Page 8 of A Billionaire Dom

Davin

I’d never been morerelieved to part ways with anyone than when I’d finally been able to say goodbye to the Ciardis earlier today. They’d lingered over their desserts, their innuendos going from bad to worse as they drank an entire second bottle of wine between the two of them. If I hadn’t known how much money Theodore had, I might’ve thought they were just trying to squeeze every dime possible out of me.

My family didn’t come from old money, but we weren’t from a poverty-stricken background either. Grandad had grown up in a comfortably middle-class family, and it had only been the untimely deaths of his parents that had allowed him to grow Holden Enterprises without taking out any loans.

Still, one of the reasons we had always been more-or-less accepted into the more exclusive ranks of high society was that we had class. We conducted ourselves with dignity and restraint, especially in public. Even Damon, who’d never really been a part of the business side of things, knew how to behave himself and not disgrace our family name.

Loretta and Theodore had none of that. He was a third-generation oil man, which should have put the two of us on the same playing field, so to speak, but that was definitelynotthe case. He was crass and vulgar, which was bad enough, but what made things even worse was that he clearly thought his money allowed him to behave however he wanted, without repercussions.

Always a generous tipper, I’d left more than I usually would have simply for having to put up with that pair, though it could’ve been worse. Judging by the way Theodore had groped his wife, I probably would’ve been put into an uncomfortable position if a woman had been waiting on us instead of a man. I doubted it would’ve been out of character at all for him to have made inappropriate jokes or even slap a waitress’s butt.

My diplomacy wouldn’t have extended that far, and I probably would’ve ended up in jail until the threat of a lawsuit or exposé would’ve gotten me released. As it was, I was determined to take appropriate measures should I have to meet with Theodore and Loretta again.

Personally, I hoped they’d decide to take their business elsewhere. Dad wouldn’t like that at all, but I didn’t like the idea of a long-term relationship with someone who thought he was better than everyone else. Still, unless I had a reason Dad would accept, he’d expect me to defer to his ruling, and he wanted the Ciardis’s business. For someone who claimed to have strict religious views, there were times when I wondered what Dad really believed because the words he liked to preach didn’t always match up with his actions.

What that all boiled down to was that we’d probably be offered their business, but I had a feeling it wouldn’t come without a few perks to sweeten the deal. I could only wonder if I’d be able to live with what they wanted or if I’d have to go against Dad. I could also go to Grandad because, even though he was retired, he still had veto power, but I didn’t want to do that either.

All the ways this could go wrong ran through my mind in a never-ending loop, distracting me from the work I needed to get done. I rarely had a problem focusing, but the combination of dislike for the Ciardis and the stress of worrying over whether or not I’d end up working with them for the foreseeable future had managed to do it.

I needed to decompress, or I would have a harder time than usual sleeping. With it only being Tuesday, one bad night could disrupt my entire week. Normally, I worked late every night during the week, and if I had to destress, I did it on Saturday. Today, however, I made an exception.

I considered just working out, but I knew that wouldn’t be enough. I needed something specific. My lunch had been late and filling enough that I wasn’t hungry, which meant I only had to go home first if I planned on changing my clothes. Where I was going, however, had a different sort of dress code than most other places, and my suit would be right on point.

Euphoria was Houston’s best and worst kept secret. The average person in the city wouldn’t have heard of it, but for a specific group of people, Euphoria was like the Holy Grail of clubs. Easily the hottest BDSM club in Texas, it competed with the likes of Leather and Lace, Club Privé, and Erotas.

While the club was open to the public a few days a month, most of the time, the only way to gain entrance was to either have a membership or be the guest of a member. The cost was high enough that the clientele definitely stayed in the top tax brackets. With their quality and discretion, however, it was worth every penny.

I handed my membership card to the doorman, even though he greeted me by name before I held it out. He scanned it and then gave it back. With a smile, he opened the door and wished me a good night.

Thanks to the security measures Euphoria took to ensure that their patrons were well-protected, I was able to let my guard down as I made my way to the bar. Well, as much as I ever let myself be unguarded, anyway. While I didn’t have to worry about anyone exposing my sexual predilections, it was a little harder to threaten gold diggers with lawsuits.

I didn’t need to worry about that, really, especially since I wasn’t looking for anything outside of this, but that didn’t mean I wanted to waste my time with anyone who was only after money.

The bartender nodded at me, and I held up two fingers. His name was Henri – pronounced the French way – and he’d been my bartender more than once over the years. He was one of those good ones who remembered people’s drinks. A minute later, he slid me a glass with two fingers of Jameson Irish Whiskey.

I sipped at the amber liquid and leaned back against the bar to watch the room. It wasn’t as busy here tonight as it was on the weekends, but there were still a few dozen people mingling around. Some were in suits and other business outfits, while others wore more traditional clubbing clothes. Slinky dresses and fitted shirts. Then there were the others who looked like societal stereotypes in leather and chains. Most outfits were obscenely expensive.

Some were Dominants, like me, while others were subs. Some switched between the two. Others preferred defining themselves as tops or bottoms without a Dom / sub aspect. And there were those who preferred to not label themselves at all, as fluid with their kinks as they were with their sexuality. Euphoria was a place where all of us could be free to be who and how we wanted to be.

A few of the other patrons made eye contact as they passed. Never the subs, though. They were all too well-trained for that. Of course, there were new subs on occasion, but even they had the sort of furtive looks that gave away what they were. I didn’t see any new ones tonight, but I didn’t mind. I wasn’t looking for someone to train or show the ropes to.

A statuesque blonde with a demure smile and a sheer white dress sauntered past me, the sway in her hips designed to capture attention. Even though she didn’t say a word, my gut told me that she knew who I was. Not something I wanted to deal with.

The redhead who came next wasn’t as tall, but she had more curves. A saucy expression said she’d be the kind of sub who’d deliberately disobey because she wanted to be punished. I’d had enough of that with Willa.

A brunette who looked like I could break her in half.

Another brunette, but this one seemed skittish.

A blonde who gave dirty looks to the other women.

Apparently, I knew exactly what Ididn’twant, but had no idea what I actuallydidwant.

By the time I finished my drink, I was ready to go. The restlessness I’d felt was still present, humming in my blood and across my nerves, and I hadn’t found anything here that could possibly help. Usually, a session with a good sub would burn off that excess energy, but no one appealed to me.

The only thing I hated more than this tight-skin feeling was wasting time. At least if I was at home, I could be doing something productive.

I paid for my drink and headed back outside without interacting with anyone else. Even though I’d come here to find someone to have sex with, I suddenly didn’t want to talk to a single person.

As I stepped outside, I decided against going to my car and instead decided to take a walk. The sun was almost gone, but the air was still thick and humid, the heat only slightly less oppressive than it had been earlier. It wasn’t enough to send me into the air conditioning of my car, though. I needed to move.

I’d made it a block when something in the shadows caught my attention. Several somethings, actually. Two shady-looking figures following a smaller figure away from the lights of the club.

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