Strung Out (Needles and Pins #1) (10 page)

“A different name?” The woman suggested, and Gage’s fingers wrapped around my wrist, staying my instinctive reach for my phone and its pictures.

Instead, he described Ivy by her long blonde hair, and again, senator woman shook her head.

“Let me get you a catalog, and I’m sure you’ll find someone who interests you.”

Across the room, one of the girls who had passed earlier seemed more than curiously attentive. She knew something and was deciding whether to approach us. I could feel it, and I nudged Gage.

Returning, the woman in charge was about to hand over an electronic tablet to Gage when she pulled up short. “Oh.” She followed the direction of our eyes. “Have you made up your mind then?”

I had been about to rush over to the girl with questions but stopped when Gage nodded in that direction and replied, “Her.”

Remembering the party a couple of days ago when I’d been so far out of my element, I deferred to what he was doing. Which I supposed was getting the girl alone.

“I apologize. This should have come up when your reservation was made, but your credit card is expired. It won’t take but a moment to update that information.”

My stomach heaved while I watched him swipe his card into the electronic tablet. Expired implied he’d been here before.
People really did this sort of thing? This was normal?
But I knew the answer. Gage had told me there were a few of these places in L.A. listed in the yellow pages. And many more discreet ones such as this were scattered around. This particular one was popular with celebrities.

The young woman was nodded over, and she smiled, putting out her hand when the introductions were made—again, as if this were a social event. Gage introduced himself as Matt and me as Lektra. The young woman introduced herself as Selina.

The room was only a short way down a hall. Selina closed us inside and motioned toward a sitting area and a table of snacks. Candles and sconces softened the ambiance. Still, it was hard to make a room such as this inviting.

A gurney resembling an examining table was in the corner. A rolling caddy of what appeared to be medical paraphernalia was close by. There was a large rack in the shape of an X against one wall, and what looked like a sawhorse—but it was short and covered with leather. Realizing it was a spanking bench when I spied the assortment of paddles and flogs hanging on the wall next to it, I ripped my eyes away.

What was Gage’s plan here?

“So anything you want to share?” Selina smiled, passing the tray of crackers and spread. “You’ve been a member for a while, but haven’t visited. I’d love to get to know your likes and dislikes before we begin.”

Gage shifted in his chair, and for the first time, I felt an insecure vibe from him. One of his hands went up, forking through his hair, and he pulled his cap tighter on his head. His nervous gesture, for as long as I could remember.

When he cleared his throat but remained silent, Selina put the untouched tray down and leaned forward, propping her elbows on her bare knees. I took in the shredded black hose, the high heels, and the short leather shorts. A chain was threaded into the belt loops. Her lacey lingerie was visible beneath a black leather vest, and two ponytails clipped her hair on each side of her head. I knew I’d been staring too long, so I didn’t count the piercings on the woman’s face.

“You mentioned wax in your phone interview. Will it be your first time?”

Wax. Like waxing? A Brazilian wax? My mind went wild.

“Yeah. My first time. That’s why I was hoping Ivy would be here. I know of her. And… a friend told me she’d be here.”

Good. Gage was steering the conversation.

“No, Ivy has never worked here.” Selina divulged.

“Do you know of her though?”

“I think I do know who you’re speaking of.”

I straightened in my chair and focused on Selina. But the other woman stood. “Will both of you be participating?”

“No!” Gage pulled at his hair again. “She… she wants to watch.”

“Very well, then.” Selina took his hand. I felt my eyes grow wide. I wanted to leap out of my chair and stand between Gage and this leather clad dominatrix-looking being. But Selina had admitted to knowing something about Ivy. Why wouldn’t she just spit it out?

“I wanted to watch Ivy.” Even though Gage had asked me to let him do the talking, I rushed the words out in a panic. “Where is Ivy exactly?”

