Chapter 2

Mikhail: Chapter 2

I was so pissed I could barely see straight or through the red haze my vision seemed to be tinged with. I watched as Leon took the woman with him. I pushed part of my thoughts away as I resumed staring hard at the fucker in my grip. I still had him pinned to the wall by his throat and I wanted to squeeze harder. Fury pumped through my veins.

When I saw him with his hands on her and how he had her pressed against the wall, I knew immediately it wasn't a game they were playing. She didn't want anything to do with him. It was plain as day by the way she was struggling and the frightened way she looked. I couldn't see his face but I recognized his profile. I was rushing to get to them when he kissed her, which only made me angrier. When I saw her bite him, I thought, Good for her.

I shook him and made his head bang off the wall the way he had hers. "What the fuck were you thinking, Dominus? You know better than to touch anyone without consent! You've been coming here long enough. I told you what would happen if I got another complaint about you. You don't learn."

I was upset with myself as well as him. I'd given him a second chance after there was a complaint a while back from a woman. She said he was harassing her and wouldn't accept her declining his suggestions that they do scenes together. I'd talked to him immediately, and he'd acted remorseful and swore he would never do it again. Since then, he'd been on his best behavior. What the hell happened?

"Please, Mikhail, I swear it wasn't what it appeared to be. She's been teasing me for weeks. She flirts with me then acts all cold. Tonight, she finally admitted she wanted to do a scene with me, that it was all pretend, and she wanted to role-play. I admit, I got caught up in it and made it too real. We were doing a CNC scene."

CNC stood for consensual non-consent which was when individuals agreed one would become the aggressor and the other was forced to engage in non-consensual behaviors such as a fantasy of being forced to do things, including having sex or being kidnapped. It was all about role-playing. There were several patrons who liked that form of play and dominance and it was allowed as long as all parties agreed. If he was telling me the truth and this was all a game, she was the best actress I ever saw.

"Really? So when I go up to my office and talk to her, will she verify this?"

Uncertainty flickered in his eyes for a moment but he nodded. "Yeah, she should. If not, then it means she's still playing the game. She's been acting like an innocent but she's only acting. It gets her off to do it. She admitted it to me when she asked me to do this. I should've told someone what we were up to so it wouldn't be taken the wrong way. Mikhail, there's no way I'd break the rules. I don't want to get kicked out. You know that."

I'd eased my hand on his neck so he could talk. Now, I slowly lifted it away. I was disinclined to believe him, but until I heard both sides, I had to reserve judgment. Tonight, though, I didn't want to see him again. I was still angry and I wanted to pound on someone. The best course of action was to have him leave, and I'd talk to her then have him come in tomorrow after I calmed down. I moved away from him. He gave me a relieved glance.

"Get the hell out of here. I don't want to see you until I call you. We're going to talk about this, but later. Right now, I have to talk to her."

"Let me talk to her first so she understands it's important she tells you the truth and not continue to play."

"No, you'll stay away from her. Go. If you don't, I'll take it to mean your membership here is at an end," I warned him.

"No! No, that's not necessary. I'll go but please remember, I've been here for a long time and she's not even been here a month."

I didn't say a word back. I just glared at him. He took the hint and scurried toward the stairs. Not taking any chances he might not leave, I followed him. People were watching us with avid interest. Fuck, what a way to welcome me back. I thought tonight would be a chill one and I could enjoy the club. He practically ran down the stairs and to the exit. When he got outside, I watched him hurry to his car. Hoss was watching him, too.

"What happened?" he asked me.

"He and a woman were in an altercation. He claims it was CNC but I don't think it was. Until I talk to her and clear it up, he's banned. Make sure to let everyone know."

"Not a problem. Consider it done. You know, I've never liked his ass. Go talk to the woman and find out if we can kick him to the curb. If we can, I wanna be there when you tell him," Hoss said with an evil grin on his face. I chuckled and gave him a chin lift.

"Deal. Now let me handle this so I can get back to the rest of my work. Has Reuben come in yet?"

