12
GARETH
I looked over at Malory in the passenger seat of my Audi R8 and saw how nervous she was now that we were only a half mile or so from the club. She was chewing on her lower lip and wringing her hands together with a wild look in her eyes. I knew this was what she wanted, but I hated seeing her so upset. I immediately pulled over next to the curb, stopped the car, and turned to face her.
"Malory," I grabbed one of her hands to stop their frantic movements. "We don't have to do this if you're having second thoughts."
"What?" she asked incredulously. "N...no, I want to do this. I'm just...I'm just really nervous. I don't want to embarrass you or mess up."
"We're just going to watch tonight, beautiful." I squeezed her hand reassuringly. "There's no pressure."
What she didn't know was that I reserved a private room for us, just in case she wanted to play at the club tonight, but I wasn't going to tell her now. If we didn't end up using it, so be it. Either way, I had plans for her tonight, and where I worshiped that gorgeous body of hers didn't really matter.
"I know," she agreed, even though she still looked anxious.
"Just follow my lead, or Derek's or Thea's, and you'll be fine."
Derek and Thea had agreed to go with us when I called Derek to ask. He didn't gloat about winning the bet then, but I could hear the smugness in his voice over the phone. I knew he'd rub it in as soon as I saw him in person. He wouldn't be able to help himself, but at this point, I didn't care. I was happy to lose the bet. It meant that I didn't have to lie to Malory like I thought I was going to have to do, and come here tonight without her, so I could meet with Calder Rennen.
The thought of lying to her or having to do something behind her back had been souring my stomach all day as I grappled with what to do. I didn't want to risk hurting her again or ruining what we had, but I feared I didn't have a choice. The timing of Malory's bombshell of a request couldn't have been more fortuitous, and I was grateful that I didn't have to jeopardize our relationship now.
She took a deep breath and nodded as she calmed down a little. "Okay."
I pulled her hand to my mouth and kissed it. "Good girl," I murmured softly, then pulled back onto the street to drive the rest of the way to the club, happy that Malory seemed a little less anxious.
The building that housed Désir Dangereux was unassuming. It looked like it was just another part of the old industrial park it was located in from the outside, and didn't even have a marque out front. The club was exclusive and didn't need one. If you weren't a member or a guest of one, you weren't allowed in, if you could even find it.
I stopped near the entrance and climbed out of the car, then handed my keys to the equally unassuming valet dressed in black. I went around and opened the passenger door to help Malory up and out of the low sports car with a firm grip on her hand. It was unseasonably warm tonight in the upper fifties so Malory wasn't wearing a coat, since she'd only be outside for a matter of moments to enter the building.
I couldn't help noticing the young valet's appreciative glance at my Malory before he climbed into my Audi. I couldn't blame him for looking. She looked stunning tonight. Her flaming red hair hung in soft waves around her flawless round face. Her makeup perfectly accented her big hazel eyes and her fair skin with its sexy freckles. Her black dress, that hugged her breasts and her curves, was sleeveless with an open back and a wide band of white around the hemline. Its asymmetrical skirt was almost indecently short in the front, but dipped down to mid-calf in the back, and flared out to swish around her long toned legs, highlighted by a pair of stiletto black pumps. I couldn't take my eyes off of her either.
That dress, and the thought that I'd insisted that she skip a bra and panties, had my cock twitching in my black Armani trousers. I'd dressed to compliment her in a black suit and white dress shirt, skipping my tie for a more casual appearance. We looked damn good together, if did I say so myself.
Malory hooked her arm in mine, and I led her to the entrance, continuing to eye her appreciatively as she smiled up at me nervously. I leaned down close to her ear before opening the door. "You look beautiful."
The tension around her eyes eased somewhat, then I pulled open the door, and ushered her in ahead of me with a hand flourish that made her smile widen.
Désir Dangereux's entryway was just as bland and unassuming as the outside, with a reception desk to the left and a coat check window to the right. Two burly men dressed in all black, that I knew were part of the club's security team, flanked the door into the nightclub itself. The only clue that this was more than just a typical nightclub was the petite blond woman over by the coat check removing her long coat to reveal the purple baby doll teddy she was wearing underneath. It was sheer and did very little to hide the woman's lush curvaceous body and the tiny thong she wore. The tall man in a suit next to her leered down at her appreciatively as he absently took her coat and handed it to the women at the coat check window.
