club

"Stay close, Virginia."

I barely had time to nod once in affirmation before Luc was guiding me out of the elevator doors and the thump of heavy bass accosted my eardrums. We emerged into a cool, short corridor that led to a heavy oak door with the words "Galloway Club" embossed upon it.

A window to the right of the door revealed a slight man in a crimson uniform sitting at a security station, and he was clearly in charge of admittance through the door. He glanced up as we approached, straightening slightly at the sight of Luc, but schooling his expression as he nodded once and pressed a button below the window.

A low chime accompanied the sound of the lock turning, and the wooden door opened smoothly inward as the sound of the music became louder. Luc shot me a wink as his palm found the small of my back and he led me through the door into the Galloway Club.

Another short corridor awaited us behind the door, this one paneled in the same dark wood as the elevator. It curved off to the left before ending at a heavy black velvet curtain. Luc made a beeline for it, grasping the heavy fabric and tugging it aside for me to enter before him.

As I did, I had to struggle to keep my jaw from gaping wide open. Beyond the curtain was a sprawling space, dominated by a raised bar in the center which surrounded a two-tier stage which was currently displaying a trio of incredibly flexible pole dancers. Several well-dressed men and women were seated around the bar, conversing with one another or watching the dancers.

Dotted around the open space surrounding the bar were smaller daises, each equipped with a variety of furniture, from armchairs to what looked like stocks.

On one dais, a topless woman was leaning forward over what appeared to be a chopping block, her hands bound tightly at the base of her spine, and her hard nipples rubbing roughly against the wooden surface as the man behind her pounded into her with relentless thrusts.

On another, a man reclined in a large leather armchair as a woman and man in coordinating black lingerie began undressing him and touching each other in the process. The man's eyes were hooded as he leaned back in the chair, his fingertips trailing over the woman's ass, then moving to cup the other man's erection in one hand as his other hand moved to his own hard length.

I tore my eyes away as I followed Luc deeper into the space, my breath coming in shallow pants as I struggled to keep my body in check as it responded to the shows going on around us. I schooled my expression and raised my chin as I focused on Luc's hand gripping mine, pulling me along through the people who were milling around, spectating the various couples in the club or watching the dancers on stage.

Luc tossed a sexy glance back my way as we meandered through the bodies in the room, headed towards a large, carved wooden set of double doors at the far end of the room. He caught my eye and licked his lips, grinning in a cocky way as he tugged me along, clearly gauging my reaction. I cocked an eyebrow at him, flashing him a seductive smirk and feigning blazé indifference as we moved on.

Even as my heart beat out of rhythm at the things I'd witnessed and my thighs trembled with the idea of Luc using any of the club's resources to draw out even an ounce of my pleasure. I lunged closer to Luc under the pretense of being jostled by the crowd, and as he caught my waist to steady me I arched my back into him and let my taught nipples brush over his sleeve.

I let out a breathy moan as I leaned into him, lingering with our bodies close and our lips so close I could smell his crisp scent. A smile danced across my lips as I felt him tense in response to my closeness, and I cocked a brow at him again as I pushed the boundaries with him in his own club.

Luc's eyes narrowed a fraction as he worked out whether or not I was faking my arousal, but I could see the split second decision in his eyes when he chose to push back, testing my boundaries as well, and I fucking loved it.

Game on, baby.

I was vaguely aware that we had stopped walking and were now secluded in a quiet, dark corner of the main room, towards the back of the U-shaped bar but out of the way of the double doors, but I wasn't intimidated by being in dark places with Luc. I was thriving on it. I wanted to push him out of his comfort zone here as much as I wanted him to push me, and I wasn't going to stop until I had gotten what I wanted.

If Luc wanted to dress me in leather lingerie and bring me to the Galloway Club, then he should have been prepared to give me the full experience.

Or didn't he know what he was getting when he signed the contract to hire me?

A cocktail waiter sauntered by and Luc plucked too glasses of champagne off his tray before instructing the guy to bring us a bottle and dismissing him like an afterthought, but it wasn't a dick moved coming from him. It was a dismissal that spoke of his station in the world, his position. His power. And I was thirsty for a taste of just how much power Luc had here.

I tipped my glass back slowly, sipping the delicious expensive champagne leisurely as I watched Luc watching me. His throat bobbed slowly as he drank his own glass, his eyes never leaving mine as we both allowed our inhibitions to fall away.

"Virginia, I don't-"

"It's Ginny," I corrected firmly.