“She doesn’t work here. Like I said. Or anywhere like this as far as I know.” Selina tugged Gage toward a chair I hadn’t seen before. The seat was split, and I saw Gage’s Adam’s apple convulse. “You want to get more comfortable? There’s a changing area.” With a sweep of her arm, she indicated a screen in the corner. “There are robes and other clothing if you didn’t bring your own.”

“No, I’m fine.” Gage’s voice seemed strangled.

“Well, at least allow me to take your shirt.”

Gage hesitated then pulled the fabric over his head, shouldering around Selina’s outstretched hand to drop his black tee shirt onto my lap.

“Now get comfortable. Any music you prefer?” Selina asked as Gage took a seat. His face had taken on an ashen cast, noticeable even in the dim room.

“No music.”

“Sure? Okay” She knelt beside him and with a twist of her wrist, the back of the chair reclined. Gage popped up into a seated position, defying the back now angled like a recliner. “Now, now. I may need to tie you down…” Selina ran her fingers over a rope and some zip ties before turning with arched brows and then quickly flinched at the darkness in Gage’s gaze.

“There will be no restraints.” His voice transitioned from the nervous almost-squeak it had been before, to a king-like dictator tone.

“I know this is your first time, but I think in time, you’ll find you’re a Dom,” Selina told him and turned her head enough to wink at me.

Her ponytails swished as she walked over to the side and spent a few seconds at a countertop preparing something. There was a clink of glass. The smell of matches. And then she turned back to me. “Now about you. You want to watch from the cage?”

My gaze darted toward the specified area, finding both a metal cage tall enough to stand in, and one that could only be suited for someone on all fours.

“She doesn’t,” Gage interjected. “She’s into voyeurism. Nothing else.”

Ivy. Just get back to Ivy. What the hell?

I determined to gain control of the situation quickly raging out of control. What I wasn’t certain of was why Gage wasn’t insisting on answers now. Why was he going through this charade? Did he want to? “Could I ask you—”

“No. No questions unless it is about the scene here. Later, afterward, we can talk. Did you get a copy of the rules?”

“The rules?”

“That’s what I thought. Bad. Very bad. Into the cage you go.”

“No! I—”

“She’s not going in the cage. I told you. This isn’t her thing. She’s here to watch.”

Selina indicated the dressing area screen, which had shuttered slats. “Behind there.” The woman had semi-transformed from a sweet hostess into dominatrix mode.

I hesitated and then with a wary look at the cage, hustled behind the screen.

Stationing herself behind Gage, Selina poured oil into her gloved hands and massaged it down Gage’s chest. I saw one of his hands clenched to the side of the chair, and it never relaxed despite being treated to what looked like a sensuous massage.

Next, Selina chose a candle, and with a purse of her lips, blew out the flame. “Close your eyes?” But I saw Gage’s eyelids remained guardedly open. The candle tipped over his chest, and he flinched as the wax hit. Since he wasn’t reclined all the way, it began to drip down. From my viewpoint, I couldn’t tell if it stopped before the waistband of his jeans.

Selina chose another candle, blew it out, and repeated the process. This time Gage’s flinch was less noticeable. After she set that candle aside, she continued to stand between his legs. “Would you want to undo your zipper?”

“No. I’m fine.”

The sulfur smell of another snuffed out candle wafted through the screen, and this time after tipping it, Selina used a brush to smear the wax. Gage’s fingers tightened so much his knuckles were white in the remaining candlelight. And suddenly, I had enough.

“Forget it.” I rounded the screen and thrust Gage’s shirt at him, unwilling to have him go through this for me. “Forget Ivy. This may be another dead end. This isn’t her scene. I’m not sure who told you she worked here or why.”

Gage sat up and seemed happy to have his clothing back. He pulled it on over the wax.

Selina dropped the character charade and ground her bottom lip between her teeth. “Is Ivy your friend then?”

“I lost touch with her when she came to L.A. and I’m worried. She disappeared after meeting…” I threw Gage a glance. “Some sketchy people. This is her.” I thrust the picture at the other woman.

