Chapter One

There are only so many ways to watch someone fuck before it just gets old. At this point, I think I"ve seen them all. Frankly, I"m over it. Especially the jackass railing his girl up against the wall at the end of the hallway in plain view of the public rooms.

The Sterling Ropemay be a BDSM club, but there are rules. He"s breaking about six of them right now.

"Lucas," I bark, stomping toward him. My boots thump against the floor, each step a loud crack of sound spelling out my lack of patience for the newest member of the club.

He doesn"t stop groaning in his companion"s ear long enough to even glance at me. How she hears me over his ridiculous moans, I don"t know, but her blue eyes widen as she glances over his shoulder at me.

"Lucas." She tries to push him away, her long nails digging into the expensive cloth of his suit as she shoves against his broad shoulders.

"Yeah, babe," he grunts. "Get rough with me."

"Jesus Christ." I clamp my hand around the back of his neck, effectively ruining his fun.

"Oh shit!" He nearly drops the blonde trying like hell to squirm her way off him. His glossy eyes meet mine as he spins around. "Micah. What the fuck, man?"

"Does this look like one of the rooms you"re supposed to be in?" I growl, scowling daggers at him. "Put your fucking cock back in your pants and get the fuck out of the hallway before I tell Roman to revoke your membership."

"I…" His eyes widen with panic, darting from me to his companion and then back to me. "I…uh… We were just…"

"I didn"t ask for an explanation. You don"t fuck in public areas. Either follow the rules, or I"ll let Bronx handle the situation."

The threat cuts through his bullshit like butter. Everyone here knows not to test Bronx Kaiser, Roman Sterling"s head of security. He doesn"t tolerate bullshit, especially from guys like Lucas Bordeaux, who have more money than sense. Bronx will toss him out on his ass lickety-split. And once Bronx says someone has to go, there"s no getting back in. His word is law around here.

Lucas gulps and then nods quickly. "Of course. My bad, Micah." He grabs the blonde and hauls ass into the nearest room, his dick still hanging out of his pants.

"Jesus." I pinch the bridge of my nose, trying to ignore the headache building behind my eyes. I need to take my ass home. Honestly, I don"t even know why I still come here. Most nights, I spend my time doing this same shit—dealing with people like Lucas who think the rules don"t apply to them.

I don"t get off while I"m here. I never have. I"ve been a club member since Roman opened it six months ago. I"ve never been with anyone inside. Never even tried.

The one I want isn"t here. At this point, I"m convinced she doesn"t exist at all.

I saw her from a distance two years ago in Houston when I was giving a talk on campus—an innocent little blonde with big blue eyes and the sweetest curves I"ve ever seen. Every inch of her was round and soft—plump thighs, a belly, full breasts, a round, juicy ass. She was exactly right for a man like me.

Her arms were loaded with books as she hurried toward a building across the courtyard. Rain fell in fat drops all around us, the sky threatening to crack wide open at any moment. She didn"t seem to care. Not even when she tripped, dropping her books. She simply tossed her head back and looked up at the sky as if unbothered. The sweetest laughter pealed across the courtyard, light and carefree. That fucking sound haunts my dreams. She haunts them.

I"d never seen anything as beautiful as her laughing at the sky as if she found joy in that moment of irritation. Anyone else would have been pissed, but not her. She laughed. She was perfect—a curvy little angel sent to tempt a saint.

My dick leaked like a faucet as I watched her, completely spellbound.

But I stood there, watching, rooted to the spot for far too long. She gathered up her books and dashed out of sight as the rain began to fall harder. Before I managed to get my shit together and go after her, she was gone.

I scoured the campus, looking for her. It"s been two years, and I still haven"t found her despite all my resources. At this point, I"m convinced she doesn"t exist at all. She was a figment of my imagination, conjured by too little sleep and the desire to feel anything other than the piercing ache of tedious monotony my life has become.

So I come here night after night, torturing myself with fantasies of someone I imagined. The whole fucking world would love it if they knew that Micah Borden, genius financial analyst, is desperate to play Daddy to a girl who doesn"t even exist.

But that"s exactly what I want. Nothing else will suffice. I want a fantasy as my Little. I know how it sounds. I know how it makes me sound. But it"s the truth.

If I can"t have her, I don"t want anyone.

I sigh, striding toward the stairs leading to Roman"s private office. Maybe it"s time I cancel my membership. He won"t like it, but this is his club to babysit, not mine. I can"t spend the rest of my life helping watch over everyone here. He has Bronx and Ares Wylder to help him out. And I can"t spend the rest of my life torturing myself, hoping that my fantasy actually materializes. It"s a fool"s errand. And I may be a lot of things, but I am no fool.

One of Bronx"s security guards is stationed at the bottom of the stairs to keep people out of their private chambers, but he waves me through. I take the stairs two at a time, my steps heavy. At the top, I stop and look down at the club below.

Roman built the top floor so he can survey everything going on in the public spaces below without ever having to leave his domain if he doesn"t choose to. This helps ensure everyone plays by his rules and allows him to keep a better eye on things.

I scan the club, taking it all in one final time. Once I talk to Roman and walk out tonight, it"ll be for the last time. This place has been something like a home to me for the last six months. Without it, all I"d have done is sit at home and stare at the fucking walls. I"ll miss the companionship that comes with being surrounded by people who know what it"s like to want something society deems forbidden.

But I"ve gotta stop fucking torturing myself, and that"s all this place has become lately. One long, endless headache. My dream girl isn"t here. She"ll never be here.

