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  It didn't matter if the man or the woman was dominant, but only couples that were in a true dominant and submissive relationship were allowed to join. Singles were also allowed to join as individuals but were required to signal their status with a band on their arm. The point of the club was not just to hook up for a night of fun, although plenty of that did occur, the point of joining as an individual was to find the other half of their whole. As much as his father joked with him that Alex didn't want to give up the single life for a relationship, he couldn't be further from the truth.

  A submissive was to wear a band, black leather, on their right forearm and a dominant wore a thicker version of the same band on their left forearm. At the very least it took away the awkward question of which position the person preferred when chatting over a drink in the lounge. A person who liked to be both sides of the coin simply wore both bands. Couples were not required to wear such signals. Their behaviors were enough to let others know their status. Many couples practiced high protocol while in the club. The submissives for the most part sat or knelt at their dominant's feet, and served him—or her—in any way they chose. A submissive allowed free speech with others was also easily identified. Most wore a collar around their neck. Besides these protocols, security was extremely tight.

  After seeing more than their fair share of the shady characters at other dungeons, they wanted to create something safe and more realistic to the lifestyle. A place more exclusive, weeding out those who were looking for one night of fan fiction novelty, and cater to those that truly wanted to explore their dominant or submissive side. Alex and Bradley still held their passion for the club, wanting to make it not only a place for play, but a safe haven for those that wanted to learn about the lifestyle as well. Whereas John and Travis lost their view of the forest to stare at the trees, treating the club more like their personal play space and less like the business it was.

  In order to keep the overhead costs down only Bradley took a salary from the club, as he was the general manager, doing most of the work. Alex worked as much as he could at the club, but didn't take a salary. His distribution along with his salary at the advertising firm kept him comfortable for the time being, but things needed to change if Travis and John weren't going to be putting in as much time and effort into the business. If they were just investors, that worked fine, but their distributions needed to match their investments.

  Fridays were set aside every week to have dinner with Alex's college friends. Most weeks he longed for Friday. Catching up with everyone helped center his world, to bring the craziness of his life to a momentary halt for the three hours he spent with them. Since the club's opening he had his hands full with both jobs, and given the fact that he hadn't told any of them that he opened the club his excuses for his fatigue were beginning to run out.

  He trusted his friends, that wasn't an issue. He knew they would accept him. Hell, he knew about their relationships. Why he found it so difficult to come clean about his own choice of lifestyle made no sense, even to him. Kendrick, Kelly's fiancé, owned the security company Alex used for Top Floor, but he had been sworn to secrecy. Although he didn't like hiding things from Kelly, Kendrick agreed to wait until Alex was ready. Alex continued to hold out on his friends, but was becoming more realistic that he not only would have to say something soon, he more than likely would be extending invitations to both Royce and Kendrick. A mutual friend of theirs held a membership at the club and already put in a request to invite both of them. Alex delayed a response, but knew the attempt to keep his life hidden was beginning to crumble.

  It would have to wait, he decided, at least another week. Alyssa Sanders would be joining them for their night out, and he was not about to have that discussion with a young woman who had been coddled her entire life. Being introduced to the big city after living in a small town outside of St. Louis would be enough to handle without adding his drama to the mix.

  Alex walked down the street toward Alyssa's hotel letting his thoughts wander to the previous evening. His intentions to speak to Bradley about finally pinning down their errant playboys had died when he burst into his office and found such a beautiful woman sitting with him. Envy hit him first thing. She sat in Bradley's office, speaking with him. When Bradley explained that she had been an interview, the envy had turned into annoyance. Employees were off limits. A personal vow of his to keep his eyes on the work, and his hands off the girls. Her eyes had lingered in his mind the rest of the night. Her body plagued him during his sleep, and the scent of her perfume captivated him to the point of distraction even as he walked through the doors of the hotel.

