2. Drake

CHAPTER 2

DRAKE

“Hey, man.”

I barely turn my head toward my brother as I walk into our shared office on the third floor. Sinking into my chair, I blow out the breath that I feel like I’ve been holding since before I walked into Edge.

Easton, my identical twin and best friend, glances up from the stack of papers he’s working on and studies me. “Something’s wrong.”

There are a lot of upsides to having an identical twin. There are also many downsides. Like the fact that we sense things most people wouldn’t. It’s annoying as fuck. Especially because I’m not sure how to respond. Is something wrong? I don’t know. I’m off balance. Confused. Aroused. Worried.

“Everything’s fine.” I shrug and make a show of opening my laptop like it’s incredibly interesting to me. I should know better than to think Easton will give up so easily.

“Okay,” he says slowly. “Then why does your face look like that?”

I scoff. “I’d be careful making comments about my face, considering you look exactly like me.”

My brother rolls his eyes and leans back in his chair to study me. “You know what I mean. You’re deflecting. Something happened, or something’s wrong.”

He’s right. Something happened. The problem is, I can’t put my finger on how I’m feeling about it. The woman in the street. She was alluring. I’m not sure that accurately describes her, but it’s the only word that comes to mind. She literally took my breath away. And that doesn’t happen to me.

I love women. I love to dominate them. I love watching a submissive give herself over to me. It’s the most beautiful thing in the world. But when it’s over, I move on to the next. It’s easy and fulfills my needs. I’ve never had such a visceral reaction to a woman like I did to the one in the street.

There was an innocence about her. Hardly an inch of her skin exposed, yet she was sexy as hell. Wide hips, full breasts, pouty lips. She called to me. I wanted to sweep her off her feet and carry her into my room on the third floor so I could get to know every single thing about her. Privately. Because those wide, dark brown eyes tell me there’s a lot to know. Questions I want answers to.

She relaxed into me for a brief moment before she pushed me away. When I was holding her, everything in my head went quiet. I wasn’t thinking about the next app I’m going to develop or the club’s accounts or any of the hundreds of other things running through my head. I can’t remember the last time I felt so peaceful. But when she turned and walked away, I let her. Like a fucking idiot.

Why was she standing in front of Edge? She’s definitely not a member here. I would have recognized her. You don’t forget a face like that. Ever. Plus, my brother and I make it our mission to know every member, especially those in tiers two and three.

“Earth to Drake.” Easton waves his arms in the air to get my attention. When I snap out of my thoughts and look across the office, he’s smirking.

“You’ve met a woman,” he says. “I’ve been waiting for this day. All the shit you gave me when I got with Faye. It’s payback time. Who is she?”

“I don’t know.”

Fuck. I let her walk away. I held her in my arms and felt her body against mine. Felt the bolt of lightning I’d never felt before, and then I let her go.

Easton sits up straight and cocks his head. “Oh, shit. I was right. What do you mean you don’t know?”

Running my fingers through my hair, I shake my head. “I don’t know who she is. She was standing outside the front door. She tripped, and I caught her. Then she ran away. And I didn’t stop her.”

Steepling his fingers under his chin, Easton stares at me. “You’re a dumbass.”

I start typing harder than necessary and ignore my brother. I don’t need him to tell me I’m a dumbass. I already know that. I’m also not going to give him the satisfaction of agreeing.

The truth is, I can’t explain the magnetic pull I felt toward the mysterious woman. Can’t shake the image of her from my mind. The way she looked up at me with those startled eyes. Her hand was tiny against my chest.

I replay the moment over and over again, each time feeling a pang of regret for not chasing after her. But what would I have said? What would I have done if I’d caught her? Meeting a woman outside of the club isn’t wise. At least if I meet them here, they know what I am. A stranger on the street would have no idea what she was getting into with me.

Easton’s voice breaks through my thoughts. “You’re really hung up on her, aren’t you? If you type any harder, you’re going to need to replace your laptop.”

I glare at him, annoyed by his smug expression. “Shut up, Easton.”

He laughs, and I want to throw something at him. Something heavy.

Marny, one of our receptionists, pops her head in the door. “There’s someone here about the waitressing position. She’s filling out an application now, but I wanted to give you a heads-up since I know you want to fill the post as soon as possible. She’s in the first-floor reception.”

Thank goodness for the distraction. Normally, we wouldn’t interview someone on the spot, but since my brother is on my last nerve, I think I’ll do something different today.

I close my laptop with more force than necessary and stand. “Great. Thanks, Marny. I’ll be down shortly.”

Easton looks at me in shock. “You’re going to do an interview?”

“Sure. Why not? We need to fill the position. With the club getting busier, we have to hire as soon as possible. The last thing we need is our current staff getting burned out and calling out because they’re sick.”

I glance at the monitors we have mounted on the wall. Every square inch of the club has camera surveillance except the private rooms and bathrooms. Safety is our number one priority, above all else. As soon as my eyes land on the reception area, my shoulders tense, and I take a step closer. Am I seeing this right? Could that be her?

“What’s wrong?”

