CONSENT: Book 1 in The Dangerous Games series

Chapter 41

I see red when I storm back into the club. I can see Xavi behind the bar. He kept looking in my direction, concern etched on his face. I know he can't leave the bar unattended and it's killing him that he can't come to check on me. I walk close enough for him to see my face and force a smile of reassurance. However, I can immediately tell he's not buying it. I hear Ethan open the back door and my anger starts to rise again. Immediately I turn and walk into the dressing room. Shutting the door behind me, I lean against it and close my eyes. Taking a few deep breaths I feel the heat in my face slowly subside.

"Are you alright Kit?" Opening my eyes I find Circe looking at me cautiously. "Am I alright?" I echo before laughing maniacally. Circe watches me, her eyes filling with concern. My laughter tapers off. "No Circe, I'm really not. I've spent all night being treated like shit and I had no idea why. When I confronted Ethan the bastard called me a whore. According to the guy who decided to fulfill my bondage fantasy and talk me into a three way relationship with bizarre rules, I'm a whore. He basically opened the door for me to this lifestyle. Now I'm some sort of sexual deviant. Who has he been talking to anyway? I mean honestly, how in the hell does he know where I've been or what I've been up to?"

"What do you mean?" I tick my points off on my fingers one by one. "He knew I'd been with Gage, he knew about the party, about the munch...." Circe's eyes narrow with suspicion. "Shit, seriously? Do you think he followed you?" I shake my head emphatically, "No, no not Ethan. He's an asshole but he's not a fucking stalker." She nods her head as she looks away, her face contemplative. I drop my eyes to the floor for a moment. "Is Gage still here or is he already gone?" I asked timidly. When I look up at her she has a wide smile on her lips. I fight hard not to smile in return but the muscles in my face are too strong and we end up in a fit of giggles. "I think he's still here. I know he's been worried about you. Just be careful what you tell him about Ethan though. I don't want him getting into a fight here." My expression turns to one of surprise, I can't imagine Gage losing his cool enough to start a brawl in the club. "I doubt he'd do that," I told her. She crosses the room until she comes to a stop right in front of me. "Honey, when it comes to you, there isn't much of anything my brother wouldn't do." She hugs me quickly before slipping out the door and onto the main floor of the club.

I stand there a minute before deciding I can't deal with any more shit tonight. We closed in two hours and the crowd started to thin out dramatically. I grab my purse and jacket from my locker. Pulling out my phone I sent Xavi a text explaining that I had to get out of there. I drop my phone into my purse before sliding out of the door the dancers use. It's far away from the bar and hopefully I won't be spotted. Moving up the riser unnoticed, I slipped behind the curtain and into the VIP lounge. There's a lot more people in the room than I expected. Poor Gretchen has been waiting on at least two dozen people by herself on top of her half of the club?! "Ethan you son of a bitch," I mumble to myself. I spot a familiar face on the other side of the room. He's in the middle of a conversation with two other men. He looks amazing in his light gray business suit. Who am I kidding, the man's just hot in general. There's something about those designer suits mingled with his tattoos and those muscles that makes me weak in the knees.

Crossing the room I creep up behind him, sliding my arms around his waist. I feel his body tense and a slight chortle escapes my lips. His body relaxes instantly at the sound. His hand comes up and clasps both of mine as he slightly leans back into my hold. "Hey darlin', I'd know that laugh anywhere." The sultry sound of his voice sends an electric jolt through my core. "Hello handsome, I heard you were looking for me." He unlocks my hands from around his waist, holding onto one he turns and pulls me into him. I collide with his chest as he wraps me in his arms. "I'm happy to see you gorgeous. Is everything alright with Thomas?" I look up into those green eyes, in that moment I know there's no way I can lie to him.