"Nope, I think he said it would be after ten. Why? Do you need him? I can give him a call."

Glancing at my watch, I saw it was after nine already. I shook my head no. "Nah, that's fine. I'll talk to him after he gets here. Tell him to come to my office, will ya?"

"I will."

I fist-bumped him, then went back inside. I ignored the whispers and stares as I went to the elevator. I got on and let it take me to my office. As it did, I leaned back and let the other thoughts I'd pushed away earlier surface. They pertained to the woman but in a whole different way. They had to do with the way I'd reacted to her.

Yes, I was enraged to see her pinned to the wall, but along with it was another sensation I had. It was like being punched in the gut. She caught my eye for a whole different reason, too. It was an instant awareness. One I'd never experienced, not this intense. There shouldn't have been any reason she hit me like she did. She wasn't dressed provocatively. In fact, most of her skin was covered unlike a lot of the women in here. Her hair was up in a bun on the top of her head. By the looks of it, she had a good bit of it. I was unable to see her eyes or hair color in the dim light. Her face was delicate and attractive, but then so were a lot of women.

When I walked into my office, I was still trying to decide what it was about her that grabbed my attention so hard. Leon was standing right inside as if guarding the door. I wasn't sure if it was to prevent anyone from getting in or her from leaving. She was pacing on the other end of the room. She whipped around when she heard me. She had her hands clasped together, and they were white with tension.

Leon snapped to attention. I wanted to know where he was tonight and why it took him so long to get to her, but first, I needed to talk to her. "You can go. I'll catch up with you later," I told him.

I heard a soft sigh leave him. He knew what I'd be asking. He gave me a curt nod, then he grabbed the door handle and opened it. I closed it when I entered out of habit. He was out, and the door closed in seconds. Once he was gone, I glanced back at her. She was watching me like a hawk. I needed to put her at ease, but it was hard to think about doing it or anything else because she was affecting me again. Now that I could see her better, it only made me want to get closer to her and to study her more. I cleared my throat.

"Did Leon get you a drink?" I asked as I went to the wet bar I had in my office. I needed one.

"No, he offered, but I don't need one," was her quiet response.

"Are you sure? I'm having one. Please, sit, relax. There's no need to be tense."

"Do you have any bottled water?"

"I do."

I grabbed a bottle out of the fridge under the bar, and then I poured myself a shot of whiskey. Maybe it would settle me down. As I did, I was glad to see her take a seat out of the corner of my vision. I carried the bottle to her. Before handing it over, I set down my glass so I could twist off the cap for her. I noticed she watched me do it. Hmm, she was cautious. Not a bad way to be. I handed it to her and then sat.

"Thank you. May I ask who you are and what happened to Duncan, I mean, Dominus?"

Her first question took me by surprise. Hadn't Leon explained who I was? Hell, why hadn't I done it myself downstairs? No wonder she was so leery. I gave her what I hoped was a soothing smile.

"How rude of me. I assumed Leon told you. I'm Mikhail Ivanova. I'm the owner of this club. As for Dominus, I told him to leave so we could talk. May I ask your name? I've never seen you here before. I assume you're new."

"Oh, now I'm the one being rude. I'm Delilah, oh, if you mean my real name, it's Tajah Michaelson, sorry. Yes, I'm new. I joined just over three weeks ago. It's nice to meet you although this isn't the way I would've chosen to do it."

"I bet not. Do you mind telling me what went on tonight with Dominus?"

"What did he tell you?" was her immediate comeback.

"I want to hear what you have to say before we talk about what he said. Just start at the beginning. Did you and he arrange to meet here tonight, or was it by accident?"

"No, we didn't arrange to meet. I would never agree to do that with him," she responded, wrinkling her nose in distaste.

"Why not?"

"Because he's pushy and gives me the creeps."

"Tell me what happened," I coaxed.

She took a drink of water before answering me. She shifted as if she was uncomfortable. Hmm, something about it made her reluctant to tell me. Maybe Duncan had been telling the truth. Disappointment filled me. Deep down, I didn't want her to be someone who would play games with him.

