Chapter 16

Colette felt oddly blank—at least emotionally. The wonderful sting from the two spanks she'd gotten was gone, and she wished it had hurt a lot more than it did.

But the fight had provided some relief, like a small pressure release valve flipped on and off, and she felt calmer than before.

As Landon pulled her into the hall, sealing the noise of the club on the other side of the door, she snapped out of her torpor.

Fear skittered down her back, and she tried, desperately, to erect her mental walls.

Landon turned left, towards their rooms, and she dug in her heels. He turned, expression unreadable as he studied her face.

She tried for a smile and arched brow. "I need a minute to get back to being Colette Beaumont, alleged jewel thief."

The smile must not have worked, because Landon's expression softened.

Please don't look at me like that.

Landon hesitated, but then released her wrist to take her hand, lacing their fingers together.

He reversed course, taking them back to the junction point of the halls, where he knocked on the door of the closest playroom. When no one answered, he opened the door.

Inside was a nearly empty room with a bed against one wall, a straight-backed chair in the corner, and O rings bolted at seemingly random points on the walls and ceiling. The wall opposite the door was hidden by floor to ceiling black curtains.

She hesitated, looking at the ceiling. The idea of Landon stringing her up by the wrists so she was helpless and he could do whatever he wanted to her was delicious. And terrifying.

"No scene. Trust me," was all he said.

And in this moment she did.

Colette allowed him to pull her into the room. They passed the chair, the bed, and when they reached the curtain wall, Landon released her. It took him a minute to find the break in the curtains, and when he pulled one side back, she was surprised to see pale light spill across the floor.

The glass door hidden by the curtains had a small combination lock keeping it closed. Landon rotated the dials, and then tugged the lock open with a soft click, before opening the door.

Colette ducked under the heavy blackout drapes, stepping out onto a small metal balcony. The floor was metal mesh covered by a large outdoor mat, so though she felt the cold of the metal against her bare feet, it didn't hurt to stand on.

She hadn't noticed a balcony from the street, but given the size of the building and the angle, that wasn't surprising. The depth of the balcony nearly spanned the small lane-way between this building and the one next to it, and when facing forward, the view was an uninspiring brick wall. Landon gently cupped her shoulders, turning her to the right.

A slice of city skyline was visible, the lights glittering in the clear night.

"Is that Tower Bridge, those lights there?" She pointed.

Landon leaned down to follow her finger. "No, we're about six miles from the city center. But see that little slice of green, closer to us?"

"Yes."

"That's Finsbury Park."

"I think I went to a concert there once."

"Probably."

In silence, they looked at that tiny slice of the sprawling urban area that was London. It seemed far away, and unimportant.

She was nearly naked, and it was the middle of the night. Though she'd broken out in goose flesh from the moment she'd stepped out onto the balcony, it was only now that she shivered.

"It's cold out here," he said. "We'll go in. I just though you could use some fresh air."

"I could. Thank you."

He turned to the door, but she stopped him with a hand on his arm. He leaned back against the brick, arms crossed.

Though she felt more centered than she had a moment ago, she still felt soft and raw.

And tired. Tired of being afraid and alone.

"Are you back to being a jewel thief?" Landon asked when she didn't speak.

Colette smiled. "Alleged jewel thief."

Landon snorted.

"But…no. I'm not." She took a breath, and even knowing she'd probably regret it, told Landon the truth.

"You were right about why I seek out submission. The power exchange is an emotional release. Usually I scene when my…job…is at a high stress point."

To her surprise he didn't make a snarky comment about the word job.

"The past few weeks have been stressful."

She swallowed down the other things she wanted to say. Swallowed the urge to tell him everything and just let him and Interpol take over instead of pulling the strings and parceling out information that would guarantee the outcome she needed.

"What are you saying, Colette."

"I'm saying that being in the club, seeing other people scening, makes me want…"

Colette hugged herself, hands spanned over her cold upper arms.

"Need," she corrected. "Not just want, but need, to scene myself."

"Understandable."

"But I didn't." She could no longer hold his gaze, it was too intense. She looked down and to the side. "I wasn't lying before. I didn't scene with Master Red."

"It looked like you were going to."

"I was tempted," she admitted. "He reminded me a little of my old Master, the man who trained me."

"It's your right to pick a partner. Rolf reminded me that we've vetted all the private club members, so if you're worried about your safety?—"

"I'm not."

"Fine."

She darted a glance at his face. His expression said it wasn't fine.

"I don't want to scene with just anyone," she whispered.

There was a pause as he let out a long, slow breath.

