Page 69 of The Inquirer

Carrie blushed, but I had a suspicion that it was from arousal, not embarrassment.

“This isn’t your first time in a place like this,” Gavin observed.

“It’s not,” I said. “Though it is my first time at any of the Club Privé locations.”

“Locations,” he repeated. “You’d heard of us before this.”

I nodded. “There’s a club in Savannah called Hades, and they’re decent, but nothin’ like this. Everyone there who does more than dabble in the life knows about this place.”

He wore a pleased expression. “We’ve been thinking about branching out again, maybe working with an already-existing club. Would we be welcome in Georgia, do you think?”

“Gavin, we’re not working tonight.” Carrie’s tone changed just enough for me to know that she’d stepped out of the submissive role to address something that was a husband-and-wife thing.

“You’re right.” He leaned over and gave her a brief kiss. “I’m sorry.”

“Actually, Carrie, I had a sort-of work question,” Nyx said. “It’s a legal question, and it has to do with the case I’m working on.”

“All right,” she said. “If you’re planning to use a room, Gavin can take Bradyn to one while you and I talk.”

Nyx looked at me, and I nodded.

“Let’s move somewhere a little less crowded,” Carrie suggested.

As Carrie and Nyx stepped away from us, Gavin turned his attention to me. “Did Nyx say she had any preference about which room you’re using?”

“No. We didn’t actually talk much about what we were going to do here.”

“Let me see what’s open.” Gavin took out his phone and flipped through a couple screens. “I created an app that lets members reserve rooms and also see which rooms are in use. It’s upped member satisfaction by eighty-three percent in just a single quarter.”

I’d honestly wondered if Carrie had been the brains of the operation, and Gavin had been just the connection to this world and the muscle. I’d been wrong. I didn’t doubt that Carrie was also highly intelligent. I just hadn’t realized exactly how strong a power couple the two of them were.

“Follow me.” Gavin started toward the far wall of the club, and the people seemed to automatically move out of the way as he walked, Dominants and submissives alike.

Damn.

A series of doors ran along the wall, hidden well enough that I wouldn’t have seen them if I wasn’t right in front of them. The keypad next to the doors was also discreet. Gavin punched in a number, and a light flashed green. He opened the door and went inside. I followed, impressed by how much the sound was muffled even with the door open.

“This is the room Nyx uses the most. She’ll take care of locking the door when she comes in,” he said. “Unless something’s changed and she wants an audience.”

I chose not to comment on his first statement about this being Nyx’s favorite room. Nyx and I had both had sex with other people. Being jealous of the men in her past would be nothing but destructive. I did address the last thing he’d said, though, more to show that I did actually know some things about Nyx as anything else. “Neither of us are exhibitionists.”

Gavin gave me a searching look, as if he was more insightful than I would have guessed. Considering he’d already surprised me, I figured any other assumptions about him would be pointless.

“You’re not a submissive.” He folded his arms, the stance making the muscles bulge.

I decided it’d be in my best interest to go casual with my body language. My hands went in my pockets, and I answered the statement-question. “No, I’m not. Not completely anyway.”

“You switch?”

“I’m whatever Nyx needs me to be.”

He didn’t respond right away, and I just let the silence sit, letting him figure out whatever was whirling through his mind right now. Nyx looked up to Carrie and Gavin, and their opinion mattered to her. Not as much as her family’s did, but if I wanted things with Nyx to work, I had to pass whatever test Gavin and Carrie sent my way, even if Nyx didn’t know they were doing it.

“You know she doesn’t have any family, right?”

“She does. Kaimi, Sitara, and Rose are her family.”

“Good answer.” He smiled. “If you hurt her, they’ll never find your body.”

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