part0011

Was this some kind of joke? Had Vicki been messing with her all along? April sighed. It wasn’t like she had any other options. She threw on a simple black dress that was somewhere between casual and dressy, and headed straight to the club before she lost her resolve.

April arrived at the address with a few minutes to spare. She double-checked the number next to the small, black door in front of her. This is it. Once again, she wondered if Vicki was messing with her.

April looked up at the sign above the door. It read Lilith’s Den in red cursive script.

Lilith’s Den ? April had taken a class on mythology at college, and although she had forgotten most of what she’d learned, she was pretty sure that Lilith was a demonic seductress from Jewish folklore.

And April was marching right into her den.

Two women walked around April to get to the door. They were both dressed in long black coats. One was wearing thigh-high leather stiletto boots with laces all the way up the front. The other wore a spiked leather choker around her neck that resembled a collar.

What the hell is this place? When Vicki mentioned a club, April assumed she meant a nightclub. What if this was a different kind of club entirely?

It didn’t matter. April wasn’t planning to stay. She would go in, find Vicki, and make her set a meeting there and then. That was it.

Steeling herself, she followed the couple through the door.

April was met with a small lobby, all painted black. A large, burly woman in a suit stood by a set of doors which led to the club inside. Another woman sat behind a small desk beside the door, a tablet in her hand.

The woman at the desk greeted the couple in front of April, waving them through. The bouncer opened the door and let them inside. April caught a glimpse of the flickering lights beyond before the bouncer pulled the door shut.

“Can I help you?” the woman at the desk asked.

“Someone invited me here,” April said. “A friend.”

“Are you on the list?”

Great, a list. Vicki hadn’t said anything about a list. “I don’t know. ”

The woman looked her up and down skeptically. “Name?”

“April Reid.”

The woman tapped at the screen on her tablet, frowning.

April’s shoulders sagged. It was unlikely that Vicki had bothered to put her on the list, especially after everything that had happened. Coming here was a stupid idea.

“There,” the woman said. “April Reid. You were invited by Victoria Blake?”

“Yes,” April stammered.

“Then she’s responsible for you while you’re in here. You’ll need to sign these.” The woman grabbed a clipboard from under the desk and handed it to April.

“What is all this?” April asked, flicking through the pages.

“Club rules, waivers, a non-disclosure agreement. The usual.”

The usual? What had April gotten herself into?

“A first-timer, huh?” The woman asked.

April nodded.

She smiled. “I know how scary going to a BDSM club for the first time can be. Don’t worry, you’re in good hands with Vicki. She’s one of our regulars.”

A BDSM club. Of course Vicki would spring this on her. Was this supposed to be some kind of test? Was Vicki trying to scare her, to see whether April was serious about being her submissive? It didn’t matter. April wasn’t interested in that anymore. She did not want a repeat of the other night, no matter how much the thought of it turned her on.

Maybe this was a bad idea .

“Is everything okay?” the woman asked.

“Yes,” April said. “It’s fine.”

She sighed. She was going to regret this. Without even reading the documents, she scribbled her signature at the bottom of each page and handed the clipboard back to the woman.

“Great.” The woman gestured toward the door. “Welcome to Lilith’s Den.”

The bouncer opened the door wide. Focusing her mind on her goal, April strode into the club.

Music assaulted her ears. The dimly lit room was filled with women, drinking, talking, dancing. It almost looked like any other club. However, the patrons were mostly dressed in black, with only flashes of other colors to be seen. Some, like April, wore dresses. A few wore suits. Others wore lacy corsets or elaborate contraptions made of straps and leather. April’s jaw dropped when a woman edged past her wearing nothing but latex pants and duct tape over each nipple in the shape of an X.

The club itself? It contained the usual tables and chairs, and there was a bar at one end. But around the room were all sorts of unusual pieces of furniture, some of which had people tied to them. A large wooden cross, a horse-shaped bench. Most of the crowd’s attention was turned toward the large stage at the far end of the room where a woman was being led around on a leash.

April stood rooted on the spot, staring at everything. For the second time that night, she felt the urge to turn around and walk out the door.

Then, she spotted Vicki.

Wow . Vicki looked even hotter than she did the night April had met her at the bar. She was sitting in the corner, lounging lazily on a chair, her legs crossed. She wore tight leather pants and a matching jacket, with a loose black top underneath and heeled leather boots. She wouldn’t have looked out of place on the cover of a high-end fashion magazine.

Vicki sat alone, a martini glass in her hand. There was this empty zone of space around her as if no one dared to approach her. But more than one woman in the crowd was looking Vicki’s way, eying her with either jealousy or adoration. Vicki didn’t pay them any mind.

