Chapter 89 The Club
ALICE
As soon as we left the restaurant, my body entered a state of almost crippling anticipation.
Theo's hand was on my thigh and his fingers kept inching closer and closer to the spot where I needed his attention more than I needed air, but he didn't tease me. My panties were drenched at this point, and my nipples were so sensitive that every time they brushed against the padding of my bra, electricity seemed to zip down my spine.
And he hadn't even touched me yet!
This was dangerous, I realized. At my core, I'd always be an overthinker, and that meant that I was a little concerned about how quickly I'd abandoned all my reservations. I went from seriously doubting his intentions to throwing myself headfirst into this whole thing.
Was it the right thing to do?
My instincts all screamed yes. I trusted Theo. Hell, I cared for him more than I ever cared for Benjamin, and Benjamin had been my first everything.
My first love. First kiss. First fuck.
Panic and arousal made for a funny combination, that was for sure. Instead of thinking to myself that maybe he should drive me back to work, I wanted to see what this 'surprise' was all about even more.
I had to distract myself. It felt like I was going crazy. "You never told me why you weren't at work today, Mr. Workaholic."
His jaw tensed. Was something wrong?
"Let's just say that our little ordeal ruffled a lot of feathers."
Concerned, I asked, "What does that mean?"
"I'm not allowed in the office building."
I was horrified. "Why?"
He jerked his head to the side. His eyes never left the road. "I broke a workplace rule that I put in place. Sure, nobody's going to fucking sue me, but it looks pretty bad. So, until Granny can figure out how to resolve this, I'm better off keeping a low profile, if you know what I mean."
I didn't think that the article would lead to this. They turned to look at me after a few seconds and asked, "What is it? Do you feel guilty?"
"Not really."
He let out a laugh and I realized what I'd said. I quickly tried to correct myself. "It's just that I'm sure things will fall into place, right? This isn't permanent."
"No, it isn't," he agreed, squeezing my thigh just a little. The corners of his eyes were crinkled and he looked at me in a way that made my heart skip a beat. "I don't regret a single thing, Alice. I want you to know that."
"I don't either."
We reached an industrial area and I became even more curious. The roads were far from busy, which I found pretty strange considering the time, but hey. This wasn't downtown, so that made sense.
My curiosity only increased when Theo parked the car outside a nondescript two-storey building with a huge door. It was nestled between two warehouses, which made me even more curious.
What was this place?
I shot Theo a questioning look which he didn't return. He was being all mysterious now. Once he killed the engine, he turned to me and said, "We're here."
"Where's here exactly?"
A small smile curved his lips and he looked at me with the same intensity I caught earlier. "Alice, if we're going to move forward with this relationship, then I think it's important that we know the basics about each other. This here," he gestured at the place with a flick of his hand, "is what I am to my core. This is the part of me that I don't want to hide from you."
I fixed my gaze on the building again, with its gray brick walls and black-framed, frosted windows, looking for clues, but I had no idea what he meant. This could be a factory for all I knew, though I thought it was a little too small for that. "I'm scared of what you mean there, Theo."
"Let's head inside. I'm sure you'll understand what I mean then."
We got out of the car and my heart started racing then. God, what was I getting into? If it weren't for the trust I felt for him, I'd run for the hills. We neared the entrance, and that was when I noticed a panel right close to the heavy-looking metal door.
Theo placed his hand flat against it and my eyes bulged.
What the...?
The metal door swung open easily and we exchanged a look. I snorted and he gestured for me to head inside. "Ladies first."
It was totally dark inside. I had a million and one questions, but decided to swallow them and just get this done and over with. I walked in, noting the dark-colored walls and the faint smell of detergent in the air. The door closed and our surroundings became pitch-black. I held my arms out in front of me and felt him inching closer to me. "Theo, I can't see a thing."
His hand was on my hip in an instant and his lips were right by my ear as he said, "Just keep going. Straight ahead."
I walked carefully, breathing in deeply because of how nervous I was. At last, we reached a pair of swinging doors and he pushed them open, revealing the space before us.
We arrived at a reception area.
I exhaled sharply and looked at him over my shoulder. He squeezed my hip, then released me. He neared the wooden desk and rang the bell. I moved to stand close to him, and while we waited for someone to attend to us, Theo looked over at me and asked, "Still nervous?"
"More than ever."
A red-headed woman dressed in a fitted brown suit opened the door directly across from the reception desk and crossed the polished wooden floor to meet us. She wore a bright smile and said, "Master T, we haven't seen you in a long time! What brings you here?"
Master T?
"I spoke to Ritchie about being here today. He told me he'd have my room ready."
"Of course!" she said brightly before glancing at me. I heard the sound of an opening drawer, then she handed him a key card attached to a golden chain. "Here you go! Have fun!"
She winked at me just as Theo grabbed my hand. We walked toward the door she had just come from, and when he turned the knob and pushed it open, we stepped into a vast space that looked like a cross between a bar and a club. It was completely empty, and the lights overhead were dim.
The walls and the columns were all painted a matte black, and the floor was so shiny I could see my reflection on the tiles. There were leather cords wound around the columns and I had no clue what they were for. Weird. We kept going. Some dark benches lined the walls, and they had steel rings set into their frames. On the other side of the wall, there were X-shaped crosses that made shivers race down my spine.
What the hell was this place?
I looked questioningly at Theo, but he kept walking and I had to do the same. Something about him changed the second we walked through that door and I had no idea what it was. He was serious, reminding me of the asshole boss who got on my nerves time and time again.
We reached another fair of swinging velvet doors, where we stepped into a long, narrow corridor. There were closed, numbered doors on either side of us, but we kept going until we went around the bend to a shorter hallway.
Theo used the key card to unlock one of the doors, and we went inside the room.
I took one look at our surroundings and let out a low curse.
"Holy shit."