Bind Me Before You Go (Entangled Brazen) (Serve), page 2
What better place to scratch that itch than his old haunt, Serve?
The minute he walked through the doors, he felt like he was coming home. Serve was a space where you could be your true self. No judgments. No explanations. Just pleasure. The chance to be whole, even if only for a night.
There’d been a time when he was at the club often, offering demonstrations and privately indulging in Japanese rope bondage, his favorite kink. He could get off in a variety of ways, but practicing Shibari was his drug of choice when it came to setting a scene.
He’d barely made it into the club when he heard his name called from across the room.
It was Leo Delacroix, not only an employee at Serve, but also a friend of his since high school. Both had grown up in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, and it had been Leo who’d introduced David to Serve once he’d returned from serving in Afghanistan.
In fact, now that he thought about it, Leo was one of the only civilian friends he had. The few others he’d put in the category were all former military, like him. At least the ones who’d actually made it home.
After college, David had hoped Leo would join the Marines with him, but he’d had other ideas about his future, and ironically, being part of Serve seemed to satisfy Leo’s own protective instincts.
“Good to see you, my man,” Leo said while clapping him on the shoulder. “Been too long. Where’ve you been at lately?”
“Nowhere near as interesting as home,” he replied, taking in his surroundings then turning his attention back on Leo. “What are you up to tonight?”
“It’s funny you ask.” He hooked up his thumb like a hitchhiker and pointed over his shoulder to the club at large. “Just got promoted to manager after Nolan left us high and dry.”
“You’re kidding. This place was his life.”
“You know how it is. He met the right woman. He still comes here, but…I think he’s off the market, if you take my meaning.”
David scoffed, shook his head, and rubbed the back of his neck. “Lucky son of a bitch. So how’s the life of a manager treating you?”
“Once again, it’s funny you should ask…”
David pretended like he was about to back away. “Oh no. I’m familiar with that look.”
“It’s a small favor. There’s this girl. I interviewed her myself. Jesus Christ, she’s gorgeous. Not your type. But when you see her…”
“I’ll know she’s yours?”
“My type, smart ass. She’s here for the newbie class, but if I have my way, she’ll stick around and I’ll show her a first night to remember.”
David crossed his arms. “Uh-huh. So where’s the favor come in?”
Leo let out a soft chuckle. “She brought her friend.”
“So?”
“So her friend’s not a member. She’s just sitting at the bar on the first floor, and Allie won’t leave unless—”
“Allie’s the woman that’s got you all tied up in knots?”
Leo smirked. “The point is Allie won’t leave her friend alone. Which means I will be alone tonight. And I know you, as my brother from another mother, wouldn’t want to see me suffer like that.”
He could see where this was going already. Not one minute back in Leo’s presence, and already he was giving David a new “mission.”
“So I’m on wingman duty tonight.”
It was like they were in high school and Leo was desperate to lay their claim on the women before anyone else found them.
“Yeah,” Leo answered, already looking distracted. “And trust me, my man, this will not be a hardship on you. Her friend is smokin’ hot.”
David rolled his eyes, not buying the hard sell for a minute.
Leo shook his head and let out a chuckle. “Forgot that ’bout you.”
“Forgot what about me?”
“Always a glass half empty outlook.”
David frowned. “I prefer to think of myself as a realist.”
Leo raised both his hands in mock surrender. “Hey, I just call it like I see it. But you want proof? Take a look for yourself.” He pointed across the room with his chin. “They’re right over there. Check ‘em out.”
Well, son of a bitch, Leo wasn’t lying.
Far from it. The first woman he saw was a dark-haired beauty with hazel eyes. She was in the requisite New York “uniform” of all black, with skin that hadn’t seen the sun in forever. She was very cosmopolitan and definitely his friend’s type.
Unfortunately, even though she was sitting on one of the stools, Leo’s soon-to-be-woman was still blocking his view of her friend. The one he was going to get stuck with for at least an hour. Man, Leo owed him for this one.
