Page 51 of Dangerous Command
I couldn’t become my mother. I wouldn’t let myself.
And yet it seemed inevitable.
But I needed to move forward. To see where the path led us. Muro had left a trail at the Byron Estate Club, and if I kept close to Derek, and if Mack had protection, then maybe we would be okay.
For now.
I wished I could tell him the truth, but these words would never make us okay. He would hate me and never be able to trust me again. Forgiveness wasn’t a concept to him. So I couldn’t do that. I had to keep our relationship as it was because it meant ensuring Mack’s safety. It meant keeping Derek close. And as much as I hated it, I wanted to be around him. Needed to be around him, in fact.
Derek squeezed my arm. “We’ll get through this,” he said confidently.
I wasn’t so sure, but Derek was all that I had right then.
CHAPTER 14
Derek
Membership to the Byron Estate Club had been easy; once I mentioned my name and sent in the correct payment, the secretary granted me a position in that night’s meeting. I dressed in a fitted suit with expensive cufflinks, styling my hair in a way that would help me blend in. I had been socializing among crime ring leaders groups for years; it was part of being next in line for the Adler throne. I had an instinct for the kind of night that would follow. On the other hand, Maddie had never been in this situation before.
She ran her fingers along the scar on her cheek, covered up by makeup. Her hair was swirled into a low updo, exposing her beautiful neck. Instead of the usual citrus scent, she smelled like vanilla and jasmines, and her skin was as soft as petals. The sweetheart-cut dress I had selected fit her perfectly. It was a good thing we had to wear it to an event like this, otherwise, she wouldn’t be in it for very long.
The driver dropped us off in the front of an expansive two-story building with plenty of divided-windows illuminated in the night. I pulled Maddie behind the large dark leaves of a Red Mambo plant, elevated on a pedestal, and held her hands.
“So what do we do now?” she whispered.
“Follow my lead,” I said. I locked in our eye contact. “Trust me.” She fidgeted, but I squeezed her hands in mine. We had a security team watching her apartment, Mack, and Lucy. There was nothing for her to worry about anymore. “I won’t let anyone touch you.”
I let go of the grip. It was better that we weren’t touching, to pretend to play the part of master and servant. Maddie nodded, then we both faced front, heading toward the door. We rang the doorbell and an older man in a plain suit answered.
“You must be Mr. Adler,” he said. He stepped to the side, ushering us in. “The meeting is taking place in the banquet room. The mistress will show your servant to the dressing room.”
A woman in a similar business skirt presented herself to the side, silently showing Maddie the way. Maddie hesitated, but I lifted my chin, showing her that it was expected here. Clubs like this were normal in my world; the rich and powerful longed for a space that was completely theirs, to rule as they saw fit. And that meant submissive positions, such as those of the servants, were kept separate from ours.
The banquet hall had a high ceiling, with stained glass windows of different mythological scenes. Though it was night, a light came through the glass, the colors flickering on the walls like a tide pool. Tufted couches were spread throughout the space. Candlelight flickered and a fireplace crackled in the corner. Men socialized, most without their jackets on, their ties loosened, their thick fingers wrapped around cigars.
“Derek Adler,” a man said. His shiny blue vest was wrapped over his button-up shirt. “I’ve been requesting your father’s presence for years. It takes a change in command to finally have one of the Adlers here, doesn’t it?”
That was a strange way to segway into my father’s death, but there was no other way around it.
“You must be Ulrich Byron,” I said, sticking out a hand. He grinned and shook my grip.
“Guilty as charged,” he said. “Did your father mention us?”
“His dying wish was for me to finally get a membership,” I joked, and that got a rise out of him. Byron cackled loudly.
“That is what I’m dying to hear,” he said. “This is my pet project if you will. Now that I’ve got the extra time, I figured,why not, you know? I’ve always had a thing for it, and I know there are others who like it too. Why not make it our space?”
“A place to indulge,” I said.
“Exactly.” He slapped me on the back. “And here they come.”
The staff from before held the double doors open. A stream of lingerie-clad men and women came in, each in various stages of undress. This must have been what Kyle had done with his boss. Most of the servants kept their heads bowed, shiny satin tight against their bodies. The men wore small shorts and thongs. Women who were thin, average, athletic, and some voluptuous and thick, but not nearly as thick as Maddie. Where was she? I wanted to see her.
Near the back, Maddie was dressed in a maroon lace lingerie set. Off the shoulder. The lace down to her elbows, hugging her round figure. I had picked it out too, and looking at her now, I knew that I had good taste. How could she look even more perfect than she already was?
I wanted her. I wanted her so damned bad.
A woman dressed in a thong bowed her head, offering me my choice of cigars from a wooden box. I took one. Maddie was at my side, out of view; she cut and lit it. Bringing my lips to it, I let the smoke roll around in my mouth, savoring the taste. I leaned back. One of the servants pulled out a small dish of polishing wax and a brush, then started working on her master’s boots, ensuring they were impeccable. Another took a satin towel, rubbing it against the top of her master’s shoes. Bootblacking and service. My cock twitched. I needed to make Maddie do that.
