Laila's Lies Read online

  His eyes flashed in surprise for a moment. If she hadn’t been so focused on his face she would have missed it.

  “Sure, on Main Street, right next to city hall.”

  She leaned in close and for some reason he did the same. “Is there another library? The first one isn’t exactly…what I was looking for.”

  He leaned his head to the side, studying her. His eyes narrowed and he opened his mouth. To tell her it existed, to tell her she was barking up the wrong tree or to tell her he had no idea what she was talking about, she didn’t know.

  “You made it,” came from two feet away.

  Laila jumped, feeling as if she’d been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. Jenna took the last couple steps toward her, giving her a quick squeeze. Laila grinned, unable to help herself. She was also really glad for the interruption.

  As soon as she released her, Jenna hopped up onto the bar on her elbows to give Douglas a smacking kiss on the cheek. She moved back off the bar, looking like a Playboy Bunny the whole time in her tight purple T-shirt, jeans and black stiletto heels. “Hi, handsome. Where are the other two of the Three Musketeers?”

  “They’ll be in any minute. I texted and told them we were busy, so they needed to beat feet over here.”

  “It’s crazy busy tonight. That’s why we’re late.” Jenna took her hand and gave it a squeeze. “So sorry you had to wait on us. Hopefully Douglas here’s been taking good care of you?” Her eyebrows shot up and Laila couldn’t help but chuckle at her bubbly enthusiasm.

  “He’s been very cordial.”

  “Cordial? Damn, I must be losing my edge.”

  “Well, you’ll have to do better next time because she’s ours now. Come join us, we have a surprise for you. Toodles,” she added with a finger wave in Douglas’ direction.

  He just shook his head and focused on Laila again.

  She was there because the girls had asked her to come. She wouldn’t call them friends. Even though, deep down, that’s precisely what she wanted.

  It was all supposed to be cut-and-dry. She got her story, she blew The Library cover out of the water, she got her promotion and she was gone before the magazine even hit the newsstands.

  Them asking her there was exactly what she’d been hoping for but anxiety made her stomach roll again. Who else would be more apt to know about a sex club than the beautiful ladies who owned the sex stores?

  Laila didn’t bolt, nipping at Jenna’s heels like she wanted to in order to get away from tall, muscled and sexy behind the bar. He was much too observant and every muscle in her body screamed for her to run because he threatened her sanity.

  Instead she slid off the stool, straightened her pin-striped skirt, took her drink, grabbed her purse, gave him a tiny smile and strode away. As if she didn’t have a care in the world…

  But she could feel his eyes on her. Her shoulders, her waist, her thighs and the tingly apex between her legs. She shouldn’t look back, she knew it, but she couldn’t help herself. She glanced over her shoulder and stopped dead in her tracks on the outer edge of the dance floor.

  He no longer stood alone.

  Two other men, the other two owners from the looks of them behind the bar, stood with him. They all wore the same black T-shirt and her mouth watered wondering what secrets lay beneath the cotton material.

  On the left, a dusty-blond haired guy stood a bit taller than Douglas, his arms crossed over his chest. On the other side a man stood close, sporting a deep tan and dark brown hair with salt and pepper sprinkled at the edges. A sexy smirk twisted his lips and her panties got wet.

  Douglas spoke to both of them, moving lips she’d be dreaming about in several hours if she were real lucky.

  But all three were focused on her. Solely and utterly locked on, like she’d never felt before. The sudden urge to lower her gaze and herself to the floor nearly overwhelmed her.

  A couple dancing moved a bit too close and the woman elbowed Laila.

  “I’m so sorry. I keep telling my husband I have two left feet. Guess I’m going to have to add elbows to the list.”

  Laila smiled, more grateful to the woman for breaking her concentration than she cared to admit. “My fault. I shouldn’t be here anyways.”

  The words rang truer than the current situation dictated.