They walked over, and David couldn’t help but bite back a smirk as Leo straightened his tall frame and gave Allie one of his thousand watt smiles. David knew that look; his buddy was in hunting mode now.
And then they came close enough for him to see Allie’s friend.
She wasn’t dressed in club gear. In this place, her tank top and low-rise blue jeans made her stand out like a sore thumb. Between her wavy, golden brown hair and green eyes, buttery smooth skin and even softer curves, she was definitely more girl-next-door than slick Manhattanite. The only thing that hinted at a potential wild side was the sex-kitten heels she wore.
Simple look, perhaps, but there was something in her expression, in the way her eyes scanned the room and all the people in it that told him she wasn’t some dumb kid. And while there was softness there, yes, beneath that softness he sensed a fierceness that might equal his own.
“You’re right on time, baby girl,” Leo said as they approached.
“I live to be punctual,” Allie replied as she slowly perused Leo. She was definitely interested all right. All the signs were there: dilated pupils, the way she leaned toward his friend and, as he got closer to her, squeezed her thighs together. But when Leo leaned into her , she gave him a wry smile and slightly turned away.
Look at that. She was playing it cool and giving Leo something to chase. Bold move. David couldn’t remember the last time Leo had been forced to work for a woman’s time and attention, but if Leo taking a seat next to her was any indication, Allie’s gamble was paying off.
Good for her.
His buddy needed a woman who would challenge him.
“You ready to go, ma chérie?” Leo asked, already taking her hand to help her off the stool and out of the bar area.
“Monsieur, un moment,” she answered, playfully slapping his hand away. She turned to David. “I bet you have better manners. Which is why you should meet…” She turned and grabbed her friend by the forearm and brought her front and center. “This is my friend, Cassidy.”
Cassidy rolled her eyes at her friend but still shook David’s hand. “Nice to meet you. I didn’t catch your name.”
“I’m your designated escort for the evening, but you can call me David for short.”
That small speck of smart-ass earned him a genuine laugh.
“Nice to meet you David-for-short.”
So she wasn’t impenetrable after all. He would have tried for a second laugh if Leo hadn’t offered a gentle cough. Allie was still playing it cool, but she and Leo both had an eager look in their eyes that Cassidy must have seen.
“Don’t worry,” Cassidy said. “I’ll be fine. I have my—what did you call yourself? My designated escort? He’ll take care of me.”
Really? Just like that? Something was up for her to be so cool and controlled but to give in to her friend’s request so quickly.
“Are you sure?” Allie said. “I can stay with you.”
“Don’t worry about me. Go. Have a good time. I’ll hang out with David for a while.”
“Okay.” She stood from the bar stool and smoothed down her skirt. “Just so we’re clear,” she said as she turned to Leo. “After the intro class, I expect you to show me everything the club has to offer, got it?”
Leo responded with a low growl, one that told him all he needed to know: Leo liked her and got off on her attitude.
“Tell ya what,” he answered, taking Allie’s hand in his. “By the time we’re done tonight, not only will you be eating those words, you’ll be begging for me to bring you to heel.”
David didn’t even bother to wait for Allie’s reaction. Those two were in a battle of wills that was going to take more than one night to settle.
Allie leaned in close to him and murmured, “Your friend is going to regret that challenge.” She turned to Cassidy and whispered, “I’ll be right back after the class.”
They went through the hallway that led into the more playful areas of the club.
“So, how’d you get roped into babysitting duty tonight?” David asked, taking a step toward her.
“That obvious, huh?” she said as she readjusted her crossbody handbag strap across her middle. “Allie knows half the people in this city. She could’ve gotten any one of them to come along, but I’m new in town—and her roommate—so lucky me, right?
Or lucky me.