Selina looked away and seemed to consider. “Yeah. I know that girl. She didn’t work here though, you’re right. But she did go by Ivy. And she arrived sometimes with a gentleman. She was a watcher like you. But sometimes she’d hang out in the common room and talk while he had his session.”

Finally!
My heart pounded. Gage stood and bolted closer. He seemed as excited as I was.

“Any idea where we can find her?”

“No.” Selina had removed supplies from a cabinet, and she wiped down the chair.

“Who was the man?”

“I can’t tell you that.” She turned her back and boxed up the candles. “But your friend seemed fine.”

“I’ve come all the way from—a long way. I really want to see her. To know everything is okay with her.”

“I can see you out now.”

“She’s like a sister to me. We’ve known each other since middle school.”

Selina’s shoulders sagged in defeat, and she spoke without turning around. “Leave me your number and I’ll give it to her if she comes back. That’s all I can do. And please don’t say anything to anyone about this.”

L
ess than a quarter of an hour later, Gage pulled his car into a narrow dirt trail and cut the engine in a clearing.

“Shit. It’s like being on the top of the world.” Scarlette exited the passenger side when he did and they met in front of the hood. Her chest rose as she inhaled the night air, seeming as glad as he was to be away from the odd atmosphere inside the car after they’d practically run out of the house on Outpost.

The city lay below, illuminated in majestic glory.

“Yeah. I looked at this lot. Almost built on it. But ended up buying the place I have instead.” The plastic in his hand glinted in the pale moonlight. Five clicks away from a calming breath. He was prepared to ignore any of the censorious looks she normally cast him. He almost dropped it in surprise when she reached for it. Mesmerized as she held the button down and put it to her lips, he said, “I couldn’t go home just yet. I need to wind down. That was… That was… It was…”

“I have no words either.” She spoke in a fog and then passed it back to him. “Wax?”

“It seemed like it might be tame compared to the other stuff I chose from when I made a reservation. I was hoping to get what we needed without all that, but I had to make a safe choice in case… In case it went the way it did.”

“You shouldn’t have gone that far. We should have walked out.”

“She knew something. I felt like we were so close. But she wasn’t going to just begin gossiping. The place is discreet. I’m sure her job is at risk if she talks. I knew she’d get comfortable enough with us if we played along.”

“You weren’t comfortable with it though. And I didn’t want you to go through that. I couldn’t watch any more. I couldn’t know you were doing that for me.”

I’d do anything for you Scar
. In that second, he knew it was true. Felt a surge of protectiveness he hadn’t felt since they were young. He considered voicing the inner musing, but she let out a broken sigh with her next exhale.

“I thought it would be easier than this to find her. I thought I could track her down in a week, max.”

“You can stay as long as you want. We’ll find her.”

“I know. Thanks. And I hope we do, but I’ve got to get registered and retake some of my classes in the summer semester.” Here she frowned and rushed, “I mean, a few of the courses I need are only offered in fall and have prerequisites. So if I’m going to stay on track to graduate in a year, I need the summer.”

“You’re graduating already?” he asked, and when she nodded, he skimmed through their conversation at the Rainbow. “Naturalistic medicine?”

Nodding, she explained more about the field and requirements even after graduation. When she dwindled, he zeroed in on the word she had let slip earlier.

“What do you mean ‘retake?’”

Again, he saw the nervous dart of her eyes, but he blamed it on her uncharacteristic high state.

“There was an issue this semester. A financial mix up. Around the same time, this shit with Ivy happened, so I didn’t try too hard to fix it. I left. But it’s no biggie. I’ll make it up, and then I’m only a couple of semesters and a thesis away from my masters.”

When he asked, she explained a thesis was a research paper required for a master’s degree. Impressed, he took a moment to study the way the moonlight lit and shadowed her features. “I bet your mom’s proud of you.”