The Auction (Club Indulgence Duet, #1)(55)

She blurts out, "What else is normal?"

"Nothing," I state.

She glares at me.

I hold my hands in the air. "I'm not lying. Every event is different."

"Tell me one thing, Riggs. Something that when I get there, I know it's always the same," she says.

I try to think, but there's nothing I can tell her.

She takes my silence the wrong way and accuses, "You really can't give me one thing, can you? It's just another way for you to stay in control."

I pull the chair out and sit next to her, confessing, "This isn't about control, pet. I don't know what will happen when we show up. They don't tell me if we'll be in a private room or on the stage. I don't know what tools I'll be provided, if anything at all. The board decides everything, and they feel the element of surprise keeps the process honest."

"Honest?"

"It's for your protection...to make sure subs are with the right Dom," I add.

She closes her eyes, keeping her hand on her stomach. Her face turns pale. I barely hear her beg, "I need something, Riggs. One thing I'm aware of. I don't know why, but something is calming to me about knowing what the normal part is."

I think for a minute, then stroke her cheek and state, "Me. I'm your normal part."

She opens her eyes and softly laughs.

"What's so funny?" I question.

"You aren't normal," she claims.

I shrug. "Maybe so, but I'm your common denominator tonight. Whenever you need to feel calm, you just look at me."

"Except I don't usually feel calm when you're pinning your angry eyes on me, ordering me around," she admits.

"Is that what you think I do?" I tease.

She bites on her smile, arching her eyebrows.

I slide my arm around her shoulders, lean closer, and murmur, "If I recall, your pussy gets pretty wet when I do that."

She nudges me in the chest with her elbow, and her face turns red.

"Ouch!" I cry out, then stare at her. I add, "Seriously. Try not to figure out what will happen tonight. Just go with it."

"Spoken by Mr. Control Freak himself," she mutters.

I pick up her hand and kiss it. "Yep. So if I can do it, so can you. And I need you with me on this if you're going to come home with me tonight."

Her face falls, making my stomach flip. A moment passes and then she nods. "Okay. You're my common denominator."

I rise, kiss her on the top of her head, and announce, "Good. Now let's get some food in your belly."





17





Blakely





There's barely any taste when I eat Riggs's salmon salad and the roll he ordered me to finish. I can only get half the fish down. I'm too nervous about what's going to happen tonight.

Will this be the last time I'm here?

Will I never see Riggs again?

It's all too much to contemplate. I blurt out, "Why do you have to agree to the club rules? Why can't you just break them?"

He grinds his molars, pinning his disapproving gaze on me.

My stomach dives. I add, "If you want to be with me, that is."

"It's not about what I want, pet," he asserts.

"Then what's it about?" I push.

He studies me a moment, then answers, "This is how it is."

"But you can do whatever you want," I insist, in an almost desperate tone that makes me wince inside.

"I won't break the rules," he firmly states.

The doorbell rings, and a new wave of nerves hits me. I glance at him, asking, "Expecting someone?"

"Your people," he claims with a smile.

"My people?"

He nods, then goes and opens the door. The driver who brought me to the beach house, along with two blindfolded women, stand outside.

"Come in and take off your blindfolds," Riggs says.

They slowly remove them and exchange greetings with him. He makes introductions, stating, "Blakely, this is Diana and Nira. They're here to help you get ready for tonight."

"Oh," I say in surprise, then remember my manners. "Nice to meet you."

"I'm your hair girl," Diana states.

"Makeup!" Nira adds.

"They know everything there is to know about the club," Riggs adds.

Part of me feels relieved, and the other part not so much. Both women have a confidence about them, and I wonder if they've gotten Riggs's other subs ready in the past.

Did they help Aria?

I can't dwell on it long. Before I know it, I'm in Riggs's bedroom suite, along with several large black cases.

"Do you have bleach in there?" I ask Diana.

"Sure."

"Can you turn me back to my normal blonde?" I ask, no longer debating about my hair color. Since Aria showed up with locks the same as mine, I've been dying to switch back.

"Umm..." Diana glances at Nira.

Nira smiles. "Why don't we go talk to Riggs first?"

I refrain from rolling my eyes. Of course they'd seek his permission. I insist, "It's fine. I already asked him, and he said I could turn my hair any color I wanted."