The Club

1

“Trae, it’s time you mated and prepared to take your place in this pack,” growled Romel Wulfene, the pack Alpha.

Leaning his shoulder against a far wall in his father’s office, Trae observed his sire as the older man paced around behind his desk. This argument was an old one. They had one of his father’s ‘talks’ every few weeks, never to any avail.

“Look, Dad, we’ve been over this. I’m not trying to play Beta to your Alpha.”

“Damn it, Trae—” His father slammed his fist against the wooden top of the desk, cutting off his own words.

The furious anger of the Alpha wolf would have sent most of their pack members running for cover, but his father’s anger, which he translated to mean his father’s lack of understanding, caused Trae’s teeth to gnash.

Romel’s chest expanded as he inhaled. “Listen, son, I’m no fool. I know an Alpha male when I see one.” Straightening his tie as he raised himself up to his full six-foot-three height, his father composed himself. “As your father, it makes me proud that I have produced an heir who will have the strength and skill to lead the pack.”

Trae didn’t respond, he only shifted to lean his back against the wall and crossed his arms over his chest.

“However, as your Alpha, it grieves me to see you wasting precious time at that club you frequent nightly instead of sniffing through our pack to find a bitch to stand beside you and continue our blood line.”

It was no secret to Trae what his father thought of the place he and some of the other pack members frequented after work and at the weekends. It was a popular spot that many unattached paranormals visited. A place of lust and music. It was an environment where uncomplicated pleasures could be enjoyed—not an establishment for mate-finding. Trae knew this, and when he was honest with himself, he admitted it was his personal diversion tactic. Not that he wasn’t ready to settle down, he just didn’t want to be forced to stand second in command with a woman with whom he would have no connection besides the physical.

“It’s my time to waste.” Since puberty, Trae had understood the importance of finding a mate. The ability to keep the pack large and strong would ensure the safety of all who looked to them for protection. “Besides, we each have our own way of finding the right woman.”

His father shook his head. “You will not find her at that club.”

“Who knows?” Trae shrugged, pushed away from the wall and moved to stand behind the chair on the other side of the desk.

“We were too lenient with you. Your mother and I should have selected a mate for you from the pack, as my father did for me.”

It was Trae’s turn to growl as he gripped the back of the plush leather chair, his claws extending for a moment. “Yes, Dad, but don’t try and make it sound as if you took one for the pack. Mother turned out to be your mate, so there was no reason for you to fight the mating order.”

Romel sighed and ran a strong hand through his short, brown hair. “You’re right, Trae. But I need you to stand with me. You will either choose soon, or I must make the decision for you, and to hell with your anger.”

Retracting his claws, Trae closed his eyes, an attempt to rein in his resentment. He opened his eyes and gazed at his father. “What’s the rush, Dad? Am I not doing my job in the company? Pulling more than my own weight?”

Romel nodded. “You know I can’t find fault with your work at the office, Trae. I can bear witness you are the first one there in the morning, and usually the last one to leave.”

Tossing his hands high at his sides, Trae demanded, “Then what? What more, Dad? All I ask is for more time to find a mate who will be to me what mother is to you, someone the Great Spirit created with the other half of your soul.”

Coming around the desk, his father stopped before him and spoke in low tones. “I want that for you, too. But you ask for time when there is none left to give.”

The older man placed his heavy hand on Trae’s shoulder.

“The original pack in Oklahoma have sent word they are receiving pressure from a new, covetous pack to forfeit the land and town.”

This was the first Trae had heard of this issue. The Oklahoma pack was mostly made up of older weres, the descendants of those who had migrated to Oklahoma to protect the Native Americans there. Just as many of the tribes’ men had been lost, so the pack had been thinned out by natural deaths and by killings. Those who had survived had claimed land and built a town. At one time, the town had thrived, pack membership had grown and prospered, but over the years the younger weres had left for greener pastures, leaving the older members of the pack to fend for themselves. Trae’s grandfather and father had always taken an annual trip out there to ensure the mature members were all right. Evidently, this was no longer the case. “Why am I just hearing about this?”

“They believed they could handle things by themselves. The council only called a few hours ago requesting aid.” Lowering his hand, his father rounded his desk and stood behind it once again.

Never having known his father to lie to him or withhold information, Trae believed his Alpha’s words. “What are your plans?”

“I’m relocating to Oklahoma with your mother and sisters, and some other members of the pack, in a few weeks.”

