Page 43 of Gamble (Black Light #38)

ELIJAH

S everal hours later, they left the wedding reception as it wound down at midnight.

Elijah felt like a man possessed. Learning that Reagan had known about Black Light for weeks—had been researching it, thinking about it, wanting to experience it—changed everything.

He’d been ready to walk away, and he still would.

His mind had raced in the hours since Reagan had shared her little secret.

Irrational anger that Reagan and his close friends had basically been lying to him for over a month warred with the immense relief at the possibility that she might want to explore a power exchange lifestyle with him.

The excitement of the possibilities tipped the scale in the internal tug-o-war, leaving him anxious to start Reagan’s sexual exploration.

He knew he should probably take things slow. Introduce her gradually at home, giving her time to adjust to some of the darker aspects of the BDSM lifestyle before taking her to Black Light. But knowing she’d already been there made his patience fly out the window. He needed to get her to the club.

Tonight .

“Are you sure about this?” Reagan asked as he pulled his Mustang out of the venue’s parking lot. “It’s past midnight.”

Reaching to wrap his arm around her shoulders and pull her closer, he punched the gas. “Trust me, Saturday night at this hour is when Black Light really comes alive,” Elijah answered, his pulse quickening with anticipation and nerves. “Besides, I can’t wait another second to show you my world.”

Traffic was heavy on the drive through West Hollywood, but inside the car it was quiet, both of them lost in their own thoughts.

Elijah’s mind raced with possibilities and fears in equal measure.

This was it—the moment of truth. Either Reagan would embrace what she saw tonight, or she’d run screaming back to her vanilla life.

And if she ran, he would follow. He’d already made his peace with walking away from Black Light forever.

The thought should have devastated him. Instead, he found himself oddly calm about the possibility. Reagan was worth more than any job, any lifestyle, any club. If she couldn’t handle his world, then he’d build a new one around her.

But God, he hoped she could handle it. Because the alternative—having to hide part of himself forever—might slowly kill him. It was a risk he’d been willing take though if needed.

As they started down the familiar driveway to Runway, Elijah made a sharp left turn Reagan must not have noticed during her previous visit. Her head snapped toward him in surprise.

“Where are we going?”

“Through the secret entrance,” he said simply, pulling up to a security gate hidden by mature landscaping. A small guard shack sat to one side, and Elijah rolled down his window as the uniformed security guard emerged.

“Well, well, well. Look who’s back,” Gary said with a wide grin. “How are you feeling, boss? We’ve all been worried about you.”

“Much better, thanks,” Elijah replied, punching his employee code into the keypad. “Gary, I’d like you to meet Reagan. Reagan, this is Gary. He keeps all the riffraff out.”

“Nice to finally meet you, ma’am,” Gary said, tipping his cap. “We’ve heard a lot about you. Everyone’s been wondering when the boss was going to bring his lady around.”

Reagan smiled warmly at the older man. “It’s nice to meet you too, Gary.”

“Everyone’s missed you,” Gary continued as the gate began to swing open. “Place just ain’t the same without you running things. Tyler’s doing his best, but...”

“But he’s not me,” Elijah finished with a chuckle. “Don’t worry, I’ll be back Wednesday night.” Even as he said it, he hoped that was true. His already-written resignation letter was still saved on the hard drive of his personal computer. He just hoped he wouldn’t have to use it after all.

As they drove through the gate into a secluded parking area surrounded by tall trees, Reagan looked around with obvious curiosity. The main mansion was visible in the distance, its windows glowing with warm light, and the sound of music drifted on the night air.

“This is all very secretive,” she observed as Elijah parked and came around to open her door.

“Privacy is paramount in our business,” he said, offering her his arm. As they walked, he marveled at how good his hip felt, how natural his gait had become. The surgery had been worth every moment of pain and recovery.

The winding pathway was lined with bushes and landscaping designed to provide complete privacy from prying eyes. They were halfway to the entrance when he had an important thought. Elijah stopped and pulled Reagan aside, his expression growing serious.