Malory stilled next to me with wide eyes, and watched the couple disappear into the club amid the thumping dance music that drifted in through the open door. She looked down at her dress, that now seemed demure in comparison, then looked at me uncertainly.
"You look fine, beautiful," I whispered in her ear. "The dress code for women is evening wear or lingerie. You'll see equal amounts of both inside, and you'll fit right in. Don't worry."
"Okay," she whispered as she pressed closer to me, her nerves obviously rising up again. I wrapped a protective arm around her shoulders and took her to the reception desk, so I could check us in. Malory was given a list of club rules to look over before she signed the club's nondisclosure agreement. Then she turned to look at the door into the club with wide panicky eyes.
"Are you sure about this?" I asked, giving her one more out if she needed it. "We can still go home." I reached up to slide my thumb across her luscious lips. "I promise. It's okay."
She smirked up at me. "You just want to go home so you can have your way with me sooner, don't you?" she asked playfully.
"Am I that transparent?" I played along with a roguish grin, knowing her levity was a good sign and feeling relieved.
I was perfectly fine if she wanted to leave, but I would be lying if I didn't admit how much I wanted to see her reaction to the club. I'd be lying if I didn't want her to get so worked up from what she saw here tonight that I could surprise her with the private room, and we could really get our kink on.
"You're a man, aren't you?" she asked in amusement as she reached up and gently patted my cheek.
I turned my face into her palm and kissed it. "Your man," I murmured against her warm skin.
"And don't you forget it," she agreed with a vehement edge that turned me on.
"Never." I liked it when she got proprietary over me. It was playful and loving, not obsessive and paranoid like my ex-wife always was with me. Malory never made me feel stifled or untrustworthy, and I loved her that much more for it.
She huffed out a breath as she eyed the door again. "Okay, let's go."
I put an arm around her waist, then opened the door and led her inside the dark and hedonistic world of Désir Dangereux. We walked several yards into the large room, and stopped. I watched Malory stare around the room for a moment with huge eyes and a gaping mouth.
At first glance, Désir Dangereux looked just like any high-end vanilla night club with its sleek and decadent furnishings, and the swirling lights over the mass of churning bodies on the dance floor in the middle of the massive room. However, on closer inspection, the women in scandalously revealing dresses and barely there lingerie quickly negated that notion. So did the large number of couples making out on the low sofas and sitting areas scattered around the perimeter of the dance floor. Nudity and sex were prohibited in the main room, but that didn't preclude anything else. That was why some of the women had their partners hands up their skirts doing God only knew what.
"How about a drink, beautiful?" I asked in her ear, so she could hear me over the pulsing erotic dance music. The club had a two drink maximum for its guests. Intoxication and BDSM didn't mix well if you didn't want someone to get hurt, but a few drinks could help someone relax, someone who got anxious easily like Malory. I think she needed it.
"Please," she replied with a grateful expression.
I led her through the throng of people to the nearby bar. Malory's eyes were everywhere as we walked, taking in everything around her with awe. When we stopped at the bar, so I could order each of us a bourbon, she stared at the wall behind the bar with a startled expression. Three golden life-size nude sculptures, one male flanked by two females, framed the two mirrors along the back wall behind the bar. Each was bound erotically with rope twined all around their torsos and limbs. Their bodies were contorted in passion with pure ecstasy on their faces. The male sculpture was also very much aroused. Malory's cheeks blushed a bright crimson when she noticed it.
The bartender glanced at Malory as he slid our drinks over to me and smiled at her reaction, then smirked at me. I agreed. It was pretty adorable. I thanked him with a grin, then turned to hand Malory her drink. She took it from me immediately, gulped down a healthy swallow from her glass, then abruptly started coughing. I fought not to laugh, for fear I'd anger her.
When she stopped coughing, she glanced around sheepishly then gave me an apologetic look. "I'm sorry," she said with a grimace.
