Page 57 of Master My Love

With a tight grip on her hand, Eric led her through the still-packed second floor. They exited via a door far in the back and then down a long hallway. Rushing to keep up with his long strides, she didn’t speak and could hear the muted sounds of the dungeon through the floor beneath their feet. They passed through a second door and into a brightly lit corridor that looked like any apartment building anywhere.

“Several of the other owners,” he explained, “who are also Rossi men, live here because it’s convenient to both the club and headquarters across the street.”

Stopping at the last door on the right, he entered a code on a keypad and showed her into a spacious, tastefully decorated apartment. He gave her a quick tour of the two-bedroom suite with a huge eat-in kitchen and a massive 80-inch flat screen wall-mounted TV in the living room. He entered the larger of the roomy bedrooms and, while she stood inside the door, retrieved a packed duffel bag from the closet. That he was ready to go at a moment’s notice told her the sassy comment she’d made earlier wasn’t too far off base.

Ready to go, he snaked his arm around her waist, and hauled her up against him. “Make yourself at home. I’ll have someone bring you your things from up front. The door to the right as you leave will take you to the parking garage. I’ll call you when I get back, which might not be for a few days.”

He left her after one last smoldering kiss and a playful swat on the bottom.

When the door closed behind him, she made her way to the bathroom with sluggish steps, saddened their night had come to such an abrupt end.

Chapter 15

AFTER FRESHENING UP, Val sat in Eric’s cozy living room, eagerly waiting for her shoes to arrive. He’d left her no choice since her purse and car keys were locked in her cubby in the women’s locker room, accessible only through the forbidden dungeon.

The apartment was silent, except for the occasional whirr of the ice maker in the freezer and the faint ticking of the wall clock in the kitchen.

As she waited for her shoes, time seemed to crawl by. She couldn’t contain her restlessness and paced around the room. She glanced at the clock and realized twenty minutes had already slipped away. What if in his rush, Eric overlooked assigning someone to bring up her belongings?

When several more minutes ticked by and no one showed, she gave up, switched off the lights, and headed out.

She walked past the other apartments, the sound of her bare feet quiet thuds on the cold tile floor. At the far end, she stopped at the door and grasped the cool metal lever. She hesitated before turning it, her stomach tightening in a knot.

Ahead lay the club, but to the side was another door she hadn’t noticed earlier. She peeked through the glass and saw a stairwell.She imagined it led to the lounge, or perhaps Eric’s office in administration. Either wouldtake her to the lobby where she could ask the receptionist to send for her things.

The sensible choice was to take the stairs, but the hallway and the club beyond it called to her. As she weighed being the good girl he so often called her versus disobedience, she pushed open the door, unleashing a wave of sound—the heart-thumping beat of music and the drone of muffled voices amid the occasional high-pitched squeal. Was it laughter or something darker? Feeling much like Pandora with her forbidden box, temptation moved her down the hall, drawn by curiosity and the mysterious carousel.

She’d only sneak a quick peek.

Retracing the path she and Eric had taken earlier, she knew she was close when the bass rhythm vibrated the floor. The hallway veered suddenly to the left, something she didn’t recall. In another few feet, she stood in front of the rear door of the club. While straining on tiptoe, she tried to see through the small window, but it was much higher than the last, too high. If she only had her shoes.

Flat-footed, she stared at the barrier in frustration. So much for her quick peek. How bad could it be? Or, was the better question, how mad would Eric be if he found out?

A flash of light drew her gaze to the glass. It continued, flickering on and off like a strobe. As good as an engraved invitation, she put her hand on the latch, brushed aside the twinge of guilt that surfaced, and pulled open the door.

Val was unprepared for the frenetic buzz of excitement permeating the room. Carefully dodging elbows and protecting her bare toes, she worked her way to a spot at the railing overlooking the main club floor. Speechless at the spectacle before her, her jaw dropped.

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