She tossed back the last of her drink, placed the glass on the table, and sat back, scanning the room idly. Almost immediately, Vicki’s eyes fell on April.

Shit . There was no turning back now.

Summoning all her strength, April marched purposefully toward Vicki. As she approached, Vicki’s lips curved up into a smile, one that seemed to say, I knew you’d come . But April hadn’t come for Vicki. This was purely about the library.

“Hi April,” Vicki said.

“Don’t ‘Hi April’ me.” April put her hands on her hips. “I’ve been trying to get hold of you all week!”

Vicki stretched her arm out over the back of the chair. “Miss me that much, did you?”

April scowled. “You said you’d contact me. About the library, I mean.”

“I did say that. But I’ve been busy.”

“Busy? So busy that you couldn’t even send a single email? ”

“I was out of town dealing with a work emergency. I wouldn’t have been able to meet with you anyway.”

“You could have told me that instead of leaving me in the dark,” April said. “I guess the library isn’t high enough on your list of priorities.”

“Look.” Vicki stood up to face April. “I didn’t forget. I wasn’t ignoring you. I’ve simply had my hands full all week.”

“Are you sure that’s why?” April asked. “It wasn’t because you found out that the woman you slept with is the same one standing in the way of your development project and you didn’t want to face me?”

“Although it was quite a surprise, I don’t let business get in the way of pleasure,” Vicki said.

April let out an exasperated sigh. “I don’t have time for your games.”

“I mean it. And I’m being honest. I was always going to meet with the head of the library. Public opposition to this project is high, so it’s something Oasis needs to address. But I haven’t had a spare moment for the past week.”

“You weren’t too busy to come here tonight,” April said.

“That’s because I told you I’d be here,” Vicki replied. “I came here for you.”

April felt a twinge of desire at Vicki’s words. Her stupid, traitorous body. “You didn’t seriously expect me to come here after everything that’s happened?”

“You’re here, aren’t you? You came here for me too.”

“Yes, but… No! I came here because you’ve been dodging my calls and emails. I decided I needed to find you and speak to you in person.”

“I’m very glad you did, April.” April’s name seemed to roll off Vicki’s tongue .

“Don’t use your seductive bullshit on me,” April said. “I saw through that smile of yours the moment we met. And I came here because I wanted to talk to you about the library. That’s it.”

“Really?” Vicki asked. “So this has nothing to do with the other night and how incredible it was?”

Heat rose through April’s body. “No, it doesn’t. I came here to try to see if we could work together to come up with a solution for the library. But it’s clear that your mind is only on one thing.”

“Can you blame me? You’re not the only one who enjoyed the other night.”

“Dammit, Vicki, can’t you take this seriously?”

“Okay, fine.” Vicki combed her fingers through her hair. “Here’s the deal. This project is going ahead. There’s nothing you can do to stop it. But I meant it when I said I will work with you to try to minimize the impact-”

“That’s not enough!” April said. “We both know that’s not going to be enough. If you’re going to go ahead with this project, I’m going to do whatever it takes to stop you.”

“You can try, but it’s not going to change anything,” Vicki said. “Be reasonable. Work with me here.”

“I’ll never work with you.”

“Look, I get it. You’re feeling betrayed because you found out I’m on the opposite side of this crusade you’re on.”

“I’m not on a crusade!” April glanced around. They were attracting more than a few stares. She lowered her voice. “And I don’t feel betrayed. I never felt anything toward you to begin with.”

“All right, you keep telling yourself that,” Vicki said. “Whatever it is that you feel or don’t feel toward me, don’t let your emotions get in the way of us working together to do what’s right for the library.”

April cursed under her breath. As much as April hated to admit it, Vicki was right. Her anger toward Vicki was clouding her judgment. Maybe Lexi and Eliza had a point about April’s tendency to act on her feelings without thinking.

“How about we meet next week?” Vicki asked. “I’ll come by the library, and we can have a meeting with all the staff. Wednesday morning. It’s the earliest I can do. How does that sound?”

April took a deep breath, attempting to settle the emotions roiling inside her. “All right. Next Wednesday morning.”

“I’ll have my assistant call you in the morning to confirm. I promise.”

April nodded. Almost at once, a huge weight fell from her shoulders. But the turbulence within her remained.

April had been afraid of this. Afraid that it wasn’t really the situation she was angry about. It was Vicki. And maybe it wasn’t just anger that April was feeling toward her. Her eyes traveled down Vicki’s body. April couldn’t deny how incredibly sexy she looked in all that leather.