Luc's jaw ticked at the interruption and I covered my smirk with my champagne flute as I noted his irritation. I was seriously going to enjoy poking this bear. In my experience it was the guys who held it in check the longest who let loose the hardest when they finally broke. And I'd be shamelessly riding that wave when the time came, all while keeping the club's books in perfect order and their PR top notch.

"Fine, Ginny," Luc ground out, his eyes flashing as he relented on the name thing. "I don't want you to be uncomfortable at any point, so please don't hesitate to tell me if you're ready to leave."

I sipped my champagne slowly as I considered his words, making a bit of a show of considering my options here. I could leave at any point, I knew that. I trusted Luc implicitly, even though I had just met him. I knew as one of the partners of Galloway, Inc, he would protect me as a company asset if nothing else, and I took a practical, self-preservation type of comfort in that fact. The way he looked at me like I was a Thanksgiving meal and he was a starving man only unnerved me a little, and mostly it was because I wanted to be devoured by him in every way possible, and this club atmosphere had my imagination running wild with all the ways I could earn my paycheck as a "personal assistant" this week.

I felt wanton, free, rogue. This club had me wanting to declare my devotion to the Galloway guys, lay myself before them at their mercy and brand myself with each of their touches. I wanted Luc to take me to one of those daises and make a show of claiming me.

With a final swig of the champagne in my glass, I took a step back and grabbed the sash of my wrap dress, slowly dragging it free from the knot Luc had left it in, until the silky smooth material started to sink away from my shoulders.

Luc watched me with hooded eyes, his body angling slightly to block me from the view of the rest of the club, and I sent him a genuine smile at the idea of him wanting to see this all by himself.

As the material of the dress fell away from my shoulders and I was wearing it like a robe hooked around my elbows and hanging loose at my back, the song changed to Na Na by Trey Songz and my inner ho came bubbling right up to the surface just as the alcohol settled on my empty stomach and just like that my fingers were laced behind Luc's neck and his large hands were resting on my hips as they swayed back and forth to the beat and I body rolled into him, letting my hips linger against his erection as the music escalated and I danced better than the girls getting paid on stage.

A low whistle caught my ear and I turned in Luc's arms, keeping my hands on his where they lingered on my waist, making it clear I was here with him and didn't need anyone else's attention, but also keeping it polite and civil until the occasion called for anything more. I was a company rep, after all. The whistle had come from a stocky man in his mid fifties with a baby face and wire rimmed glasses.

I eyed him curiously as I felt Luc's grumble of irritation rumble through my body as he pulled me against his chest.

"Lyle," Luc bit out flatly.

"Lucy!" The man cried enthusiastically, causing my eyebrows to shoot up into my hairline as Luc stiffened behind me.

Lucy?!? Da fuck?!

The stumpy little man strode towards us with his arms outreached as if he was going to go in for a hug, but Luc tugged me to his side and slightly behind him as he stepped forward into Lyle's path.

"I'm afraid I don't have time to chat, Lyle," Luc said in a clipped tone. "I have important business to see to tonight."

Lyle's face split into a shit-eating grin as he eyed me hungrily, making me shrug my dress back onto my shoulders before he turned back to Luc.

"Yes I can see that," he said as he licked his lips, making me cringe. "I was just hoping to find a little company tonight myself. Perhaps your escort has an opening while you attend to your business?"

My mouth dropped open in disbelief and a thousand curses and insults sprang to my lips, but a fraction of a second before I could voice any of them, Luc stepped forward and grabbed a handful of the smarmy bloke's shiny button down shirt. When he spoke it was in a low, dangerous tone that got my skin crawling in all the best kinds of ways.

"What did you just say about my girl?"

Lyle's eyes widened and he scrambled physically against Luc's hold on him, his eyes darting between me, Luc, and the nearest door before finally settling somewhere halfway down Luc's chest as he clearly wasn't man enough to look him in the eyes.

"I- I- I didn't know sh-she w-was your girl, man!" Lyle spluttered, and I was surprised he hadn't pissed himself out of fear. For a man who dripped money and power, Luc could flip a switch and go from regal to renegade in 2 seconds flat.

And dammed if I didn't love a regal renegade.

Okay so maybe I had never actually encountered any such combination of personalities in one person, but with the way Luc's muscles were straining against his shirt sleeves as he held this perv at his mercy, I was fast discovering a new fetish. One I couldn't wait to explore more.

"She's the Galloways' Girl. Understood?" Luc's voice was soft like the leather on a cat-of-nine-tails--right before it cracks down mercilessly on your flesh. The Galloways' Girl. Damn I liked the sound of that possessive as fuck nickname.