"Say it, Colette. Say what you want."

"You're the only person in the club I'd submit to."

The words seemed to heat the air between them.

"You pulled away from me. You made it damned fucking clear that you needed some bondage, some restraints, and then you walked away." His anger heated the air between them.

"I hadn't planned to scene. I planned to just do my job and ignore this desperate need." She pressed her hand low on her belly. "And you have to admit us, this, is a bad idea."

"It is."

"But it was too much. All of it. I thought I was going to lose my mind if I didn't get some relief, some outlet."

"So…?"

"So, I put on a collar."

He straightened from the wall in apparent surprise. "You put the collar on yourself?"

"Yes."

"Because then you could pretend you were someone's sub."

Not someone's. Yours.

"Yes. The pressure was enough." She touched her throat, curling her fingers around it and squeezing for a moment. "It took the edge off. Made me feel less naked."

He chuckled low and dark. "When I was watching you earlier, I thought that you looked naked—no collar, no cuffs."

"I didn't scene with anyone," she repeated. "And I won't."

"Don't say that." There was a dark warning laced through his tone.

"I won't," she repeated. "Because now I'll know what to expect." She smirked. "And you helped me take the edge off with that spanking."

Her words did what she hoped they'd do, reasserting their previous dynamic. Relief slid through her that she'd made it through the worst of the conversation without either of them bringing up the kiss. A kiss that had nothing to do with BDSM.

"It was my pleasure," he snarled. "And I'm happy to do it again."

It didn't sound like an invitation to submit. It sounded like a threat that he'd spank her any time she mouthed off.

And she liked it.

"I assume I'm off duty for the night?" she said, taking a step towards the door. She planned to brush past him, but hoped that as she did, he'd touch her, grab her.

Instead he waited until she had her hand on the knob, then stuck an arm out, bracing it on the brick door frame and blocking her way. It reminded her of that day in the British Museum, when her attempt to manipulate a young London Metro detective into figuring out that she'd actually stolen 800 items, not the mere 500 they'd identified, turned into something more.

"Tomorrow night…"

She refused to look at him, staring instead at the soft, paler skin on the inside of his elbow.

Landon grabbed her chin, forcing her to face him. "Tomorrow night if you need to scene, you come to me."

"I won't."

He smirked. "If you say so."

Colette ducked under his arm, shoving the drapes out of the way.

Landon leaned in the open doorway, one arm outstretched to hold back the curtains.

"And, Colette?"

She stopped, halfway to the door, but didn't turn.

"Tomorrow night you wear my collar."

* * *

"Her information checks out."

Landon leaned back against the wall of his makeshift office on the first floor of the club, phone to his ear.

"But the director and the lead investigator think she might have even more information," Barry said.

"You mean about the diamond?"

"No, about the traffickers."

"Probably," Landon said, "though she claimed she told us everything we'd need to arrest them."

"There's enough for an arrest, but you know how this goes. Higher ups get excited at the idea of taking down the whole network."

"What do they want to know? I'll ask Colette."

"The lead investigator wants to talk to her himself."

"I can set up a secure?—"

"In person."

"No." Landon's response was instantaneous. "That would compromise her security."

"That's what I said, but they're pushing pretty hard."

"Let me try and get something out of her, and see if that's enough."

"Could be it'd do," Barry said. "Has she dropped any hints about the diamond?"

"Nope, she's still holding that hostage until we arrest people."

"Well, the arrest may not be soon," Barry said slowly. "They want the whole network, and a bulletproof case. Given that this crosses borders…"

"Fuck."

"That exactly."

If this dragged on, Anu would have to pull him back to his regular job. Colette would either get moved to some countryside village under a new name with minimal security, or they'd stash her in a safe house with a rotating roster of guards.

Maybe she could stay here instead. Rolf and Andrei slept here when it was their week to be Dom in charge since neither of them lived in London, but left during the day to use a "hotel desk" at the London offices.

Maybe he could turn this storage room into a full-time remote Interpol office, and Rolf and Andrei could work from here, making Club Alibi a viable long-term safehouse for Colette.

Too many fucking maybes.

"You all right then?" Barry asked hesitantly. "With…all of it?"

Landon thought about their conversation last night. About the way she'd looked in the moonlight.

"Yeah, I'm all right," he lied.

* * *

It was quiet tonight as they prepped the club, and Colette missed the occasional bursts of sound from the DJ testing his equipment. The same artist was playing tonight, so there was only minimal sound testing needed.

Colette crouched, putting bottles into the under-counter fridge at the bar.

