Page 38 of Black Light: The Crossover
Brianna was kneeling on a pillow at Markus’ feet, her head leaned against his knee as he kept one hand in her hair while he described another piece of outlandish testimony from the hearing. The infamous trio from Black Light had finally joined them, claiming a loveseat nearby, joining in as Markus earned another round of laughs from the small gathering of couples.
People had been filtering in and out of the group for a while, chatting and catching up amidst drinks, and Lukus couldn’t help but smile as he looked around the club at all the members who made it possible, his gaze lingering on the people who had become his friends.
The week had been insane, but they had somehow pulled it off.
Another bark of laughter told Lukus he’d missed something clever from Markus, but he didn’t mind. His friend was carefully avoiding naming names, because Markus was a good lawyer — good enough to have saved his ass and The Punishment Pit when they needed it — but Lukus had given up trying to tease out any identifying information that might revealwhowas involved in the insane case of stolen Pomeranian puppies.
Markus’ descriptions of the people were hilarious, but the fact that the litter of puppies was worth over ten thousand dollars was the most ridiculous part of the story.
Another member who happened to be a lawyer started a new story, and Lukus took the opportunity to tease the inside of Tiffany’s thigh. The shiver that rolled through her muscles made her wiggle in the most delightful way, and he was just about to fish an ice cube out of his empty glass to torment her when someone tapped him on the arm.
“Lukus, did you still wanna do the speech thing?” It was Derek, part owner and his business partner. He was leaning on the back of the chair, keeping his voice down so he wouldn’t interrupt the member’s conversation. “Cause I think it should be soon if you do.”
“Why? It’s only—fuck.” Lukus had no idea where the time had gone, but according to his watch it was already after ten o’clock. “Damn, I didn’t realize how late it was. Tiff, baby, hop up.”
“What’s going on?” she asked as he helped her stand.
“I’m just doing a little speech. Happy new year and all that,” Lukus explained, trying to keep it casual, but Derek jerked his chin toward the pit and he followed his friend’s gaze to the steadily increasing crowd of members finding seats in front of the stage.
“Your fan club is already gathering.” Derek grinned and Lukus flipped him off as he turned back to the others who were leaning forward, now listening to their conversation because all the commotion had derailed the other discussion.
Grabbing Tiffany’s hand, Lukus tilted his head toward the stage. “You guys can keep talking, we’re just going to head up front and thank people for coming and all that shit.”
“Have I mentioned how fucking glad I am that we don’t have to do any of that tonight?” Chase said, flashing a smile meant for a toothpaste commercial as he continued massaging Emma’s feet.
“Should we move closer?” Jaxson offered, but Lukus waved him off.
“No need. It won’t take that long. Plus, your wife looks very comfortable.”
“I am,” Emma agreed, leaning against Jaxson’s chest, and the man took that opportunity to lean down and whisper something in her ear that made her blush.
“We’ll be right back,” Lukus said, tugging Tiffany after him as he followed Derek’s path to the stage. The noise grew steadily as he and Derek got closer, and by the time his fellow Dom was in front of the microphone there were a few sharp whistles and loud cheers that the man had to wave his hands to quiet.
“Members and guests, welcome back to The Punishment Pit!” Derek’s voice boomed across the club and another wall of sound came in reply, along with a few women in the audience shouting ‘Master Derek’ like fangirls. Without hesitation, he gave that twisted, menacing grin that always used to bring down the house, and swung his arm toward Lukus. “Tonight we’re celebrating another new year of kink, and Master Lukus is going to help us ring it in with a speech!”
Nodding at the members in the audience, he joined Derek at center stage, and clapped his friend on the shoulder, squeezing lightly before he faced the microphone. “Yeah, yeah, yeah,” he called out. “I won’t distract you from your night of debauchery for long, but The Punishment Pit — and all of you — have been a part of my life for so many years, that I thought it would be a little strange to spend tonight out on the floor without taking a minute to acknowledge just how special this night is for me.
“Let’s start with the most important part.” Raising his left hand up, he made sure the stage lights caught his wedding ring. “Today is my one year anniversary of marrying my wife, Tiffany.”
Another raucous rally of cheers and whistles came from the club as he glanced over at her and Lukus couldn’t help but laugh because she’d tried to slink back into the crowd, but Derek had snagged her by the back of the neck and was in the process of hauling her back onto the stage.
“Thank you, Master Derek. As many of you know, my beautiful wife takes great pleasure in challenging me, which is something not many people in this club would attempt... but Tiffany is fearless when it comes to the people she loves.” Taking a deep breath, he was relieved when she stopped fussing at Derek long enough to actually hear what he was saying. Her surprise was exactly what he’d been hoping for when he’d talked to Derek about the idea. “There are a lot of people who say they would walk through fire for the people they love, but not very many get the chance to really prove it — but my wife has, and I’m so proud of her.”
Tiffany’s hands were up at her mouth, and he couldn’t quite tell if she was emotional or embarrassed or a mix of both, but he didn’t really care. Grinning, he glanced back to the audience and continued, “Of course, I test her commitment to that every time she mouths off and I get to light her ass on fire.” Laughs erupted from the crowd, but he spoke over them as he met Tiff’s gaze again. “Most importantly, baby, I love you. Happy anniversary.”
Everyone was still clapping when she turned toward Derek, makinghimlaugh just before she marched forward, gaze focused on the microphone.
“What do you think you’re doing?” he teased, leaning the mic out of her reach when she got to him.
“Returning the favor,” she replied, watching as Derek walked straight past her and tossed an arm around his shoulders, shifting him back from the microphone so Tiffany could grab it.
“What happened to bros before hoes?” Lukus muttered under his breath.
“Smile at the audience and I won’t tell TiffanyorBrianna that you just called your wife a hoe,” Derek muttered back, and Lukus slapped a fucking smile on his face.
“Hi, I’m Tiffany,” she said, waving at the crowd, a blush already scalding her cheeks as she cleared her throat. “As Master Lukus said, today is our one year anniversary, and I don’t think I need to confirm for anyone here that it’s absolutely true that he likes to light my ass up when I get sassy.”
The crowd laughed, but Lukus felt a strange, foreign anxiety thrumming through his veins as she glanced back at him onhisstage, because his entire reputation was in her hands, and he had to trust her with it.
