I hadn’t even realized I’d stopped and was staring with my mouth agape until Trinity walked back over and followed my gaze.
“What? Wolfe hasn’t leashed you yet?” she asked. “Or are you not fond of butt plugs?”
“What plugs?”
“Ohh.” Trinity’s shrewd gaze traveled over me once again, and this time, her lips tipped up. “Well, I can see what the Wolfe wants with you.”
“And what’s that?”
She merely raised a pointed eyebrow, and when she turned to leave, I put my hand on her arm.
“Wait, uh…” I looked back over my shoulder at the wildly different scenes taking place around the room. “What’s all”—I waved my hand—“this?”
“Welcome to Alpha, or as many of our regulars call it, the fetish floor.”
“Fetish,” I repeated, still not fully understanding, but not really wanting to at this point.
“Mhmm. Wanna stay?” When my eyes went wide, she laughed. “Come along, then. I’ll take you down to the final stop on our little tour.”
“I’m almost scared to ask what that entails.”
Trinity smiled as she turned and we walked down the lighted steps. I had a feeling she was enjoying my reactions a little too much, and I told myself that whatever was on this level, I wouldn’t show my surprise.
When we were halfway down the stairs, a loud crack sounded, and I jumped and reached out for the handrail. Seconds later, another crack, but Trinity seemed oblivious as she continued. I quickly followed, the sound getting louder with every step, and as I emerged from the stairwell, nothing could’ve prepared me for what I saw then.
The fifth and final level of the Wolfe’s Den reminded me of a dungeon, complete with stone walls. It was darker there than any of the previous floors, with only wrought-iron wall sconces with torches mounted on them to light up the space, which cast an eerie, flickering glow over the men and women gathered. Various instruments of what looked like torture were scattered around: a wall of whips, benches, a big X that had a woman mounted to it, and… Is that a pillory? A wooden plank with arm and neck holes that would’ve been used for criminals to be subjected to humiliation, a form of cruel and unusual punishment. What the hell do you need that for in a sex club? And in the middle of the room, up on a dais, was a throne of iron, which currently sat empty.
I could barely comprehend what I was seeing.
Another crack echoed from across the room, making me jump again, and when I looked over to see what it was, I stopped breathing.
Many of the participants in the room were assembled around a huge man wearing only leather pants, giving him a wide berth due to the long whip he held by his side. Lying over a bench was a man, completely naked and with stripes of red marking the cheeks of his ass and thighs. The man wielding the whip circled it over his head before flicking it toward the man on the bench, and it cracked so loudly that I flinched.
An appreciative murmur rose over the crowd, and as the man on the bench turned his head, I could see his expression wasn’t one of agony but one of ecstasy.
Shit…he likes that, I thought, as Trinity stepped in close.
“Welcome to the Lair,” she said, looking fondly at the man holding the whip. “He’s something, isn’t he? Anyone in this room would die for a chance to be the one under his domination, and it’s rare that he unleashes this side of him here anymore. He prefers to keep that behind closed doors now.” Trinity pursed her lips and regarded me curiously. “Aren’t you a lucky young man.”
“Me? What are you—” I jerked my head back to the man holding everyone’s attention, and when I realized what I was seeing, my jaw dropped.
That wasn’t just any man standing there commanding the whip like a God—it was Tor. My Tor. I should’ve recognized him instantly, but my brain couldn’t fathom what he was doing. With his muscles flexing with controlled power, he was a sight to behold, and I couldn’t tear my eyes away.
Another flick of his wrist, and the end of the whip cracked against the man’s thighs and he bowed up on the bench as a savage smile crossed Tor’s face. Wait…he wasn’t Tor in this space. No, in the Lair, he was definitely the Wolfe.
As if he felt my gaze on him, Wolfe looked over his shoulder, directly into my eyes, and without hesitation, he dropped the whip and headed straight for me. The crowd parted as he stalked across the room, hunger evident in his eyes. With the flickering light of the torches, he looked wild and untamed, and I couldn’t help the thrill that shot through me, especially when I lowered my eyes down his body, past the deep V of his hips, and saw the low-slung leather pants straining at the zipper from his arousal.