Frowning, Trae asked, “Wouldn’t it make more sense for me to go?” He was beginning to see the bigger picture and the full reason his father had brought up the issue of his mating again now.

“No, son, it wouldn’t. Our pack here is thriving and strong. They will need a leader who can carry them through to the next stage. That’s you.” His father’s declaration rumbled like thunder.

The burden of his Alpha’s words rested on his shoulders like a boulder. “What do you need me to do?”

Pulling out his high-backed chair, Romel sat. “We’ll solidify the details this week. So, continue to enjoy your club at night while you can. Pray to the Great Spirit that he delivers your mate to you. And know this, son of mine—if he hasn’t by the time we have the induction ceremony instating you as Alpha of our pack, then your mother and I will see you bonded to a female that very night.”

“Good night, Dad.” There was nothing more to say.

“I’ll see you at the house, tomorrow evening. I’m sure your mother will want to talk to you, too.”

After agreeing to show up at the family home, Trae turned and headed out of his father’s office.

Normally, Trae would have been angry about his father’s intention to force a mate on him, but he wasn’t. He couldn’t be. His pack needed him. Needed him to be Alpha and show he had the ability to lead them and provide strong heirs.

A part of him no longer wanted to go to his nightly hangout spot. The thought of slaking his carnal lust with a partner or partners who would not be of benefit to his pack wasn’t appealing to him. However, the other part of him wanted this last night of freedom before the pressures and concerns of his pack became his first priority.

After tonight, he would have to resign himself to the knowledge that he had not found his mate. He also had to be truthful with himself and admit he hadn’t put in the right energy to locate her, either.

“I can’t believe I let you drag me here, Kelsey.” Olivia Sanders stared at her best friend in astonishment. Kelsey had hauled her into some wild and crazy things since they were college students, but this topped them all.

“Come on, Liv, live a little.”

That was the cute line Kelsey gave Olivia when she wanted her to do something daring. Something Olivia’s mind told her was most likely the wrong choice. “Feel my heart. It’s beating. I’m alive.”

“I’m going to make you prove it.” Kelsey fingered her short, blonde hair, ensured the strands with the heavy mousse hadn’t lost their wild spike as she stared across the street and looked at The Club.

Olivia assessed the three-storey structure as well, but with apprehension instead of excitement. The red neon lights with French script lettering shone more of a warning than a beacon of desire. There was something about this club.

A sense of being watched, observed, crept up her spine. She looked around but the street was empty. Not even an occasional pedestrian strolled by. In itself, the lack of other people wasn’t unusual, especially since The Club was ten minutes outside the city and five miles past Nowhereville. “I’m not sure this is a good idea.”

“This is a best friend’s job.” Grabbing Olivia’s arm, Kelsey pulled her behind her as she charged across the road to the two bouncers standing in front of the nightclub, one white and the other black.

“What is? Ensuring I die of mortification?” The closer they got to the door, the more her heart raced, and she started to feel a little off-balance.

Glancing back at her, Kelsey giggled. “No. Helping you fulfil your fantasy. Like you helped me with mine. So, get your ass movin’.”

“Going to a play party hosted by friends of ours and watching you get restrained and spanked, I could deal with.” She dug her four-inch heels in, halting their progress in the middle of the street. “But this…”

“It’s your fantasy, Liv,” Kelsey argued.

Too many games of Truth or Dare after several glasses of wine was never wise. From this moment on, she was crossing it off her list of girls’ night activities. Had she really told her best friend she wanted to have a ménage? She groaned. Shaking her head, Olivia said, “Great. I’ve changed my mind, so let’s go.”

“The hell we will.” Kelsey placed her hands on her hips. “Not after I’ve been poked, prodded and tested for every sexual disease known to man just to get approval to get into this pla—”

A midnight-blue Rolls Royce pulled up by the kerb between them and the club, putting an end to her friend’s tirade. A man stepped out of the back. He was tall, with broad shoulders and piercing eyes that settled on Olivia. They seemed to see into her soul. It was as if he stood directly in front of her, but away from her at the same time. His skin was darkly tanned and smooth, his features chiselled. He appeared to be a mix of white and Asian, giving him a mature Oriental surfer look, with his ink-black hair blunt-cut at the collar.

Heat began to swirl in her core. She couldn’t move until he finally turned away and strutted towards the club. She enjoyed watching the way the black leather pants clung to him and the matching long vest swayed and moved with his body.