"No need to be sorry, beautiful," I told her with a soft smile.
She pursed her lips with an unconvinced expression.
I cupped her face in my palm, and leaned close to her ear. "I think you're pretty damn adorable when you're embarrassed and uncomfortable, and it turns me on." I leaned away to see her glaring up at me now, her cheeks coloring with her ire. I was saved from her verbal assault as I heard a familiar male voice.
"Glad to see you made it, dumbass," Derek called out.
I turned to see that Derek and Thea had come up behind me. Derek wore a bespoke blue Tom Ford suit with a black tie and a crisp white shirt. And Thea? Well, she hadn't worn one of her usual skimpy lingerie outfits for Malory's sake, but the short cocktail dress she wore might as well have been. It was basically a collection of diamond-shaped squares of navy fabric sewn together, strategically placed to cover all the pertinent parts for decency's sake. The narrow slits between them showed off glimpses of her warm hazelnut skin. Wow. She looked phenomenal, even if this outfit was tame by her usual standards. The two of them looked really good together, like always.
"I was starting to think you were blowing us off." He smirked knowingly with a smug gleam in his eyes. Oh yeah, he was going to be gloating about winning the bet for a while. He glanced over at Malory, and his smile softened. "You look beautiful, Malory."
"Yes," Thea chimed in as she eyed Malory with an appreciative expression. "I love that dress."
"Thank you," Malory said as she smiled happily. She took a closer look at Thea's dress and her eyes widened. "Wow. You look amazing in that dress. I've never seen anything like it."
"Right?" Thea said with a smirk. "I can't even wear underwear under it."
Malory blushed and pulled down on the hem of her dress, no doubt thinking about her own lack of underclothes. I felt myself getting aroused all over again.
"Let me get a drink for my lovely wife, and we'll show you what this place is really like," Derek said with a waggle of his eyebrows.
"Oh...okay," Malory replied with widening eyes as Derek and Thea moved toward the bar. She watched them with a mortified expression.
I frowned. "What's wrong, Malory?"
"Are...are they going to be...going to be p...playing tonight?" she asked uncertainly with a horrified expression.
"No, beautiful," I reassured her. "We're all just here to watch tonight. They don't want to make you uncomfortable, especially since this is your first visit."
She sagged with relief. "Oh thank God. I'm not ready to see that, if ever."
"I know." I nodded and pulled her in close, so I could kiss her temple. I was used to seeing Derek and Thea play at the club. It didn't bother me, but for Malory, it would be shocking and too much for her to deal with since she was already nervous and out of her comfort zone.
"You guys ready?" Derek asked as he stopped next to me with a beer in hand. Thea now had a glass of red wine as she came up beside him.
Malory looked stricken for a second, but Thea went right up to her and latched an arm in hers. The two women took off ahead of Derek and me, their heads bowed together as Thea spoke to Malory. I was grateful. Whatever Thea was saying, it was working. Malory began to calm down immediately.
"So," Derek said smugly as we followed the ladies across the main room around the dance floor. "Are you going to welch on our bet, or pay up?"
"No," I growled out as I reached into my pocket and pulled out the hundred-dollar bill I'd put there for this very reason. "Here." I handed it to him with a mock glare.
He snatched it from my hand and tucked into his suit jacket pocket with a smirk. He bumped his shoulder against mine. "Here's a big fat I told you so."
"Fuck off, loser," I told him with a grin.
The girls came to a halt in front of the double doors that led into the club's public dungeon room a few yards ahead of Derek and me. They both bowed their heads demurely and waited for us to approach them. Derek's face instantly changed to a stern expression as he went to his wife. He reached out to put a hand on the back of Thea's neck with a firm authoritative grip, his body exuding dominance now as he murmured something in her ear. She instantly relaxed into his touch with a deep sigh, her eyes softening in submission as she leaned into her master.
Malory watched with wide fascinated eyes, her lips parting slightly with arousal. I stopped in front of her and brought my hand up to wrap it around her slender throat. She gasped as her eyes shot up to mine, her pupils dilating and her pulse throbbing under my thumb.
"Who is your master?" I demanded quietly with a hard stare.
