CHAPTER EIGHT
SOPHIA
Cain was ignoring me. I knew because he no longer watched me dance, he made it a point not to do it. It had been nearly a month since he’d first touched me and I found myself thinking about him all the time. I wasn’t one to throw myself at a man, but fuck did I have that urge. Several times I had to talk myself down from running up to him and wrapping my legs around him. He was literally driving me insane.
I needed to know if he felt the same way. I couldn’t trust him with my life, if he didn’t feel the same. I’d be risking it instead, and I wasn’t sure the Hell’s Lovers would forgive me so easily for it. And if Tuco found out I was planning on going against him, of leaving him, he’d definitely kill me.
Tonight, like every night this week, was another packed night and I was exhausted. Jade had me learning new routines and trying on new costumes on a constant basis. I was tired and I just wanted to go home.
I spotted Cain leaning against the bar and talking to a girl. I was finishing up my routine on stage and there he was, leaning over a pretty blonde and sipping on a beer as if what he was doing was nothing out of the norm. He didn’t even glance my way, and my heart felt like it was being torn in two.
I finished my set and as I was heading to the locker rooms when I heard a woman giggle. Then I heard a man’s deep voice respond. I didn’t hear what was said, but I knew it was Cain. Only his voice could strike a chord in me so deep. Before rounding the corner, I stood in the shadow of the hallway, watching as they entered one of the Velvet rooms. It was the one no one was allowed in, it was Cain’s private quarters. As they entered, I slowly approached the door. Not being able to help myself, I pressed my ear to the wooden panel trying to make out any sounds.
“It’s soundproof.”
Startled, I jumped at the sound of a voice coming from the other end of the hallway. Seth, Cain’s brother and one of the club’s Enforcers as well as its Treasurer, hovered near the entrance.
“You won’t hear a thing. Trust me, I’ve tried,” he watched me for a second and his scrutiny made me look down and blush.
“You got a thing for Cain, don’t you?” He smiled knowingly.
“No, I just...I was just curious, that’s all.”
“Curious, huh? He doesn’t like people snooping around the club. He likes to be in control, so if you’re into that sort of thing more power to you. If not, then I suggest you stay away. When he plays, he plays hard.”
He stared at me for a second and smirked. “But you seem to be just his type,” he murmured as he walked away, leaving me staring at the black door and wondering exactly what went on behind it. Cain had secrets and I was curious to find out how dark they were. I was willing to go down that rabbit hole if it was with him. I needed to trust him.
As I turned away I was practically run over by the same girl who had been with Cain. She looked at me for a moment, anger penetrating her eyes.” If you’re here looking for Scardino, don’t bother. The fucker isn’t what he says he is.”
“What?” I murmured as she sauntered down the dark hallway. Turning back around, I slammed right into a hard chest. Cain looked down at me, a stoic look on his face.
“What the hell are you doing here, Sophia? Is it a hobby of yours to listen in on people’s private conversations?”
“N…no. I was just…I was...” I sighed. “I was headed to the locker room and your girlfriend nearly ran me down.” I didn’t mean to sound petulant, but my jealousy was obvious.
He glanced down the hallway and frowned. “She’s not my girlfriend.”
“Oh?” I raised an eyebrow.
He stared down at me and then his frown turned into a scowl. The next thing I knew he had me pinned against the wall, his hand gently tipping my chin up to the soft glowing light.
“Who hit you?” He growled.
My eyes widened in fright. I thought I had done a good job of hiding the bruises Ramon had left me from our last meeting. I didn’t expect for Cain to spot them so quickly.
“What?” I whispered.
“You have a fucking black and blue on your cheek, who the fuck hit you?”
“N…no one. I slipped in the shower.” I stood there waiting to see if he believed the most insane lie I’d ever come up with.
“You slipped in the shower?”
I nodded. “I was coming out of the tub, slipped and hit my cheek against the sink. I didn’t realize how hard I’d hit myself until I saw the bruise this morning. I bruise easily.”
“You bruise easily?”
I quickly nodded, swallowing nervously as he continued to assess my cheek. He ran his thumb gently across it, making me flinch.
Bending down, he pressed his lips to the tender spot. “I don’t like liars, Sophia. But if you don’t want to tell me, I’m not going to force you. Although, I will say this,” his lips grazed mine and he pinched my chin gently, “if someone’s hurting you, all you have to do is tell me and they’ll never lay a finger on you again.”