She wanted him.

“Good evening, Anton,” one of the guards said as he opened the door to let him in.

Returning the greeting, the man disappeared behind the thick, oak double doors.

“Oh, shit. Did you see Mr Sexy Samurai? It’s possible I just came in my panties,” Kelsey moaned as she adjusted her micro-mini skirt.

Yeah, she’d seen him. For the first time that night, Olivia wanted to know what was behind those doors. What awaited her inside this ménage club? “It can’t hurt just to look around, right?”

“Damn straight,” Kelsey agreed. “I’d do you and him if I had to, just to get into this place.”

Olivia allowed the laughter to spill from her mouth. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Ladies, can I see your access cards, please?” One of the two mountains at the door held up his hand as they approached, barring their way.

Kelsey dug in her small clutch purse and pulled out a pair of cards. They had got the entrance passes thanks to Kelsey’s fantasy—the Dom who had restrained and spanked her had used his contacts to get them access.

The black guard took the cards and scanned them. Nodding, he said, “You two are good.”

“Enjoy, ladies.” The white man pulled the door open.

“We will,” Kelsey sang out as they entered the club.

The large doors closed behind them with a thud, sealing them inside, where the darkness was broken only by the flickering red-and-white strobes around the dance floor.

As soon as they crossed the threshold, Olivia knew there was more to the club than met the eye—more than the casual gossip outside its walls would suggest. It wasn’t Christina Aguilera’s Not Myself Tonight blasting loudly from the speakers, or the people gyrating on the floor in so many multiple groups she lost track of arms and legs. It was something else. She couldn’t explain it or put it into words. Patrons mingling around the outer perimeter of the large room stared at them, but the feeling of being watched was not what was causing the hair to rise on the back of her neck.

Just being inside this club was turning her on. Her skin felt as if a million fingers were caressing and stroking her. She looked around. No one was near them, but everyone seemed to be watching them, especially the men and women lounging around the bar and tables. As if they were waiting for something.

“Kelsey, how you doin’?” Olivia turned to look at her friend.

“I’m good, but I’ll be even better as soon as I get out there and dance.” Kelsey swung her hips from left to right, following the beat of the song and the moving bodies on the dance floor. Nothing in her friend’s body language showed Kelsey responding to this club any differently than she would to any party. Kelsey took a step in the direction of the dance floor.

Olivia grabbed her arm. “You can’t leave me by myself.”

Facing her, Kelsey said, “Liv, I was just joking when I said I’d do you with that tanned hunk.”

Olivia put her hands on her hip and eyed her friend. “I’m not even going to dignify that with a response.” She glanced over her shoulder, then leaned over to her friend’s ear. “Something’s up with this place. I feel—”

“Good. You’re supposed to ‘feel’. That’s why we’re here, remember?” Kelsey winked at her and shimmied her body from side to side.

Olivia rolled her eyes.

Stopping her movements for a second, Kelsey spoke seriously. “Our cell phones are fully charged.” She tapped the Bluetooth device flashing in her ear. “We’ll meet back in this spot when the club closes. If you need me before that, call me. I’ll tear this place down to find you.”

Now, that was the Kelsey she knew, street chick to the core. That’s why Olivia would never have allowed anyone else to know her deepest fantasy and accompany her to fulfil it. Olivia might have mastered kick boxing, but for a white girl, Kelsey knew down-and-dirty, kick-off-the-heels-and-remove-your-earrings style fighting.

Smiling broadly, Olivia nodded. “Got it.”

“Good.” Blowing her a kiss, Kelsey headed to the dance floor and was quickly swallowed up in the masses.

Trae watched the medium-height black woman talking to her friend at the door. She and the white girl were matched in height and similar in dress with their mini-skirts, one with a midriff-revealing top and the other wearing a sheer shirt that displayed the red bra beneath it. The bra matched the bold colour of the red shoes they both wore. The similarities ended there. The black woman’s skin was as dark as obsidian and she wore her straight, ebony hair clipped high on her head, so that it made a sort of rooster-tail down to her shoulders. The style bared the long column of her throat. He wondered if she knew what type of signal she was sending out to some of the inhabitants of the room. He allowed himself a cocky smile. Probably not.