His gaze slowly traveled the length of her. The strap from her purse pushed in between her gorgeous, full breasts, making them strain even tighter against the fabric of her top. His breath and pulse quickened just at the sight of her. His cock strained against the seam of his jeans, and he forced his eyes to meet hers. “So you’re not interested in going in there with her?”
She let out an audible sigh. “Honestly? I just got off of work, but she seemed so excited about coming, I couldn’t let her down.”
So she had a protective side to her, too. Good.
“Speaking of,” she said. “I only came here to make sure Allie felt comfortable enough to go inside. But now, I think I might slip away and go home.” She picked up her purse and turned in the chair.
“But what if you could go in with her?”
She stopped and looked at him. “You mean if I was a member?”
He shrugged. “Sure.”
“Frankly, I don’t know that a BDSM 101 class with a bunch of Fifty Shades of Grey wanna-be tourists is for me. I’ll wait for that particular show”—she gestured with a tilt of her head toward the newbies—“to come out on DVD.”
He soaked in what she’d said, then threw his head back and let out something between a laugh and a cackle. She’d surprised him, that was for sure, cutting small talk off at the knees, and people rarely surprised him.
“Jesus, that’s funny,” he said, still chuckling and shaking his head. “I can’t even remember the last time someone made me laugh.”
She quirked an eyebrow in response. “That’s just, well…that’s just sad if it’s true.”
“Don’t feel sorry for me, honey. I’m a lost cause.”
Her eyes softened, almost looking as if she refused to accept that he was a lost cause.
He perused her again, from her sex-kitten heels to her golden amber hair. He extended his right hand, and in a voice rough around the edges, on almost a whisper, he said, “My full name’s David Cavill.”
She hesitated for a couple of seconds before placing her warm, soft hand into his, confirming that she sensed the palpable heat between them.
“I’m Cassidy. Cassidy Peyton.”
No more, no less than her full name. At least she wasn’t headed toward the door any longer.
“Part of me does want to be here,” she murmured, almost as though she were talking to herself. “But I wouldn’t know where to start.”
She was gorgeous and clever, funny and sexy as hell, and now she was showing him a hint of her vulnerability. She just needed the chance to prove to herself how strong she could be.
He enveloped her hand with his. “That’s one way Serve helps people, by showing you where to start. It helps you discover and claim your desires.”
She licked her lips. “Is that what it did for you?”
He nodded. “Now I know what I want. What kind of woman. And I gotta say…I’m really fucking glad you came here tonight.”
It took some considerable willpower for him not to pull her to him and devour her mouth, to bury his face in her hair, but simple domination wasn’t his game. He had to seduce her first. Acquire her consent. And then…
“Plan on giving back the loaner there?” she teased, while eyeballing her hand in his.
See? She’s getting her second wind of smart-ass.
He smiled to himself.
“If you insist.” He reluctantly let her go and shoved both of his hands in his pockets, a necessity if he wanted to keep himself in check. “Can’t blame a man for wanting to take hold. Finding beautiful in New York? Not a challenge. Finding beautiful, sexy-as-fuck, and funny? That’s a rarity these days.”
Those perfect pink lips of hers twitched, offering him a lopsided grin that hovered on the border between adorable and sassy. She cocked her head and narrowed her eyes at him.
“So, what are ya saying…that I amuse you? I’m here to make you laugh? I’m like some kind of clown to you?” She was using a decent, albeit fake Bay Ridge accent and had a mischievous glint in her eye.
“Holy fuck, you quoting Goodfellas to me, sweetheart?”
That half-smile of hers widened into a full-out grin and made those gorgeous green eyes of hers sparkle. “Yep, well, trying to anyways. You get extra points for knowing your movie quotes.”
He couldn’t help himself. He took another step farther into her space and was now only a foot or so away from her. He caught a hint of her scent—clean and sweet, like a fresh breeze after it rained.
God, I bet this woman tastes like heaven.
He tried to quell his spiking heartbeat but failed miserably because, already, he was picturing his mouth between her legs.