  He knew it was silly. To be so enamored with someone after a simple look. A brief cast of his eyes. Nothing really. Had it only been her eyes, or the way she softly cast them down when his stare hardened at the thought of her belonging to Bradley, he might have been able to wave off the attraction. But there was more. The easy sway of her hips as she walked toward him, the confident way she held herself as she departed the interview, the way she held her head high as she left them. There was no doubt in his mind that she was not a dominant woman, and if she was interviewing for the club she wasn't vanilla either. That made her a dangerous employee.

  "May I help you, sir?" The front desk receptionist asked with a forced, polite smile. Her teeth looked fake, too white, behind the blood red lipstick she had chosen to use that day.

  "Yes, I'm here to see Alyssa Sanders." He grinned back, no need to punish the young lady for her bad taste in a make-up. Society would do that without his help.

  "Alex Tribelli? I'm here." A cheerful voice sounded from behind him. He spun around expecting to see a short girl in jeans and a sweater with a long braid down her back. Someone small town. He blinked at what he saw. "Alex?"

  "Uh. Yes!" He took a step toward her, blinking again. Standing before him was the woman from Bradley's office. How could that be? How did she get here? How did a young girl from Missouri know about Top Floor? How did she know his father? Did his father know about the club? "Alyssa Sanders, I assume." Alex tried to smile, but his face seemed to have frozen in shock.

  Her soft brown eyes glistened with her smile. The long, thick blonde hair that had been tied back the previous night was loose around her shoulders, boasting large curls that bounced when she moved. She wore a blue and white cotton sundress. Thick straps over her creamy shoulders held up the outfit, and the high waistline accented not only her shapely hips but her rounded breasts. Her arms, a little chilled from the hotel air conditioning being kept on high in such heat, were covered in little goose bumps, but she made no complaint about the chill.

  "Hi. Yes. I'm Alyssa." Her voice pulled him away from his inspection. He noticed her hand hanging between them and quickly grabbed it to shake it. She gave him a firm shake, not a slip of a grip, but a hearty, confident shake. He admired that in a woman. He hated feeling like he was going to break their hands when he greeted them during a business meeting. "Is everything okay?" She asked when he didn't release her hand and continued to openly stare at her.

  "Yeah. Yeah." He dropped her hand and took a deep breath. Get a grip! He was acting as though she were the first beautiful woman he'd crossed paths with. "Sorry. Long day. My father didn't describe you correctly at all. I was expecting... well… something else."

  She gave a soft laugh in response and nodded. "Your father no doubt painted me with a much more juvenile brush." Her purse strap slid down her arm as she spoke, before she was able to right the strap Alex moved to her and pulled it back up to her shoulder. He could make out the scent of her lotion and took a deep breath. She smiled, a gentle curve of her lips and stared up at him. He shook his head and stepped back. He needed to rein himself in, and soon. She smelled and looked good enough to devour, and if they didn't get moving, he might do just that.

  "The restaurant is actually only a few blocks away, mind if we walk?" He instinctively looked down at her feet. Sensible sandals.

  "Sure."

  T
hey headed out from the cool lobby and into the sticky, hot night air. Alex was at least a head taller than Alyssa and remained mindful of that fact as he walked, keeping his strides more narrow than usual. He thought about how best to bring up Top Floor. He was sure it had been her in Bradley's office. There was no doubt about that, but how to approach the topic. He knew he needed to, he had to say something because his friends were still completely in the dark in regards to his new business venture, and he could not afford for her to say something before he could.

  "Thanks for inviting me out tonight." She ended the silence between them. "I know your father asked you to, but it was still nice of you to actually do it." She gave him a smile that spoke more to the fact that she hadn't known many kind people in her life. As though it really did surprise her that he would do this for his father.

  "Dad rarely asks me for anything, and makes it impossible to say no." Alex gave a little smirk. "You just got into town, right?" They came to an intersection and paused while the cars began to make their way past.

  "Yeah, yesterday morning actually." She nodded.

