BreakMeIn (3 page)

“Yes, of course. Always has been.” Rick’s chin tilted
defiantly. “Check her files if you don’t believe me.”

She didn’t doubt his word. Both Rick and Aimee had been
members of the club for a long time. Elena had even attended their collaring
ceremony six months ago.

Why did crap like this have to happen when Chaplin was
nowhere to be found?

“She going to be okay?”

Aimee’s breath hitched as her soft cry split the now-quiet
room and she burrowed her head harder against Rick’s chest. “Yeah. I’ve got
her. She just dropped too fast thanks to this jerkwad. She’ll calm down in a
few minutes. If you don’t need us anymore I’m going to take her into a private
area.”

She nodded, grateful the gathered crowd parted for the
couple without hesitation. At least most of these fools knew how to act. Maybe
she’d have to talk to Chaplin about discontinuing Open Door night, especially
because it seemed to be more hassle than it was worth.

As she stepped closer to deal with the offender, she noticed
Tommy had managed to subdue him by lacing the man’s hands behind his head and
using a headlock to keep the man’s head angled down to the floor. The standing
position allowed her to see his clothing was well-made and his shoes were
expensive. Damn rich assholes thinking they could just barge in and take over
with their arrogant attitudes and wads of unlimited funds.

It meant he wasn’t someone who’d just walked in off the
street in order to get some sick thrills. Not as though someone could just walk
in the club even when they opened their doors to the public.

Policies and rules were in place to prevent such a thing.

But it meant he was in need of a serious attitude
adjustment.

Just as she was about to deliver her brand of correction the
scent of champagne filtered into her lungs, sweet and pungent. The smell
brought her up short. The club didn’t serve champagne. She knew, she’d scolded
Chaplin often enough about the fact the club didn’t serve enough high-class
alcohol for its stringent one-drink limit. Surely the scent hadn’t followed her
all the way from the wedding.

She gave the man the once-over again. Not slacks. Tuxedo pants.
High-end, well-polished shoes. The scent of Allison’s favorite champagne.

Not some rich asshole who thought he could waltz in and take
over the club.

Alex.

No point in ignoring him now, as much as she wanted to
pretend he’d just appeared from nowhere. “Let him go, Tommy.” She kept her
voice firm but authoritative. It wouldn’t do to have the situation boil over to
become unmanageable. No reason to create any more of a spectacle tonight or at
least make this one worse.

Tommy snorted and rolled his eyes even as he continued to
struggle with his captive. “I can’t and you damn well know it.”

“I know how things work around here too.”

“Then you also know the rules. Break one and there are
consequences, Elena.”

Upon hearing her name the struggling man froze and a very
surprised Tommy released his hold. Alex’s gaze met hers and she knew by the
confused look he gave her he really didn’t understand. All the more reason she
needed to stand up for him, no one else was sure as hell going to. He started
to open his mouth, but the stern glare she shot his way seemed to communicate
her desire for him to keep silent.

“I’m well aware of the rules, Tommy. I set most of them up
with Chaplin.”

“Then you know he needs to pay the piper.”

Alex seemed to come alive, more confusion darkening his
expression. “What’s he talking about?”

Elena slowly let out a breath to steady herself even as she
crossed her arms in front of her. “You broke club rules. Tommy here is just
reminding me—unnecessarily—of the consequences.”

“How did I—he was hitting her.” Alex pointed to himself
before pointing to where Rick had disappeared into the section of the club
reserved for private scenes. “What the hell was I supposed to do, just stand
there and watch him beat the shit out of her? You know I can’t, Elena.”

“I doubt Rick would have gone so far. And even if he did
it’s none of your business. We have people here to handle this kind of thing.
Since you have no idea what you’re doing, yes, the general idea
is
for
you to just stand there and watch. End of story.”

“I’m not even a member of the club. It’s Open Door night. It’s
not as if the rules are hanging up on the wall somewhere. How do you enforce
something on someone who isn’t a member?”

Elena’s heart sank. No one had explained the rules. Damn
Rocco for letting him through the door. She would have to notify Ian so Rocco
could be properly disciplined. “You should have a sponsor and be versed enough
to know how Open Door night works. You shouldn’t have even been allowed through
the door in the first place because I’m fairly certain I’m the only one here
who knows you and I sure as hell didn’t invite you.”

“But he is here and now must face the consequences,” Tommy
piped in.

“Which are?” Alex tried to spin around, but Tommy blocked
his movement by clamping his hand over his shoulder. It forced him to continue
to stare at Elena. She averted her gaze from his accusatory stare.