"I came in and I was sitting down observing others. I saw him so I got up and moved to a different area. I had hoped he wouldn't see me. I was watching one of the floor shows and wasn't paying attention. He snuck up on me. When I went to leave, he grabbed me and next thing I knew, I was against the wall. He was too close for me to be able to punch him or knee him in the groin. He was holding my arms and hurting me."

"Why were you trying to avoid him?"

What she'd told me so far could either be part of the CNC game or someone trying to avoid someone else. I needed to know if it was the latter and why.

"He's been overly pushy. Ever since I started coming here, he's kept pushing for me to do scenes with him, to be his submissive. I told him I was only here to watch." She held up her wrist and I saw she had an orange bead. She continued after she showed me. "He didn't seem to care and kept doing it. So when I saw him, I took a chance that I could avoid him tonight. I was wrong."

"Did you tell any of the consent monitors, security people, or my floor managers what he was doing?" If she had and they hadn't taken care of him, heads would roll.

"No, I didn't. I thought if I told him enough times he'd stop." She shifted her gaze away as she spoke. She was lying. Knowing she was lying flared my anger again. I leaned forward in my chair. I put my glass down on the table hard. She jumped and her startled eyes met mine.

"Don't lie to me! Tell me the real reason, or you can get out and not come back," I snapped.

"It's not a lie, just not the whole reason. There's no need to bark at me," she snapped back.

Having her argue excited me. The urge to see how much she'd fight back rose within me. I had to fight it back. This wasn't the time or place for it. "If it's the only way to make you tell the truth, then I will."

She stiffened and some fire came into her gaze. Fuck, there it was. I wanted to groan in pleasure. "You might own this place, Mr. Ivanova, but you don't own me nor are you the boss of me. I don't have to tell you anything else. Why does it matter why I didn't? What did Dominus say happened?"

"I'm not telling you until you tell me the rest."

We got into a staring contest. I scared grown men twice her size with one of my looks, and here she was, giving me an attitude back. I couldn't stop myself from growing hard. She was so close to triggering me. If that happened, she would most likely run out of here screaming. Images of what that would do to me and how she'd look flashed one after the other through my mind.

After a good two or three minutes, she rolled her eyes. "Fine, if you must know, I didn't want to take the chance I'd be the one kicked out. He told me he's been a member for a long time, that he's one of the lead Doms here, and he's friends with you. Who would you be more likely to believe, him or me? I need this club. That's why I didn't say anything."

I wanted to praise her for doing as I asked but I didn't. "Dominus has been coming here for a few years, that's true. The bit about him being one of the lead Doms, that's not. It's not automatic that he'd be believed. And he sure as hell isn't my friend. You said you need the club. Why? Surely when you were approved, you were oriented to our rules and such. Who's your sponsor? Did you meet with Reuben?"

If he hadn't done it, I'd be having words with him. He knew I always insisted on meeting all new patrons. If I could, I met them when they were merely prospective ones. He'd done it in my place more than a few times so he knew the process.

"Yes, the rules were covered with me. I met with Reuben for several hours. He was great. He explained everything again and answered a ton of questions for me." She smiled when she spoke his name. My gut tightened.

"He did? What did you talk about? And you still haven't told me who your sponsor is."

"He did. I had a lot of questions about what goes on here. My sponsor also told me the rules and how to handle myself. You can't blame him or Reuben for this," she almost pleaded.

"Name," was all I said. I was reserving judgment. I raised my brow.

"You're nothing like Reuben," she muttered before she answered me. "Carver Anderson is my sponsor."

I knew him, of course. I was kinda surprised he'd brought a woman here. He was one who played, but it was always with someone here. This was the first time he brought someone in. Again, my gut tightened. I detested the thought of either Carver or Reuben meaning something to her and vice versa. While it wasn't forbidden for Reuben to get involved with a patron, it had to be only when he wasn't working. On top of those feelings, I was upset that Carver allowed her to come alone and to be harassed. If she was his, then why wasn't he here with her? Protecting her?