"Behind," Toy said as he carried a large blue container of ice and dumped it into the ice well.

Colette waited for him to pass before standing.

"Uh oh, here come the Doms," Kitten said in a sing-song voice.

Colette picked up a cleaning cloth, planning to wipe down the bar as a way to avoid looking.

Landon would notice. He'd realize she wasn't looking at them and draw conclusions, many of which were probably right. Avoiding eye contact and trying to make herself inconspicuous weren't her normal behavior.

Forcing her lips to curve into a smile, she looked up.

Rolf, Andrei, and Landon walked—no, sauntered—across the club towards the bar.

The wall of dominant man-flesh made Colette weak at the knees, and their slow, prowling strides just begged for music.

Rolf's cold expression melted as he eyed his subs. Andrei too eyed Kitten, Baby, and Toy.

But Landon…

Landon was looking at her.

Rolf held himself erect, half a head taller than the other men, who weren't short by any means. The drawn-back set of his shoulders relaxed a little with each step.

Andrei's gait was deceptively casual, his arms loose at his sides, but one look at his eyes and you knew that there was danger there, in the relaxed gait.

Landon…

Landon stalked, his head lowered slightly, gaze latched on her. He was like a predator focused on prey.

Colette raised her chin, holding the smile though it felt weak and wavering.

The Doms stopped at the bar, Andrei easing one butt cheek up onto a stool. Rolf held out an arm and Kitten slipped into his embrace.

No one said anything.

Colette had that itchy feeling that said someone was watching her. Except she was fairly certain it wasn't just one person. Everyone was waiting to see what would happen between her and Landon.

Had Landon said something to Rolf and Andrei about the collar? Maybe she'd broken a club rule by putting on a collar on her own, and they'd discussed the punishment.

The moment stretched unbearably, and though she prided herself on not jumping to fill silences, this time Colette had to bite the side of her tongue to keep herself quiet.

Landon raised his hand and curled his finger at her.

Colette heard Baby's sharp inhale, and from the corner of her eye saw Toy lean on the bar, his attention ping-ponging from Landon to her.

Colette's mouth was dry, her thigh muscles trembling. And her pussy…her pussy was already wet. Tonight she'd double-layered some panties, given that she was wearing neon yellow. A color that would definitely show a wet patch. Given the high cut on the back of the underwear, she'd had to go for a thong under the uniform panties.

Since her underwear wasn't going to give her away, she wasn't going to let her expression do so either.

Colette raised one brow, then with a small shrug came out from behind the bar. Her hips swayed as she walked, and she heard the bump-tiss sound of a base drum and a high hat playing in her head. A soundtrack for the sensual walk.

Andrei made an appreciative sound, but Colette didn't turn to look. Landon was all that mattered.

His eyes were liquid dark, watching her not in a predatory way…but a possessive one.

Merde. She liked that. Liked it too much.

She stopped in front of him, and Landon reached into the pocket of the dark slacks he wore tonight instead of leathers.

The collar was lovely, and not at all what she'd expected. She'd anticipated black leather and heavy silver hardware.

Instead the collar was a dark brown leather with metal wire designs embedded in it. The gold-toned metal was worked in tight linked spirals that marched around the collar in a repeated pattern.

"That's lovely," she said.

"It reminded me of the bracelet."

It took her a minute to figure out what bracelet he was talking about.

The bracelet she'd stolen from the museum. The one she'd worn for their date. The bracelet that showed him she was a thief.

Her gaze jumped to his, and there was something hard behind his eyes now. Colette lifted her hair as she turned away, presenting the back of her bare neck.

That meant she was facing the bar, and the small crowd of people. Everyone was watching.

Kitten smiled softly as she leaned against Rolf. Baby grinned, while Toy winked.

They thought this was her accepting a Dom's collar, an exciting and meaningful thing for a sub. But this wasn't that. Not really.

She repeated that thought over and over, a mental shield against the need rising inside her.

"If this isn't enough, you come to me," he said softly as he slipped the collar around her neck. The leather was warm—it must have been tucked in his pocket where it had absorbed his body heat.

"I'm not your sub," she whispered back, and she wasn't sure which one of them needed to hear that more.

"No, but you're a sub, and also my protected witness."

His fingers brushed the bare skin at the nape of her neck as he buckled the collar in place.

Colette released her hair and started to step away, but Landon laced his fingers through her tresses and made a fist. Colette sucked in air, her eyes closing.

"If you need to scene, you come to me." He released her hair. "No one else touches you tonight, Thief."