“Remember back in Vegas that first night when I asked you about a safeword?” he said, his hands resting gently on her shoulders.

“Yeah,” she replied, curiosity flickering in her eyes.

“It’s more important than ever tonight. If anything upsets you or you decide you just want to leave, all you need to do is say ‘red’ and we’re out of here, okay?”

Reagan tilted her head, studying his face. “What exactly do you think I’m going to run from?”

“There are a lot of hardcore things going on inside,” he admitted.

“Are any of them nonconsensual?”

“What?! Of course not,” Elijah said, offended by the suggestion.

“And do you plan on doing any of those hardcore things to me tonight?”

“I’m not a novice, Reagan. Give me a bit of credit.”

Her expression softened, and she reached up to touch his cheek. “Oh, I trust you implicitly and know you would never truly hurt me. It seems like you’re the one who isn’t giving me any credit.”

Despite his nerves, Elijah felt a grin tug at his lips. “Fine. Just remember... red.”

As they approached the employee entrance, the door swung open before Elijah could use his badge.

“Bossman is back!” Michael, their doorman, greeted him with obvious pleasure, slapping him on the back as he got closer. “We didn’t expect you until next week, man.”

“I’m not the bossman tonight,” Elijah replied with a grin. “I’m just here to have a little fun on my last weekend off.”

Michael’s eyes shifted to Reagan, his expression appreciative but respectful. “Are you gonna introduce us to the beautiful lady you plan to have fun with, or do you plan on keeping her all to yourself?”

“Oh, believe me, I have no plans of sharing,” Elijah said, pulling Reagan closer. “But I’m happy to introduce you as long as everyone is on their best behavior.”

“Hey, we’re always on our best behavior around here,” Michael joked.

“Reagan Murphy, meet Michael Santos. He’s been keeping the peace at our front door for three years now.”

“It’s a pleasure,” Reagan said, and Elijah felt a surge of pride at how naturally she seemed to fit into his world, at least outside. It remained to be seen how she’d fit in on the main floor of the club surrounded by debauchery.

One thing at time, asshole.

“Is Tyler in the office?” Elijah asked, trying not to get too ahead of himself.

“Last I saw, he was monitoring in the back hallway. That new member, the judge—you know, the one you told us to keep a close eye on—he’s in house tonight with his newest plaything. Tyler said he was getting a bad vibe from the guy and was gonna watch him like a hawk.”

Elijah nodded approvingly. Even in his absence, his team was maintaining the strict safety standards that made Black Light what it was.

Judge Bronner had looked perfect on paper—successful, wealthy, well-connected—but something about the man’s attitude during his interview had made him uneasy.

On paper, there had been no reason to deny his membership, but that didn’t mean they weren’t watching him carefully until they knew they could trust him.

“Thanks. I’ll be sure to get an update from Tyler when I see him.”

As soon as Elijah opened the main door to the club, he was hit with the sounds of music and sex in equal measure. This late into a Saturday night, most members had moved past flirting and foreplay into hardcore play, and tonight was no different.

In the bar area—normally a relatively tame space—two couples were already deep into their own scenes. One submissive was bent over a high-top table while her Dom took her from behind, while another bounced enthusiastically on her partner’s lap in a corner booth.

If Elijah had been working, he would have directed them to move their activities behind the velvet curtain.

But tonight, he was grateful for their rule breaking.

These scenes were tame compared to what normally happened in the main club, and he wanted to gauge Reagan’s reaction to the live entertainment before moving deeper into the club.

He didn’t have to wait long. Just like when they’d watched the couple by the pool in Vegas, it was crystal clear that his Reagan was a voyeur. The heat rising in her cheeks, the way her breathing had become shallow, the slight tremor in her body—Christ, she was absolutely perfect for him.

Moving behind her, Elijah wrapped her in his arms and pulled her back tight against his chest, leaning in to speak directly against her ear exactly as he had near the Vegas pool. If he remembered correctly, that was when he’d discovered his good girl loved naughty dirty talk.