  She shook her head, squared her shoulders and moved across the floor, making her way to the four ladies getting comfortable in a booth big enough for all of them. Self-preservation kicked in something fierce as she moved away.

  She refused to glance at the men behind the counter across the room again. Her head needed to be on straight. Giving in to lust wasn’t going to get her anywhere she wanted to be.

  Too bad everything south of her waist screamed at her to go back to them, or run.

  Chapter Two

  It didn’t take more than fifteen steps to reach the girls’ table, but she almost bumped into two more couples and tripped over the leg of a chair that wasn’t even in the way.

  Talk about feeling like a dumbass.

  They all grinned at her, probably knowing full well exactly why she was jumpy and out of breath. So much for keeping her nerves under wraps.

  She slid into the booth next to Haleigh, the owner of the photography studio. “I see you’ve met the new owners. At least Douglas, from what Jenna told us.”

  “They’re, umm…intense.”

  “You have no idea,” Jenna added with a wink.

  Everyone else giggled while she tried to convince her heart it wasn’t going to explode. She let the last comment evaporate since a waitress came up and took the girls’ orders. Thankfully none of them ordered anything with the word “orgasm” in it. Simply hearing the word out loud again would probably send her into the throes of one. Laila declined anything else to drink, since she still had part of a beer left and that was more than plenty for her slight build.

  She didn’t have time to daydream about the three lickable men across the room…whom she wasn’t going to look at again…totally not.

  One quick glance proved her instincts were still intact. All three hadn’t taken their eyes from her.

  Cyn looked at her, pushing a card across the table. She was a beautiful blonde, young, in her late twenties or early thirties. But she had an old soul. Her eyes revealed struggles well beyond the years shown on her face. “We asked you to come tonight because we know it’s your birthday.”

  A groan escaped her lips before she could call it back. “What is it? An application for AARP? Dentures, maybe?”

  Haleigh, the other pretty blonde, sat next to her with a sweet smile. She clutched her hand, which she’d balled up in her lap. “You aren’t old, Laila. Far from it.”

  She couldn’t help but kick up an eyebrow in her direction. “I’m fifty-one. I’m more than a half a century old. Ugh… Could have done without saying it out loud.”

  Cyn nudged the envelope closer to her. “We’ve got something that’s going to cheer you up.”

  “And blow your fucking mind,” Skye, the redheaded artist, added under her breath with an eyebrow waggle.

  A collective wistful sigh moved within the group. It was infectious and she almost moaned with them.

  Thankfully the waitress chose that moment to deliver the drinks.

  Music played continuously throughout the space, lulling her into a companionable break in conversation while the women all tasted their adult beverages. A round of “Mmmmmm” broke out across the table and Laila took a drink of her Shiner. More to have something to do with her hands and mouth than really wanting any more of the alcohol.

  “Bet you ladies don’t get much time off with the new businesses just starting off.”

  Jenna set her drink down and shrugged. “We work but we play hard too.” She winked at her, making her think of an angel with a set of horns.

  Cyn nudged the card closer with one finger. “Come on, I’ve been dying for two days since I finished it. Open it. I can’t stand the suspense anymore.” />
  She had mentioned in passing about having a troubled past, but Laila wouldn’t have noticed it given how outgoing and open she was.

  Her enthusiasm was contagious, so Laila smiled and reached for the card. She opened it, expecting a laughing monkey or a baby freaked out by the number of birthday candles on a cake.

  Elation and fear flooded her bloodstream as she stared at the contents of the envelope.

  A temporary guest membership to The Library.

  A pristine white card that felt like leather sat between her fingertips. Entrance into what was rumored to be one of the most exclusive and raciest sex clubs was now within her reach.

  Her hand shook and she had a hard time swallowing.

  It was what she’d been waiting on, hoping for, but had no guarantee of ever receiving.

  She should have been thrilled but terrified was as far as she could get.

  Heat crept up her face and she glanced around the table at the women, who all watched her. Looks from excitement all the way to smug satisfaction lit their faces.

