Chapter Three – Rose
As I walked into the massive building, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Crystal’s hand was on the small of my back, escorting me while I took in the sights and sounds. Everyone was clad in all sorts of getups. The women were in revealing costumes, with leather, lace, and chrome. Some were walking around in bodysuits with whips and things that looked like split bamboo. Most of the men were dressed in various forms of suits. A few were dressed in revealing costumes that showed off their best assets.
And yes, sometimes that meant their asses.
I craned my neck around while Crystal kept pushing me to the dance floor. I could feel eyes on me, taking in my costume as I walked across the floor. The music was pumping and the lights were dancing around in hypnotic patterns. People were throwing back drinks while some couples were walking around with leashes in their hands. Never in my life had I seen so much I didn’t understand all at once and I found myself backtracking into Crystal’s grasp.
“I’m right here,” she said. “Just take a deep breath.”
“Crystal! Rose!”
I turned my head as I heard Eli’s voice. She came bounding up to us in a body suit. It was leather from head to toe, with a cutout to showcase her prominent cleavage, and she was carrying a whip in her hand.
Had I not heard her voice, I wouldn’t have recognized her.
“Come on, you two. Time for the grand tour.”
She took both of our hands and pulled us to the edge of the room. I breathed a sigh of relief as I felt the cool wall against my back. We walked around the room, skirting the bars and watching as people slowly trickled down various hallways.
“Where are they going?” I asked.
“Oh, all the private rooms are back here.” Eli said. “See the man dragging that woman along in the orange dress?”
I could see a woman tugging against the hand of a man who was shoving her into a room. Everything within me wanted to run up and kick him between his legs but the moment I saw them kiss, I realized whatever they were doing was consensual.
At least, I thought it was.
“That woman is Felicia Matthews,” Eli said.
“Wait, isn’t that—”
“The mayor’s wife?” Crystal asked. “Oh my gosh, that is her. Is that man the mayor?”
“Nope,” Eli said, grinning. “The mayor and his wife are swingers. The man currently dominating her in that room is none other than Richard Delacroix.”
“You mean the man who owns half of upstate New York,” I said.
“Precisely,” Eli said, grinning. “Rumor has it he enjoys stuffing the mayor’s wife with all sorts of toys.”
We kept walking around the floor, stalking everyone like prey. There were people hooked to others by chains, and women who were on their knees and crawling beside their… I don’t even know what they were supposed to be called. People were climbing up into the cages to dance, while others handed them drinks and vibrating toys. I watched one woman sink right down onto a dildo some man had hoisted up into the cage.
My eyes widened at the spectacle, just as Eli caught my attention.
“Look, look, look! They showed up!”
There were two men coming through the doors, clad in leopard-printed suits with insanely gaudy masks. They wore broad smiles as they hugged those around them and, when they turned around, I saw they had on assless pants, along with something shoved up their butts that gave them something resembling a tail.
“The man with the blue tail is Chef Baudenir,” Eli said.
“Oh, I heard he makes the best sushi in town,” Crystal said.
“And the one with the green tail is Maxwell Ronchetto.”
“Wait, I know that name,” I said. “Why do I know that name?”
“Because Maxwell Ronchetto founded the culinary school you two went to.”
I almost fainted right there on the spot.
We cased the wall one last time before we got all the way to the back again. People were slowly trickling back toward the rooms and I could hear lewd and lascivious sounds coming from them. Some were obvious sounds of pleasure; others were muffled sounds that sounded almost like someone was in distress. I wasn’t sure how I felt about any of it. As we passed by a group of women, I could hear them whispering.
“You think he’ll come out?”
“Is he even here?”
“The dark prince is always here.”
“I wish he would pick me.”
“Who are they talking about?” I asked. “Who’s the ‘dark prince’?”
“Oh, that’s the owner of the club. Some super-secret billionaire businessman with ties to the mob or something,” Eli said.
“Wait, what?” I asked. “We’re at a party thrown by the mob?”
“No one really knows,” Eli said, shrugging. “It’s all rumors anyway. He’s known for coming out of that little hidey hole they’re staring at when he sees something he likes.”
“How can he see it if he’s not out here, well, seeing it?” I asked.
“That’s the real question, isn’t it?” Crystal asked, grinning. “I bet he’s got cameras around here that he watches.”
