Page 22 of Masked

Darci’s words came back. “I have to assume he’s interested in you.”

Interested how? Reva couldn’t imagine. She clicked back to the Club Exposure document and followed some links to research the club. They were fairly private. Private enough that Reva had never heard of them. Midnight Diamond was familiar to her, but Darci said that club wasn’t the safest.

Would it be wrong to check the place out? She found the email address for the owner and reached out.

Mr. Allard,

My name is Reva Calhoun, and I recently joined the ACSL as a community liaison. One of the projects that came across my desk was your consent education program. I think it’s brilliant. Would you mind if I wanted to visit your club? We could discuss your program idea during my visit.

Reva Calhoun

When the email left her inbox, she panicked. Visiting a BDSM club was not part of the job description. Maybe the email was too forward. She closed out of her inbox and started reading the employee handbook to take her mind off the anxiety creeping into her brain.

Halfway through a chapter on phone etiquette, her email alert sounded and she snapped the book shut in favor of checking it.

Ms. Calhoun,

Thanks for your email. Darci Givens alerted me you might reach out. Anyone Darci approves of is welcome to visit Exposure. I’ve put your name on a standing invite list. All you need to do is give your name to reception and they’ll issue you a guest pass. You’ll need to show ID and sign some waivers. If you tell me which night you’re coming, I’ll carve out an hour to give you the grand tour and discuss the program. You can park at the club if you drive. If not, we ask that you take public transportation to the commuter lot in the map I’ve attached to this email. You can call the number below and one of our drivers will take you the rest of the way to the club.

Gage

She read and re-read the email. A standing invite? It seemed too good to be true. She looked at the calendar. Classes didn’t start for another two weeks, and her job was strictly business hours Monday to Friday, so she fired off one more email before packing up to leave for the day.

I’ll be there this Friday at seven.

Reva

Not waiting for a response, she grabbed her purse and keys and headed for the bus stop. A car was on her list of things to buy as soon as possible. With the new job and much bigger salary, a car payment was no longer a stretch for her budget. Especially if Noah came through with the apartment. He said the place was dirtier than he remembered, so it was taking some time to get it ready. Until then, he insisted on picking up the tab for her hotel stay.

Her phone rang as she was waiting for the bus to pick her up.

“Hello?”

“Reva, how’s work?”

She smiled. “Hey, Noah. It was great. I was not expecting Mrs. Givens to be the one showing me around. It’s going to be a great job.”

“Where are you now?”

“I’m waiting for the bus to take me back to the hotel.”

There was silence, but she sensed a shift in his mood before he spoke again.

“Go back to your office. I’ll pick you up in twenty minutes. The bus is no place for you.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. The bus is perfectly fine.”

“I’m close. Please, Reva. Don’t take the bus. I wasn’t aware you didn’t have a car.”

“It’s fine. I used to borrow one of Parker’s, so it wasn’t a big deal. I’m planning to go to the dealership this weekend.”

“Go back to your office, Reva. Now.”

His tone was dominant and firm, and she wasn’t sure what to do with the feelings it stirred up in her.

“Noah, it’s fine.”

“I won’t accept you riding the bus. I’m already on my way.”

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