She looked skittish, as if any moment she was going to run out of the door. However, even from this distance, his preternatural sense of smell enabled him to pick up on her arousal. As much as the little rabbit was nervous, she was turned on more. Her scent was so heady in the air he could taste it. Unable to stop himself, he licked his lips. This woman would be a delicious diversion from the things weighing on his mind. Just for a night.

“She makes me thirsty.” Diego, a buddy of his, swiped his own tongue out as if tasting the air.

“Mm-hm. She’s a first-timer.”

Diego shifted his weight away from the bar, where he was nursing a Coke. “You want to see if we can interest her in a trip upstairs?”

Trae's hand shot out, smacking against Diego's chest, stopping his friend’s progress. It wasn’t as if they weren’t loyal members of the club, or as if he and Diego hadn’t shared women in the past. But Diego enjoyed roughness. He never exerted his innate strength too far, but he balanced on a fine edge between pain and pleasure, which some women craved. Maybe if it had been the feisty little friend, who was now lost among the dancers, but there was something about this one that screamed ‘innocent’. Innocence of a kind that called for gentleness and seduction, a man or men to help her come out of her shell. Not restraints and hard smacks on the ass.

“I’ll approach her first and if she’s interested in your kind of play, I’ll signal you over.” Dropping his hand, he cocked his head to the side and eyed the other man. “Straight.”

Diego was a horny man, but he wasn’t stupid. He recognised superior strength. His pack member didn’t know it, yet, but in a matter of days Trae would be his Alpha. The head dog.

The other man nodded his compliance. Diego’s contrite gaze shifted away from Trae and he briefly lowered his gaze to the ground.

Trae approached the woman from behind, with purpose, keeping his steps methodical. “Welcome to The Club,” he whispered beside her ear.

Obviously startled, she jumped and barely stifled a scream, making an odd squeaking sound. “Oh, man, you scared me.”

Moving to face her, he gave her a sly smile. It had been his plan, because as nervous energy increased around her, her arousal intensified, too. She was a delectable treat. If someone spooked her again, she just might orgasm where she stood.

“Forgive me, I couldn’t resist.” He inhaled slowly, taking in her scent, the essence of her, like a drug. “I’m Trae.” He held his hand out to her.

Giving him a tentative smile, she slipped her hand into his. He encased her long, soft fingers with his own.

Her soft, brown gaze reached his face. “Olivia.”

“So, whose idea was it to come here?”

She fidgeted a little in her heels and looked at her hand, which he still held. However, she did nothing to try to pull it away. “Mine. Kinda.”

He resisted the desire to pull her closer to his body, wanting her trust. “People come to The Club for different reasons.”

She swallowed and said, “It’s a ménage club. I would think everyone came for the same thing.” She frowned.

“But ménage holds so many different possibilities.” Taking his time, he emphasised each word to catch her reaction. “Style. Technique. Position. Level of intensity.”

Olivia bit down on the side of her lip as she listened to him.

He groaned and ended it with a small growl, allowing her to hear his pleasure. Lowering his gaze to where her sex was hidden beneath the tiny skirt, he noticed her squeezing her thighs together. He felt her arousal spike. Slowly, he lifted his gaze and met hers. Smiling, he let her know he knew how turned on she was.

She inhaled quickly, but exhaled more slowly, most likely in an attempt to calm herself. It barely decreased her response to him. He could smell it. He enjoyed the knowledge.

Continuing, he stroked the inside of her wrist with his fingers. “There are some who only want oral sex.” Another increase in the scent of her arousal. “Others want to be spanked.” No notable response. “Some people come here because they want a dual fucking.” Bingo.

Trae could not have mistaken her reaction to his last comment if he’d wanted to. Not only did her breathing turn to a near pant, but her sexual juices rushed between her legs so powerfully that the scent caused the head of every preternatural in the club to turn to her.

The attention on her caused him to pull her close. If he didn’t stake his claim on her, he’d find himself in a feral brawl, fighting all comers.

She whimpered as he brought her body against his.

“Olivia. We could dance around why you came, but that would just be wasting a lot of time when we could be relishing more pleasurable pursuits.”

Hesitantly, she asked, “So, how does this work?”

“I’m a gentleman. The lady gets to pick her other partner.” He lifted his other hand and stroked his thumb over her full bottom lip. “Choose quickly, or I will.”

Nodding, she took a moment to scan the room. First she glanced to the left, where he and his friends had been gathered. Then she looked to the right. He had the impression she was looking for someone specific.

