Page 48 of Blood as Sweet as Roses

Paige

My fingers twist together behind my back, nerves fluttering in my stomach.

“Tell me if you want to go back up to our suite, Paige,” Crimson whispers. “We can always enjoy ourselves there.”

“No, no,” I reply quickly, giving her what I hope is an encouraging smile. “I want to do this.”

“What’s your word?”

“‘Thorn,’” I reply, obediently. There’s a not-unpleasant twisting sensation in my stomach, at the act of obeying her. At the thought of what’s going to come next.

Crimson gives me another disarmingly gentle look. Tonight, she feels so different. Her glances last a little longer, her touches caress me with a deeper softness, her words wrap around me more intimately…

She gestures at the gleaming, oval bar in the center of the club. “Would you like something to drink before we go? Water, or one of those sugar drinks?”

“No, thank you, sir,” I answer, moving a little closer to her.

Crimson brought me down to the secret speakeasy club that’s located under the hotel.

I thought it would be like the vampire bar where I first met Sabina, but this is much more intense.

The ceilings are high, and the entire place is filled with the glow of red and purple neon lights.

A DJ plays a thrumming, bass-heavy song, and the dance floor is completely packed with sweaty bodies pressed up against each other.

But they part when they see Crimson. Even in the chaos, living humans and vampires alike seem to recognize her and give her a wide bearing, just like they do at the Midnight Mansion.

I thought that the Night vampires did that because she’s their king.

But how could all of these people and vampires know her in Silverlake City?

A glance at her instantly reveals the reason: even if you didn’t know Crimson, even if you didn’t know vampires exist, it’s impossible not to sense the chilling, raw power that radiates from her.

She moves slowly and deliberately, like a hunter stalking her prey.

Her haunted, pale eyes seem to see everything, although they don’t move often.

I can’t blame the people in the club for avoiding her gaze. Although I’ve spent a lot of time with Crimson, she still sets my nerves on fire just being in her presence.

And my nerves are certainly on fire tonight, knowing where we’re going and what we’re going to do.

Crimson pauses before a dark, nondescript door at the very back of the club.

If you didn’t know to look for it, you could easily miss it in the heavy, dim atmosphere.

The only way you can identify the door is by the small, red block letters on its surface, barely visible in the glow of the red neon lights.

The door says “SUBMIT.”

A full-body shiver passes through me.

“We could stay in the club for a while longer,” Crimson offers.

But I shake my head vigorously. I can’t prolong the tension any more than I already have.

I’ve been thinking about this door since Crimson told me all about it at the restaurant, and the suspense is more than I can bear.

Even though we discussed our limits and preferences already, and she told me what to expect, it’s completely different to actually be here.

She reaches out to open the door, and places her other hand on the small of my back to lead me through. It’s an protective, intimate gesture, and I’m very grateful for it.

The door leads into a small entryway, with a woman standing before a podium. It’s so dark I can barely see her. She wears a tight, leather dress and gloves, and gives Crimson a nod of recognition as we enter.

“We’ve been expecting both of you,” she says curtly. She pulls out a clipboard and a pen, which lights up so I can read the form attached to the clipboard. She hands me both. “Please take your time to review all of the details before signing. If you have any questions, I’d be happy to answer them.”

“Thank you,” I whisper. My voice is so quiet it’s amazing she can hear me at all, but then again, it’s possible she’s got magically-enhanced hearing somehow.

My thoughts are so hazy with anticipation it’s difficult for me to focus, but I pull it together and somehow make it through the long, detailed waiver. I sign it at the bottom, noticing that the ink in the pen is dark red.

I hand the clipboard back to the woman at the podium, trying to keep my hands as steady as I can.

“Enjoy,” she says, with a knowing smirk.

I feel a firm hand at my low back again, and I look up shyly at Crimson. Her presence is both grounding and exciting. I really hope I don’t disappoint her tonight. I’ve never imagined I would ever be someplace like this, although I can’t deny that I’ve fantasized about it.

She leads me gently down a narrow hallway.

There’s a glow of crimson at the end of it, and I can hear soft, sensual music playing, quieter than in the club, but somehow just as tantalizingly sexy.

A low moan floats down the hallway, making my heart flutter.

I’m both eager and terrified to make it to the end…

We step out into a wide, high-ceilinged room.

Everything glistens in slick, shiny black and red.

Low, velvet couches are arranged throughout the space.

There’s no bar or DJ booth, but there’s an ebony cross at the back of the room, chains hanging from its tips.

Someone kneels across a leather-upholstered bench, their wrists fitted in snug cuffs.

