Page 57 of The Broker

I wanted to learn them with him.

But I didn’t get a chance to ask any of that, because I followed him into the red room, and my brain short-circuited.

FIFTEEN

Charlotte

Thiswas more like what I had expected to see tonight.

The paint on the walls was the color of sin, and most of the furniture was black. Rows of folding chairs had been lined up, with a narrow aisle cutting down the center, and several groups of people had already claimed their seats. They faced the short, raised platform at the other end of the room, and the brick wall behind it.

The ‘stage’ only had one thing on it—a large wooden X.

Even though I didn’t know what it was called, I knew its purpose. There were silver rings in various places, which I imagined were used to clip handcuffs to, or to tie off rope.

I could barely take my eyes off it.

And the room had a seductive energy swirling in the air, whispering that wicked things had taken place in here.

Noah’s deep voice snapped me out of my stupor. “Should we find some seats?”

I turned to gaze at him. God, he looked so good in his dark suit, so confident and at ease. And why shouldn’t he? This was his world, after all.

I nodded and followed him to a pair of chairs one row back from the front, lowered into my seat, and took another sip of mycosmo to help with my dry mouth. Did I look as anxious as I felt on the inside? I vibrated with anticipation, eager to see the sexy ‘demonstration’ Noah had promised.

I leaned over, catching a hint of his enticing cologne, and pointed to the X. “Are they going to use that thing during the show?”

“The St. Andrew’s Cross?” Was that what it was called? “Maybe. Her boyfriend was the one who built it.”

It only took me a second to realize who he was talking about. A woman stood to the side, just off the platform, talking to a man who held a small black duffle bag. She appeared to be in her late twenties, and had long, dark hair, a gorgeous face, and a body to match. Plus, her red dress was short and sexy, and fitted perfectly to her curves.

I wasn’t typically attracted to women, but fuck me.

She was unquestionably hot.

A pang of envy shot through me. She looked like the kind of girl who rolled out of bed and was effortlessly beautiful, whereas I had to work so hard to look decent. I’d gotten fast and efficient at my hair and makeup routine, but it still hovered at around forty minutes if I wanted to feel confident I looked all right.

And my envy spiked higher as my gaze shifted to the man she was speaking to. Her boyfriend was equally attractive. He was tall and muscular, and if he’d told me he’d just come from a photoshoot to sell men’s suits, I would have believed him.

“That guy,” I subtly motioned to him and then the St. Andrew’s Cross, “built that?”

“No.” Noah gave the room a quick scan. “I don’t see him yet, but I’m sure he’s around. Clay always watches.”

What? My focus went back to the woman and man, who’d stepped onto the stage and began to prepare. The duffle was dropped to the floor and unzipped, and I only caught glimpsesbetween the people seated in front of me of the items being pulled from the bag.

A coil of rope.

Leather cuffs.

A long, thin stick with a leather heart shaped tip.

Oh, shit. Was that a riding crop? It made my brain slow to process what he’d just said. “She isn’t performing with her boyfriend?

For a moment, he looked like he didn’t know how to answer that. “No, she is.” He motioned to the man on stage. “That’s Travis,” he said. “He’s Lilith’s other boyfriend.” I must have made a face that announced I didn’t understand, so he explained. “They’re poly.”

“Oh.”

I’d never met anyone in a polyamorous relationship before. The idea of it was foreign to me. Unfamiliar. It wasn’t something I thought I’d be interested in, but then again, I never would have dreamed I’d get turned on watching the guy I liked fuck someone else.

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