"You are, sir," came her immediate reply, her entire body easing into soft willing submission. I loved it.
"You're here to watch and learn," I told her. "If I ask you a question you will answer it honestly and respectfully. If you have any questions or concerns, you will voice them to me immediately. Understood?"
"Yes, sir."
"You're going to see things in this room you've never seen before, beautiful." I brushed my lips against her ear, making her shiver. "Things that will blow your mind. Are you ready?"
"Yes, sir," she replied waveringly. "I am."
"That's my good girl," I growled out in approval, feeling desire surging up to swirl through my entire body, making my dick twitch. It was all I could do not to drag her to our private room right fucking now, but this night was about her, not me. I could be patient.
I released her throat and tucked her in close to me with a possessive arm around her soft body, letting all the world know that she was mine. Together we stepped through the doorway into the room that would alter Malory's world forever, shattering every preconceived notion she had about the real BDSM lifestyle, and the dangerous desires that we shared.
**********
The first thing that caught my attention upon entering Désir Dangereux's large public dungeon room was the couple on the small round stage in the center of the room. A tall lithe blond woman, with tattoos sleeving her arms and most of her naked body, was bound in rope and dangling face down from the ceiling with her arms and legs hogtied behind her back. A look of pure ecstasy graced the woman's features as her Dom, an attractive middle-aged Hispanic man with thick graying hair and tattoos peeking out of his rolled-up shirt sleeves, ran his hands caressingly over her body with a look of warm adoration on his face.
They looked beautiful together, and I glanced over to see that Malory was riveted by the scene in front of us with wide dilated eyes and parted lips. Hmm, maybe I'd be giving some rope bondage a try one of these days. Surrounding the stage was a group of black leather club chairs filled with an audience of Doms and their subs, some sitting on their master's laps and some kneeling at their feet. Some of them were watching the show. Others were making out and erotically fondling their subs. One sub's head was enthusiastically bobbing in her Dom's lap as he watched the scene onstage with his hands buried in her dark hair.
I heard Malory gasp softly beside me. I looked at her again, this time her face shocked and flabbergasted. Oh yes, she'd just noticed the blow-job in progress. I chuckled darkly and put my lips next to her ear.
"That's nothing, beautiful," I told her quietly with a smirk. "Look all around you."
She finally managed to tear her eyes away from the center of the room to take in the rest of the dungeon. Her eyes scanned the room, taking in the entire space. She took in the St. Andrew's crosses, the spanking and bondage benches upholstered in black leather, the stockade. All of them were occupied with Doms and a few Dommes erotically torturing their subs. Some were spanking their partners with their hands or with paddles. Others were being flogged or whipped with floggers and crops. One woman on a St. Andrew's cross was having clamps applied to her nipples. A few couples were actively fucking, adding more titillating noise to the room. Loud slaps against willing flesh echoed through the dungeon, punctuated by moans and wailing cries of pleasure. The low throbbing beat of sensual music filled the space, and that along with the brooding Gothic decor, added to the darkly erotic ambiance.
Malory gasped in utter shock, then turned the deepest shade of crimson I'd ever seen on her face before. Yes, she was embarrassed, but one thing was very clear. She was aroused by the scene before her. Her dilated pupils made her big hazel eyes look nearly black now, and her shuddering ragged breaths drew my attention to the color creeping across her chest and exposed cleavage. She looked completely fuckable, and my body suddenly yearned to drag her away to that private room, then bend her over and take her from behind until she collapsed in my arms in a sated heap. Now my breath was as ragged as hers.
"Let's sit down and watch, Malory," I suggested hoarsely.
She nodded jerkily in agreement.
Derek and Thea were already heading toward a sitting area several yards away from the stage, that still offered a good view of the room's activities. I led Malory after them, and as they sat down on a leather love seat with Thea curled in Derek's lap, I sat in a large club chair across a low coffee table from them and pulled Malory onto my lap. I took her drink, and set it and mine on a small table next to our chair. I pulled her closer, her ass moving deliciously over my dick. She whimpered as she felt how hard I already was for her.
"Look around, beautiful," I told her. "Tell me what you see that turns you on the most."
