Excitement filled her veins.

“The minute he leaves, give me a call. I’m certain he’ll check my whereabouts before he dares to depart.” She snorted. “He’s worse than Father’s guard dogs.”

Khalid chuckled knowingly.

“I’ll be certain to let you know,” he promised. “Dress pretty for us though, it’s not often we’re blessed with such lovely company. And it may well come in handy when Ian finds you here. He’s partial, I believe, to the sight of that little belly ring.”

Evidently, he wasn’t the only one.

“I’ll be certain to dress appropriately.”

She disconnected the phone before rushing up the stairs, determined to make the best of this opportunity that had fallen her way. Ian had kept the Club completely out of bounds to her since he had taken her to his bed. Come to think of it, he had kept any sort of temptation into the darker side of his passions far out of her reach.

That darker side was what had drawn her to him as she matured. The infatuation of childhood had grown, strengthened, as had her assurance that Ian could meet the darker side of her own hungers. The ones that tormented her in the dead of night, even as she slept in his arms.

She loved him, regardless of his attempt to hold back. If she had thought for a moment he was doing so because that need wasn’t a part of their relationship then she would have let it go from the beginning. But she could feel it. She always had. As though a part of her soul was connected to his, binding them, fueling the sexuality and the hunger. And those darker urges were a part of it.

“Some men and women are born with deeper hungers, with a need to explore all facets of their sexuality,” her mother had explained when Courtney had gone to her, questioning the needs that tormented her, despite her innocence. “When the time is right, when you’ve found the man you can trust with that intimacy, Courtney, then the pleasure and that sharing is something that has no shame, no limits, and no second thoughts. But only if it’s right for you, and for him…”

There was no shame, no limits, no second thoughts. She would be more than willing to allow Ian to guide her through the learning process, to help her navigate the needs that tormented her.

And she knew he would relish the job. She could see it in his eyes, feel it in his touch. He grew more aroused with the thought of it, and each time he used the toys to play out the fantasies that tormented them both, the tension went higher as he grew more aroused.

After slamming the bedroom door behind her, she strode quickly to the closet and pulled out the outfit she had bought with this night in mind. The skirt was incredibly short, snug and indecent fiery-red. Red looked good on her.

The top was a button-up, vest-type that left her belly button bare and would allow the emerald to wink suggestively as the light hit the emerald that dangled from its tiny gold ring.

She stripped to bare skin as she rushed to the shower. She lathered, shaved, rinsed, dried and lotioned every part of her body until it shimmered with life. Her hair was pulled to the side and braided loosely, the nearly black strands a stark contrast for the red outfit.

Then she dressed.

Matching thong, no bra. She pulled on the skirt, adjusting the snug material at her hips and again just below her ass. The vest ended way above her belly button, flashing an indecent amount of flesh between the two, then she pushed her feet into matching spiked heels seconds before her cell phone beeped demandingly.

Checking the incoming number, she flipped the receiver open before bringing it to her ear.

“Your timing is perfect.” She smiled as Khalid’s light chuckle came through the line.

“I’ll be waiting you at the doors, dearest,” he informed her smoothly. “My best guess is, we have perhaps an hour before Ian returns home and finds out where you are. Are you certain you’re prepared for the consequences?”

She rolled her eyes. That wasn’t even worth answering.

She disconnected, tossed the phone to the bed and moved quickly for her door once again. If she could have skipped in the slender heels, she would have. This was it. She could feel it burning through her body. Ian was already strung as tightly as her father’s guitar strings, all it would take was a nudge to push him over.

She knew she should feel guilty for manipulating him so. That she should fear the repercussions, and in many ways, she did. But she knew Ian. To the very bottom of her soul she knew him. If she allowed him to continue as he was, he would only convince himself further that she couldn’t possibly know what love was, and that there was no chance she could handle his appetites.

He was so stubborn. So certain that she needed to be protected. It wasn’t his protection she needed, it was his love. His acceptance.

Shaking her head, she slipped along the foyer until she came to the inner door that led to The Club. Opening it carefully, she moved into the dimly lit hall and made her way to the door that Ian had ordered be kept securely locked against her.

She turned the doorknob carefully, excitement surging through her as she opened the door.

“Ian will no doubt punish you terribly for this,” Khalid drawled from where he was leaning against the wall beside the doorway. “I can only hope he allows me to help.” His gaze became brooding. “I’m going to enjoy paddling your ass, Courtney.”

She flashed him a brilliant smile, her hand lifting to play with the braid that fell over her shoulder, affecting an innocent expression despite the sexual intensity thrumming through her.

“Should I call you ‘Uncle’, too?”

She almost laughed at the glazed, sexual intensity that filled his eyes. Sometimes, men could be so simple.

“You are wickedly shameless,” he finally sighed with a wry expression. “Every man’s greatest fantasy and worst nightmare. Beware, Courtney, bad girls often get spanked.”

“Hmm, spank me, Uncle Khalid?” She laughed as he shook his head at her, though his eyes gleamed with amusement.