“Not too many women who look like you have the balls to quote mob movies to a Brooklyn boy like me.”
She raised an eyebrow at him again and crossed her arms. “And what do you mean by ‘a woman who looks like me’?”
He fixed his naturally intense gaze on her, a tactic he often utilized to see how people reacted, what they were made of. While most anyone else would’ve looked away or started shuffling around nervously, this woman didn’t fucking flinch.
Jesus, if she was even half as magnificent as he suspected, he already knew he was in trouble.
“I mean a woman like you who looks like she walked off the set of a goddamn shampoo commercial with a Homecoming queen crown in one hand and the balls of every man standing in her way in the other.”
Now it was her turn to let out a laugh. It was throaty and deep and made his dick ache and his stomach tighten.
“Wow,” she answered while wiping the corner of her eye. “Say what you really think, why don’t you?”
“I always do, gorgeous. I have zero filters and no patience for bullshit. And on that note,” he said, drawing in a deep breath, shoring himself for the small risk he was about to take. “You gonna fill out an application or are we still going to pretend you’ve got no interest in what Serve has to offer?”
He expected Cassidy to have any number of reactions: get all wide-eyed, like a deer in headlights, or all defensive and hostile, maybe even stomp away in a huff.
Instead, she bit the side of her lip and met his gaze head on.
“Only on one condition,” she said, now taking a step closer to him for a change. “I’m a recovering people pleaser, especially when it comes to men. If I give this place a try, I want it to be all about me, so I can finally figure out what kind of man I really want and what I like in bed. We got a deal?”
David couldn’t believe his luck. When he thought about how close he had come to leaving tonight, well, that was a kick in the head. Thank fuck he’d run into Leo.
“Uh, yeah. You’ve definitely got yourself a deal.”
He got an application from Chris, Leo’s second in command and replacement whenever he was off duty. Then they went to a small, two-seater table in the back of the bar. It was perfect, ensconced in shadows but with just enough light for them to go through the paperwork together.
“Okay, Cassidy,” he started, already twirling the pen smoothly back and forth between his fingers.
Shit, was he actually nervous? He’d been with too many women to get bashful now, but… Yeah. His heart was pounding. There was something about this girl that was charging every inch of him.
Fine. He knew from his search and rescue missions that it was better to accept his emotions than try to fight them. Better to accept the feelings, let them rise, eclipse, then subside. It was the most effective way to ensure he stayed in control instead of letting his emotions control him.
And he needed to stay in control. At least for now. A nervous habit of his and David was certainly on edge. Because going through this list would tell him—without a doubt—if Cassidy was as right for him as he suspected.
“I’m gonna run through your choices. All you have to do is let me know your limits.”
“Limits?” she asked, then took a long pull from her drink, her eyes widening over the rim of the martini glass, like a kid peeking over a wall into a secret garden.
“Yeah, your hard limits—shit you’re absolutely not open to. And your soft limits, the stuff you’re not sure about but might be willing to try. With the right partner. Right circumstances. And of course the stuff you’re really into.”
“Oh, okay,” she practically whispered. She put her drink down and then fidgeted with the paper napkin, fraying the edges of it with her nails.
He gently placed his hand on top of hers. She met his gaze, her lips slightly parted. “What if I give the wrong answers?”
“Hey, this is about you. There’s no wrong answer here.” He squeezed her hand and offered her a rare smile. “And remember, you can back out at any time. You’re in control. No one else.”
Her shoulders relaxed and she let out an audible breath. “Yeah, you’re right.”
She turned her hand palm up and stroked his hand with her thumb in an absentminded, back and forth rhythm.
Jesus fuck, just the touch of her fingers spiked his pulse. This woman wasn’t even trying to turn him on, but she was doing it anyway. Under the table, he readjusted his cock, now a thrumming steel rod, ready for those delicate, soft hands of hers to surround him.