She bit her lower lip as embarrassment colored her face again, but she glanced around like I told her to with wide eyes and a slightly mortified expression.
"It...it...it all turns me on, sir," she finally whispered, then started chewing on her lip again. Fuck me, it was so goddamn hot.
"Do you see anything you'd like to try?"
"I...I...um..." she squirmed in discomfort, and it made my cock even harder. "I like the weird benches, and...and the paddles."
"Those are spanking benches, beautiful," I explained in a lust deepened tone. "I'd love to paddle your ass on one. Paddle it until it's fucking red, then fuck you hard from behind. Would you like that, baby?"
"Y...yes, sir. Please, sir," she answered in a soft breathy whimper.
I growled and crushed my lips against hers, heedless that we were in a room full of people as I kissed her into insensibility, her body going limp in my lap. My hand crept up under the hem of her dress to glide up her creamy thigh until my fingers dug into the soft flesh of her sweet ass. I half expected her to stop me, but instead she tangled her fingers in my hair and kissed me back even harder. My hips thrust up against her, grinding my erection into her. I longed to move my hand to her inner thigh and see if she'd let me touch the soft wet heat between her legs, but I didn't want to push her into something she wasn't ready for. So I settled with kissing her in the middle of this hedonistic playground, enjoying the sweet torture of being so goddamn aroused by this woman.
We spent a long time like that, watching and quietly discussing the scenes going on around us, while making out in between. Occasionally, Malory would look at Derek and Thea kissing and groping across from us, then jerk her eyes away with a guilty expression. I couldn't blame her for gawking at them. The two had always had such a natural and electric sexual chemistry between them, that watching was almost irresistible, especially since they liked to be watched too. I told her it was okay, and that they wouldn't mind, but I didn't think she was totally convinced since she continued sneaking furtive glances at them.
After an hour or so, it was almost time for my meeting with Calder Rennen. I started surreptitiously watching the door to the main room for Scott to appear. He'd agreed to be here tonight, even though this wasn't his scene at all, so he could vouch for me with Rennen. According to Scott, who was his best friend and would know, Rennen had some serious trust issues. I didn't care, as long as I could talk to the man. I needed to find out if Ian Elias and Tess Richards memberships were more than just a coincidence. Somehow I didn't think so, since Taylor knew them both. I was almost certain that something shady was going on, and I was determined to get to the bottom of it.
Finally, after checking the door several times, I saw Scott enter the room. He stopped a few feet from the door and scanned the dungeon, his demeanor rigid and obviously uncomfortable. I caught his eye with a nod. He looked relieved as he jerked his head backwards toward the door, then immediately fled the room. Now I just had to follow him.
Fortunately, I'd already told Malory that I'd arranged to meet with the new owner tonight. I didn't give her a reason for the meeting, and she didn't question it either, so I was relieved that I didn't have to lie to her. She probably just thought it wasn't anything unusual.
I caught Derek's eye meaningfully, then glanced at the doors. He knew about my meeting with Rennen too. Unlike Malory though, he probably suspected it involved a case since he knew about Tess Richards' membership here. He didn't ask about it though, since he knew I couldn't and wouldn't discuss it with him.
"It's time for me to go meet the new owner, beautiful," I told Malory. "How about we head out to the main room, so you ladies can dance for a while?" I suggested, thinking that she could use a break from this overwhelming and overstimulating environment for a while.
She smiled. "I'd like that, sir."
Good, because I certainly wasn't going to leave her in here without me. It would be way too much for her to deal with, and I felt safer with her in the main room too. Désir Dangereux had clear rules against touching someone without permission, and that no meant no. These rule were adamantly enforced by the deceptively unassuming dungeon monitors dressed in black who were spread around the club. However, I didn't want to chance someone trying to hit on Malory or making her uncomfortable in any way. I wanted her to enjoy tonight, which was why I'd asked Derek and Thea to come along so they could stay with her while I met with Rennen.
