Page 14 of Edged
“Finally,” he grumbled, shaking his keys at me again.
I followed him out of the house, locked up, and obediently climbed into the passenger seat of his Audi. He poked at my attitude the whole drive to Dalton’s, but thankfully he’d gotten it out of his system by the time we pulled up to the curb.
“Have you met someone?” he asked me out of nowhere, honking the horn for Dalton at the same time.
I sputtered, the idea preposterous. “What?”
“Have you met someone?”
“What on earth…”
“Rob did this when he was mooning over Grayson and now you’re…” He trailed off, frowning at me.
“I’ll do my best to frown toward the wall so I don’t sour your boyfriend’s mood,” I assured him.
“He’s not my boyfriend and you didn’t answer my question.”
“What question?” Dalton opened the door and climbed into the back seat in a rush of leather and aftershave.
“I asked Archie if he was seeing anyone.”
“He’s not,” Dalton answered on my behalf. “Are you?”
“I’m not.” I let my head fall back against the head rest and my eyes closed while the two of them bantered back and forth about whatever lewd sex acts they intended to perform on Val before the night was through.
We arrived at Rapture before I felt it necessary to throw myself out of the car, and I quietly followed the two of them up the stairs. Rapture was a place I loved, that we all loved. An old church converted into a BDSM club, it was almost like a home away from home. There was dancing if you wanted, private playrooms if that was your style, and plenty of partners to choose from.
When we came out, we spent most of the time in the upstairs play loft, which had recently been renovated again to offer more of a sleek and modern feel. With exposed brick walls, a stained glass rose window high up toward the top of the vaulted ceiling, the loft was never short on entertainment…or pleasure.
I showed the doorman my membership card, and by the time I returned it to my wallet, Dalton and Barclay had already disappeared into the mass of bodies on the main dance floor. The last thing I wanted to do was drink and the first thing I wanted to do was leave, but I knew that there had to be a middle in there somewhere. And the middle probably involved making my way up the stairs in search of Rob, Grayson, and Flynn.
They were easy enough to find, sprawled out on a black leather couch tucked into one of the darkest corners of the space. Flynn’s obscenely shiny brown hair was unmistakable, even in the dim lighting, and when he saw me, he slid over to make room on the couch.
“You look miserable,” Rob said in greeting.
I gave him the finger and leaned back to get comfortable.
“He’s eating canned cheese again,” Barclay said, coming up with a drink in hand and Dalton beside him.
“I always eat canned cheese.”
“But rarely in front of anyone else,” Flynn said.
I pointed at Barclay. “This prick told me to eat before we left so I ate.”
“You could literally have cheese flown in from Wisconsin if you felt like it,” Grayson chided, smile mischievous and bold as ever. “But canned cheese?”
“It’s an old habit,” I muttered, waving them all off.
“Are you all right?” Rob asked, leaning across Grayson to get a better look at me. “Do we need to be worried?”
“Just a bit of a slump,” I assured them all, pushing back to my feet. “I haven’t been sleeping well, but it’ll pass.”
“You better not be sneaking home already,” Barclay warned when I stood.
“I’m going to get a drink.”
“Something with a Red Bull chaser,” Dalton suggested.