"Why isn't Carver here with you?"

"Because I don't need a babysitter. No one said it was required that my sponsor come with me every time. It's not convenient for him to do it, nor do I want him around. It makes us both uncomfortable."

"Having the man you're involved with here with you makes you uncomfortable? What the hell? As your Dom, it's his duty unless you're not in a monogamous relationship," I blurted out.

Her mouth fell open and she gave me a stunned look. It lasted for several seconds then she began to laugh. She fell back in her chair and laughed hard, holding her stomach. I scowled. What was up with that? I waited for her to get a hold of herself. When she quieted down, she gave me the information I wanted but never expected.

"Carver isn't my lover, Dom, or anything like that. Yuck, he's like a brother to me. That's gross. He feels the same way about me. I'm a little sister to him. I had to beg and threaten him for weeks to get him to do it. Oh my God, wait until I tell him."

"If you two aren't involved, why sponsor you? If he was reluctant, why did he do it?"

"So I could do my research. He was afraid I'd find a less savory place to go if he didn't. He told me this was the best club for miles and miles. He explained how it worked. Also, I think Cady worked on him too."

"Who's Cady and what kind of research?" Everything she told me only made me ask more questions. I was going down a rabbit hole I might never get out of.

"Cady, Cadence, is his little sister and my best friend. As for what kind of research, I'm writing a series of books and I need to have real-life experience and answers."

"What kind of books?" I asked in dread.

More than a few times, people tried to do interviews or write about the club and the lifestyle. At first, I'd allowed it, but after they all turned into bashing sessions that vilified the lifestyle and didn't show it in a positive light, I refused to allow more. Those articles almost destroyed my club in the early days. What people did outside the club was their business if they wanted to talk to people about their lifestyles.

"I'm a romance author and I wanted to write a series unlike any other I've done. The BDSM lifestyle intrigues me, so I chose to put in the work to find out what it entails so I can write the books."

Son of a bitch, she was a romance author. Fuck, this wasn't good. Lord knows how she'd portray the club and the people here. There was no way I could allow it. What was Reuben thinking to allow her access to the club and my patrons? I got to my feet, shaking my head as I did.

"Nope, sorry, but there's no way you can use my club for research. I don't know what Reuben was thinking when he said yes or Carver for bringing you here in the first place, but you're done. Now, if you'll come with me, I'll escort you out. Don't try to return, Ms. Michaelson. You won't be admitted. I'll refund your money. And if you know what's good for you, you won't print anything about this club or my patrons. If you do, I'll know and I'll sue you."

"Wait, please. You can't do this. Listen and let me explain," she cried out.

I ignored how my chest was aching. Any secret fantasies I might've been having about her went up in smoke. No way she and I could ever be anything to each other. I tuned her out. As she kept trying to talk, I opened the door and waved for her to leave. If I didn't, I was in danger of listening and letting myself buy into the idea she would be different. It would only end up coming back to haunt me. When I wouldn't listen, her shoulders slumped, and she got up and walked past me. She wouldn't even meet my eyes.

We were silent in the elevator on the way to the first floor and the exit. She marched to the door and then out into the open area, where patrons were greeted, without stopping or saying a word. When she got there, she turned to face me. I was standing outside next to a curious Hoss.

"I'm sorry you're such a distrustful person and that you won't even let me explain. I was never here to cause trouble or to harm anyone or your club. But I see you've made up your mind without knowing my side. Don't worry, I won't mention your club, Mr. Ivanova," she said haughtily before she turned on her heel and stomped off. I watched her until she drove away.

After she left, Hoss whistled. "Goddamn, what happened?"

I wasn't in the mood to talk about it, or at least not with him. "Later. Did Reuben come in yet?"

"He arrived about five minutes before you came out with the lady. I told him you wanted to see him. He said he'd go right up as soon as he checked on something. He didn't say what."

"Thanks."

I didn't waste time getting inside and back to my office. When I didn't find him there, I sent him a text.