The four of us rose and left the dungeon. I could see Scott waiting next to the bar for me across the room. I pulled Malory into my arms and breathed in her clean ocean scent. I didn't really want to part from her here in this place. She'd been so aroused and curious while we'd watched the couples playing around us. Once her initial shock wore off, she even seemed comfortable being here tonight. I longed to tell her about the private room now, and take her there so I could lose myself in her luscious body. Damn, I needed to get a grip, or I'd be sporting an erection when I met Rennen. I stepped away with regret.
"I won't be long, beautiful," I assured her with a smile, then kissed her lips briefly. "I love you."
"I love you too, sir," she replied with a radiant smile.
I smiled back, and then with a beleaguered sigh somehow forced my feet to move away from my Malory.
Scott looked relieved when I approached him, then nodded and silently led me through a door beside the bar. It opened into an empty hallway with dark-gray walls lined with white doors and trim. He stopped at the door at the end of the hall and knocked on it firmly. A male voice called out for us to enter, and Scott pulled open the door.
I followed Scott into an opulently decorated office with dark hardwood flooring, and black walls with a subtle geometric pattern done in gold. A massive desk stained a deep ebony sat in the middle of the room surrounded by black leather chairs. A few pops of white and gold in the artwork and on the light fixtures broke up the expanse of darkness. The room was powerfully masculine, and if the intent was meant to intimidate, it worked.
Behind the desk sat a man dressed in a dark-gray vest and trousers, with a crisp white shirt rolled up to expose toned muscular forearms. His thick hair was so dark it was almost black, and was cut short with a bit of soft unruly waves on top. His face was attractive yet masculine, with a strong straight nose, a short goatee, and piercing crystalline blue eyes. He was fit, with the broad muscular shoulders of someone who exercised regularly and could handle himself. However, it wasn't his appearance that caught my attention the most. It was his demeanor. He had the commanding presence of a man who had complete supremacy over his world, and he exuded such power and control that it easily eclipsed the dark intimidating ambiance of the room. This I assumed was Calder Rennen.
He was staring down intently at a pile of papers in front of him as a strikingly beautiful woman in a royal blue sheath dress stood next to his desk pointing at one of the papers. The woman had long thick black hair and flawless dusky skin, and it made me think she might be of Indian descent. She had a timeless beauty about her that made accessing her age difficult. She might have been my age or younger even, but for all I knew, she could be in her forties too.
Rennen picked up a nearby pen and scrawled what I assumes was his signature on one of the papers before pushing them toward the woman.
"Thank you, Gwen," he spoke in a deep richly sonorous voice that was just as powerful as his appearance. It carried a weight and resonance beyond that of the mid to late thirties man he appeared to be.
The woman gathered up the papers from the desk without a word, then walked between Scott and me to leave the room. She acknowledged each of us with a brisk nod, then closed the door gently behind herself as she left.
My attention turned back to Rennen as he rose and rounded his desk to approach me. He was tall, several inches more than my six-foot-one height. He leaned against the front of his desk and crossed his arms over his chest. It made his upper body seem even bigger and more intimidating.
"Scott tells me you're good friends with Derek West," he said as he gave me an assessing once over with keen penetrating eyes that seemed to see right through me. It was disconcerting.
"Yes," I replied evenly, refusing to be intimidated. "He's my best friend, has been since we were fourteen." I crossed my arms as well, and met his eyes with confidence. This was no different than facing a hard-line judge in court. I wasn't going to show weakness or bow to intimidation. That wasn't my style.
He nodded. "Derek's a good man." Calder would know, since Derek had been his corporate attorney for years.
"One of the best I know," I agreed wholeheartedly as I held his intense gaze.
"Scott also tells me that you're an honest and honorable man." His eyes sparkled in amusement. "For a lawyer," he added in a sarcastic tone.
"I try to be," I admitted with a nonchalant shrug. I was unfazed by dirty lawyer intimations. I wasn't insecure enough to be bothered by them anymore.
Rennen continued eying me closely for several more moments, until his demeanor finally relaxed as if he'd seen what he was looking for. He nodded once sharply, then straightened and held a hand out to me. "I'm Calder Rennen, by the way." A small smirk played at the corner of his mouth, acknowledging the obviousness of his statement since he was the reason I was here after all. It made him seem a little more human and approachable.
