As the man exited the washroom, Kyler followed him out of the hallway. He strode toward the table and restrained his laughter when he saw Ella looking to her plate with disgust. Taking his seat, he grinned at the scrunching of her nose. “What? Stomach linings aren’t what you were hoping for?”
“Oh my God, is that what this is?” She raised her head, frowning. “This looks and smells disgusting.”
He barked a laugh. “It is that.” He waved to the waiter, who watched Ella with concern. “Can we get the same dish as mine for the lady? Please charge me for both dinners.”
The waiter grinned, scooping up her bowl. “Not a problem.” He grabbed up Kyler’s plate. “I’ll keep this warm for you while you wait.”
“Thank you,” Kyler replied.
When the waiter hurried off, Kyler brushed his fingers lightly over Ella’s arm. With Dmitri’s agreement to bring Ella into Club Sin and Ella’s challenge to herself strong on his mind, his next move had never been so clear. “I have a proposal for you. Let me help you with this challenge you’ve undertaken and give you something that really pushes your boundaries.”
She tilted her head. “Oh, yeah, how?”
He lowered his voice, keeping the conversation private. “Have you ever been to a sex club?”
“God, no.” She laughed. At his silence, the humor faded from her face. “Wait. You’re serious?”
“Quite serious.” He dragged his fingers slowly over her arm to heat her up some. Ella had shown him through their time together that she liked kink. If she’d been against the idea, he never would have proposed it. But a person open to sexy adventures wouldn’t shy away from such a question.
She leaned in to him and whispered, “What kind of sex club? Like a swingers’ club?”
He liked that she wasn’t horrified by the idea. In fact, Ella’s face flushed and her eyes widened in curiosity. Perfect. Also, not a surprise to him; he doubted he’d be so entranced with a woman who wasn’t matched for him in this regard. “Do you know what BDSM is?”
She hesitated, a flash of awareness crossing her features. “Bondage, submission, and such.”
“Yes, exactly.” He caressed her warm cheek, wondering over the interest in her gaze. Perhaps she’d been piecing it all together. Maybe now he made a lot more sense to her. “So, I ask you, Ella, if you were offered the chance to go to an exclusive club where people live out their darkest desires, would you be brave enough to do it? How far are you willing to go with your dare to yourself before you say no?”
She held his gaze. “I promised myself I wouldn’t say no.”
An opportunity presented itself to Kyler. He wouldn’t let it pass by him. Not with this woman. “Then dare yourself to come with me tonight. To stop doing silly things like ordering terrible food to gain new adventures. Do something that the old you would never have done.”
A slow smile spread across her face. “Put that way, how can I say no to such a challenge?”
He dropped his touch and firmed his voice. “That is not a good enough answer.”
Heat stole the twinkle in her eyes. He loved how she reacted to his verbal commands. Her cheeks flushed bright red and she squirmed against her seat before she controlled her reaction with a lift of her chin. When her foot connected with his leg under the table, he groaned, as she ran her bare toe up his calf. Her smile turned devilish. “Yes, Kyler, I’ll go with you tonight.”
A wicked burning coursed through his veins, settling like wildfire in his groin. His cock hardened, and his breath snagged under her sensual touches. Rising from his chair, he erased the distance. “I’m starting to believe, Ella”—he brushed his mouth across hers and dragged his lips over her cheek to whisper in her ear—“this challenge of yours is going to be fun.”
When he moved away, her breath was raspy, and her eyes were dark with desire. “I’m starting to believe you.”
Chapter Ten
Dusk had settled on the drive over to the club, bathing the sky in a soft orange hue. Sitting in the passenger seat of Kyler’s black Dodge Ram, Ella’s gaze locked on the Georgian-style mansion as he drove through an iron gate and up the cobblestone driveway.
Resting on a large lot and set back from the road, the grand house had red brick, with black shutters and white pillars. Trees and flowers decorated every square inch, and she stared at the house with excitement. Of all the places she’d been imagining as the location of a BDSM club, this certainly wasn’t it.
She turned to Kyler. “You’re kidding me. This is a sex club?”
“This is Club Sin.” The side of his mouth arched. “Impressive, isn’t it?”
“It’s beautiful.” Her gaze swept to the mansion, which had a five-car garage off to the side and a circular driveway out front, which also happened to be lined with cars. Apparently, the club was popular.
When Kyler stopped the truck next to a Toyota Corolla, a sense of relief washed over her. At least some of the people inside had middle-class incomes, and they weren’t all stinkin’ rich. No need to ramp up the fact that she was already uncomfortable.
She’d never been to a sex or BDSM club, or anything like it, in her life. Nor could she have imagined herself attending such a place. But Kyler hadn’t been wrong; doing something this crazy was exactly the type of adventure she’d been out to find. She was no prude; she loved sex, and naughty sex at that. Besides, her challenge had led her there.
So far, with her new challenge, fate hadn’t led her in a wrong direction. Life brought her to Club Sin. She would walk through those doors.