Page 12 of Spooked

“Why didn’t you mention it sooner? I’d have asked her to buy something else.”

“Because I heard Carissa was being even more of a bitch than usual, and I figured you had enough on your plate.”

Floss was a darling, and Brax wasn’t the only man to think so. If not for Carissa’s roving spies, he might have said to hell with his “no fucking the club girls” rule and sunk into her wet centre. The woman’s tongue was legendary, and if she wrapped those plump pink lips around his cock…Enough!He forced the image out of his mind and focused on the conversation.

“If Meera lasts through the weekend, I’ll get her to buy you a matching set of luggage.”

“You don’t think she’ll stay?”

“She hasn’t found out what happens in The Dark yet, and she seems…I don’t know…sheltered?”

Floss gave a low whistle. “You didn’t mention the spanking bench in the job interview?”

“What do you think?”

“Forget about the luggage. I gave the Barbie house to my cousin, and she loved it. Hope Meera doesn’t screw your balls into a crusher when she finds out what you’ve been hiding.”

Brax’s testicles shrank just from thinking about it.

“Maybe I’ll leave it for another week.”

“Rip the Band-Aid off, baby. Talk later—I have to go tell a Supreme Court judge that he’s been a bad boy.”

“Justice Walden?”

“Who else?”

“Hehasbeen a bad boy. His dissent in the Rybacker case was obscene.”

Not to mention hypocritical. After Samson Rybacker’s prudish, holier-than-thou neighbour filmed Rybacker and his mistress in a compromising position and posted the resulting clip on the HOA’s online discussion forum, Rybacker had argued that he’d had a reasonable expectation of privacy during the act because the balcony where the dick-sucking took place was part of his private residence. Justice Walden had sided with the neighbour. However, Justice Walden also liked to have his ass spanked in front of an audience, and if footage ever became public, he’d be the first person to complain about it.

Just as well electronics were banned in The Dark.

And discretion was guaranteed.

Eight years ago, after his name had been dragged through the mud, Brax had spotted a gap in the market that was just begging to be filled. Folks, especially those with money, didn’t like to have their private affairs splashed all over the gossip columns, but some of them—more than you might think—also craved kink. So he’d created Nyx, a private members’ club in northern Virginia, to cater to their needs and desires. Membership was only granted to those with something to lose. Celebrities, politicians, more millionaires than Brax could count. Even minor royalty, a foreign prince who flew in to get his kicks every other month and paid handsomely for the privilege.

Over the years, as members became more comfortable with each other, the basement offering had expanded upward into the light, with a restaurant, a spa, and rooms that rivalled any five-star hotel’s for those who wanted to stay overnight. The one constant? Secrecy. In eight years, there hadn’t been a single leak. Dunnvale Holdings had no marketing department. The club operated by word of mouth only, and new members had to be sponsored by an existing client or by Brax himself.

Of course he’d never ask Meera to go into The Dark, not when clients were present, but at some point, it was inevitable that she’d realise what went on there. And then there was a fifty-fifty chance she’d quit, based on past experience. A shame. Brax decided that he liked her hands-off style. She kept herself to herself, and the work got done.

In short, Meera Adams was his perfect woman.

* * *

“We’ll be leaving at six, no sooner, no later. You did arrange the car?”

“Yes, it’ll be waiting in the parking garage. Wait… What do you mean, ‘we’ll’ be leaving at six?”

“For the benefit. Your predecessor made the arrangements, but you’ll need to be on hand to fix any issues that crop up.”

And knowing Monique’s work ethic, or rather the lack of it, it would be a miracle if the evening went off without a hitch. Yes, she’d hired a planner to take care of the food, the music, and the furniture, and Finlay’s parents would be co-hosting the event, but Monique had once tried serving cashews to a visitor with a severe nut allergy. Paying attention to detail hadn’t been her strong suit.

“I already checked on everything. The chef couldn’t source pheasant eggs for the appetiser, so he swapped them for quail eggs, and the florist replaced the chrysanthemums with dahlias, but everything else is going according to plan.”

“You still need to attend. This is an important event for Finlay’s parents, but it’s also a reminder of their son’s condition, so they don’t need to be burdened with any unexpected problems.”

“I… Okay, fine.” Meera smiled, but she was gritting those perfect white teeth, and her eyes were mutinous. “Fine, I’ll be there.”

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