“He’s a true dom,” Eli said. “That’s all anyone really knows. Everything else about him is just speculation. Except for him using a woman just for one night. That’s true, too.”
“So, he comes out when he sees someone on camera he likes,” I said. “And he uses them for what? Pleasure? Then he just leaves?”
“Pretty much,” Eli said. “I would actually let him give me a nice little ride. You know, just for the experience.”
“You little switch, you,” Crystal said.
“What?” I asked.
“A switch,” Crystal said. “It’s someone who prefers one role but can easily slip into the other if necessary.”
“This all sounds like something out of a sci-fi movie to me,” I said.
“Yet, we’ve been here thirty minutes, and you haven’t cried ‘uncle’ yet,” Crystal said.
She was right. I hadn’t suggested we go back yet. I was uncomfortable and I was in a world I didn’t recognize, but I didn’t feel threatened. I didn’t feel like I was in any danger. And none of these people knew who I was anyway, except Eli and Crystal.
“Wanna dance?”
I whipped my head around at the voice and saw a man dressed in tight leather pants and a black mask. No shirt. No shoes. No tie or anything. Just a six pack, some pants, and a mask hiding his face. Crystal practically shoved me into him and he caught me, chuckling in a way that made me feel disturbingly tantalized. Still, I took his hand and he led me to the dance floor as the music started rattling my bones.
As I danced with the man, the cages around the dance floor were slowly filling up with practically-naked men and women. The one I’d seen earlier who sat on the dildo was gone but, in her place, was a man swaying his hips and swinging the cage itself on its chain. The bass of the music was caressing my nerves, raising my nipples to painful peaks as the man’s hands traveled over my body. I could feel the music penetrating me, hypnotizing me in ways I’d never experienced before as I pressed the swell of my ass into the man’s crotch.
But as my eyes lifted from the floor to the balcony surrounding the building, I saw a man venture out of that little hideout the women were gossiping over.
The man that emerged was tall and muscular. Even in the shadows, I could see his strength. His jawline was etched with a granite-like steadiness; like it had been forged in the fires of a kiln. He was dressed in a perfectly-tailored white suit that boasted a black collar, and his face was covered by a half-mask of molded black.
I could feel his gaze on me while his eyes swam along my body.
I followed him with my eyes as he headed for the stairs. His tall frame seemed to float, his muscles flexing with every movement as he practically snaked across the floor and the crowd slowly stopped dancing. Jaws dropped and eyes turned toward him. The man dancing with me dropped his hands from my waist as the mysterious man locked eyes with me once again.
This must be the dark prince everyone had been whispering about tonight.
And there was no denying who he was staring at.
Fuck, I’m turned on.
And scared shitless.
My dance partner stepped away from me and I mindlessly waited for him. I felt on display, like a wounded animal being stalked by the lion about to pounce on its jugular. He was headed right for me, his beautiful blue eyes encasing the whole of me as he slowly strode across the floor. His eyes burned into me, penetrating my very soul. It was as if all my secrets and mistakes and imperfections were on display for him and I felt my hands beginning to tremble, even as my eyes stayed attached to his.
I was frozen in my spot as he stood in front of me, moving himself between the man I was dancing with and my body.
Without his eyes dropping my stare, I felt his hand reach over to take mine. He lifted it into the air and stepped toward me, his free arm grazing my lower back as he pulled my body close to his. I could feel the whole of his strength against my skin. I could feel the beating of his heart against my body. I could feel the way he held me tightly, daring me to fall into him just to see if he would catch me.
I let out the breath I was holding as his hand pressed deeper into my back and, soon, he began gliding me across the floor to the beat of the music.
He was a wonderful dancer. Fluid. Attuned to my body. He guided me in all the ways I could understand, all while his eyes stayed connected with mine. My neck was craned back to keep him in my view, trying to read the few facial features I could see while we twisted and turned around the dance floor.
His presence was almost overwhelming. The way he gripped my hand, the way he held me tightly, the way his body pressed into mine and invaded all the spaces I didn’t take up. The way his gaze pierced through my walls, and the way I suddenly felt comfortable in his arms.
The tension was overpowering and I suddenly found myself short of breath.
