Too Close (3 page)

Self-preservation told her to ignore it.

“Some people wear masks to either hide their identity, or enhance the experience. Or both.”

“Do you?”

“Do I what?”

“Wear a mask when the club is open, or when you’re
playing
?”

She swallowed the sudden wave of melancholy that hit her. “We all wear masks, Detective. Some are just much harder to spot than others.”

She met his gaze and tried not to think about her own secret identity. It was time to shift the direction of this conversation. “Actually, with the exception of our monthly “members only” nights, like tonight, The O Club is open to the public. Most of the nightly crowd isn’t really so into bondage enough that they’d even know what Shibari is. They just like to play at it. To pretend they’re more adventurous than they really are.”
 

She’d meant to leave it at that, but when his intense gaze met hers, her mouth opened and words just kept tumbling out. “Of course, if you’re really serious about finding this woman, I might be able to help you out.”

There was no ignoring the thrill that went through her at the way his eyes heated when he glanced at
her
cleavage. “Oh, I’m very serious about it.”
 

Nope. Definitely not gay.

A fire started low in Vanessa’s belly. She licked her lips and let a taunting smile creep across her face. “Serious enough to embark on a little adventure of your own?”
 

Adventurous. I’ll show her adventurous.

Kane watched her hips twitch as she walked away and wondered what the hell he’d just agreed too. Letting himself get goaded into doing something, anything, wasn’t his usual style. He was no slouch when it came to action, but he wasn’t normally so impetuous. All he’d wanted was a list of names.
 

Only the owner wasn’t there. Vanessa Lawson was. And an invite to the private ‘members only’ party that night really was better than a list of names. Yet, somehow, he still felt that in the space of a ten-minute interview, that woman had chased him off-script in a big way.
 

Kane sat in his car and watched the entrance to the club. Since it had looked like it was going to be a long might, he’d left the club to grab a bite to eat, now it was just before ten pm and he was hesitating.
 

He should be in there, but the need to center himself, to remind himself exactly why he was going in there was strong. He wasn’t going in there to flirt with a sexy woman, or to get laid. He was going in there on the hunt for a thief. A woman who manipulated men with the promise of sex to get into their houses, and into their safes. He thought about calling Jack. It might be good for another cop to know what was going down, and Jack was a friend, he’d back him up.
 

But Kane never reached for his phone. Instead, he popped another candy into his mouth, and left his car to continue the hunt.

The security at the door recognized him and he saw the guy radio inside before he was ten feet away. The bouncer stepped aside and held open the door for Kane, and he entered the club.
 

There were at least sixty people in there now. All dressed, or undressed, to the nines. Some had masks on, some wore next to nothing. Some of the men were shirtless; Kane even saw one that only wore leather chaps with thong underwear underneath. But most were dressed in dark suits or trousers, so he felt pretty good about not standing out.

The women were even more varied. Corsets, dresses, trousers, leather, latex and bare skin. Most had incredibly high heels on that brought the words “fuck me” instantly to mind and Kane was having a hard time not staring. When a man walked by holding a chain leash attached to the diamond studded collar of the woman behind him, Kane realized just how truly different this clientele was from the crowd he’d seen in the other bars.

He stepped deeper into the room and saw Vanessa Lawson through the crowd. And for just a second, Kane lost the ability to breathe.

She’d changed.
 

Instead of the ripped jeans and tank top of earlier, the young attractive woman was now a devilishly sexy seductress. She had on black high heel boots that went to the knee, a tight leather skirt and a plain white silk blouse that draped lovingly over her curves. She looked like a cross between a high-powered businesswoman and dominatrix Barbie.

Her dark hair flowed down her back in thick waves. That, when she turned her head to look at him, caught fire in the dim lights.
 

Their eyes locked and Kane forgot about everything but the sexual pull between them. She excused herself from the couple she was talking to and strode toward him. His heart pounded and his gut clenched as his eyes followed the sway of her pert breasts beneath the silk. No way in hell she had a bra on, and he was thankful.
 

She stopped only inches away from him, leaned forward to brush her cheek against his, and whispered in his ear, “I need to know your name. Introducing you around as Detective Michaels sort of defeats the purpose of this little escapade don’t you think?”

He breathed deep and her scent went straight to his head. Clean and light, with a hint of feminine musk, it made him think of naked bodies writhing together on a sun-dappled bed.

“Kane.” He cleared his throat and spoke softly. “My name is Kane, Vanessa.”

“Nice to meet you, Kane.” Her lips barely moved when she spoke, but he felt the damp heat of her words float over his lips. His fists clenched at his sides to keep from reaching up to cup her head and slant his mouth over hers.
 

Vanessa looked up at him with dark eyes sparkling with mischief. “Are you ready?”

Was he ever! But somehow, despite the promises he saw in her gaze, he didn’t think she meant ready to bend her over and sink himself in deep. “Ready?”

“To tell me exactly what it is you’re looking for tonight, and why?”

Kane bit back a curse. “I told you what I was looking for,” he said carefully.
 

Vanessa swayed closer to him, her fingers trailing down his arm, the hard tips of her breasts brushing against him. “If all you’re going to tell me is that you’re looking for a woman familiar with Shibari, then I’m not going to be much help to you. Almost every female in here tonight is familiar with it to a certain extent.” She stepped back and Kane felt the loss of her nearness keenly.
 