“Unimportant as we’re leaving,” Elena interrupted Tommy
before he responded. She needed to get Alex out of here and the faster, the
better.

“Wait, what? Don’t I get a chance to have a say in this?”

“No.” Her impatience with the whole night finally got to her
and she snapped. “And you’d know if you were a member or knew the fucking
rules. Let’s get out of here.”

“Elena.”

“Get your hands off me, Tommy.” She shook off his iron grip
when it clamped around her arm. “I left Gideon on the main stage, Ian is with
him. He’ll need someone to finish or help him get down.”

“Chaplin won’t be pleased.”

“Can’t say I am either. Let’s go, Alex, before I don’t have
a choice anymore.”

“Elena.”

“What, Tommy?” He held is hand out, gesturing toward her.

Elena sighed, knowing exactly what he wanted. A piece of
her. A piece that sometimes felt as though it was an extension of her own body.
Her white flogger seemed to disappear in Tommy’s massive hand. He turned
without a word and vanished into the stunned crowd.

So much for salvaging a sucky night.

“What was that about?” Alex made a grab for her arm, which
she neatly avoided.

“Nothing. I’m leaving. I strongly suggest you do the same
before you find yourself subjected to things you don’t understand or know how
to deal with.” She spun and stalked across the main floor, her heels clicking
loudly against the immaculately polished floor. The guard at the door earned a
scowl as she pushed past him and out into the cold. Early morning air skated
over her bare shoulders and she did her best not to shiver in response.

In her haste she hadn’t taken the time to change out of her
leathers.

Loose gravel crunched under her boots and she stumbled on
the uneven footing. Alex’s hand closed around her upper arm to give her balance.
She focused on her annoyance instead of how damn good his hand felt wrapped
around her arm.

“Damn it, Elena. Tell me what’s going on.”

Violent emotion made her sick to her stomach. If she spoke
the words out loud it would give them validation. It would mean the unthinkable
had really just happened. She reached her car and realized her bag, along with
her keys and wallet, was still stowed in her locker in the club.

Nothing was going right tonight.

Absofuckinglutely nothing.

She leaned against the door, rubbing between her eyebrows.
She toyed with idea of simply waiting him out, but she’d known him long enough
to know he was persistent. “He’ll review the incident with Chaplin and ten to
one I’ll be stripped of my membership and position of seniority, all right? A
good chunk of people will get caught up in the same shitstorm because there has
obviously been some kind of breakdown in communications within the club
hierarchy.”

“You can’t go back?”

She hauled in a slow, deep breath in an effort to steady her
frazzled nerves. “No, I can’t. I’m done for right now until something is worked
out. And knowing Chaplin, he won’t be in any kind of rush to invite me back.
Especially because everyone probably thinks you’re with me and it’s hard to
miss the fact you’re nearly three sheets to the wind.”

The thought terrified her. Not just because of what it meant
for her in regards to the club. So much of what she knew was through those
doors. Sanctuary had proven itself useful when she needed it at times, but the
club would always be the place where she knew she had friends she could count
on. A family when she had none. But also because of the fact Alex had gotten
behind the wheel after more than a few drinks at the wedding. It was
irresponsible and completely out of character.

He was lucky the only trouble he’d caused was inside the
club.

Alex’s expression softened as he smoothed a hand over her
cold shoulder. “Will you at least explain what happened?”

The desperation in his voice couldn’t be missed, annoying
her. He had no right to ask this of her, not right now. No matter how good a
friend he was. “I don’t owe you anything.”

He sighed heavily as she shrugged away his touch. “I can’t
believe I’m going to say this because Patrick said the very same thing to me,
but I’d like to know what I did. Why you refused to do whatever you were
supposed to back there.”

The car shifted as he leaned against the front quarter
panel. Worry had caused frown lines to develop on his forehead and despite the
fact he was more responsible for this than she was, she felt bad about the
whole situation. He’d clearly walked into something that had put him in over
his head and didn’t have a clue how to handle the consequences.

She wasn’t in the mood to pretty up his punishment with
dainty words. “Rule-breakers are dealt with swiftly and efficiently at Element.
They are made an example of to keep others from thinking they can try
something. Public humiliation,” she added when he stared blankly. “You would
have been stripped of your clothing, strapped to whatever element the Dom in
charge decided and forced to face whatever punishment was also decided.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yes.” The stunned note in his voice further added to the
list of reasons why he shouldn’t have been in the club. “The rules are in place
there for a reason and for everyone’s protection.”