A woman stands over them, wearing a tight lace dress that leaves little to the imagination, holding a slim, black whip.

She brings it down sharply on their already-red ass, eliciting a gasp of pain and pleasure.

I swallow, leaning in to Crimson, unable to take my eyes from the scene.

She bends her head down. “How are you doing?”

“Good,” I squeak, then I clear my throat, trying to collect myself. “I’ve…just never been someplace like this before. But I like it!”

“Come,” the vampire says, and she puts her hand out for me to take.

I blink up at her in surprise. We’ve never held hands before.

It feels special, intimate. She leads me slowly to a quiet corner of the room, where there’s an empty couch.

There aren’t many other people close by, and it’s dark so that we can’t be seen.

I appreciate that she’s trying to make me feel more comfortable, although there’s a little twinge of disappointment in my stomach that we’re not more visible.

I like the idea of other people seeing us together.

We sit down beside each other to watch what’s going on. The room is busy, but not crowded. There are others, coupled and in groups, that watch from couches while kissing, having sex, or sharing blood. Crimson keeps holding my hand, clasping it in my lap, which makes me feel all gooey inside.

I spot another cross, a little closer to us, where a pale woman is chained.

She has straight, strawberry-blond hair and lean limbs.

Her small, perky breasts have tight, dark pink nipples that are affixed in shining metal clamps.

I feel my own nipples harden in response, and I shift a little, wondering if that’s something that I’d like.

The woman is being attended to by two vampires.

One of them, a woman in a tight red catsuit, has her fingers in the woman’s mouth, bringing them in and out slowly.

Another kneels down, his head at the woman’s thigh as he drinks her blood.

The woman has her eyes closed tightly, her brows knitted, an expression of ecstasy on her face.

My eyes travel back to the woman in the catsuit, and I realize suddenly that it’s Sabina, her silky black hair tied up in a neat bun at the base of her neck. She doesn’t notice me. Her eyes are locked on the the human before her as she presses her fingers deeper into her throat.

Seeing Sabina here is exciting, and I squirm a little in my seat, shifting toward Crimson.

She senses my impatience, and gently brushes the dark waves away from my face, bringing her mouth to my neck.

She kisses and sucks at me, and I can feel her fangs beginning to emerge, teasing the soft skin of my throat.

Her chilly fingers slide up the inside of my thigh, caressing me and bringing an urgent warmth to my core.

The soundtrack of moans and gasps from the other living humans heightens my desire, and suddenly I get a little jealous of the others who are on display.

“My king…” I whisper softly.

“Yes, sweet one?”

“I’d…like to show everyone my devotion to you, sir.”

She lets out a low, rumbling growl in my ear. I can feel the wetness dripping down my thighs already.

“What’s your word?” she rasps.

“‘Thorn,’” I answer.

“And you’ll use it if you need to?”

“Yes, sir.”

We’ve slipped easily into our roles, complementing each other perfectly. She stands, and offers me her hand. I’m glad for her steady touch, since I’m feeling a little weak in the knees.

Crimson leads me into the center of the room, toward a large, round bed, with a velvet red bedspread.

It’s a perfect circle, on a raised platform so it can be easily seen by the others in the club.

My heart starts to pound. A tantalizing mixture of nerves and excitement fill my stomach, and I know Crimson can sense it.

She seems to grow in power and strength with each step she takes, her dominant presence filling the cavernous room.

And I can feel every eye upon us as we make our way up to the bed. Living humans and vampires alike stop their activities to watch us, or they continue what they’re doing but turn their heads and eyes in our direction. It’s gloriously overwhelming.

I gasp when we arrive at the center of the room. I didn’t notice it before, but the bed and its platform are rotating slowly in a clockwise direction. It’s not too fast, but enough that everyone can witness every angle of what’s taking place upon it.

I’m a little nervous that I’ll stumble on my shaky legs, but it turns out I don’t need to worry. Unable to contain herself any longer, Crimson sweeps me up in her arms in a possessive gesture, and carries me onto the platform.

Even though we’re surrounded by others, she looks down at me like I’m the only person in the world.

And although I’m still nervous about what’s going to happen next, I know that she’s the only person in the world for me. I feel so safe, so seen, so…

So loved…

Crimson puts me down gently in the center of the bed.

My entire body tingles with anticipation and I look up at her obediently.

The bed is lit by a diffused, golden glow from above.

It envelopes everything in a dreamlike haze.

I was worried I would feel dizzy on the spinning bed, but it’s rotating slowly enough that I don’t feel it, although it’s exciting to see all the eyes upon us.

“On your hands and knees,” Crimson commands.