  She tucked the white card with her name on it—well, the fake name she’d given them and that was on her credit cards—back into the envelope. She silently placed it back on the table like it was going to bite her and pulled her hands back into her lap. “What is this?”

  The girls all looked at one another and nodded toward Cyn. She faced her and took a moment before she spoke. “It’s an invitation for you and you alone.”

  “For what?”

  “A chance and a place for you to find yourself. Several secure floors filled with people who understand who you are and what you need.”

  “What I need? As in…” She looked around to make sure no one was listening before she continued. “Sex?”

  They all nodded but Laila could tell it was much more based on their expressions.

  “Sex, definitely sex,” Jenna agreed. “But that’s only a tiny piece of it. You get to find who you are and what you need to be happy in your own skin. Pain, service, leather, rope, marks…submission.” She stopped and looked up at her. Through her.

  “But how do you know where to start? I’ve looked at stuff on the internet and most of it scares the shit out of me. How do you get past the fear?”

  Cyn smiled across the table. “First, you find a group of friends who are kinky and willing to be your tour guides.”

  All four women sitting with her waved at her and she smiled. Then her bravado turned to scared rabbit as she covered her face and shook her head, not knowing what to say.

  Haleigh tugged her hands down, not letting her hide. “And you look around and see what intrigues you.”

  “What excites you,” Jenna added. “And before you go, you need to realize something. Anything goes.”

  “Anything?” Laila asked so low the girls probably had to read her lips.

  “Anything.”

  She wanted that white card because it was the key to a promotion, financial freedom and the ability to pat herself on the back for a job well done.

  She needed the white card because every word they said spoke to her. Not to the woman she’d always thought she was but to the woman she actually was inside. Deep down, where she’d chained her, binding her so tightly she couldn’t move or breathe. How she hadn’t strangled long ago, Laila had no idea.

  The invitation was the equivalent to a carrot dangling in front of her, within her reach. But at what price?

  “You may not know how badly you need this, Laila, but we know.” Skye motioned to the women around the table and they all nodded. They weren’t being flippant or snide or funny. They were all dead serious.

  Seeing their honest faces made her panic. “Can’t.”

  “Why not?” Jenna asked.

  Lame excuses tumbled out of her mouth with no breath in between. “No date, no clothes to wear, no time.”

  Haleigh countered the first problem. “We already have a date in mind for you.”

  Jenna snorted. “And clothes? Girl, you apparently don’t know me at all.”

  “And as for time?” Haleigh continued. “Make some.”

  “I don’t want to make a fool of myself.” There. That was a big part of the truth.

  “They won’t let you.”

  “They?” It came out as a high-pitched wisp of air. Laila started to sweat, wanted to squirm or hump the booth, so she sat up straighter and perfectly still. Surely Cyn hadn’t meant—

  “They.” Cyn said it again but didn’t elaborate. A mental image of the bartender and his buddies popped into her head but she shook it off.

  Skye pushed the card back toward her. “You need this, Laila. I don’t know if I’ve ever met anyone who needs it more.”

  “And she should know,” Jenna added. “She fought me for years that she was submissive.”

  Skye took the card out of the envelope and held it between her palms. Warming it?

  After a few seconds she held the card out to Laila again. She took it, staring at the front. Which end of the whip do you desire? had appeared below her name.

  Cyn leaned in close and nodded at the additional line. “All of the temp cards are dynamic neutral.”

  Laila raised her eyebrows. Words failed her but thankfully Cyn got the message.

  “We don’t want to assume you’re a submissive, even if that’s what we think you are. Especially for new people to the lifestyle who aren’t certain if they’re a Master, a little, a switch or a submissive. So we make them dynamic neutral until you know how you identify and decide to apply as a full member. It’s good for two weeks from the first time you use it.”

  Laila flipped the card over. If found, return to Cyn, Jenna, Haleigh or Skye.