“So you would have beaten me?”

“Putting the no-frills treatment on it?” Elena snorted and
shook her head. “It wouldn’t have happened however you’re thinking.” None of it
would. She would have done everything in her power to ensure nothing like he’d
just described happened.

That wasn’t Alex. Most of all, it wasn’t her. She’d always
taken a more elegant approach to her domination than most.

“But that’s the gist of it, isn’t it?” His voice was quiet
as he asked.

“Correct.” She paused for a moment and decided she couldn’t
deal with him right now. Determined to get out of here as quickly as possible,
she pushed away from the car, hefted one of the large rocks on the ground and
lofted it at her driver’s-side window.

The shattering of the safety glass crashed through the quiet
parking lot. Trying not to think about how much the replacement was going to
cost, or the fact she was going to have to figure out some way to get her
personal items back, she yanked open the door, pushed past him and slammed it
shut as she dug in the center console for her spare set of keys.

“Elena, wait.” He dropped to a knee, wrapping his hand
around the edge of the window.

She glared at him until he released the sill. He stood,
shoving his hands into his pockets. Swallowing the frustration swirling through
her, she forced herself to keep her gaze focused on the small sign mounted next
to the club’s front door. She couldn’t look up at him, couldn’t glance into
eyes she knew would break her.

“Go home, Alex. Go home, go to bed, sober up, open the
coffee shop in the morning and forget this ever happened. Forget this place
exists. Forget this
world
exists.”

I know I won’t.

She glanced at her watch while she waited for the elevator.
Another late night in the office. Normally Elena would have been home hours
ago, but the incident with Alex at the club last week still plagued her. She
had hoped burying herself in work would put the night out of her mind, but the
effort seemed to just make matters worse. Her mind was free to wander as it
pleased and she kept questioning why he’d been there in the first place.

Other than the obvious reasons, of course.

An interest in BDSM wasn’t something she would have thought
he’d cultivate. Even though she’d known him for as long as she could remember,
she’d never had a clue. It didn’t change things between them, but it certainly
made her wonder about Alex strung up in her chains.

Damn her imaginative brain.

What she needed was a walk to clear her head and burn off
the stress building in her shoulders. Considering the fact she didn’t have her
usual outlet now thanks to Alex, she had little choice. Especially because she
didn’t have a chosen partner she could take to Sanctuary.

Gideon hadn’t returned a single message she’d sent
apologizing for her fuckup.

He had every right to be angry with her for leaving him as
she had. She should have never abandoned him. She’d always vowed she would
never leave a sub when they were at their most vulnerable and yet she’d done
it.

The incident at the club still saddened her. She would have
never guessed her fallback place would no longer be there if she didn’t want to
be alone or if the warehouse wasn’t available.

She’d worked hard to build a solid reputation at the club. A
task that had taken a number of years, since Domme skills couldn’t be taught
overnight. It had all shattered because of her stubbornness against backing
down. Something her father always told her would get her in trouble.

Seemed as though the old man had been right.

Asshole.

She was frustrated by the thought a past she’d rather not
dwell on. Her heels clicked against the sidewalk as she quickened her pace. The
scent of fresh-roasted coffee permeated the air and she drew up short when she
realized Perfect Shot was just down the block.

She’d avoided Alex and his indulgent coffee. Not as though
he’d taken great strides to contact her in the past week either. With Patrick
and Allison still on their honeymoon Alex was undoubtedly busy with the
business.

Inching closer to the wide panoramic window, she spotted the
man in question behind the counter. He tapped the excess grounds out into a bin
and absently dropped the filter basket into the sink full of soapy water.
Turning back, he poured the dark liquid into a demitasse cup and leaned against
the counter as he sipped.

His face reflected a look of surprise. He was obviously
pleased with whatever mixture he’d come up with. Satisfied, he downed the rest
of the contents and spun to wash the cup. It was then she noticed a slight sway
in his hips.

If she listened carefully enough she heard the beat of U2’s
Sunday
Bloody Sunday
.

Curious, she stepped forward and pressed her hands against
the glass. He moved effortlessly to the beat, perfectly in sync with the rhythm
of the song. His head bopped, his lips moving as he sang the words.

The man couldn’t carry a tune to save his life.

