Page 34 of Gamble (Black Light #38)

It was surreal being packed into an elevator with some of the most famous people in the country. Clearly close friends, the group was jovial, leaving Reagan to pinch herself in the corner as she caught a whiff of Shane’s masculine scent.

“Take a deep breath,” Nalani said next to her. “It’s going to be okay.”

The women’s eyes met. Nalani’s calm reassurance meant the world to her. As the slow-moving elevator came to a stop, Reagan said a silent prayer that Elijah was finally going to see her. To talk to her. To explain what the hell was going on.

Loud music greeted them as the doors to the elevator opened.

Most of the celebrity entourage piled out, opening enough space for Reagan to see they were in yet another bar or club.

The corporate elegance of Runway gave way to something more intimate, more secretive.

It was dim lighting, more sensual in tone.

The music’s rhythm was lower. And the patrons. ..

After taking only a few steps into the bar, Reagan’s breath caught as she took in the surrounding scene. The patron’s clothing was more provocative—women in corsets and tiny skirts, men in leather pants and open shirts. An undercurrent of sexuality charged the energy, making her skin tingle.

Nalani squeezed the arm she’d been linked with and said, “Welcome to Black Light.” It’s a second, more private club. This is the club Elijah manages.”

Relief flooded through Reagan so powerfully she almost laughed. He hadn’t lied about managing a club. But she still didn’t understand all the secrecy.

As they moved deeper into the space, Reagan caught glimpses of things that made her pulse race.

In the bar's corner was a tiny dance floor where only a handful of couples moved together in scenes out of Dirty Dancing.

As they walked by a set of open double doors, she could see it was an actual theater.

Erotic films played on multiple screens while people watched with more than casual interest. Even more famous faces she recognized from movies and television mingled, some engaged in intimate conversations, others in activities that made her cheeks burn.

This wasn’t just a dance club or a bar. This was something else entirely.

“Reagan,” Nalani stopped walking and turned to face her. “Before we go any further, I need to ask you something important.”

They had stopped in front of heavy velvet curtains that blocked the view beyond.

She knew there was more to uncover based on the distinctive sounds coming from behind those curtains.

Moans of pleasure, the crack of what might have been leather on skin, cries that could have been pain or ecstasy or both.

“Are you sure you really want to see behind the curtain?” Nalani asked, her dark eyes serious. “Because once you see what’s back there, you can’t unsee it. But then you’ll maybe understand at least part of why Elijah has been so afraid to tell you the truth about who he really is.”

Reagan’s mouth felt dry. Every instinct told her she was standing at a crossroads, that whatever lay beyond those curtains would change everything she thought she knew about the man she’d fallen in love with.

“I need answers,” she said, surprised by the steadiness in her own voice.

Nalani studied her face for a long moment, then nodded. “Okay. But remember—what you’re about to see is consensual. Everything here is between adults who have been here, chosen to take part. It may look intense, but it’s all about trust and pleasure.”

With that cryptic warning, Nalani pulled aside the heavy curtain. The sound of pounding music and the smell of sex hit her like a wave.

Reagan’s world tilted on its axis.

As her eyes grew used to the dim lighting, the space beyond the curtain came into focus.

The scene was like nothing she could have imagined.

The space was larger than she’d expected, with multiple levels connected by stairs and walkways.

But it wasn’t the architecture that stole her breath—it was what was happening within it.

People were having sex. Not just having sex but engaging in acts she’d only read about in her most scandalous romance novels.

A woman was bent over what looked like a heavy piece of furniture while a man took her from behind, her wrists bound with silk rope.

On a raised platform, another woman was tied to a wooden X-shaped cross while her partner used what appeared to be a leather implement to stripe her back with red marks that made her cry out in what was unmistakable pain mingled with pleasure.

Everywhere Reagan looked, she saw scenes of dominance and submission, pain and pleasure, control and surrender. Men and women in various stages of undress engaged in acts that should have shocked her, horrified her, sent her running back up to the elevator.

Instead, she felt a deep, throbbing ache between her legs that made her squeeze her thighs together even as she felt her face flaming with a deep blush. When she felt lightheaded, she forced herself to take a deep cleansing breath.

What was wrong with her? Why was this turning her on instead of freaking her out?

“Elijah works here?” she whispered.

“He doesn’t just work here,” Jaxson said, appearing beside her and Nalani with the rest of their group trailing close behind. “He’s the Dungeon Master. He’s in charge of all of this.” His arm stretched out to show the whole scene.

The pieces began clicking into place with horrifying clarity. Elijah’s dominant behavior in Vegas. His talk of safewords and consequences. The way he’d made her feel things she’d never experienced before.

“Why didn’t he tell me?” The question came out smaller than she’d intended.

“Because he thinks he’s too old for you,” Shane said, “and that you won’t approve of all this.

He’s convinced himself that you’re better off without him.

” Shane paused before adding, “I know he’s been a real asshole by ghosting you, but knowing the old man as well as I do, I know he thinks he’s doing the honorable thing by letting you go. ”

These people—these close friends of Elijah’s—were giving her answers to questions she hadn’t even known to ask.

Answers Elijah had been too chicken-shit to give her himself.

She couldn’t put her finger on it, but his silence still wasn’t sitting well with her.

Why not just talk to her about all of this?

Reagan stared at the scene before her, trying to process everything she was seeing and feeling.

The rational part of her brain was cataloging the safety measures she could see—the monitors stationed throughout the space, the way every interaction seemed negotiated, the obvious care and attention being paid to the participants.

But the emotional part of her brain was reeling with a different realization.

This was Elijah’s world. This was who he really was. And instead of being horrified, she was... intrigued. More than intrigued. She was aroused by what she was witnessing.

“Where is he?” she asked, her voice barely audible over the sounds of pleasure echoing around them.

“He’s not working tonight,” Emma answered.

That didn’t make any sense to Reagan. The club was full and busy. Why wouldn’t he be working? “But I need to talk to him. I need answers from him,” Reagan insisted. She couldn’t… no, she wouldn’t leave without talking to Elijah himself.

Nalani exchanged a look with Jaxson, who seemed to weigh his options.

“I’ll tell you,” he said finally, “but on one condition. I’ll tell you why he’s not here tonight but only if you’re sure you’re still interested in him after seeing all of this.

” He glanced around the room again and then pinned her with an intense glare before adding, “Because if you’re going to run away from this lifestyle, it’s better that you do it now.

You can just walk away, no harm, no foul. ”

Reagan looked around the room one more time, taking in the sights and sounds that should have sent her fleeing but instead made her feel more alive than she had in weeks.

She thought about Elijah’s hands on her body, the way he’d made her feel beautiful and desired and cherished. She thought about the connection they’d shared, the conversations that had lasted until dawn, the way her heart had recognized something in him she’d never found with anyone else.

A calmness she hadn’t felt since Elijah had canceled their date settled into her heart. She knew what she had to do.

Meeting Jaxson’s intense gaze again, she gave the only answer possible. “I’m not running away. Tell me where he is. Why isn’t he here tonight?”