I pulled my hair into a loose knot, put on some makeup, and slipped into my heels. On my way out of the bedroom, I twisted in front of the full-length mirror.
Not bad, I thought. Not bad at all.
Nathaniel was in the living room with the kids and he gave a low whistle when I entered the room. “You look incredible.”
“Thank you.” I leaned over and kissed him. “Maybe you and I should hit the town soon.”
“Mmm.” He ran his hand over my ass. “It’s a date.”
“You’re missing a sleeve, Mommy,” Elizabeth said.
“Oh no, baby. It’s supposed to be like that.”
She wrinkled her nose. “That’s silly.”
“I suppose it is a little silly.” I gave her a hug and kiss and told her to be good for her father.
“We’ll be fine,” Nathaniel said, as I told Henry good-bye. “Elizabeth is going to invite Henry and me to a tea party. She promised I could wear her purple boa and that she’d serve the cookies you two made earlier.”
“Sounds like a great evening.” My phone vibrated with a text. “Meagan’s downstairs. I’ll see you guys later.”
Meagan was waiting for me in the lobby. I was a bit surprised to see her wearing a trench coat.
“Is it supposed to rain?” I asked, after she gave me a bone-crushing hug.
“No, I just didn’t want to show off my outfit.” She raised an eyebrow at my dress. “Ready?”
“Let’s go.”
She hailed a cab and once inside, I leaned back and took a deep breath while she gave the address to the driver.
“Ready to have some fun?” she asked.
“So ready.”
The drive took a bit longer than I thought it would and when we pulled out of the city, I turned to Meagan.
“Where are we going?” I asked.
“A new club. Well, the club’s not new, but the management is.”
I looked out the window again. “And it’s where?”
“Almost there.” She pulled out a compact and checked her reflection and patted her hair. Satisfied, she looked up and gave me a grin. “I’m going to buy you a drink when we get there. I had a meeting this afternoon with the execs and they are over the moon with you.”
I relaxed a little. “I’m so glad it was successful.”
She nodded. “Here we are.”
I got out of the taxi and looked around. It was nothing like I expected. There was no music, no lights, no people. What we had pulled up to looked like a warehouse and there wasn’t even a name posted out front. What the hell kind of place is this?
As we approached the building, the door opened and a massive bald guy stepped out.
Meagan trotted up to him. “Derek.”
The bald guy nodded. “I’ll take the coat.”
“Thank you, Sir.” She slipped out of her raincoat and I couldn’t stop the gasp I made. Under the coat, Meagan wore only a tiny pair of underwear and a black leather corset.
The doorman gave a grunt of approval. “I’m working the front for another half hour, but I’ll reserve us a room for later if you’d like.” He glanced up at me. “Your friend can join us if she loses the dress.”
“We’ll see,” Meagan replied. “And no, she can’t.”
“Meagan,” I said, as understanding dawned. “What kind of club is this?”
“A BDSM club,” she answered without so much as blinking. “What did you think it was?”
Now that we were closer, I heard the rhythmic thump, thump, thump of a bass inside the club—and it matched the thumping of my head. I spun around to face Meagan.
“What the hell?” I asked.
“What?”
“You’re a sub?”
She lifted a perfectly shaped eyebrow. “Actually, I only sub for men. I top women.”
Her matter-of-fact confirmation of being in the lifestyle didn’t surprise me. I couldn’t say the same for her role. “You’re a switch?”
“I suppose. If you have to put a name to it.”
“That’s awesome. I don’t know many switches.” I wondered if she’d let me interview her sometime. “Let’s get a drink.”
“I can arrange that.” She snapped her fingers at a scantily dressed waitress. “Michelle, bring my friend here a cosmopolitan.”
The waitress bowed. “Yes, Mistress M.”
I shook my head and looked around the club for the first time. It was dingy for lack of a better word and smelled like sharp arousal mixed with sweat. Everything was gray and had a general run-down look. Paint peeled off several walls and the concrete floor was stained. Red and blue strobe lights flashed in a corner serving as a dance floor. In the opposite corner, two men were setting up a demo.