Page 32 of Mafia Rules

We head into the darkness of the hallway behind a velvet curtain. The hall is wide, with scattered seating throughout. Iwalk ahead of Ash, his hand in mine. When I look back at him, his eyes are only on me.

We pass several rooms, all filled with people. The first room is the red room. Several round beds occupy most of the room, and whips hang from the walls. There’s a woman and two men in the middle. She’s lying on her back on the bed, with one man’s head between her legs and the other leaning over her, his cock in her mouth.

As I pull Ash past them, his gaze stays fixed on me, not once wandering to the rooms we pass. We walk past several open alcoves where people are making out, one with two couples swapping partners.

The thought hadn’t occurred to me we would have to share a room.What’s the point of booking?I keep going, moving faster, partially scared I would chicken out unless we made it to the room.

At the very end, I finally see the black room. I peek inside, and it’s empty. I felt a wave of relief wash over me. I tug Ash inside and wrap my arms around his neck.

“You sure about this?” Searching for any hint of my feelings, his eyes narrow as they scan my face.

I say nothing. Backing away from him, I lie back on the bed. I glance over to the wall and see the curtain over the window is open, allowing people to watch us.

My skin flushes at the thought of someone watching and maybe joining us. I didn’t want to see Ash with anyone else. I didn’t want anyone to see him naked. But he was turned on by me seeing him with someone else.

“Are you sure this is your thing?” Ash stands there, not making a move toward me. His breathing is slow, as if on purpose.

I sit up on the bed. “Kneel.” I feel stupid as soon as I say it.Has Ash ever been dominated?

He’s a good boy and does as I ask. He kneels in front of me, waiting for my instruction. I reach over to the wall and grab a long, hard whip with a piece of leather at the end. I poke his chest, but he doesn’t react. His face is stone cold, and his arms hang by his side. He’s watching me with interest.

“Off.” I tap his shirt, and he removes it without hesitation. I run the end of the whip over his chest. His muscles quiver, begging for my touch. His tattoos look delicious under the soft light. My mouth waters at the thought of what’s going to happen.

A man enters the room, and I flinch. Ash leans forward, wrapping his arms around my waist, covering me. “We don’t have to do this.”

“No talking.” I tap his back with the whip. The thought of a man watching did thrill me, but also scares me. I swallow hard and try to get back into this character I’ve created.

His eyes meet mine, again with no expression. He’s doing whatever I want, but I’m not sure if he likes it.

I slip the straps of my dress off my shoulders, giving him a glimpse of my bustier. He leans in closer, hiding me from the view of the man at the door.

“What are you doing?” I whisper in his ear.

“Why are you doing this?” He pulls up my straps and runs his hand through my hair.

“I thought you would like it. You enjoyed being watched.” My eyes fill with tears, scared it was me he didn’t like.Was he thinking of her? Was he with her last night? Did he even want me now?

“I likedyouwatching. I would have rather been fucking you, Eve.” He grabs his shirt and pulls it over my head, covering me up. He puts my whip back on the wall. “You’re for my eyes only.”

“I just wanted to excite you.” The warm tears fall down my cheeks. The man at the door leaves, closing the door.

“You just need to be in my view to excite me.” Ash is on his feet now, pulling me to my feet. He wipes my tears away with his hands. “No crying, sweetheart,” he whispers in my ear. “Let’s go home and finish this.”

I nod as he wraps his arms around my waist and pushes me out of the room and back down the hallway. Just as we reach the door, the bouncer calls out. “See you, Mr. McKenzie.”

Ash has been here before.

19

ASH

On the way home, Eve curls up on me in the car, hiding her face. I keep her close to me, my arm snug around her. We haven’t said a word since leaving the club. These last couple of days are really fucking with me. First Sasha, then my father, and now my sweet Eve. But she was trying to please me.

A burning sensation gnawed at the pit of my stomach. I failed her. I failed to keep her away from the fucked-up part of my life. I thought I could keep them separate, but now she thinks she’s not enough.

I pull into the underground parking lot of my building. When I come to a complete stop, she gently lifts her body from my side, her now-messy hair making me want to mess it up even more.

“How did you know about the kink club?” I ask the question burning in my brain.

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