. The real question is, Nyla, are you?"

I hummed a bit, unsure of how to answer. I knew they all knew about the arrangement Bas and I had, but them knowing about it and me talking about it were two different things. "We'll see how the night goes," I finally answered.

"It's going to be a fabulous night, of course; I'm here." I turned at the sound of a familiar voice to see Theo joining us, his arm wrapped around a girl at least a decade his junior. She was thin, blonde, and perky, with perfect breasts and perfect teeth, exactly his type, aside from her age and the teeny-tiny club dress she was wearing. Theo preferred someone a bit older, generally, and a bit more subtle.

I cocked an eyebrow in interest, and he introduced her to the group. "This is Erin, my date for the evening, and our first Rent-A-Daddy client."

"Ooh I forgot about that!" I squealed, pulling up an extra chair near me to make room for them at the table.

Theo sat and pulled Erin onto his lap.

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