Never stopped him from having a little fun with it. In high
school they’d frequented quite a few karaoke establishments. But late in their
sophomore year of college he said he didn’t have time for their outings
anymore. There were a lot of things he’d turned a cold shoulder to for reasons
only he knew. If her suspicions were correct the reason had Vivian’s name
tattooed all over it in fat, black permanent marker.

The muted sound of glass breaking caught her attention. A
cold knot of dismay formed in her stomach as she watched Alex rinse out beer bottle
after beer bottle before discarding each into the recycle bin just a few feet
away. She counted at least eight before her disgust forced her to stop keeping
score.

Oh Alex, what are you doing to yourself?

Her breath coalesced on the window just as he turned and
their gazes collided.

Elena’s beautiful face came into view as the fog on the
glass vanished. In the few seconds before she realized he’d met her gaze, he
caught a glimpse of her face completely unguarded. One of the gaslights lining
Main Street shined behind her, highlighting all the different shades of red in
her hair to make her appear to be some kind of ethereal angel.

His angel.

He had no right to think of her in such a way. She wasn’t
his and never would be. Not after the little show he’d given at the club last
week.

His gut clenched as he made his way to the front door. This
late at night he hadn’t expected anyone to find him with the music blaring, his
sleeves rolled up with hours to go before the shop opened for the morning rush.
He usually did his best work with the house coffee blends this late at night.
Or that was what he told himself in order to stay out of the house during the
time when he was reminded the most about Vivian.

He flipped the switch off the expensive sound system his new
sister-in-law had purchased for him as a birthday present. He hadn’t talked to
Elena since she’d sped out of the lot, but he also hadn’t made great strides to
contact her either. The scent of her perfume spilled over him as she stepped
past and into the warmth of the store.

“Hey.”

“Working late?”

He flipped the latch on the door to lock them inside. “Seems
as if I’m not the only one. Just fixed up a test batch of decaf, want some?”

She dropped her bag by the small collection of overstuffed
chairs and an aged coffee table. “You mean you want a guinea pig.”

“Well, that too.” Alex laughed tightly as he maneuvered
behind the counter. His fingers trembled as he flipped the espresso machine off
and knelt to look for something under the counter. In truth he simply wanted to
give himself a moment to calm his nerves.

Despite her request he couldn’t forget about what happened
at Element Twenty-Six. Like a fool he’d actually imagined Elena in her white
leather and himself in the role of one of those submissives he’d seen. Even
more of a fool he’d used it as fodder to jack off. The first time in several
years he’d felt enough enthusiasm to take care of himself.

And damn if he hadn’t liked it. A lot.

He was still embarrassed by his reaction to what he’d seen
before he’d hauled off and interrupted. When he’d thought about exploring more,
submitting to a woman was the last thing he would have predicted his brain to
conjure.

Now he couldn’t stop thinking about everything.

It was as though the incident at the club had made his life
even more miserable.

“You look busy, I don’t want to interrupt.”

“Nonsense, I could use the company.” He rummaged around then
stood with a flourish. Pouring the rest of the coffee he’d made evenly into two
mugs, he brought them back to the sitting area.

“So Bono and the band wasn’t enough company?”

He nearly bobbled his mug as he sat down. “Heard me, did
you?”

“Loud and clear.”

“Neighbor upstairs is on vacation with her son and his
family in Florida. Thought I’d take advantage of their absence while I could.”

He studied Elena as she sipped the new mixture. Her eyebrows
lifted as she eyed the contents of the mug. “Very good. Should be a popular
seller with the younger crowd who will just water it down with too much
flavored cream and processed sugar. Been busy this week without Patrick around
to help?”

Alex sipped, picking up a few notes of flavor he hadn’t
noticed before. “To be honest, with all the wedding planning, he wasn’t around
much for the past few weeks anyway. So I can’t say I miss him greatly this
week, or next. Or longer if they decide to stay.”

“Have you talked to them? Found out how things are going?”
Elena crossed her legs as she sat back. Alex desperately tried not to notice
the curve of her calf against the brown leather chair. Tried not to think about
how much he wanted to be on his knees in front of her, licking the tempting
sweep of leg.

Instead he cleared his throat and made himself focus his
gaze on the corner of the table. “I got a text when they landed just to let me
know they’d arrived safely. But this is Patrick and Allison we’re talking about
here. They practically melted the candles during their first kiss as husband
and wife.”

“You’re right. If you do hear anything be sure to scold them
accordingly.”

“Gladly.” The conversation died, the tension between them
finally becoming obvious. Alex shifted forward, setting his mug on the low
table, which he immediately regretted as it gave him nothing to do with his
hands.

