Page 1 of His Property

1

MAE

It’s too hot for December.

I stand outside the building with the red door, two weeks before Christmas, in a short- sleeve blouse I wore to work today, and I don’t shiver once. Maybe it’s because I’m mesmerized by what lies on the other side of the door. Maybe it’s because I know I’ll never actually go in. Maybe it’s because of global warming. Who knows?

I let out a long sigh and allow my shoulders to slump, giving in yet again to my insecurities, all tied up in this fucking door. Shoes click on the sidewalk, and I whip my head to see a couple walking toward me with their arms locked.

I turn and shuffle a few feet away from the staircase leading to the door, and I hurry to pull my phone from my pocket as if a text is what made me stop in front of the club. My cheeks inflame at potentially being caught ogling the place, and my heart picks up. A wave of adrenaline rushes through me, giving me that tingling feeling I always get when this happens.

The couple passes without a word, and when I peek up at them, neither has their back turned. They charge on in silence, probably never noticing me. Or, more likely, they don’t know what the club is, or that it exists at all. Most people in Las Vegas don’t.

God, why am I so insecure?

“You going in?”

I jump, my spine going rigid, and spin to face the masculine voice. As soon as I get a glimpse of him and my brain processes this stranger who isn’t quite a stranger, I melt while simultaneously dying of embarrassment.

I know him…

…Sort of.

He’s a member of the club. His schedule must align with mine because I’ve watched him go inside around the same time every night this week.

And he is… handsome wouldn’t cover it. He’s an angel, or a demon, depending on how you want to look at it. So beautiful, he’s blinding. And this is the excuse I give when I dip my head to look at the ground instead of meeting his hazel eyes. I still make out his blond hair that hangs in his eyes, as well as his perfectly toned physique.

I bet he’s a Dom. That’s how I’ve pictured him all week.

I would be so disappointed to learn he’s a sub.

“I was just stopping to look at my phone,” I say, holding up the cell and thanking heaven it was still in my hand. I force myself to look him in the eye and try not to buckle at the knees from his kind smile. “What is this place, anyway?” I wave toward the red door.

Damn, I’m smooth.

His smile widens, and now it isn’t so kind. It hints at a danger that raises the hair on the back of my neck and tells me to run far, far away from this man. If I was smarter, I’d listen to my instincts, but my core buzzes from the feeling, and my feet glue to the concrete.

Why? Why am I like this?

He raises one of his brows, and his eyes shine with knowing amusement. “Really? I think I’ve seen you before.”

I pinch my brows like his comment is strange and give my head a shake. “I’m not sure where you would have…” I snap my fingers and widen my eyes in mock remembrance. “Oh wait, I know. You go to the gym on Seventh, don’t you?”

He slowly shakes his head, his smile never wavering. “Nope. But I come to Pandora’s Box sometimes, and if memory serves me right, you’ve been standing outside here looking like a scared little mouse for the past week.”

Blood rushes to my face, and my heart stops.

“So…” he glances toward the door and dips his chin. His eyes move back to me. “You ever gonna go in, or are you just here to be a voyeur?”

I swallow and take a moment to work up the courage to speak. There’s a rush that runs through me at the prospect of getting caught out here, and I’m sure that’s part of what drives me to walk by here every day. Butactuallygetting caught? I could use a black hole to swallow me up right about now.

I lift my shoulders slightly. “I really don’t know what you’re–”

“Have you tried BDSM before?” he asks, not even humoring my lies anymore. It strikes me that the man’s pushy. Not a great quality for a Dom.

Then again, maybe he knows that I need someone to push me out of my comfort zone. Maybe he knowsexactlywhat I need.

My core squeezes, and I shift uncomfortably.

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