“Come along, vixen.” He placed his hand against the bare flesh of her back and guided her to the open doors of The Club. “I have purchased the finest bottle of whisky that Ian stocks, and I promise Thom will keep you in ice until Ian arrives.”

From the sound of his voice, he was eagerly awaiting Ian’s arrival. But then again, so was she.

They entered the main room of The Club as nearly a dozen pairs of eyes turned and looked their way. Surprisingly enough, there was another woman present, one Courtney knew quite well.

“Courtney Mattlaw, your father would have a stroke.” Alyssa Hampstead came to her feet as Khalid led her to the table. “I heard you were staying with Ian, but didn’t believe it.”

“Hello, Alyssa.” Courtney smiled widely. “And don’t mention Daddy. If he would have a stroke, then yours would self-detonate. I had no idea you were a member here.” Better yet, how was she a member?

“Have a seat, ladies.” Khalid pulled Courtney’s chair from the table as she took her seat before moving to assist Alyssa similarly. “I’ll get the drinks and join you momentarily.”

He turned from them as Alyssa’s eyes followed him with a touch of heat.

“He’s a wild man,” she sighed. “But quite charming.”

“What on earth are you doing here?” Courtney couldn’t believe a woman had actually made it into Ian’s sacred Club as a member. “How did you manage it?”

Cool blue eyes turned to regard her thoughtfully.

Alyssa was often referred to an “ice princess” with her steely eyes and soft ash blonde hair. She was from one of the most upstanding prudish families Courtney had ever known. Her family was old money, staid, conventional, and her father would likely murder her himself if he ever learned she was taking it up the butt by a man, let alone at the same time she was getting it elsewhere.

“Several of The Club members are very good friends.” The other woman shrugged. “They applied for my membership and vouched for me personally. It beat taking the chance of Father learning my little hobby.”

There was no bitterness in her voice, nor truly any anger, but Courtney now, as always, felt a measure of respect for her. She lived her life under a microscope at times, just as Kimberly Raddington had. A cherished daughter and heiress, the head of several charitable organizations, and often approached as a spokeswoman for those organizations.

Courtney had always admired her for her work, the warmth that she showed to only a few people, and her family loyalty. Now, she found, she had much more to admire the woman for.

“Your drinks, ladies.” Khalid sat a small glass of whisky and ice in front of her, a rum and coke in front of Alyssa. “I understand Ian is currently on his way home from a meeting he left in the middle of.” He was amused to no end. “Enjoy it while you can.”

Courtney sighed as she lifted the glass to her lips.

“He hasn’t shared you yet.” They both watched as Khalid took his seat across from them.

“No.” Her lips twisted in a grimace. “He wants to…” She shrugged.

How was she going to push him into anything? She was here, but just being here wasn’t going to be enough.

“Courtney hasn’t found the right button to push yet,” Khalid informed her.

“I’m wondering if he has one,” she snorted in a purely ladylike way.

“I gather she hasn’t yet tripped onto Ian’s sole nonparticipation kink?” Alyssa chuckled knowingly as she watched Courtney now with a suggestive look.

“I think not,” Khalid murmured. “Ian would never give her such power.”

“I am here,” Courtney announced with a frown. “There’s no reason to talk over me.”

“Tell me, Courtney, how adventurous are you?” Alyssa reminded her now of a playful little cat. Her nose wrinkled engagingly, her eyes filling with laughter and fun. This was a side of Alyssa that a rare few were allowed to see.

“I’m not adventurous at all, Alyssa.” She allowed her lips to curl with confidence. “I am, quite simply, without limits. What about you?”

She heard Khalid’s rapid intake of breath and managed to hold her own as Alyssa reached out, running her fingers over the soft rise of her breasts. There was no arousal, but the feeling was pleasant. It wasn’t an unknown touch.

“Ian’s private, hidden little kink is only known to a few of us,” Alyssa whispered as she watched her thoughtfully. “For some reason, Ian has always taken pleasure in seeing his woman stroked by another.”

Courtney felt the flare of excitement then. It made sense. A lot of sense. All the times she had watched Ian with her maids, there had always been another woman present. She hadn’t questioned it, had really not thought of it, as the extra woman had been quiet, as though waiting her turn. Perhaps she had instead, already had her turn.

It wasn’t an act Courtney was unfamiliar with, but it wasn’t a preference either. Then again, she had no preference outside of Ian.

“You’ve seen him enjoy this?” She turned to Khalid, uncertain how to proceed. Though most enjoyed the sight of two women together, they didn’t enjoy seeing their woman with another.

“I have.” He nodded. “It’s one of the few things Ian keeps as quiet as possible. But, it’s the only reason he gave Alyssa membership. She enjoys tormenting men in such a fashion.” His lifted his drink in acknowledgement to her.

Alyssa chuckled.

“I have very rarely fully made love to a woman.” She shrugged, lifting her hand back from the flushed rise of Courtney’s breast. “But I do so love watching how they go insane from very simple acts. They are, at heart, charmingly weak in that area.”

If Khalid’s arousal was anything to go by, this was largely the truth.

Courtney bit her lip thoughtfully. Did she dare push him that hard? Well, of course she dared. She would dare most things. But what were the chances of success?