And I can"t watch another Lucas Bordeaux fuck before I snap.

I stand there for several long moments, just watching everyone in the bar below before Roman steps up beside me, dressed in a suit and gold tie, a smirk dancing on his lips.

"If I didn"t know better, I"d say your kink was watching," he says, leaning on the banister.

"If that were the case, this isn"t where I"d pick to do it." There are rooms in this club designed specifically for voyeurism, which Roman knows since he designed the damn place. The only thing anyone will see from here is the negotiations happening in one of the bars below.

He chuckles, watching me from the corner of his eye. "Saw you handle the situation with Lucas Bordeaux. Thanks for that," he murmurs. "I don"t know why the fuck I approved his membership."

"He may surprise you and get his shit together."

Roman snorts like he thinks hell will freeze over before that happens. He"s probably right. Bordeaux was born an idiot and will die an idiot. He made his millions because he happened to get lucky.

"The only thing about Lucas Bordeaux that surprises me is the fact that he"s able to get it up at all with all the fucking coke running through his system."

"You didn"t drug test him before you approved his membership?" I arch a brow, surprised. Roman requires everyone who seeks membership here to submit to drug testing. Anyone who can"t pass doesn"t get in. It"s a safety precaution.

In a place like this, the last thing you want is someone not in control of their own mental faculties coming through the doors. Safe, sane, and consensual is the name of the game. People like that are a liability in situations like this for a whole host of reasons—they"re unpredictable and volatile, and if they"re shooting up, they may be exposing others to things they aren"t even aware they"re carrying. When the men who come through these doors are billionaires, the last thing Roman can afford is a scandal like that.

"Of course, I drug-tested him." Roman shoots me a look that tells me not to be an idiot. "He was clean. I guarantee he won"t be when I surprise test him before he leaves here tonight."

"Well, that"ll be your problem."

"Goddamn, Micah." He sighs, not needing me to spell it out for him. "Had a feeling you were on your way out when I saw your ass out here. You had a look. I kind of fucking hoped I was wrong, though."

"I can"t keep doing this shit." I scrub a hand down my face. "What I want isn"t here."

Roman sighs again. "You can stop paying, but I"m not revoking your membership."

"I won"t use it."

"Doesn"t matter. It"s still yours."

I cut my eyes at him. "Anyone ever tell you that you"re a stubborn son of a bitch?"

"A few times." He shrugs, shooting me a smirk. "But guess what? I own this motherfucker. That means I get to do whatever the fuck I want."

I chuckle, shaking my head. "You"re lucky I like you or I"d stop making you so goddamn much money." I"m a financial analyst. He runs this place, and I keep his pockets flush on the side by helping oversee his investment portfolio.

"No, you wouldn"t. You"re too good at it." His grin widens. "Seriously, though. Use your membership. Don"t use it. Either way, it"s still yours. I"m not canceling it."

I shake my head, not surprised. Roman does what Roman wants, exactly like he said. This is his club. He makes the rules. I glance back down at the bar, watching as a brunette tries to shove her hand down Les Anderson"s pants.

"You ever get tired of watching people fuck?"

His loud laugh bounces off the ceiling. "Every fucking day. Why do you think I spend half my time up here with my wife instead of down there? Parts of it are erotic, but voyeurism isn"t my kink. Maybe it"s enjoyable for those who get off on it, but it"s all just poles in holes after a while."

"Jesus Christ."

"You asked," he reminds me.

"Yeah, I guess I—" I freeze, my gaze caught on a young couple walking into the main bar from the hallway. The man is maybe twenty-nine or thirty, his blond hair slicked back into a neat bun. His stylish purple suit accentuates his muscular frame and broad shoulders. A mischievous grin plays across his lips as he turns back to say something to the woman a few steps behind him.

As soon as my gaze lands on her, the rest of the world falls away. I haven"t seen her in two years, but she"s haunted me every fucking moment since that day on campus. There is no mistaking her. She"s burned into my memory, every delectable inch of her seared into my gray matter like a brand.

Her pouty lips move as she whispers something to the man in the purple suit, shaping each word like a kiss. Her blonde hair is piled up on top of her head, strands hanging loose around her delicate face. Even after two years, she"s still an innocent little angel, so goddamn beautiful she takes my breath away.

Her simple black dress hugs her round, curvy body in ways that make me jealous of the fabric. Those should be my hands sliding across her hips like that, my hands caressing her plump ass just so. My mouth teasing her perfect nipples until she"s begging Daddy to let her come.

Jesus Christ. I didn"t dream her. Did I?

"The blonde," I growl, grabbing Roman"s arm. "Do you see her?"

"What blonde? There are like twenty of them down there, Micah."

"By the door. Black dress."

Fuck.

If she isn"t real…

If I"m losing my goddamn mind…

"Davina." Roman pries my hand off his arm. "Her name is Davina Dauphine."

Davina.My baby girl"s name is Davina.

Fucking hell. She"s real. She"s here.

Somehow, my wildest dreams have actually come true. I don"t believe in divine intervention, but this feels pretty fucking divine to me.

"She"s visiting for the night," Roman says softly. "Do you know her?"

"I…Christ, I"ve been looking for her for two years," I rasp, unable to take my eyes off her as she moves deeper into the bar, her innocent eyes wide as they dart all around her.

"Jesus."

The man with her reaches out, looping his arm through hers. He pulls her toward him, leaning close to say something to her.

Oh, hell no.

He has his fucking hands on my baby girl.

A growl rips from my chest, my vision turning red.

I practically launch myself down the stairs, possessive fury churning through me.