“Him,” she called out. “The man that has the look of a sexy samurai.”

Shifting his gaze to locate the third she wanted for their trio, Trae spotted him sitting off to the side, at a table with two women.

No.

“Pick someone else,” he barked. There were elemental reasons why the club was divided. He and most of the people there understood it, even if his pretty little rabbit didn’t. Though surely she knew the kind of people—the kind of creatures—who frequented this club?

“My choice,” she declared. “I want him.”

Trae couldn’t deny her wishes, verbally or physically.

Perhaps Olivia didn’t know how unusual her request was. It wasn’t something that was normally done…but it wasn’t the first time it had ever happened, either.

Glancing pointedly at Anton, he waited for the other man to meet his gaze. Anton’s hearing wasn’t as good as his own, but he would certainly know they were discussing him. Waiting for him.

It was a game that Anton and his comrades enjoyed playing. Manipulation. Testing his fucking patience as if they had all the time in the world.

Finally making eye contact, Anton leaned over and spoke to the ladies. Then he stood. In a blink, he was beside them.

Olivia gasped, looking from Anton to the table where he’d just been sitting.

Trae could almost hear her mind turning, trying to make sense of how Anton had crossed the room so fast. She really was deliciously naïve.

Taking a small step back, Trae introduced them. “Anton, this is Olivia.”

Olivia’s smile was sweet and trembled a little at the corners. She held out her free hand, the other still intertwined with Trae’s.

Anton took her hand but, instead of shaking it, he turned it over, palm-up. Leaning forward, he grazed her wrist with his lips. He paused for a moment, then straightened.

“How can I be of service to such a deliciously sensuous beauty?”

Oh, shit. If Olivia’s scent of arousal increased any further, Trae would bend her over and fuck her where she stood.

“Join us,” Olivia whispered.

His sexy rabbit was feeling more self-assured—which Trae would have liked more if it hadn’t involved their present company.

Lifting a single eyebrow, Anton moved his gaze from Olivia to Trae.

Trae bit out, “Her request, not mine.”

Still holding her hand, Anton pulled her to him and placed his lips against her ear. “Is that correct, Olivia?” He paused and caressed her neck with his lips. “Do you desire us both? Do you want us to bring you to a level of ecstasy you’ve never experienced before?”

Hearing Anton’s whispered question clearly, Trae waited for Olivia’s response.

She let out a husky confirmation. “Yes.”

“Then let’s go to more comfortable surroundings,” Anton said.

Trae steered Olivia in the direction of the back stairs with a firm hand on the small of her back. They passed the mob of dancers and for a moment she glanced to the side and caught Kelsey’s gaze as she executed a bump-and-grind move between a guy and a girl. She noticed her friend making a quick check of Trae and Anton, then she winked at her. She was letting Olivia know that, having seen both men with her, she could ID them to the cops if anything went wrong.

As she walked up the stairs in front of Trae and Anton, she couldn’t have said which of them was directly behind her, but she could feel their gazes. It was an intense feeling, hot. A sensation so strong it felt as if hands were actually caressing her spine and ass. The impression caused her nipples to tighten and her sex to pulse and throb.

A sound, similar to an animal’s growl, echoed behind her. She glanced over her shoulder when she reached the landing. The hallway was dim, but well-lit enough for her to see their features. Trae was directly behind her, with Anton following.

“The room two doors down on the left,” Trae directed.

Turning, she obeyed his instructions. As she entered the upstairs room with the two men in tow, Olivia’s heart beat fast with excitement. I’m really going to do this.

She thought she might faint at any moment. She had no doubt these two sexy men could make her feel as if she’d died and gone to heaven, but she wanted to lose her wits while she was experiencing their passion, not before it had even started.

Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she stared at the men in the tastefully simple black and gold room. Both were over six foot in height and had a penchant for leather, except Trae wore only pants and boots. Anton’s Euro-Asian looks were complemented by Trae’s rugged appeal. His skin was only two shades lighter than Anton’s, and his hazel eyes, short, brown hair and the five o’ clock shadow gracing his chin made him seem wild next to Anton’s groomed restraint.

The combination of the two and the thought of what this night would entail turned her on.

“I’ve never done this before,” she admitted.

“Don’t worry, gorgeous rabbit, we’ll handle it all,” Trae reassured her as he stepped forward.

“Just enjoy,” Anton said. “We will.”