"And I'm Gareth Caxton." I gave him a slight smile as I took his hand. His grip was firm and controlled as we briefly shook hands.
He stepped back and waved an arm toward the two black leather chairs in front of his desk. "Please have a seat." He went to his own chair as Scott and I sat down across from him. "If you'd like a drink, I can get you something. I don't have any alcohol in here since I don't drink." That made sense since I knew he'd been to rehab with Scott.
"That's not necessary," I assured him. I wasn't in the mood for social pleasantries. I wanted to get to the point of this meeting and finish this up, so I could get back to Malory.
Rennen leaned back in his chair. "I understand you have some questions regarding some of the club's members."
"Yes," I replied. "I'm representing a man who's been accused of murdering one of them. Her name was Tess Richards. Perhaps you know her?"
He narrowed his eyes thoughtfully and ran a thumb across his lips. "A tall blond submissive, right? Blue eyes, mid thirties?"
"Yes." I nodded. "Perhaps my client is a member too. He's in the lifestyle as well. Maybe they've played here together before? His name is Travis Taylor."
Rennen's eyes widened in surprise at Taylor's name. Hmm, interesting.
"He's not a member here," he replied.
"I'm assuming that wasn't the name you were expecting."
"No." He didn't elaborate. I had a sudden suspicion of who'd been playing with Tess in the club.
"I suspect that another of your members is also involved somehow in this case," I continued. "His name is Ian Elias."
Calder's face hardened immediately. "I'm familiar with him," he growled out irritably. "And his reputation outside the club. He's a fierce and extremely demanding Dom in here, but he follows the rules, so I haven't found a reason to revoke his membership yet, no matter how much I'd like to." He let out a beleaguered sigh. "Rex Landis wasn't as particular about the people he let join Désir Dangereux as he should have been when he owned it, and now I'm left with some unsavory members I would have never allowed. I'm working on cleaning house, but I have to be careful when they have a reputation like Elias does."
I nodded in understanding. Elias was a ruthless man, and pissing him off would be unwise and potentially unhealthy for Rennen's business. I couldn't blame Rennen for not wanting to attract Elias' ire and ill will.
"Did Elias play with Tess here?"
His eyes narrowed at my question. "Do you think he has something to do with Tess' death?"
"I do," I answered firmly.
"How did she die?"
"She was bound and strangled with rope." I hoped I wasn't making a mistake by sharing details about the case with this man, but something told me I could trust him.
He huffed out a breath and looked up at the ceiling for a second, before leaning forward and giving me a hard stare. "I don't discuss what my members do inside the club, even with other members."
My heart sank. So much for gleaning anything useful from this meeting. I resigned myself to leaving empty handed. I was ready to thank Rennen for his time, and to tell him that I understood why he couldn't answer my question, before excusing myself. I respected his integrity. It was as important to him as mine was to me, so I didn't expect what he said next at all.
"But I've never dealt with the murder of one of my members either." His eyes turned fierce. "So I'll just say this, they did play in the club together and Elias has a penchant for rope bondage and erotic asphyxiation."
I stared at him in wide-eyed shock as my brain tried to catch up with what he'd said.
Calder leaned back into his chair as his face relaxed into a polite smile. "I'll let you get back to your evening, Caxton," he said in a clearly dismissive, yet civil tone. "I'm sure that lovely redheaded sub of yours is waiting for you, and I hope you enjoy your private room. It's on the house tonight, and if you need anything just ask a staff member, and they'll do their best to accommodate your needs."
"Thank you," I managed to say evenly, even though I was still stunned by his revelation. I stood to leave, and Scott, who'd been silent this whole time, nodded to Rennen before leading me out of the office. He followed me to the end of the hall, and stopped to wish me a good night. I thanked him, then watched him walked back down the hallway and disappear into Rennen's office.
I turned and entered the club again, my next course of action with this case very clear now. Come Monday, I was going to have a long and enlightening conversation with Travis Taylor about his association with one Ian Elias, and about the truth he'd been keeping from me. For now though, I had other plans that involved a willing sub and a private room, and I intended to take full advantage of both.