Shaking my head, I stare at the figure on the screen. Her head is down, so I can’t see her face, but the clothes, her long chocolate brown hair… I’m almost positive it’s her.

“It’s her, isn’t it?” Easton asks, coming to my side.

“I don’t know.”

My brother snorts. “Yeah. Okay.”

“Fuck off,” I murmur as I continue to watch her.

Her leg is bouncing up and down as she fills out the application. I want to reach out and rest my palm on her knee to soothe her. Why do I want to do that? I’ve never wanted to soothe a woman before. I’m not a jerk. I provide aftercare, but only because that’s what a good Dom does. Right now, though, I want to quiet whatever anxiety is making her fidget like that.

“Do you want me to join the interview?”

“I got it. Go find someone else to annoy.” Squaring my shoulders, I walk past his desk. “And don’t fucking watch the monitors.”

When I stride out of the office, my brother’s deep laugh fades behind me.

Cocky bastard.

I move through the club, down the stairs to the second floor, and warmth spreads through me. I’ve done a lot of amazing things in my thirty-five years of life, but this club is the thing I’m most proud of.

Edge brings in a fair amount of money, but almost everything we make , we put back into it by purchasing more play furniture, adding more toys and supplies to our private themed rooms, and hiring more staff so we can provide the best service possible to our members. We’re one of the three most upscale clubs in Seattle. The only others that are even remotely as elegant and well-equipped are The Playground and Surrender. I still belong to both clubs even though I have no need to play anywhere but here.

Since we’re not open, the recessed lights are turned on, making the dark purple accents we’ve used seem harsher. At night, when everything has a dim glow, giving each space a sensual and ultra-luxurious vibe, it’s like nothing I’ve ever experienced at any other club.

My mind flashes to a head of dark brown hair and innocent eyes as I pass a spanking bench. Fuck. I didn’t get to see her body underneath all those clothes, but something tells me she’d be stunning draped over the bench and secured while I heat her bottom.

My cock twitches, and I quickly adjust myself as I reach the first floor. I might be the owner of a sex club, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to greet a potential employee with a hard-on. I’m not in the mood for a lawsuit .

I walk through the door that leads into the reception area, and every ounce of air rushes from my lungs when I step inside.

It is her.

The woman from the street.

Mine.

Jesus. What the hell is wrong with me? Where did that thought come from? Maybe I’m overdue to get laid. It’s been more than a month since the last time I hooked up with a woman, and honestly, I have no idea why it’s been so long. I own a sex club, for fuck’s sake. But whenever I’ve thought about finding a submissive for a night, something has stopped me. My head hasn’t been into it.

The woman hasn’t noticed me yet. Her head is down while she fills out the paperwork. So that’s why she was here earlier. And then I scared her off with my charm . Better tread carefully this time.

Marny smiles at me but says nothing as she continues working on background checks for potential new members.

Not wanting to startle the woman, I gently clear my throat. She flicks her eyes up toward me and then back down to the papers in her lap. The second she realizes it’s me, her shoulders tense, and her head snaps up, her bottom lip caught between her teeth.

“Oh!” She drops the pen she was holding. As she reaches for it, her entire body rocks forward, and I find myself catching her for the second time today. Fuck. She feels good against me, and my mind goes silent again.

“Oh my God,” she cries out. “I’m sorry.”

As soon as I right her on the chair, I kneel and grab the pen to hand it back to her. With a shaking hand, she takes it from me, using the other to brush her dark hair away from her heart-shaped face.

Her tongue darts out to lick her full lips, and I have to swallow a groan. This woman has no idea what she’s doing to me.

“Hey, it’s okay. I didn’t mean to startle you.” I chuckle and shake my head. “Either time.”

We stare at each other in awkward silence. A moment ticks by before I snap out of whatever trance I’m in. It feels like I’m under a spell.

Her spell.

“Shit, I’m sorry. I should introduce myself, huh?” I hold out my hand. “I’m Drake Riley. I’m one of the owners here.”

Slowly, she slides her small hand into mine and shakes it. “I’m Lily. Lily Campbell.”

The air around us crackles. I’m surprised we can’t actually hear it because it’s so strong. Marny is still in the room somewhere, but fuck if I know where. As far as I’m concerned, Lily is the only person who exists right now.

When she pulls her hand back, I reluctantly let it go. I rise from where I’ve been kneeling and lower myself onto one of the purple velvet chairs next to her.

“You’re here for a job?”

Awesome. Totally smooth. Idiot. Of course, that’s why she’s here.

“Y-yes.” She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear and glances down to her lap. “I have waitressing experience, and I brought a reference from my previous employer. He’s let me go because business has been slow. I can start anytime and work any shift. I’m a really hard worker.”

Shit.

She’s not here because she wants to work in a sex club. She’s here because she needs this job. The desperation radiates from her sparkling, hopeful eyes. Eyes that would be gorgeous looking up at me while she was on her knees sucking my cock.

I’m going to hire her. I don’t know what her situation is, but she’s pulling at my heartstrings. She’s also doing something to my dick that I haven’t felt in a long time.

Of course, we have a rule against fucking employees.