  "Any leads on an apartment?" he asked. Her hotel wasn't the worst in the city, but it wasn't a home either.

  "Yep. Got lucky on that right away. Job, too." She gave him a large smile; a deep dimple appeared on her cheek when she smiled so wide.

  He cleared his throat as they walked across the now cleared street. "Yes. The job."

  "It's weird, right? It's weird for you, that I'm going to work there?" She seemed to know exactly what he was thinking. "The way you walked into Bradley's office, I assumed you were a manager, or owner, or something." She continued when he remained silent.

  "Assuming is a dangerous thing." He stuffed his hands into his pockets as they walked. "But in this case, yes. I'm part owner." They came to another intersection and paused again. "It's not going to be weird." He assured her, looking down at her. She appeared so calm, so confident, so put together. Although she was acknowledging it was an odd situation, she wasn't concerned that it would change things for her. "I do have one favor to ask. My friends, the one's we are meeting tonight, they don't know about that part of my life."

  "Got it." She nodded before he could finish his explanation. "It's not exactly something I run around telling people either." The light changed, and she began walking across the street. He caught up to her in three strides.

  "Not even your friends?" He questioned.

  She didn't answer him. Instead she turned her expression away from him, following his lead down the street in a new silence.

  No friends, he decided. No family, no home. He let the silence between them hang, unsure as to where to take the conversation next. He had really just met this woman fifteen minutes ago. He knew nothing about her, other than he had been physically drawn to her the moment his eyes landed on her. Physical attraction alone was not something to base a relationship on.

  They came to a small French café, and he opened the door for her, taking in the warmth of her smile as she passed him. "These are a great group of people." He tried to comfort her, to make her feel less nervous. Although she hadn't shown any signs of being uncomfortable or nervous at all. Alex immediately found Jessica standing in the corner of the cafe waving him over. He placed an open hand on Alyssa's back and led her in that direction. He didn't remove his hand. It felt good. It felt right to have his hand there, just above her ass. If he splayed his fingers out he would feel the curve of her bottom, feel the muscles as she moved. He should have removed his hand. But he didn't.

  Chapter Four

  Alyssa hoped Alex couldn't feel her trembling beneath his hand. Her heart beat so fast in her chest, she was sure that everyone could hear it. When she'd walked into the restaurant a moment of panic consumed her. These people might not like her. They would surely be more intelligent, more worldly, more everything. She hoped she didn't embarrass herself too badly.

  The walk from her hotel to the cafe had been stressful enough, the prospect of meeting these new people only made it worse. Alex had been kind and respectful as they walked, but all she kept thinking about were his eyes. The way they bore into her the night before. The way she wanted to lose herself in them. How easily she could lose herself in them. When he took her hand and didn't let go, she tried to memorize the feel of him. The warmth of his skin, the tingling the touch sent up her arm. His aura blasted confidence and dominance. Even when he became a little flustered, he righted himself directly. He never lost stride, never took focus away.

  The cafe smelled delicious, giving her stomach another reason to cry out in hunger. She hadn't eaten lunch. The furniture store where'd she bought her sleeper couch that afternoon had taken every dime she had in her purse. She needed cash for dinner, and to get her through until she started earning some tips. What little reserve she had left was saved for the hotel bill and anything unexpected. So lunch wasn't an option.

  Alyssa noticed the beautiful woman waving to them. When Alex nodded in response, she nearly felt her knees give out. She wasn't an ugly duck; she knew that, she knew her worth physically. It was the inside she worried about. What if she couldn't keep up with the conversation, what if she wasn't funny, or smart, enough? What if Alex were embarrassed by her? He'd tell his father, and Paul would be so ashamed of her. The feel of Alex's hand on her back immediately centered her. She took a deep breath, pushed away past demons and surged forward. Under his hand she was calm, collected. She hoped he never moved it.