Vicki smiled. “Is that all you want from me? Because my offer still stands?”

“Your offer?” April asked.

“You know, the real reason you’re here.”

April scoffed. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“Yes, you do,” Vicki said. “You want me to show you what a Domme can do. ”

April’s said nothing.

“Or maybe I’m mistaken,” Vicki said. “Maybe there’s some other reason your cheeks are that lovely, rosy shade of pink. Some other reason you can barely meet my gaze. Some other reason you’re still standing here with me.”

“I…” April’s tongue seemed stuck to the top of her mouth.

“Vicki?” A voice said from next to them. “I hope I’m not interrupting.”

April turned to see a woman with pale skin and long, wavy black hair standing beside them. She, like April, was dressed in a simple black dress, but she somehow managed to look far more glamorous than April and anyone else in the room.

“Vanessa.” There was a flicker of annoyance in Vicki’s eyes. “I didn’t know you were coming tonight.”

“I thought I’d check up on the place,” Vanessa said. “Make sure that no one is getting into trouble.” She gave Vicki a pointed look.

“Trouble? Just because you’ve settled down doesn’t mean the rest of us can’t have any fun.” Vicki seemed to remember April’s presence. “April, this is Vanessa. Vanessa, this is April.”

“A pleasure to meet you, April,” Vanessa said. “So, this is who you begged me to put on the list, Vic?”

Begged? April got the impression that this woman was trying to embarrass Vicki. April looked from one woman to the other. She couldn’t quite tell if this was friendly banter or veiled hostility.

Vicki ignored Vanessa’s comment and addressed April. “ Vanessa owns Lilith’s Den. She used to be the queen of this place too, until she got a girlfriend.”

“I assure you, I’m still the queen of this place. And my girlfriend is right over there.” Vanessa cocked her head toward the bar. “I’d be very careful what you say about her.”

“I’m surprised you left her alone for a few seconds,” Vicki said. “You two are usually joined at the hip. Aren’t you scared someone’s going to steal her?”

“You’re the only person I’ve ever had to worry about trying to steal her. You know, she still hasn’t forgiven you for stirring up trouble at that fundraiser. And neither have I.”

“That was last year,” Vicki said. “How many times do I have to apologize?”

“As many times as it takes,” Vanessa replied.

April stifled a grin. It was satisfying to see Vicki thrown.

“I’d love to stay and chat, but we reserved a room upstairs,” Vicki said. “Say hi to Mel for me.”

“I’ll pass along the message,” Vanessa replied. “It was lovely to meet you, April.”

“Likewise,” April said.

Vicki’s eyes followed Vanessa as she walked away.

“What was that about?” April asked.

“Vanessa?” Vicki replied. “Don’t worry, that was just her being friendly.”

“Friendly? I’m pretty sure she accused you of trying to steal her girlfriend.” April remembered what Lexi had told her about Vicki’s reputation for causing drama.

“I didn’t try to steal her girlfriend. Vanessa can be possessive.”

“Sure.” April didn’t believe Vicki one bit .

However, something about watching Vicki being dressed down by Vanessa had defused April’s anger. And she couldn’t help but wonder what kinky delights Vicki had in store for her.

April’s curiosity got the better of her. “What did you mean about reserving a room?” she asked.

“I only said that to get rid of Vanessa,” Vicki said. “I did reserve a room upstairs. But you’ve made it clear you’re not here for that.”

April hesitated. “What’s upstairs?”

“Upstairs is where I teach you about being my submissive.”

April’s heart thumped. She had told herself that all she was going to do was talk to Vicki, then leave. She’d told herself that she wasn’t going to do this. But as she looked into Vicki’s jade eyes, she found herself wishing that Vicki would yank her in close and devour her with her lips like she had the night they met.

“So I wasn’t mistaken,” Vicki said. “You’re still interested.”

“I… might be,” April said.

“It’s simple.” Vicki leaned in and spoke into April’s ear. “Yes? Or no?”

With Vicki so close, April could feel the electricity sparking between their bodies. It would be so easy right now for April to just close her eyes and kiss her.

April exhaled slowly. She had gotten what she came for. She had gotten Vicki to listen to her. She had no reason to stick around. No reason not to walk out the door.

No reason not to give in to temptation.

“Yes,” April whispered .

At once, Vicki’s lips were on April’s. The deep, overpowering kiss made April’s world spin. Vicki made April’s world spin. April knew this was dangerous, but she had no chance of resisting now.

Vicki broke away. “Let’s go upstairs.”