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Thank you so much for reading Guarding The Phoenix Volume 2 ! I hope you loved the thrilling conclusion.

Want a seductive love story from my bestselling Dungeon Singles Night Series? Read the first book in the series, MIDNIGHT MASQUERADE, for FREE .

MIDNIGHT MASQUERADE

Chapter One

Son of a bitch!

She’d pulled it off again.

Gabriel Ryan surveyed the crowded scene at Eternal Eros, amazed by the transformation of his club. Tonight, it was decorated for the feast of May Day, with May Day poles stationed throughout the club. Great wreaths, and streamers bursting with colorful flowers were draped along balconies and overhead, transforming the black floors and walls into something bordering on ethereal. The patrons in attendance were fully invested, dressed in all manner of costumes from elegant to bawdy, with the added touch of masks, shielding their real personas,allowing them to transform themselves for the Masquerade Ball. In a few short months, his event coordinator, Sophia, had taken his club from great to the crème de la crème of nightclubs in Denver, catapulting it into the top hot spot in the city.

His bank account wept with joy.

There wasn’t much Gabe relished more than adding to his company’s sizable funds, the exception being finding a sub for the night, and losing himself in the pleasures of the flesh. Not that there had been much of that lately. There always seemed to be one task or another vying for his attention. Eternal Eros was one of many companies under the umbrella of RMD Industries, his family’s conglomerate enterprise that was the parent company for a plethora of businesses—including this club.

Thinking of his event coordinator, he smiled. The ballsy woman was half his size, smart as a whip, immensely creative, and didn’t back away from a fight, not to mention she was a stunning beauty, with one of the purest souls he had ever met.

It really was a shame she worked for him, because she stirred him with her direct gaze and take no prisoners attitude. But since she did, she was in the off-limits category. Gabe prided himself on his control. It was part and parcel of being a Master. In his opinion, a Dom who couldn’t manage his lust and baser instincts, was a piss poor excuse for a Dominant. It was why he followed a set of self-imposed rules he had established years ago.

Rule number one: he didn’t fuck his employees. Ever.

Mixing business with pleasure was simply bad business.

Rule number two: no falling in love. Gabe kept his heart to himself, no matter the scene or the submissive. Nothing good ever came from allowing your emotions to get in the way. It was why he kept his interactions with the opposite sex to the club or the private playroom in his penthouse, but he never allowed the women to spend the night, and didn’t permit them anywhere near his bedroom.

And rule number three: never lose control. A Master who couldn’t control himself and his responses in all things was a sad excuse for a Dom.

After a turn around the first floor of Eternal Eros, Gabe was pleased at how smoothly the event was functioning as he noted more of the decorative touches. He shook his head at the elaborate costumes on display, at the female bounty in skintight dresses, and the masks covering all the faces—including his own—adding an air of mystery to the sold out event.

When he was satisfied by his perusal, and reassured the managers in charge of Eternal Eros had the event well in hand, he strode to the elevator to head down to The Eros Pit.

Clapping Jimmy the bouncer on the shoulder as he passed, Gabe said, “Big crowd tonight.”

“That it is, boss.” Jimmy nodded his head. His face resembled that of a bulldog; his beefy chest and arms strained the confines of his black shirt with the club logo.

“Don’t have too much fun,” Gabe teased.

Jimmy smiled and wiggled his brows. “Maybe only with one or two tonight.”

Gabe chuckled and nodded. “That’s the spirit.”

By the time he ventured down into the Eros Pit, his exclusive, members only BDSM club hidden a floor beneath Eternal Eros, he was in no mood to play. It had been a spectacularly long day at the office. Shame, really, that his mind and body weren’t on board, given the submissive bounty in his club.

But tonight, he would participate in the event, under threats and orders by Sophia.He sighed over the fact that he could deny the woman little. And she had badgered him from the start about joining in the events each month, until he finally yielded.

Granted,that might have had something to do with the way she had stood in his office earlier today, her hands on her lush hips, a fierce scowl on her face and a glimmer in her eyes that told him that she would forcibly escort him if needed.

He’d folded like a house of cards while ignoring what the sight of her in his office did to him and his libido. Gabe refused to let his dick do his thinking for him, no matter how much Sophia stirred him.

