Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 89142 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 446(@200wpm)___ 357(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89142 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 446(@200wpm)___ 357(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
Until we finally stop.
“We’re here, my angel. You may take off your blindfold.”
Chapter Fourteen
Phantom
Francesca. Frankie.
I prefer Francesca.
I thought I’d prefer not to know her name at all, but this woman is different. I’ve wanted to know her name since I first set eyes on her.
A frightening thought, no doubt.
She’s not the first woman who questioned whether she’d be safe with me.
Women always find that they are safer with me than with most men.
Francesca is safe with me, and she will find that out soon enough.
Black Rose Underground is the safest club of its kind in Manhattan.
I’ve been a member here for several years, and I’ve never shown my face. Not that it would matter. Everyone who comes here is sworn to confidence. But for me, it adds to the dazzle. To the excitement. And it keeps me extra safe with regard to my real life.
I’ve brought women here in the past, but only rarely. I usually come here and find another member who’s willing to participate in a scene. If I do find someone outside the club who intrigues me, I like to meet them at the bar first a couple times. Get to know them—as well as I can get to know anyone when I don’t divulge much about myself.
Francesca—my angel of music—is something special. I knew the moment I saw her.
And I know it even more so now.
She’s a smart woman.
She was apprehensive about putting on a blindfold, about trusting me.
That is normal, and I respect that.
But now she’s here.
And we stop in front of the door that will lead us on a new voyage.
As the Bard himself said, “To unpathed waters, undreamed shores.”
Chapter Fifteen
Frankie
I’m surprised Phantom doesn’t take the blindfold from me, but the fact that he gives me permission to take it off empowers me.
Then I understand why he wanted me to take it off myself. He’s allowing me a bit of control, a bit of freedom, in a place where he ultimately wants me to submit.
He’s showing me that I’m safe here. That I’m safe with him.
I remove the black silk, and we stand in front of a plain white door. Phantom slides a card through the scanner on the door, and we walk into a foyer where a large man sits behind a desk.
“Good evening, Claude.”
“Good evening, Phantom. I see you brought a guest this evening.”
“Yes, please meet Francesca. Francesca, Claude.”
“Hello, Claude.”
“Hello, Francesca. I’ll need you to sign some papers before you can go into the club.”
“Oh?”
“Yes,” Phantom says. “Everyone who enters must sign a nondisclosure agreement. You cannot mention that you’ve ever been here, who you see here, or what you see here. It’s pretty straightforward.”
Claude shoves some papers toward me. Yes, the confidentiality agreement that Isabella told me about. Has she been here? To this club? Has she signed this very document?
“I’m surprised you don’t have these on an iPad to sign electronically,” I say.
“Our owner likes to do things the old-fashioned way. He prefers a paper trail.”
I read through the document quickly. It’s pretty standard—not that I’ve seen a lot of nondisclosure agreements in my life, but I’ve been in the magazine industry long enough to know how to read a contract.
“Wait,” I say after reading. “You’re going to take my phone?”
“No photography is allowed in the club.” Phantom hands his phone to Claude. “But I think we can make an exception for your first time. Right, Claude? If she promises no photos?”
Claude nods. “To help you feel more secure. But no photos. Understand?”
I nod, gulping, and I hastily scribble my signature at the bottom and hand the papers back to Claude.
“Understand,” Claude says, “that your safety here is guaranteed at all times. I can give you a pager if you’d like. It will bring a security guard to you if you ever feel unsafe.”
“I…”
“I promise you’ll be safe with me, Angel,” Phantom says. “But to be sure…” He removes a pearl necklace from his pocket and clasps it around my neck.
“What’s that?”
“A signal. It shows that you’re mine for the evening. That way no one else will approach you.”
“What if I want someone else to approach me?”
“Then we may as well leave now,” Phantom says. “Because that’s not what I want.”
But I want to talk to people here. To get information for my story. The nondisclosure agreement is a problem, but Isabella warned me about such things.
What if Izzy does come here? What if I see her tonight?
If I see her here, I can’t tell anyone, and neither can she. We both agreed to that.
Besides, what does it matter? This is just a club.
“I’m sorry.” I touch the necklace, finger each separate pearl. “I guess I’m not understanding. Why would anyone approach me? Or why would that even be a problem?”
“We’re about to enter a leather club, Angel,” Phantom says. “If you’re not wearing a collar, any man can approach you—or any woman, for that matter—and they can ask you to…play.”