Page 20 of Empowered
Chapter 6
The dark hour had acquired its prestigious reputation as the pinnacle of rich-man’s sexual playground for a reason. Mr. Monroe considered himself a Dom, surrounded himself with men who were of a similar persuasion, and had a knack for putting together a great beacon of hospitality. His numerous cafés, restaurants, and beds & breakfasts were mere stepping stones on the way to creating one of America’s hardest nightclubs to get a membership at.
You needed to be filthy rich to afford a normal membership. Barring that, you had to offer something that the club needed. Like the place up in New York City, The Dark Hour was always on the lookout for young, submissive types who knew how to play their role. They were often given incredibly reduced membership fees to encourage them to show up and entertain the rich. In return, they had fun, and sometimes came out with a new long-term partner.
Most people, however, came to play with their already established partners or to hang out with their kink-loving friends. Sarah wasn’t in the least bit surprised when Damon Monroe took his old friend Lucas Blackbourne to The Dark Hour for drinks at the end of a hectic week.
The drinks cost more than Sarah’s weekly salary. The smokes were gifts from Lucas. He brought two King of Denmark cigars for him and his friend (and new business partner) to enjoy as a subtle nod to someone’s origins.
Mr. Monroe rarely took off his suit jacket in public. But once the liquor flowed and the cigars were lit, he relaxed in the Diamond VIP Lounge with his jacket off and top three buttons undone. The missus was spending the evening with a friend elsewhere. Something Lucas chastised him over when he came back from the bathroom and saw his married friend flirting with their personal server for the evening.
“It’s not flirting if you’re telling her what to do.”
Lucas sat down on a luxurious leather stool across from him. The smoke of his cigar wrapped languidly around the blacklights shining upon them. Sarah had to look away. Her job was to stay in the shadows, anyway. Mr. Monroe was off the clock for the rest of the evening, but someone was needed to check up on the staff of the club and to process any appointment requests that came Damon’s way while surrounded by millionaires and their billionaire kings. As much business as pleasure was conducted in The Dark Hour.
She glanced at the two bodyguards standing near the entrance of the VIP room. They nodded back at her.
“For you,” Lucas continued, ignoring the help lining the perimeter of the room, “telling a woman what to doisflirting.”
Damon grinned back at him, cigar clenched between his teeth. He withdrew a pack of playing cards from a drawer in the nearest table. As he shuffled, he said, “I met my wife in this room. You better watch it. This is a sacred space.”
“Well, I met no wives in this room, so I call ‘em like I see ‘em.” Lucas raised his glass. “To your beautiful marriage and the even more beautiful baby sure to be on the way.”
Damon toasted to that. “Keep that up,” he said, placing the empty shot glass on the table between him and Lucas, “and we’ll have to find you a lady for the night around here.”
“I hear this is a good place to do it.”
“You would know. You’re the one who gave me the idea to open it.”
Sarah bristled where she stood. Good thing it was so dark in there that her black pantsuit melded seamlessly into the shadows.
“What better way to meet your future wife? I’m psychic.”
“You’ve already made me a billion dollars. At this rate you’re going to become my daughter’s godfather.”
“I’ll settle for you naming her after me. Lucia has a nice ring to it. I’ll even settle for the time-honored Lucille.”
“Unfortunately, we’ve already settled on a full name. I’ll keep that in mind for the next one, though.”
“Tsk, tsk.” Lucas picked up his playing cards. “How can you say that to the man who made you a billion dollars and helped you meet your wife – without even knowing it? At least you didn’t help me meet mine. Bless you for staying out of that mess.”
Damon pulled out his cigar and laughed. “Remember at your wedding, when your mother screamed at Jill for wearing off-white instead of white?”
“Trust me, man, there was nothing pure about Jill when I put a ring on her.”
“I made the same observation about my wife when I married Alice.”
“You kept your wedding classy.”
“Justice of the Peace?”
“Justice of the Peace. That’s the way to do it.”
Sarah didn’t want to think about any of this. Not the quickie City Hall marriage she helped her boss arrange the previous summer, or the fact this married man she screwed bragged about it.
“What if I told you,” Lucas began, playing a card on the table, “that I’m still pretty satisfied from this woman I met in New York last week?”
Damon’s eyebrows shot up. Sarah’s wanted to crash down her face.You’re kidding me. Fucking. Kidding me.He really hadn’t recognized her, had he?