In the elevator, he adjusted the black mask covering his face. He’d not changed into a costume, as much as his event coordinator had pestered him to wear one.The woman had gone so far as to have a costume made for him. But he couldn’t see himself prancing around in the dandy seventeenth century garb, not even to make her happy. Instead, he had stuck with his black suit and navy-blue tie.His one concession, besides his willingness to participate tonight, was the mask covering the top half of his face.

And the mask was all Sophia would get out of him.

The mood in the Eros Pit most nights tended to be more subdued—with the extra added elements of scenes in progress and muted music—than the club upstairs. That was by design on his part. At least, it usually was more laid back, with scenes at various stations and the occasional high-pitched moans from submissives. But tonight, with the masquerade event, the air in the Eros Pit held a thrill of excitement. Submissives in their exotic costumes were grouped together, talking excitedly, wondering who they would end up with for the night.

All participating Doms had been given a station in one of the scene areas or private rooms a floor down. Then the submissives, in their erotic ball wear,selected from a bowl a marker with the scene area and Dom listed. The submissive would head to the scene area or private room upon selection, and then the Dom would join them once all the selections were made.

It was a rather brilliant strategy and way of introducing unattached Doms andsubmissives to one another. In participating, they were agreeing to scene with another for the night—and possibly more, depending on the connection.

And the place was packed to the gills tonight.

Scanning the crowd, Gabe discovered that even his rapscallion brothers were in attendance—and had gotten into the spirit of the event, given their costumes,or most of them had, anyhow. Dean was a no show, but that had been the norm the last few months.

The submissive selection process was already in progress, with peals of laughter and squeals of delight from the women. It was arranged so that by midnight, all the submissives would be at their stations. With time to kill before he went to his private room, Gabe made his way through the throng to his private section of the club. Most nights there were available subs standing near the black velvet rope separating his section of the club, or sitting at one of the booths or tables nearby with the hope that either he or one of his brothers would give them a nod and join them. Yet, this evening, all those subs were dressed in costume and waiting in line to select their Dom.

Gabe sat and nursed a whiskey while he waited, keeping an eye on the festivities,and even grinning at some of the reactions from submissives over their chosen Dom for the night. He’d have to compliment Dean on the latest supply of whiskey from Meath Irish Distillery, another one of the family businesses. The dark copper spirit was top notch, and smooth as melted butter.

When a bell sounded in the club, he swallowed the last finger of whiskey and rose from his seat. Time to get this show on the road. Sophia had assigned him one of his favorite private rooms for the night.

He didn’t spy the woman anywhere as he trod toward the elevator with a group of Doms all heading down a floor to the private rooms. But Sophia tended to flit about and move like a hummingbird from one place to the next at these events.On Monday, he would have to commend her for a job well done. And he really needed to consider giving the woman a sizable raise for all her efforts.

She’d be surprised at how closely he watched her—not that he would ever tell her.

At first, he had watched her to see if she would fuck up, because then he would have to toss her out on her ass. He didn’t suffer fools lightly, especially when it came to his business. But then he had watched her in pure amazement over her ability to transform the two clubs into something magical each month,and make him a hefty profit in the bargain.

It was why he had given her free rein with the Donovan wedding later this month—the first of its kind at his club.

At the door to his private club room, he released a sigh. He didn’t know why he wasn’t more excited at the prospect of a scene with an unknown submissive, but he wasn’t. Although, he hoped that he could provide the submissive awaiting him with what she needed tonight.

Pushing the door open, he strode inside and was brought up short.

A petite blonde knelt at the foot of the bed, her head bowed, knees parted, and palms up on her thighs. She wore a golden corset around her slim torso, that shimmered in the low lighting. The erotic lingerie elevated her already generous breasts up into pillowy mounds and made them appear like an offering.

The indent of her waist made him wonder if he could circle it with his hands.

But then her hips swelled out in a smooth curve that had his gut tightening and,surprisingly, his dick sprang to life. Granted, it could be the fact that she wore golden crotchless panties. With her thighs spread, he could see the pretty pale pink lips of her labia and smooth bare pussy.

Bloody hell.

Excitement hummed in his blood. Need thrummed in his veins. And his dick swelled painfully against the confines of his slacks. Perhaps Sophia had been correct, and he needed to be here tonight.

“And who are you supposed to be, beauty?” he murmured darkly, referring to her costume. He approached, rather entranced by the pretty picture she made, and the punch of desire suffusing him.

Gabe might have resisted, but in this moment, he was all aboard with the festivities, and eagerly anticipating the night ahead.