“You like what you see, little girl?” His voice was low, commanding. “Which one is your favorite? Do you want me to fuck you hard from behind, or would you prefer to take a ride on my cock like a good little cowgirl?”

Reagan’s legs actually started to shake beneath her, and Elijah had to tighten his hold to keep her upright. He strategically moved one hand to cup her breast while the other moved lower to cup her pussy through the fabric of her dress. Even through the material, he could feel her heat, her need.

She was so caught up in watching that she couldn’t even answer him, and Elijah had to bite back a groan of pure desire. He was tempted to lift her skirt and finger her to completion right there in the bar, but his sadistic nature demanded a different approach.

Instead, he released his hold and grabbed her hand instead, pulling her toward the velvet curtain that hid the real secrets of Black Light.

“But... aren’t we going to...” her protest trailed off.

“What, watch them finish?”

“Well... yeah.”

Elijah grinned back at her. “Why would we stay and watch them in here when we can head into the club and see the real action?”

Her eyes widened as she remembered there was so much more than just vanilla sex happening at Black Light.

“Elijah!” The shout came from behind the bar, and he turned to see Suzie abandoning her post to rush toward them. He was tempted to keep walking, but he knew the spunky bartender would never forgive him for avoiding her considering he’d been gone for weeks.

He changed their direction, pulling Reagan with him as they weaved through the crowded bar area toward the fast-approaching woman. The line of patrons waiting for drinks groaned as their bartender deserted them, but Suzie paid them no attention.

She launched herself the last few feet, and Elijah had to release Reagan’s hand to catch his employee before she knocked him over.

“I’m so damn glad you’re doing okay!” she said, nearly taking him off his feet with the velocity of her greeting.

“Yeah, well, with greetings like that I might end up back in the hospital,” he said, steadying himself with a chuckle.

He’d always liked the spunky bartender with her ever-changing hair color—blue was apparently this week’s choice—and her racy collection of tattoos and piercings.

She looked more like she belonged in a biker bar than an upscale private club, but she was excellent at her job and the members loved her.

“Oh shit, I’m sorry, old man. I didn’t mean to hurt you, but this place just isn’t the same without you around. Tyler’s great and all, but he turns into a real hard ass when he’s in charge.”

Suzie’s eyes flickered over to Reagan, and Elijah protectively wrapped his arm around his woman’s waist.

“Oh my gosh, the rumors are true! You caught yourself a real beauty, bossman. Hi,” the bartender gushed, sticking out her hand to Reagan.

“I’m Suzie. You must be Reagan. I caught a glimpse of you a few weeks ago when you came through with the Cartwright-Davidsons. I’m so glad to see you’ve come back.”

Reagan’s smile was genuine and warm. “Yeah, well, I’m glad to be back too, especially since I have Elijah with me this time to show me around.”

“There’s no one better,” Suzie said, glancing at Elijah. “He’s one of the good guys.”

Shouting from the bar pulled Suzie’s attention back to her abandoned customers. “Well, I’d better get back to work. You kids have fun now,” she said with a wink before spinning around and heading back to the bar, picking up some empty glasses from a nearby table on the way.

“She’s fun,” Reagan observed.

“Oh, she’s fun all right. Don’t get me wrong, she’s great at her job, but she can equally be a pain in the ass when she wants to be.”

Reagan laughed. “Yeah, I kinda got that vibe.”

Elijah took her hand and moved them toward the velvet curtain again. “Let’s get going before someone else decides they want to chat.”

As they reached the heavy fabric barrier, Elijah paused, looking back at Reagan.

Was she really ready for this, or was he rushing her?

The weight of the moment settled on his shoulders.

Once they stepped through that curtain, there would be no going back.

She would see him in his element, see the world that had shaped him, see the sadistic darkness that called to his soul.

And then she would decide if she could love all of him, or if she would run.

There was so much riding on her reaction because if she did run, he knew he would be chasing after her, even if that meant leaving the job he loved.

He loved her more.