One More Rule: The Blindfold Club Novella (4 page)

Logan looked even less excited about it this time around. “Calm down.” I motioned for him to put it on. “The only queen for the rest of the night is the one wearing the cock crown.”

His head swung toward Evie. “It does look great on you.”

“Thanks, boss. Should I wear it to work on Monday?”

“Sure. That wouldn’t be an HR nightmare.”

They put their masks on at the same time, and like me, Evie curled up under her fiancé’s arm, snuggling close, one hand on Logan’s chest. His fingers stroked up and down her bare arm. She tucked in further, putting her lips against his neck.

The gentle, sweet kiss she’d started grew when he turned his head into hers, bringing their mouths together. It was like she’d struck a match and set Logan on fire, and although it was probably weird as hell for me to watch our friends making out, I did it anyway. I’d spent more than a year at the club and had seen every sexual act done in a wide range of ways. But the way Evie’s needy hands clutched at his shirt while he devoured her kiss was so fucking sexy.

His hands reached out, finding her hips, and then he pulled her into his lap so she was straddling him. The skirt of her dress rode up on her thighs, and Dominic’s gaze automatically turned out the window.

“Such a gentleman,” I whispered to him, knowing he was probably blushing. Just another thing I loved about him.

A soft sigh came from Evie, drawing my attention back to the couple. She was rocking in his lap, her hands cupping the sides of his jaw. His arms were tight around her back, holding her as their kiss grew more intense.

“This is dangerous, naughty girl.”

“Why?” Her voice was low and sultry. “We’ve still got our clothes on and you can’t see anything.”

“I’m not worried about me.”

Her grip fell away from his face and her back straightened. “You think I can’t resist you after just some kissing?”

Below Logan’s black blindfold, his lips peeled back in a smile. “You did mention it was your gateway drug.”

“Give me some credit. I bet I can handle it better than you can.”

His laugh said exactly how foolish he thought she was being. “Doubtful.”

Oh, this was about to get interesting. Evie was focused and driven. She hated to lose, and she’d told me Logan was the same. I could sense the challenge coming.

She sat perfectly still as his lips skimmed over her neck, trailing kisses. “You seem awfully sure of yourself, Logan.”

“If I wanted you to break your rule, we know I could get you to do it.”

She pulled even further back from him. “Oh, do we? By all means, boss, go ahead and try.”

Logan took a deep breath. “You sure?”

“I’m sure you’re overly confident, yeah.”

“All right, Evie.” Logan smiled. “Challenge accepted.”

chapter

FOUR

Saul parked the limo in front of a liquor store, and we left our blindfolded friends in the back while Dominic and I hurried in to pick up drinks.

“Champagne, whiskey, and rum,” Dominic said to the clerk when we entered the tiny shop. He whipped out his wallet a second later and retrieved his credit card.

“What’s the rush?” I asked.

“Gotta hurry before Evie caves and they’re fucking in the back of the limo.”

I latched a hand on Dominic’s forearm, stilling him. “Evelyn. And what the hell makes you think that’ll happen?”

The card was swiped, a receipt signed, and he hauled the paper bag of bottles into his arms. “Because I know Logan. He plays to win.”

“Yeah, well, so does Evie.”

The sapphire eyes sharpened on me. “Sorry, she doesn’t stand a chance, but you want to make it interesting?”

My gaze narrowed to match his. “I’m listening.”

“If Evie reverses her rule before, I dunno, say sunrise tomorrow . . .” Dominic’s jaw ticked as he seemed to assemble the thought in his head. “You call your parents and try again to get a dinner or something between us worked out.”

I groaned.
Of course.
“I don’t know why you’re making a big deal out of that. Seriously, you’re not missing much with my folks. I have to force them to make time, you really want to spend two hours with people who don’t want to be there?”

His expression was fixed. “Do I want to meet my in-laws before the wedding? Yeah, Payton, I do.”

“Fine. And if Logan breaks the rule and asks to have sex?”

He yanked open the shop door and held it for me. “Name your terms, devil woman.”

What did I want that Dominic wouldn’t give me freely? There was nothing. Sure, I’d like to skip the whole big wedding, but no way in hell was I going to deny him that. Then the thought formed in my mind. He’d been resistant to one request I’d made . . . “You and I have lunch with Joseph this week.”

We strode toward the limo, and tension tightened Dominic’s broad shoulders. Normally, I liked his possessiveness over me, but not where Joseph was concerned, because Joseph was my friend. A good friend. Yes, we’d fucked a bunch of times, but it had been empty sex for both of us, and stopped the moment Dominic walked into my life.

“Okay, you got it.” Dominic tugged open the limo door. “But just know, you’re gonna lose.”

Really?
I glared at him, but didn’t bother to respond, and slid into the backseat. “What the fuck are you doing? Hands to yourselves!”

Evie and Logan scattered like teenagers caught in the act by parents, and Evie let out a nervous laugh. She probably thought I was kidding and giving her a hard time, but I was serious. The way Evie talked about kissing Logan made it sound like he could get her to do almost anything. Pre-Dominic, I thought she was crazy. Now I sort of understood.

Fuck, I did not want have to call my mom again.

Bass thumped repeatedly from beyond the black door that led into the club. We stood in the anteroom while Dominic paid our group’s cover charge, and I pretended not to notice the bouncer’s lewd stare.

