Page 30 of Hacker Auction

“What an asshole. Why don’t you find someone here to play with? Two can play this game.”

“I’m too old to be playing games. The second we walked in here, it didn’t feel right, and I figured it was because I wasn’t with Wes. But I still wanted to try. He can’t see me all the way over in the corner. Why don’t you go walk around? I feel safer here with Kaeden and even Wes here. I don’t think either of them would come to a place that isn’t safe. Plus, Sophie said this was the safest club next to Sanctorum.”

“You sure? We can call it a night and maybe try again,” Samantha said, but her eyes still hadn’t left Kaeden.

“No. I’ll order a drink and sit over here. Why don’t you go have fun?”

Samantha smiled and walked off. I sat down in the plush chair in the back of the bar area. From my spot, I could see most of the dungeon, but I was hidden behind a white column.

No matter how much I tried to ignore the man, my eyes were drawn to him like a moth to the a flame. Wes walked across the dungeon like a man who commanded the room. The scowl across his face disappeared when he pushed out his hand toward Kaeden. I had no clue they knew each other. Damn it. I wished I was closer so I could hear what they were saying.

At first, I thought Samantha was going to go talk to Kaeden, but she weaved in another direction and was watching a spanking scene. She kept looking back over her shoulder at the doctor. It seemed she was trying to eavesdrop, but with the volume of music, I highly doubted she could hear a word.

Acceptance into the club wasn’t easy. The application process was ten pages. Then I had to do a virtual therapy session with Dr. Bentley Bauer. In the end, he said he would pass me but felt like I could use a few more sessions. He was right, but that didn’t mean I planned to take him up on the offer. I’d dodged his assistasnt’s calls for the past week.

A throat cleared to my side, and I looked up to see, said Doctor. “You’re hiding from the big bad Dom’s?” He chuckled, his voice coming out like honey.

“Nope, just one. Sure would be nice if you had a member list for people to look over before deciding to come.”

He folded his six-foot frame into the chair next to me. His black dress shirt was unbuttoned down to the middle of his chest. “Oh, am I getting the gossip before it hits the floor? Do tell me, which Dom here broke your little heart. You have to be open in this lifestyle. It’s a small world, and you will cross paths with your exes. You need to learn to let go and move on. There is always a reason something didn’t work out, and when you’re in the middle of it, you might not see.”

“Am I being charged for this therapy session?” I asked with a smile. “Because I had already told your assistant I planned to find another one.”

“Hmm. That’s a lie, Ms. Carlton. From what Jenny told me, you hadn’t answered her calls. My poor assistant feels heartbroken when people won’t answer her. You also didn’t answer the question of who we are hiding from.”

The video call made this man seem so polite and nice. Almost a pushover, but the man in front of me was nothing like the man I talked to on the screen. “Dr. Renolds. I didn’t realize he and his brothers were members.”

Bentley cocked his head to the side. “I also know you never played with him. Dr. Kaeden is very clear about only playing in the club. I don’t think he’s been on a date outside of this place.”

Jesus are all the Dom’s afraid of a commitment? “No, I’m his boss. Not sure how I feel about an employee seeing me partially naked and looking him in the face on Monday.”

Calvin had spread rumors about how I was awful in bed. He would only sleep with me with the lights off. Now I was going to technically see another man I work with who could say things.

“First of all, we all sign an NDA. Nobody is allowed to discuss this place outside of here. Kaeden is very private about this side of his life. He needs to be like most of us. The lifestyle is still looked at differently by people who don’t understand or people who were not introduced into the lifestyle properly. As for Monday, you treat him the same you would like any other day.”

“You sound like you know him well.”

The man’s lip ticked up in the corner, “I’ve known him and his brothers since we were ten. So is he the only reason you’re hiding? Or is it the tall man next to him your eyes keep going to?”

“Does Wes come here often?”

“So it is the tall, dark, and mystery Mercenary. I can see the appeal. I’m not even Bi, and I think the guy is a good looking one. You want to talk about it.”

I’d never been so happy to see a waitress come over and interrupt the conversation. Seemed Bentley kept getting information out of me. He brushed his slightly longer hair to the side. His light blues eyes made him seem so gentle, but the aura around him felt dangerous and dark. Too bad he didn’t make me feel the same way Wes did. No man in this building had caught my attention the way he did.

“You lost in thought, Ms. Carlton, or did you not want something to drink?”

My cheeks heated, knowing I had spaced out once again. “Yes, but I don’t know what kind of wine they have.”

Mr. I can read your mind answered for me. “Pour her a drink out of my reserve in the box. The red one.”

The short woman nodded and went back to the bar area. “You have no clue what type of wine I like.” It kind of unnerved me the man thought he could order for me.

“If you don’t like it, I’ll have her bring a menu over, but I think you will enjoy it. It’s a dark red with a bite.”

I wanted to shoot back that wasn’t what I drink, but it’s exactly what I liked. My mind went back to the ten pages I had to fill out, trying to remember if they required a list of drinks I liked. They seemed to ask every other personal question I really didn’t want to answer. I’d gone through almost a bottle of wine when I filled out the limits page at the dining room table.

Sage was in his crib, and I sat at the table and checked through the list. Things I didn’t understand I looked up on the internet. There were more items on the list I didn’t understand than understood. The research also left me horny as hell, and I ended up thinking about Wes while I was in bed.

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