  They approached a large circular table nestled in the back corner of the cafe. The blonde remained on her feet until they were at the table, and then she moved closer to Alex giving him a hug in greeting. Alex had leaned in so naturally to the woman for her embrace, Alyssa wondered if there were something between them. Her stomach sank at the idea.

  “Hi, I’m Jessica,” the woman unraveled herself from Alex and extended her delicate hand toward Alyssa.

  “Hello, I’m Alyssa.” Managing a smile, she shook Jessica's hand and stood staring at the rest of the table.

  "Oh. Yes. Sorry. Everyone this is Alyssa. Alyssa this is Jessica, Royce, Erin, Jonathan, Kelly and Kendrick." He pointed to each person as he made the introductions. Alyssa tried to mentally jot down the names, but held little confidence in her success.

  "Hi," she nodded to the table in general. They all gave their greetings, and Alex ushered her to the empty seat beside Kendrick, him taking the seat next to Jessica.

  "So, Alyssa. Alex told me you're from Missouri, right outside St. Louis?" Jessica struck up a conversation after Alex put in an order for appetizers.

  "Yes. Lived there my whole life. My grandmother lived in Chicago, on the north side. I used to visit her in the summers, but I've never lived outside of Missouri." Alyssa took a sip of her water to shut herself up. When she felt her nerves start rattling, more than likely her mouth would follow suit.

  "So, what's made you make the move up here?" A red head with wildly curly hair asked. Her name was Kelly, if Alyssa remembered correctly. "Well, my mother passed away about a year ago. She was really the only thing keeping me there. The bar I was working at closed down, so I figured might as well make a change."

  "I'm sorry to hear about your mother." Erin said in a singsong voice. She reached across the table, making the others next to her back away, and patted her hand.

  "Oh. Thanks." Katherine Sanders' death did not attract many mourners. Alyssa held a memorial service at the house, forgoing a formal funeral that couldn't be paid for anyway. Two women from the hospice center where Katherine had been placed in her last month of life visited briefly, each looking uncomfortably at their watches to track the respectable amount of time to stay at such an event. No one else showed.

  "Were you two close? I bet you were, that was a stupid question," Erin continued.

  "My dearest Erin, how goes the wedding planning?" Alex interjected, saving Alyssa from having to come up with some sort of response in regards to her mother that did not sound cold and removed.
/>   "Hmm." Erin blinked, swallowed and hid her face behind the menu. "Alex, I can't figure out what I want to eat. Can you just choose for me?"

  "He's always ordering for you, pick something." Jonathan pointed at her menu. His tone didn't suggest jealousy, but there was a hint of aggravation beneath his words.

  "Fine. I'll have whatever you have." Erin snapped the menu closed and tossed it to the table.

  “So, Alex, how did you manage to meet someone as pretty as Alyssa here?” Kelly kept her eyes on Erin while she asked the question.

  "Her mother was a co-worker of Dad's. Worked at the branch down there." His response relaxed Alyssa.

  Although nothing had happened between Paul and her mother, she knew that he was not proud of how they met. When Paul mentioned that he was going to have his son reach out to her when she came into town, she didn't ask him what he had told Alex. Paul mentioned Alex enough to her over the years that she could easily see how much he doted on his son, and she wouldn’t want to do or say anything to ruin their relationship.

  "Yeah, Mom toted me around to a conference when she didn't have a sitter. Mr. Tribelli was very kind. He always seemed to have a treat for me whenever I saw him." Or a winter wardrobe when her mother couldn't afford to buy new clothes for her and still support her liquor habit.

  "You got stuck going to those construction expos?" Alex looked at her with wide eyes.

  "Yeah. Mom didn't always have a sitter, and she had to work the booth, or something." She was working something, all right. Alyssa never understood her mother's need to be second fiddle. Conference centers were her favored pick up spot. Mostly because the men there were married and were more willing to keep her on the sidelines. Katherine had no desire to be a homebody or a wife. She just wanted her meals and rent paid for, and married men made that easy. "It wasn't too bad."