Page 68 of The Inquirer

“So they know who to yell at if someone gets out of hand?” I was only half-serious. I skimmed the form, not wanting to sign something without at least a glance at it. I didn’t read it completely, though. I trusted her to know that it was okay for me to sign.

“Something like that.” She smiled at me and handed the form back to the brunette who’d taken the jackets. Then she held out a black and gold pin. “Guests wear these too, so members know not to have any expectations of knowledge of either the rules or the lifestyle.”

“That sounds like it came from a rule book.”

She laughed. “Even security knows all the rules and the reasons for them. Right, Adalynn?”

“First thing you do in job training,” Adalynn agreed. “Gotta know the rules before you can enforce them.”

“Makes sense.” I held out a hand to her. “Bradyn Traylor. Pleased to meet you.”

Adalynn shook my hand and gave me an appraising look. “You’re not from around here, are you?”

“Savannah.” I gave her a charming – but not too charming – smile.

She raised an eyebrow and looked at Nyx. “Damn. You got yourself a genuine Rhett Butler here.”

Nyx wrinkled her nose. “I hate Gone with the Wind. Never did see the attraction to Rhett Butler either.”

“I know, I know, you’ve always been a Cary Grant fan.”

“That’s true.” Nyx winked at me. “But I’m starting to see the appeal of a southern gentleman.”

Adalynn laughed and then turned from us to the pair who’d come in behind us. “Have fun,” she called over her shoulder.

Nyx held out her hand to me, and I took it, threading my fingers between hers. “We will.”

I followed her into the club and was immediately struck by the difference between it and Hades, the S&M club back home. For one thing, it was lighter. Not bright, exactly, but more like Hades had been…dingy. I’d never noticed it before, and I doubted I would’ve seen it at all if I didn’t have this to compare it to now. Hades wasn’t a dump, but I could see why Club Privé was considered the best BDSM club on this side of the country.

It was…magnificent, for lack of a better word.

The décor alone was enough to tell me that the members were more in my parents’ tax bracket than they were mine. If they’d charged only a reasonable fee, it wouldn’t be enough to pay for all of this, even if they packed it in every night. I assumed this was about average for a Friday night, which meant they did good business.

Not surprising when I looked around. They’d done a great job with the design since it didn’t feel as crowded as it was, a feat in and of itself. I had no doubt the rest of the place was equally as impressive.

“The first time I walked in here, I was completely overwhelmed,” Nyx said as the two of us made our way over to the bar. “I had no idea what this place was or even anything about the BDSM world outside of books or movies.”

I watched a mostly naked man being led around by a leash. “That must’ve been a shock.”

“That’s one word for it.” Her face lit up as she spotted someone she knew, and our direction changed to the far end of the bar.

I followed our path with my eyes and realized she was heading for a tall, dark-haired man who looked close to my size. For a moment, I was jealous, thinking she was taking me to meet one of her previous lovers. Before I could tell myself that she wouldn’t do that, I realized that this mystery man had a smaller, blonde woman at his side, and one look at the two of them was enough to know that they were together.

We were only a couple of feet from them when I caught the glimmer of light glinting off a pair of wedding rings. Suddenly, I realized who they might be.

“Nyx! It’s good to see you.” The blonde beamed at Nyx and then looked at me. Chocolate brown eyes narrowed, shrewd and intelligent as they ran down to my feet and back up again.

Damn. I wondered how many people had underestimated that pretty face and later regretted it.

“Carrie, Gavin, this is Bradyn Traylor,” Nyx said. “Bradyn, meet Gavin and Carrie Manning, the owners of Club Privé.”

“How do you do.” I shook Carrie’s hand first and then Gavin’s.

“Well, there’s something to be said for Southern manners,” Carrie said with a grin. “And they sure know how to make them down there too.”

My eyes darted to Gavin, sure I was about to meet the business end of his fist, but he looked amused rather than pissed. His smile widened when he saw me looking at him. His eyes were a dark blue, not brown like I’d originally thought.

“She’s been working at earning a punishment all day.”

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