Page 58 of Sunrise

I narrow my gaze at her suspiciously. “Is he okay?”

“He’s been in his office day and night, like usual, so I’d say yes.”

And I’d say no. Vault needs to get out more. Touch some fucking grass. We were active and adventurous before the Monarch Club became his hiding place and biggest distraction from life. The fact that he never lets the sunshine hit him anymore is a bad thing, in my opinion. That he’s back at the grind doesn’t surprise me, though. I should have known better than to hope one weekend together would change his life for the better. It certainly didn’t fix us, not that I thought it would.

“I’ll call him later.” Leaning over, I go to kiss her but stop myself. We’re not like that. Yeah, we fuck, and I’ve poured my heart and soul out to this woman,but we’re not a couple who shows affection in public.

That’s her rule, not mine.

“I’ll have another glass of wine brought over,” I say, grabbing her now empty glass to hide the fact that I was about to kiss her. “Do you want anything else from the kitchen?”

“Only you.”

I slow my roll.

Is she serious? My dick thinks so. It’s already rising to the occasion.

“Meet me in the bathroom?”

I shake my head. “Upstairs, storage room.”

I don’t fuck in bathrooms. I’ll rail her in the old kitchen-turned-storage room like a gentleman.

“Won’t we get caught up there?”

My grin is pure evil. “Only if you can’t keep quiet.”

Her eyes widen and pupils dilate. She’s not even a little stealthy with how she rushes to shimmy out of her side of the booth and asks, “See you in five?”

“Three.”

Sophie snakes through the packed tables of Midnight Run and heads upstairs to the club that’s thumping with techno music. This is very uncharacteristic of her. Of the two of us, she’s the one who’s always locked in and serious. To have her giddy and dashing out the door is strange. Cute… but strange.

While giving her a head start, I take a moment to admire my blessings. Midnight Run is at full capacity tonight, just like it is every night. Money is rolling in—finally—and I’m proud to have this chance to make something of my life. Hell, I’m almost proud ofmyself. Wonder what it’ll take to finally feel like awinner?

Midnight Run has become super popular in a short amount of time, which is nice. This shit-tastic venue has come a long way. My pops used to own this place and back in the day, it was a nightclub that turned into a strip club, that turned into a dilapidated shithole because, between booze, drugs, and gambling, he ran it into the ground. I almost lost it to a real estate company that offered him more money than he could spend in a lifetime, but Ryker, Dmitri, and Vault came to my rescue and helped me save it at the last minute. It’s one of the many reasons I’ve thrown myself into this place. I can’t let it fail. It would be like failing them, and that’s never happening.

Smoothing my hair back, I meander through the restaurant, stopping to ask how the food is at a couple tables. Their satisfied smiles and cleaned plates make my heart happy. Midnight Run’s guests are loaded with money and bourbon.May the drinks keep pouring and the dough continue to roll the fuck in. Amen. Hallelujah.

Pushing the purple double doors open, I hit the steps two at a time. The upstairs club is bumping, and I can feel the beat in my chest even from back here. Thanks to Tara’s help, and Ryker’s influence, I hired managers for the upstairs club, so I don’t have to worry about it.Mybaby is Midnight Run. The Vinyl Night Club is just a front, honestly. It’s a vibe to have a secret, underground restaurant that’s hard to get into and I’m all about the hard-to-get-in aesthetic.

Sophie’s waiting in the back corner for me. Her black dress hugs her body like a second skin. Pair that with the fact that she’s got legs for days? My god, I’m one lucky motherfucker.

“You really missed me, huh?” I swagger over, shamelessly fishing for compliments.

“Immensely.”

The fact that she hasn’t called mepupdoesn’t go unnoticed. I think she wants just plain old Knox tonight. I’m down. I’m primarily her sub, but technically I’m a switch. She made me take a kink test when I first propositioned her. Ironically, it was through the app, K!nkL!nk, which Vault created and made bank on. I’d taken it once when he was beta testing it, but time changed me a little and I had a few more kinks added to my list over the years.

“And what exactly did you miss?”

Told you I’m shameless.

“Your mouth, for starters.”

“Mmm.” Skating my hands up her sides, I kiss her collarbone and slip the spaghetti straps down her shoulders. She buries her hands in my hair, cradling my head while I kiss and lick whatever I want. Jerking the top of her dress down, I free her tits. They’re a nice handful. Pulling a hard nipple into my mouth, I bite it.

Her breath catches and she laughs. “I swear I felt that down to my toes.”

---