The polite thing to do, dimwit, is ask about her.

“What about you? Been doing all right?”

“Decently enough. Busy working on this job. Feel as if my
eyes are going to cross if I spend much more time in front of the computer.”
She set her mug on the table and played with the hem of her pencil skirt,
smoothing over an edge that appeared to have come free from the stitching. When
her nails scraped over her thighs he nearly went to his knees for her right
then.

He was going to make a fucking fool of himself if he didn’t
rein his libido in.

Needing to do something, he blurted out the first thing he
thought of. “I don’t want things between us to be…awkward.”

“Alex, if I didn’t want to see or talk to you I wouldn’t
have come in. We’ve been friends too long to stay mad at each other, I think.”

“Not as though this is our first fight. You remember our
first screaming match?” He smiled at the memory.

“Yes. In fourth grade. Right after I moved to Gatlin Falls.”
She sniffed, lifting her chin. “You and your friends were sitting around
outside during recess. When I asked if I could join in, you said I needed to go
play house with all the other little girls. Told me because I wore a skirt I
wasn’t allowed to play with Transformer action figures.”

“To which you retaliated by gluing all their joints with
Super Glue. Ruined every single one of them.” A wicked smile curved up the
edges of her mouth as her eyes sparked in the light. “Let me start this out by saying
I’m sorry. Again. I didn’t mean for my actions to affect you. You have to know
I would have never done anything like that intentionally.”

“Yes, I do know. But why were you there, Alex?”

“Seems obvious enough.”

“I mean really. Why were you really there?”

“I have questions. I thought I could find answers.”

“You may have found some of those answers if you’d followed
a few protocols and hadn’t decided Aimee needed saving from her Big Bad Dom.”

He winced. “It was a gut reaction. I watched Mom and Patrick
get slapped around for years. I could take the hits, but it tore a piece of my
soul each time I saw my father do it. By the time he attacked Patrick out on
the lawn and nearly tore off his arm there was nothing left inside me. I didn’t
even care when they carted his ass off to jail. Took a long time to get over.
Given my actions at the club, maybe I’m not as over it as I thought I was. How
is she?”

“Rick and I have been friends for a while. Before he ever
starting coming to the club. I called him the next night to offer my own
apologies and check on Aimee. Rick is a very competent and capable Dom so it
isn’t as though I ever doubted his ability to handle a freaked-out sub. They’re
both fine. Though annoyed they didn’t get the satisfaction of seeing any type
of punishment carried out.” Folding her hands in front of her, she sighed. “I
wished you’d talked to Patrick a little more before going. Deciding you want to
know more about BDSM is one thing, following through is something else
entirely.”

“He was busy with the wedding. I didn’t want to bother him
with my problems.”

Her red hair brushed her shoulders as she shook her head. “Doesn’t
matter. You’re family. You and I both know he would have taken the time for you
no matter what. We both also know you’ve been going through a lot lately and we’ve
offered more than our fair share of shoulders to lean on. You just have to take
a step too and recognize hands are being extended to you in offering.”

“All right.” Seeing his opportunity, he dove in. “I have a
favor to ask.”

“I can’t get you a membership to the club, Alex. Not now.
Chaplin wouldn’t even consider it.”

“I understand. At least I think I do.” He blew out a breath
to steel himself for what he was about to do. For the possibility of what kind
of adventures would lie ahead of him if she agreed to his crazy scheme. “Can
you…show me?”

A small crease formed between her eyebrows as she frowned. “Show
you what?”

“What you do.”

Her formidable gaze held his for a few minutes before she
shifted in the chair. “I design expensive buildings for people who have more
money than they know how to count. You know that. You used to listen to me
bitch about my professors enough at the university during all my architecture
classes.”

“I didn’t mean your buildings.”

“I know you didn’t.” She moved to pick up the bag she’d
dropped earlier, rustling through it in search of something. As he started to
clarify even further she pulled a slip of paper from her bag and handed it to
him. “Are you coming to Genevieve and Tony’s engagement party on Saturday night?”

Talk about the not-so-subtle brush off. Gauging the abrupt
shift in her attitude, he knew he wasn’t going to get anywhere with his request
if he persisted right now. Not as though he really blamed her after the way he’d
acted. He probably would have given himself the cold shoulder. “Young,
impetuous love.”

“I hear they’re going to honeymoon in Ireland. Genevieve
will finally get to meet the rest of the Fitzgerald clan.”