gangs. A cold wind picked up, rustling dry leaves from the ancient Drake
Elm tree planted in their front yard and she hopped into the car with a sigh of
relief. There was something eerie about the sound that had sent a quiver over
her skin. Shaking off her momentary unease, she cranked the engine and reached
for her seat belt.
She headed to the center
of town as fast as she dared. The last thing she needed at the moment was a
speeding ticket. Driving with one hand on the steering wheel, she slapped on
makeup with the other. Whenever she stopped at the lights to wait for them to
turn green, she peered at her reflection in the mirror.
Every so often, she
wriggled her toes to increase circulation. The car’s heater wasn’t
working—again—and Madeline’s feet were rapidly becoming numb. Her breath made
small clouds of fog inside the cold car as she blew on first one hand and then
the other, to warm her freezing fingers. With the temperature rapidly dropping
to its forecast of thirty-one degrees, just the thought of how cold it was
outside had her shivering.
One day. One day, I’ll be
able to say goodbye to this job forever. Move to a decent neighborhood. Get a
decent car.
It wasn’t that she
disliked working at the Club. In fact, she enjoyed her position as a female Dom
and, she had to admit, she reveled in having a man on his knees in front of
her. But it wasn’t her forever job. On a very basic level, she suspected
remaining at the Club kept her from moving on emotionally from her difficult
childhood.
And there were times when
she wondered whether her joy in forcing a man to submit was merely her way of
punishing the guy who’d planted his seed in her teenage mother and never came
back.
Her shoulders slumped and
she huddled deeper into her jacket. Enough of this psychoanalysis bullshit .
Who cared what her reasons were? All that mattered was she had a well-paying
job that was funding her plans for the future. And she’d do whatever was
necessary to keep a roof over their heads and give her younger brother the
opportunities she never had. She would keep their little family of two
together. Matty would get a good education. He would have choices and if all
went according to Madeline’s schedule, they’d both be on their way to a new
life. The outcome all hinged on Madeline finishing her degree and keeping her
brother at the prestigious Karim Academy. And most importantly, away from the
possibility of being sucked into the shadowy world inhabited by the gangs that
prowled this end of town.
At the next corner, she
took a hard right then the third turn to the left onto Gerome Street, slowing
as she searched for a parking lot not too far from the Club’s entrance. She
parked several doors down, locked the Chevy, and pulled on a pair of gloves
over her stiff fingers. Duffle in hand, she strode past two bars that thumped
with hard rock and the roar of noisy crowds.
At least the street was
well lit, with old fashioned wrought iron lamp posts. Although situated in the
old section of the city, the area was reasonably affluent with its dark
architecture and narrow windows.
Madeline smirked. No
doubt from all the business the Club threw to the other bars and cafes nearby.
Her heels clattered on
the stone pavement as she approached the Club. Situated on the corner and three
levels high with no windows on the ground level, it dominated its smaller
neighbors with its aura of danger. Or was it the forbidden? There were several
balconies on the upper levels, but all the doors were closed, and the upper
windows curtained.
Madeline eyed the black
door, wondering over the unusual reluctance that suddenly gripped her. Just
another work day. She wiped her clammy hand over the side of her coat before
placing it on the scanner.
There was a click and the
door swung silently open to reveal a large marble-tiled foyer manned by one of
the regular security guys, Ezekiel Harding. Black shades covered his eyes, and
his face remained
Elm tree planted in their front yard and she hopped into the car with a sigh of
relief. There was something eerie about the sound that had sent a quiver over
her skin. Shaking off her momentary unease, she cranked the engine and reached
for her seat belt.
She headed to the center
of town as fast as she dared. The last thing she needed at the moment was a
speeding ticket. Driving with one hand on the steering wheel, she slapped on
makeup with the other. Whenever she stopped at the lights to wait for them to
turn green, she peered at her reflection in the mirror.
Every so often, she
wriggled her toes to increase circulation. The car’s heater wasn’t
working—again—and Madeline’s feet were rapidly becoming numb. Her breath made
small clouds of fog inside the cold car as she blew on first one hand and then
the other, to warm her freezing fingers. With the temperature rapidly dropping
to its forecast of thirty-one degrees, just the thought of how cold it was
outside had her shivering.
One day. One day, I’ll be
able to say goodbye to this job forever. Move to a decent neighborhood. Get a
decent car.
It wasn’t that she
disliked working at the Club. In fact, she enjoyed her position as a female Dom
and, she had to admit, she reveled in having a man on his knees in front of
her. But it wasn’t her forever job. On a very basic level, she suspected
remaining at the Club kept her from moving on emotionally from her difficult
childhood.
And there were times when
she wondered whether her joy in forcing a man to submit was merely her way of
punishing the guy who’d planted his seed in her teenage mother and never came
back.
Her shoulders slumped and
she huddled deeper into her jacket. Enough of this psychoanalysis bullshit .
Who cared what her reasons were? All that mattered was she had a well-paying
job that was funding her plans for the future. And she’d do whatever was
necessary to keep a roof over their heads and give her younger brother the
opportunities she never had. She would keep their little family of two
together. Matty would get a good education. He would have choices and if all
went according to Madeline’s schedule, they’d both be on their way to a new
life. The outcome all hinged on Madeline finishing her degree and keeping her
brother at the prestigious Karim Academy. And most importantly, away from the
possibility of being sucked into the shadowy world inhabited by the gangs that
prowled this end of town.
At the next corner, she
took a hard right then the third turn to the left onto Gerome Street, slowing
as she searched for a parking lot not too far from the Club’s entrance. She
parked several doors down, locked the Chevy, and pulled on a pair of gloves
over her stiff fingers. Duffle in hand, she strode past two bars that thumped
with hard rock and the roar of noisy crowds.
At least the street was
well lit, with old fashioned wrought iron lamp posts. Although situated in the
old section of the city, the area was reasonably affluent with its dark
architecture and narrow windows.
Madeline smirked. No
doubt from all the business the Club threw to the other bars and cafes nearby.
Her heels clattered on
the stone pavement as she approached the Club. Situated on the corner and three
levels high with no windows on the ground level, it dominated its smaller
neighbors with its aura of danger. Or was it the forbidden? There were several
balconies on the upper levels, but all the doors were closed, and the upper
windows curtained.
Madeline eyed the black
door, wondering over the unusual reluctance that suddenly gripped her. Just
another work day. She wiped her clammy hand over the side of her coat before
placing it on the scanner.
There was a click and the
door swung silently open to reveal a large marble-tiled foyer manned by one of
the regular security guys, Ezekiel Harding. Black shades covered his eyes, and
his face remained
Similar Books