The song started to fade, and I could feel my chest rising and falling rapidly. There was a spark of worry that started in my chest. I didn’t know if I could catch my breath. I broke my stare with him as the song slowly switched into another one, but I felt him tug me to the edge of the room as everyone started to trickle back onto the dance floor.
I followed him without a second thought and I didn’t even understand why.
He took my hand protectively, but not forcefully. He was leading me, not tugging me like Crystal had been all day today. I studied the back of his body, the way his broad shoulders quickly tapered into his hips. I studied the long lines of his legs and the way his black shoes glistened with the colors of the strobe lights flickering across the room.
By the time I turned my attention to what was in front of us, I was being led into a part of the building that was partitioned off by a large, black, velvet piece of cloth.
We stopped in the dimly lit hallway and he quickly turned in my direction. I gasped, backing myself into the wall as he took a small step toward me. His hands reached out for my mask, trying to lift it from my head and I grasped his wrist. The point of tonight was for no one to see me. No one was supposed to know who I was. If he saw my face, it would be easy for him to know I was lying about my name. I didn’t even plan on giving anyone my name, honestly. The plan was to stick close to Crystal and Eli and just witness.
Digest.
Experience.
His eyes connected with mine and there was an odd sort of softness behind them. His body was chiseled underneath his clothes, but there was a slight hint of something else. Not sadness and not weakness. Softness wasn’t really the word, either.
Patience.
He was waiting for me to give him consent and there was something about that idea that made me oddly comfortable.
I slid my hand from his wrist and swallowed hard. He proceeded to remove my mask slowly. Intimately. Almost as if he were unwrapping a present. My face came into view as I looked up at him and the patience behind his eyes vanished. Now, I was looking into the eyes of a man who considered me his prey. His eyes grew steely as his hand cupped my chin and he slowly twisted my face from side to side, like he was studying me.
Making sure I was up to his standards.
“Perfect,” he murmured.
His voice was low, like rolling thunder off in the distance. He wasn’t the Dark Prince. He wasn’t mangled royalty. He was the oncoming storm and something told me I was about to get wet.
Soaking wet.
He raised his arm and snapped his fingers, and suddenly, a pair of servers appeared. The man and the woman were clad in nothing but straps and buckles with all of their most intimate parts on display. The man was holding an ice bucket with a bottle of what looked to be extremely expensive champagne and the woman was holding two long-stemmed glasses. I watched the man they called the Dark Prince inspect the glasses before he took a look at the champagne. He was examining everything closely, attentively, like he was in control of every single thing that went on in front of my eyes.
That was what he was trying to prove.
That he was in control.
He waved them off so they could pour the champagne. Then I saw the man hand him two glasses. He held one out for me, and I took it, rocked by the attention he was giving me. He wasn’t just making sure things were perfect for him, he was making sure things were perfect for me.
I had no idea what I was doing. I’d never even been on a proper date, much less found myself alone with a man like this. The intensity of his gaze and the fact that he didn’t speak caused my heart to pound deep within my chest. The man and the woman stood there while we sipped our champagne in the dimly lit hallway, his eyes grazing up and down my body. I could see them sparkling, drinking in my curves while his decadent lips curved around the champagne glass.
I’d finished the champagne quicker than I’d intended, causing a shadow of a grin to pull at his cheek.
He plucked the glass from my hand and, just for a second, our skin touched. It sent electricity ricocheting up my arm, puckering my skin as my eyes widened. I had no idea why this man called to my body the way he did, but as he held his hand out for me, I realized what he was doing.
He was asking for my consent again.
I could feel the wetness growing between my legs as I stared at his hand. My heart was pounding in my chest and the blood was rushing through my ears. I was a virgin, a young girl taking care of her orphaned brother. I had no experience; I had no skills. I had no idea what I was doing in a place like this and I sure as hell didn’t know how to pleasure a man like the one that was standing before me.
But I knew one thing for certain, one thing that rang out in the forefront of my mind. His commanding demeanor and his ruggedly handsome appearance called to me in a way no man ever had before and I knew, if I walked away from this, I would never forgive myself.
So, I slipped my hand within his and, for the first time since I’d seen him on that balcony, he smiled.
That smile of his could’ve lured Satan out of his lair and I shivered with anticipation as he began leading me down the hallway.