I met his eyes and I knew what he said was true. I shook my head, “I’m okay,” I whispered.
He nodded and took a step away from me. “I’ll take that answer for now, Sophia. But no one, I repeat no one, hurts what’s mine.”
“And I’m yours?” I asked earnestly.
He smirked. “No one, Sophia. Remember that.”
He turned around and left me standing there alone in the empty hallway. The man was a riddle. He was so hard to read, it was sometimes better not even trying.
I turned my head towards his room and tried the knob, but it was locked. He made sure it was always locked. I looked down the empty hallway and wondered what it was that Cain guarded so carefully in this room.
MY OPPORTUNITY CAME a few nights later, in the shape of a newbie mistake. Ravenous contracted a private company to come in and do a thorough cleaning every Wednesday and Sunday night. Not just anybody was allowed to come into Ravenous. Everyone had to be put through a thorough background check, courtesy of Diesel. He was one of the MC’s Enforcers, when he was around. The Hell’s Lovers had three Enforcers that worked directly with their Sargent at Arms. Diesel was a nomad by nature, so they needed Seth and Knox to back Cain up. I had just met Diesel, and I could see why he was considered muscle. The man was cut like steel and I had to admit, he was very good looking. At least, all of the girls were drooling over him. I on the other hand, only had eyes for one man.
Cain’s rules were simple. When the contracted company showed up, the doors to the Velvet rooms were to remain open, including the black velvet room. The people hired were not allowed to speak to anyone or spend more than twenty minutes in each room. They came in, did their job, and left. They were supposed to lock all the doors before leaving, but on this lucky night, someone forgot to lock the door.
After I left the stage, I wandered down the hallway ready to head home. It was the last show of the night and I could hear the laughter of some of the other dancers as they got dressed in the locker room. As I passed by the rooms, I noticed the last room was left slightly ajar. Approaching it, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Cain’s private room was open.
Looking back down the empty hallway, I made sure no one saw me. As soon as I made sure it was clear, I gently pushed on the door and slipped inside. What I came across was a complete shock to my senses.
There was a lamp turned on, emitting a dim yellow light. It glowed on the black leather couch that sat on the far back wall. In the center of the room stood a rich mahogany bed with large wooden bedposts that loomed over in a canopy. At first glance, it looked like any normal bed. But as I took a closer look, I saw the small hooks that aligned the bed posts and the suspension frame that lined the top of the wooden frame. It was no ordinary bed.
The bedspread and sheets were made of pure black silk and several pillows encased in that same black silk lay along the headrest. The glow of the light made the silk shine as if looking into a pool of black ink. There were black area rugs strewn along the floor, one in particular lay in front of the couch. Pillows were thrown all over in disarray; it looked like the perfect place to lie down.
This was the most normal aspect of the room. What lay beyond that, against the walls, that was what had me sucking in a breath and shivering with an indescribable feeling of constant fear and arousal. Two wooden boards in the shape of an X loomed against the wall on the right side of the bed. The boards had padded black leather lining and the frame had hooks on all edges.
In the opposite corner of the room there was a black bench. It looked seemingly like a church pedestal where you knelt to pray, and it made me wonder how he used it and if you’d actually be praying or begging. The thought of seeing him penetrate me as I straddled the bench had me all wet and horny once again.
I traced my fingers across a line of paddles, whips, and an array of wooden sticks and restraints that I couldn’t wrap my mind around. The place looked like a torture chamber, an expensive one at that. I wondered how Cain could possibly find pleasure in this.
As my hand trailed across a whip, its black leather strands sliding through my fingers, I suddenly felt his presence. My body felt him first, and then his scent encompassed the room. I quickly turned to stare at him as he stood in the doorway. He slammed the door shut and we stood in silence. I didn’t know what to say, what to expect, and then in three quick strides, he had a hand wrapped around my neck and I was pressed against the wall.
My eyes met his and that feeling of fear and arousal trickled through my body. The lower half of my body was molded to his hard muscles, and I couldn’t take my eyes off his muscles as they flexed while they held me. I looked up at him and shivered under his dark gaze.
His eyes dragged down to my lips and then he asked in a deep threatening voice. “How the fuck did you get in here?”