Three Guilty Pleasures (Blindfold Club 6)

We’d had plenty of celebrities come through the club, and we didn’t get starstruck, so it was fucking weird to hear her start off negotiations this way. It’d been a few weeks since we’d been partnered together, though. Was this some new tactic she was using? She’d really sold it. Her pleased surprise had sounded real.

Her high heels tapped across the floor in a hurried rhythm, like she was running at him. “It’s so good to see you. Congrats on the wedding!” Her voice muffled. Was she . . . hugging him? “I saw the pictures online, and they looked amazing.”

“Thank you,” a very male, very familiar voice said.

“What are you doing here?”

“I need to talk to Tara. Would you excuse us?”

My heart suspended so I could hear better. That voice couldn’t be who I thought it was. He didn’t come here when the club was operating, and he certainly wouldn’t come as a client.

“Of course.” Her heels clicked away.

When the door opened, he spoke again. “Oh, and Nina? Tell Julius to cut the feed. No cameras in here tonight.”

Had she nodded? There was no response from her, other than the door closing.

The room was silent, and I whispered it. “Joseph?”

“Hey, honey.”

The straps were undone as he released my wrists, one then the other. I clawed at my blindfold, pushing it up and blinked as he came into view.

I hadn’t seen him in months. He’d kept distance from the club he’d created for the sake of his wife, not wanting scandal that could damage her company. And physically, he looked exactly as he always did. Broad shouldered, dark hair, deep eyes.

His wedding ring glinted as he placed the robe over my body, and I marveled at the sight of it. I’d expected the silver ring to look out of place, but it didn’t. He’d sworn for years he’d never marry, and told me repeatedly that nothing lasted forever.

Oh, how he’d changed.

She’d done that—taught this old dom some new tricks.

“What are you doing here?” I cried, holding the robe against me as I sat up.

His expression was an enigma. “I came for you.”

I glanced around the room, confused. “Where’s Noemi?”

They’d eloped on a beach in Hawaii a few months ago. I’d known about it for two weeks before the pictures leaked online, and Nina had been right. They’d looked amazing. Standing on a beach, her in a white dress, both of them gazing at each other with so much love.

“She wanted to come, believe me.” Something clouded in his eyes, then vanished. “We haven’t told anyone yet. It’s too early to say anything, but she has horrible morning sickness.”

My mouth dropped open with surprise, then widened into a huge grin. “Oh my God. Joseph, congrats. You guys sure didn’t waste any time.”

“Our situation is complicated. We’ve been trying for a while.” He made a face. “I mean to say, thank you. We’re excited, and I’ll be much more excited when she’s not miserable for ninety percent of the day.” He grabbed the lapels of his black suit and tugged them, getting his jacket to hang properly on his shoulders. “We need to focus on you right now. I came tonight to make you an offer.”

His eyes were intense, and I found it difficult to breathe. “What kind of offer?”

He didn’t break my gaze as he reached into his suit pocket and pulled something out. He laid it beside me on the table, and it squeezed the air from my body. It was black leather with a steel clasp at the back.

A collar.

“One night,” he said. “You give me total control. I can’t promise you’ll like everything I tell you to do, but I know you’re struggling right now, and I think I can help. I can promise you’ll feel better when we’re done.”

Before I could even consider it, my thoughts went to Noemi. “Your wife is okay with this?”

“Yeah.” Heat warmed his expression. “If she gets to feeling better, she’ll FaceTime. She wants to watch.”

“Oh.” My gaze drifted from him down to the band of leather. I’d only been Joseph’s submissive for a month, and that had been years ago. He’d never collared me then, and he was married now. “Why?”