  “All of your names are here. But…” Her voice failed her as emotion took hold.

  Haleigh squeezed her thigh. “All four of us nominated you. We’re all invested in helping you find yourself. Kind of like sisters.”

  Not only had one of them believed in her, all of them had. What was she supposed to do with that kind of faith?

  Jenna laughed a bit too loud and covered her mouth, looking around to make sure the sounds of the bar had drowned out her guffaw. “We even came up with an acronym for the five of us. Sisters In Kink. S.I.K. You get it?”

  Laila couldn’t help but smile and she sniffed, hoping she was hiding how touched she was.

  “We even thought about having S.I.K. screen printed on the back of some panties,” Skye admitted while making a show of drawing S.I.K. on the table.

  “Why didn’t you?” Laila asked as she tucked the card into her wallet.

  They all laughed, leaning close to the center of the table. Laila did the same. Cyn answered. “Because none of us wear panties.”

  Laila tried to get back on track, grasping at the first thing her brain coughed up. “Isn’t it supposed to be a secret? The club?”

  “Of course. We only invite people we know we can trust.”

  Knife in the damn heart.

  “But I’m fifty-one,” she blurted out.

  “And…”

  “And isn’t that a bit old for doing this? Starting this?”

  “Hell no,” Jenna jumped in. “Is that what you’re really worried about?”

  She nodded. “I don’t look like you guys anymore. Things are looking a bit south. Thankfully things aren’t headed that way currently, but still.”

  “Shut up,” Jenna rolled her eyes. “I’ve seen you try stuff on at the shop. Specifically when I fitted you for that corset, which is almost ready, by the way. You’re hot as fuck, if you don’t mind me saying so.”

  “Like you’d stop anyways,” Haleigh added with a wink in her direction.

  “True enough, but seriously, Laila—you’re hot.”

  “I don’t want to be with some younger guy and be some cougar…person. That’s not what I want.”

  “Good thing,” Cyn agreed. “’Cause the guys we’re going to set you up with are a few years older than you. And delicious, by the way. Dee-li-
cious.”

  “Hey, you’ve already got two of your own,” Jenna accused.

  “So do you.”

  “Mmm…yes I do.”

  “Me too,” Haleigh admitted with a blush. “And my men swing both ways.”

  Laila laid her head on the table, and Haleigh rubbed her back. They all giggled and flirted with one another while they gave her a minute to adjust.

  “In all seriousness,” Cyn started again. Laila sat back and looked at her. “You can have sex, right? Come?”

  She nodded, trying not to concentrate on how wet her panties were.

  “Those are the only requirements. The rest is negotiable and we’ll take care of the picky details.”

  After a deep breath she decided to tell them a bit more about herself. “I’m divorced. Nearly fifteen years ago actually. He was a controlling asshole.” Skye snickered and Laila had to concentrate not to join in. “He wanted to know where I was every second of every day. Nothing I did was ever good enough. And sex? Well, it sucked. He liked having all the power in the bedroom, which normally consisted of him flipping me on my stomach, taking whichever hole was accessible and fucking me until he came.”

  “And you’re afraid all kinky sex is like that.” Cyn made the statement and it definitely wasn’t a question. “It’s not. We can all attest to sex with our men being…”

  “Diverse?” Jenna asked, trying to hold in more laughter.

  “But I rarely… Well he hardly ever got me…”

  “What? Got you off?” Jenna asked.

  “Yes,” Laila answered feeling her cheeks grow warm. She was the oldest woman at the table by probably twenty years but these women were much more knowledgeable.

  Haleigh shrugged. “Just means he had no idea what he was doing. Nor did he take the time to please you, and he probably had a tiny penis.”

  Everyone giggled, including Laila, who then took another deep drink from her glass bottle.

  “So, picky details. How long is my temporary membership good for?” She was pretty sure they’d already said that, but her brain wasn’t firing on all cylinders.

  “Two weeks from the first time you use it.”