Dominic’s hand was abruptly on my ass, sliding over to rest on my opposite hip, and his scowl was directed at the bouncer. His possessiveness was showing in all its brilliant colors. I adjusted the paper bag in my arms, and the bottles clinked. “I can fuck you right here, if that will help.”

Evie’s mouth fell open. “Are you talking to me?” With the blindfold still on, she couldn’t tell it was meant for Dominic.

“No, sorry.” I laughed and helped her toward the entrance. She had one hand on my shoulder and the other laced with Logan’s, but he was surprisingly quiet.
Shit
. “You know where we are, Logan?”

“The bottles gave it away.”

Chicago had an ordinance banning alcohol from being served at the same establishment offering nude entertainment. All of the strip clubs in Cook County were BYOB.

“Keep your fucking mouth shut,” I said. “Don’t ruin the surprise for Evie.”

The black door swung open and both the music and the roar of people got louder. I shuffled through, the future Mr. and Mrs. Stone trailing right behind. Dominic and I scanned the large, open room, and he pointed across the way.

“There.”

An open table waited near the stage. He hurried to claim it while I led the blind slowly through the crowded area, trying to keep Logan from tripping over chair legs. I ignored the looks of the other patrons who probably wondered what the hell we were doing.

“Can I take it off?” Logan said loudly over the music.

“I don’t think this is the right crowd for that.”

Did he just growl at me? “The blindfold, Payton.”

“Not yet.” I put my hands on his shoulders and shoved him down into a chair, then helped Evie to hers.

Dominic twisted the cap off the whiskey. “Evie, you want champagne? Or rum and Coke?”

I reached for the unopened bottle. “It’s Evelyn, and she’ll take a rum and Diet Coke.”

Dominic smirked. “You’re so bossy.”

“You love it.” We happened to arrive at the perfect moment, right as the last performer was exiting, so we had a second of quiet. “Okay, blindfolds off. Time to look at some real women.”

The deejay’s voice blared over the music, announcing a new dancer coming to the stage as Evie pulled off her mask. I’d been nice enough to let her leave her crown in the back of the limo. Her eyes went totally white, they were that wide open. She gazed at the dim room, draped in garish red velvet curtains and mirrors, and the large stage with gold poles. Around us, the other club goers were curious.

Evie and I were the only dressed women in the packed audience.

The room felt smoky, although smoking wasn’t allowed and I didn’t see a fog machine running. It was a haze of sex and seediness. I hadn’t felt this kind of dirty on me since my blindfold club days, and I’d missed it, just a little.

“Holy shit, I’m in a strip club,” Evie said.

Dominic flagged over one of the servers. “You haven’t been before?”

She shook her head slowly, her gaze locked on the woman who sashayed over, a round tray tucked under one arm. The waitress’s other hand rested on her hip, barely covered by black hot pants. The piercing in her navel winked under a strobe light. Her hot pink halter top was more like a bra than a shirt, and the padding beneath pushed her boobs together, giving her a great deal of cleavage.

Her tips were probably killer; she was hot. I wondered if I should snap a picture and send it to Joseph. He’d trolled strip clubs in the past when he was first getting started, but he’d never found a girl who was seriously interested in the job, was drug-free, and reliable. Most of his newer girls came from referrals now.

“Hi!” the waitress said with a wide smile, her hand touching Dominic’s arm. “What can I get for you, hon?”

My annoyance flared, but I stayed quiet while he ordered the Diet Coke, plus some glasses and an ice bucket for the table. On stage, a lanky blonde in a black bra and fuchsia G-string was strutting in her stripper shoes. I admired the tattoos running along her rib cage. On the right girl and in the right setting, ink was hot.

“How does she dance in those?” Evie whispered to me.

The sole of the shoe was black, but the seven-inch heel and tall platform base were both a matching fuchsia, which glowed under the black light. The straps over the top of her foot were clear acrylic.

I shrugged at Evie’s question. “Practice.”

They didn’t seem to give the blonde any trouble. She swayed with the sexy song pouring from the speakers, her lower body undulating to the rhythm. Her hands caressed her curves, teasing the removal. Fingers dipped below the G-string band at her hips, pulling it away for a second, only to return it into position, saving it for the big finish later.

I adjusted in my chair, setting a hand on Dominic’s thigh, and his fingers curled over mine, holding my hand in place. Did he do this simply because he wanted to hold my hand? Or was he worried I would migrate further north to his cock? God, he knew me so well.

The stripper reached to set a hand high on the pole, wrapped her legs around it, and up she went. When she’d climbed to the top, her legs went straight out, parallel to the floor, and one knee bent, crossing over on top of the other leg. Her hands let go and she tipped back until she was upside-down, the pole clamped tight between her thighs. As she swung, her blonde hair fluttered behind.

There were murmurs of approval from the audience watching, and it built into a roar when her hands disappeared behind her back, and the bra was flung to the back of the stage.

“Holy shit!” Evie gasped and Logan chuckled.

The acrobatic work was impressive, and obviously I wasn’t the only one who thought so. Guys lined up to throw crumbled dollar bills on the stage while she worked the pole. Her graceful moves, toned body, and tight breasts were sexy as hell.

“You’re going to tip the stripper?” Evie asked when Logan dug out his wallet.

“No, naughty girl. You are.”

I heard her hard swallow over the thump of the music. On stage, the stripper descended the spinning pole and planted her shoes back on the ground. She turned, bent over, and shoved her ass at the crowd, shimmying. More roars and cheers when she teased removing the tiny scrap of underwear once again.