“Hey, there,” he greeted us with a warm smile and a sharp British accent. “How was your flight?”
“Great.” I reached out and shook his hand, then he turned and held Shay’s gaze for a beat too long.
He pulled the door shut behind him. “I’m Alton.”
If he wanted our names he wasn’t getting them. I assumed the guests paid well for the privilege of privacy.
Alton shoved his hands into his pockets. “We have a brief initiation.”
I gave Shay a reassuring glance. “Whatever you need.”
He nodded and then asked, “Would you like to freshen up?”
Shay leaned back against the desk. “We showered on the plane.”
Alton rounded the desk and reached for two brochures with the Hillenbrand logo stamped on the front. “Let the concierge know if you want anything not offered on the lists,” he said, handing them to us. “We’ll make it happen.” He paused and then added, “I think you’ll find that most proclivities are covered.”
I flicked through the brochure that was a catalogue of the specialties offered, and all of it made the porn industry seem tame—exactly what Hillenbrand was famous for.
And then I saw it. “You still have the hunt?”
“Yes, we have one tonight,” he said. “VIPs only. You won’t be able to participate, but you will be able to enjoy the scene afterward.”
My fists curled, longing to rearrange his face.
“Looks fantastic,” said Shay. “How does one become a VIP?”
“Through our Grand Master.” Alton gave a nod. “He selects members. These events are carefully managed as they’re outside. Still on the property, but the risk of an escape is real. We tag them so if anything goes wrong we can get them back.”
“Do they try to escape often?” asked Shay.
He gave a thin smile and held my gaze. “We had one last night who tried to bolt. An American.”
“What happened to her?” My throat tightened.
“We’ve locked her in a dungeon.”
My blood turned ice-cold.
“You like dungeon play?” asked Alton. “We can set you up down there if you like?”
“Dungeons it is.” I glanced at Shay.
Alton gestured for us to follow. “We suspected you’d be into the dungeons so we have a scene ready for you.”
If Mia was in the room he was about to lead us to, I’d tear every last man apart in her vicinity.
The route we took had us walking through a maze of rooms. We had no choice but to follow Alton down the winding staircase.
We stopped in a cavernous dungeon and its main focal point was a four-poster bed in the center. Sitting on it were three naked female submissives wearing diamond collars. Their curious gazes flitted to Shay and then back to me. They didn’t look scared…yet.
A long table to the left was strewn with the kind of torture instruments meant for a museum.
Alton motioned toward the bed. “They’ve been selected for you.”
I held Alton’s gaze to see if the fucker knew who we were. He was hard to read.
My gaze slid over to the right wall and a large rectangle of two-way glass—whatever was about to happen could be watched from the other side. Shay threw me a wary glance when he read my conflicted emotions.