Me: Get your ass to my office, now!

It only took him maybe fifteen seconds to respond.

Reuben: On my way. WTF?

I didn't bother to answer. I continued seething the longer I waited. When he came through the door with a puzzled look on his face, I wanted to punch him. How could he do that? He knew the history of this club with reporters. Was he crazy?

"Mikhail, what's going on?"

"Have a seat. We have shit to discuss."

He sank into a chair. I sat in the one across from him. "Mind telling me why you look like you want to kill me? What did I do?" he asked.

"Why don't you begin by telling me what you were thinking?"

"Thinking? About what?"

"About allowing a writer into my club! You know what they're like and you did it anyway. Not only did you open us up to scrutiny and God knows what else, but you put someone clearly out of her depth out on the floor alone. She was assaulted tonight." I was practically yelling at him.

His face flushed from red to white. "What do you mean she was assaulted? Is she okay? Where is she?"

He wasn't bothering to defend his decision. All he cared about was her. Jesus, I was right. He wanted her for himself. The way she had spoken his name earlier told me she liked him. "Apparently, she's been being hassled by Dominus. She didn't report it, and tonight, he got physical. He had her up against the wall. He not only shook her but he forcefully kissed her. I had to throw his ass out. He tried to tell me it was all a misunderstanding and they were doing CNC."

"There's no way she'd do that. He's lying. Did you tell him not to come back? Is she still here?" He went to stand up.

"Sit. No, I sent her home. As for him, I told him I'd call him later and we'd talk. I told her she's no longer welcome here. We'll refund her money, and if she writes anything about the club or the patrons, I'll sue her. How could you be so stupid?"

"I wasn't stupid, and you have her all wrong. She's not here to write bad things about the club or the people. She's a romance author. She's writing a series. Didn't she tell you that?"

"She did tell me she writes romances. That doesn't change the fact she's an outsider, and we can't risk it."

"She's not a risk. She explained her idea to me and what she wanted to get out of being here. She's doing it the right way, Mikhail. She did this so she would accurately portray our lifestyle. She didn't want to offend people or give out false information. We talked for a really long time before I agreed. And there's nothing in her background to cause alarm. Outlaw investigated her thoroughly. I'll show you the report. I can't believe you just kicked her out without talking to me first," he said disgruntledly.

"Why didn't you tell me you did this? She's been here for weeks," I countered.

"I didn't tell you because I planned to tell you tonight. Plus, you were taking a much-deserved break. It wasn't an emergency you needed to know about. You've always trusted my judgment. I had no reason to think it would be different this time."

I sighed and rubbed my forehead. He sounded hurt. "I do trust you. I just can't wrap my head around you doing something like this. Even if what you say is true, after what Dominus did, I can't see her sticking to portraying anything here in a good light. We need to do damage control. I need to talk to Carver."

"I don't think she'll do anything to hurt the club. I swear. As for talking to Carver, it's late, and he'll have to work tomorrow. It's too late to call him tonight. I'll do it first thing in the morning and see when we can meet him. In the meantime, I think you should listen to what she pitched to me."

I waved my hand. "I can't right now. I need to mull it over. Call him first thing and get him here tomorrow as soon as possible. Alright, let's talk about what else has been happening."

"Not a lot, but before we talk about the rest, I need you to tell me what we're going to do with Dominus. He had a warning months ago. I thought he had learned his lesson but I guess not. You're not allowing him back, are you?"

"I need to question him more and see what else he says. He lied to me and I want to see how big of a hole he digs for himself."

He slowly began to grin. The tension between us eased. "And then once he's dug it nice and deep, we bury him."

I smiled and nodded. "And then we bury his ass. Good riddance."

He laughed. "Give me a drink then we'll talk."

"Get it yourself and while you do, grab me one," I told him.

He chuckled again then stood up. I hated being at odds with him. He was my best friend. For tonight, I'd put all thoughts of Tajah out of my mind. I had a feeling it would take a lot to purge her completely. As I worked to do it, her image kept popping in and out of my head. Damn it.