Hope

I shivered as a cold so potent crept through the heavy layers of my skin and numbed my blood.

A sex club?

I licked my dry lips. Up until now I only knew commercialized stuff about BDSM, Dom, and subs that I had read from dark romance novels and It always seemed treacherous but this...was real, unfolding right in front of me and I was transfixed by the sight.

"I'm guessing by the look on your face you haven't been to one before." Killian finally spoke, watching the stage and the red-haired girl on it as he sipped his cocktail.

"What's going to happen to her?" I had no idea when that question slipped out of my mouth. It was so startling seeing something like this and I honestly didn't know how to feel.

"B.A.D."

"What does that mean?"

"Bondage and discipline."

My heart stopped for a mere second.

"It's a BDSM power play." He continued, taking another casual sip. "Having another person control your pleasure, training you to obey, follow rules, disciplining you if you fail to follow instructions, and so on."

"I don't know how to make of all this. Why the hell would you come to a place like this for a meeting?"

"Because Mr. Vladlen Ivanov owns the whole building,"

My face scrunched together. "And you're comfortable meeting with him?"

"I have to be. He's an X stripper and now the owner of eleven different nightclubs, five strip clubs, twenty exhibition houses all over the world, and a professional Dom himself. My business is very competitive and his investment would make a big deal."

"How much money can something like this raise?"

"Last year it drummed up thirty million pounds."

My brows lifted in shock. "People would give that much just to watch other people have sex?"

He nodded and I shifted my gaze back to the girl who now stood in front of the crowd and slowly began to pull her shirt over her head.

She had no bra on, her breasts were exposed to the crowd and the diamond stub pierced into both her brown nipples shone.

Blood pounded through my body, warming places I didn't even know existed. Seeing a man getting naked was one thing, but seeing a girl doing it right in front of you had a whole new level of aurae and I didn't know if the tension building in my gut was from the atmosphere or staring at those perky breasts but I knew I needed to stop staring.

Gosh, no. Now was not the time to question my sexuality. I moved my gaze away from her and turned to regard Killian with a sideways glance.

He seemed perfectly collected and unaffected by what was unfolding in front of him. In fact, he sipped from his cocktail and watched casually like it was a random Tv show.

"I'm surprised," I said, trying not to sound breathless. "That you enjoy watching things like this."

"I assure you this is not my kink. I don't fuck while other people watch."

The way he said it brought an intense ache between my thighs.  "But you watch?"

"Sometimes, yes, other times, It's all business."

"How is any of this business?"

"If you need to find investors willing to deep half a billion into your company this is how you do it." He gestured to the stage. "Most wealthy men have weird kinks and fetish, you don't find them in Starbucks drinking coffee, you find them in the deep depts. I just so happen to explore that Information into getting what I want."

"What about other times...when it isn't business?"

He was quiet for a moment, but then he parted his lip to speak. "I watch because power play involves vulnerability, surrendering control, giving total trust. It entails everything sex is to me."

I was stupefied, too stunned to speak. I dry-swallowed, just staring at him. "So...that's why you do it? Because of the control?"

My question never got an answer because a waiter suddenly approached our table, leaning forward to whisper something in Killian's ear that got him on his feet.

"Get up, Mr. Valdlen will see us now."

I didn't know how to feel about this but I nodded and stood.

The waiter guided us out of the room and into a different hall where we kept walking until we arrived at the front of a gold door.

She turned to us. "You may go in."

Killian nodded and knocked slightly before pushing the door open to reveal a red dimmed lounge with only a man and a woman in it.

The man. He looked like a Russian, his features strong and audacious as he sat legs crossed on one of the leather couches. He had a white channel robe on with a glass of wine in his hand as he conversed with the elegantly dressed blonde woman sitting by his side.

By the look of things, you could easily tell they had something going on because he was speaking softly to her, stroking her cheeks and putting the loose tendrils of her hair back in place.

"Mr. and Mrs. Ivanov." Killian greeted when we stopped at the foot of the table and the bright smile on the woman's face went even brighter.

"My goodness!" she gleamed, smiling broadly as she got up on her feet and swung her arms around his shoulder, and much to my surprise, she kissed him right on the lips.

What the?

"Heavens, I wasn't expecting to see you here tonight." She released his lips and cupped his cheeks, a slight frown on her face. "Why didn't you tell us you were coming?"

"He did, darling," Vladlen inserted, stepping forward with his hand around her.

It appalled me that he was in consensus with what had just happened.

"It's good to have you back at my club." He said, stretching his hand out for a shake.

Killian smiled as they shook. "It's been a while but it feels good to be back master Vladlen."

"Yes, yes it is." He inclined his head in my direction. "Who is this beautiful woman you bring to me? Is she your new submissive?"

My brows lifted. He thought I was Killian's submissive? New submissive? Did he usually bring one along with him?

"Pardon my manners." He smiled at me and closed his hand over my shoulder. "Vladlen, Penelope, this is my wife, Hope. We married a few days ago."

"Marriage?" His dark bushy eyebrows shot up over his hazel eyes. "You are married?"

Killian lifted my hand and kissed my knuckles. "Yes. She is my everything."

Certainly not your everything when you go around kissing other women in the lips and cheeks.

Granted permission to touch me by Killian's slight nod of approval, Vladlen held out his hand, the corner of his lips lifting in what could only be called a devilish grin. "Very nice to formally meet you, Mrs. Fobster."

I placed my hand in his and he bowed low over it, bestowing a kiss on the back of my hand.

"The feeling is mutual," I managed when he straightened again.

"Yes, I suppose it is." With a smile on his face, he gestured to the blonde staring at me with admiration and I wished I could return the gesture but all I felt at this moment was spite. "This is my wife, Penelope."

I offered her a tentative smile. "You have a beautiful wife." If only she could keep her voluptuous lips to herself.

She chuckled. "I can say the same for you, my dear. You're so young and beautiful."

I simply smiled.

Vladlen chuckled as he gestured for us to seat. "Why don't we get started with the meeting, eh?"

"Yes, right away." Killian concurred, urging me down a seat.

By the time we were finished, an hour had passed. Killian promised to email over the documents for the project by the end of next week, and once he had approval, he'd be able to come up with a launch date. At some point, Vladlen and Penelope were forced to leave the table to tend to the other clientele who came to their club. The moment they returned, Killian and I got up.

"Thank you for your time, Mr. And Mrs. Ivanov," Killian said, going around to drop a kiss on Penelope's cheek and shake Vladlen's hand. "As entertaining as this has been, this is our honeymoon and I need to spend quality time with my wife. You both take care."

I nodded my polite goodbye and waved them off, waiting until we were out of sight of the club before pulling away from him and helping myself into the car.