Before he could say anything he shouldn’t about the case, a strident voice interrupted them.
 

“Well, Miss. Vanessa. Where have you been hiding this one?”

“Marissa, how are you tonight?” Vanessa’s voice was smooth when she greeted the newcomer, but Kane sensed a strong undercurrent there. He pulled his mind out of the bedroom and gave the woman a once over.
 

“I’m well, thank you.” She replied.
 

With her hair pulled back in a tight bun to expose her strong features, she was beautiful in a cold meticulous way. Hungry blue eyes ran over him and his stomach roiled in response.

“Kane, this is Mistress DeVartan. Marissa, my guest tonight, Kane.”
 

“Hello, Kane.” She held out a hand tipped with lethal looking fingernails. “Welcome. Switches don’t usually intrigue me, but you’re very attractive. If you’ve a yen to play, please come see me tonight.”
 

After he dropped the cold hand and she’d walked away he looked at Vanessa and raised an eyebrow. “Switches?”

“A switch is a person who can be either dominant or submissive in the BDSM world.” She led him to the bar, where he watched a shirtless guy in leather pants, a leather collar, and a cowboy hat, flip a bottle in the air before catching it upside down right over the ice filled glass. “I figured you’d at least have done some research before showing up here tonight.”

He did know what a switch was, but he figured she might tell him more if she thought he was ignorant.
 

He turned to face the woman next to him and ignored the way his pulse jumped at her nearness. “And she thought I was switch? Just from looking at me?”

“Marissa thinks she knows everything about everyone just from looking at them.” She caught the bartender’s eye before turning to him. A small grimace flashed across her pretty features. “Sorry, there’s just something about that woman that I’ve never liked.”
 

Kane could understand that. He hadn’t liked her either, and the fact that Vanessa shared his opinion made him feel another link click shut on the connection growing between them.
 

“What about you?” He asked. “Are you a switch? Or do you prefer to dominate men?”

She arched an eyebrow at him. “Do you really want to find out?”

“What can I get you tonight Miss. Vanessa?” The shirtless bartender leaned against the other side of the bar, interrupting them.
     

“Apple juice for me, please, Rob. You know how I like it. Kane?”

Kane stopped trying to read the woman in front of him and nodded to the bartender. “Whatever dark beer you’ve got on hand will be fine, thank you.”
 

The bartender brought the drinks over, a bottle for him and a wine glass for her, and Kane watched his face light up at the smile Vanessa gave him. So he wasn’t the only one affected so strongly by her.

She scanned the room and took a sip from her wine glass. Smart move, juice in a wine glass. It looked like she was drinking alcohol, but she wasn’t.
 

He reached out and took the wine glass from her, setting it on the bar behind her. When he had her full attention he stepped closer. He planted his hands on the edge of the bar on either side of her, invading her personal space and pinning her between his body and the bar.
 

He watched her pupils dilate and almost groaned when her tiny pink tongue darted out and licked at her luscious bottom lip. When he was close enough to feel her breath panting against his lips he spoke softly, but firmly.
 

“I think you like to control everything around you. You’re very young in years, but you’re not innocent or naive, by any means. You run this place, and the staff seems to like and respect you. That tells me you know what you’re doing. But I bet when it comes to sex, you’re not into games in the bedroom.” He tilted his head and leaned closer, making sure his lips teased her earlobe with is next words. “I bet when the bedroom door closes you like to be a real woman. All slow and sensuous, and warm and wet for the man lucky enough to see the real you.”

Then he pressed his lips to the baby soft skin behind her ear. He couldn’t stop himself.
 

He felt the heat of her hand at his waist and his gut tightened. He pressed forward slightly, letting her feel his hard on, letting her know just what she was doing to him. Her fingers dug into his back, and her eyes dropped to his mouth. Kane leaned forward-
 

“Ahem.”
 

He froze. Suddenly the throbbing music of the club rushed into his ears and their surroundings slammed back into focus.
 

“Excuse me, Nessa.” A soft feminine voice sounded behind him. “You’re needed in the backroom.”
 

Fuck!

He felt her nod once at the girl behind him and he stepped back, aching at the loss of her touch when her hand dropped to her side.
 

“I need to do some work,” she said softly, without meeting his gaze.
 

“Okay.”

He watched her take a sip from her drink and straighten her spine. The she graced him with a small smile. “Try not to get into trouble while I’m gone.”
 

“Me? Trouble?”

She lifted her hand other hand and patted his Berretta. “Just don’t interrogate anyone. If you have any questions, remember, I’m yours at the end of the night.”

Kane gripped the cold beer bottle in his hand and watched her hips twitch as she walked away, his dick pressing hard against his zipper.
   

She was his at the end of the end of the night.

He was dangerous. Not just as a cop, and a threat to her personal freedom, but as a man.
 

She hadn’t counted on that.
 

Nessa strode through the bar, a friendly smile pasted on her face as she nodded and waved to various members on her way to the back room. Shit. She didn’t have a clue how to deal with Kane.
 

Growing up with a con man for a father had taught her how to read people, and how to manipulate them. It was what made her so good with the varied and eclectic crowd at the club. She never judged, and she understood the power and lure of emotional and psychological manipulation.

But to have it turned back on her was scary.

Men rarely bothered to wonder what was beyond the image she presented. Most of them looked at where she worked, what she did, her demeanor, and they assumed she liked to be in charge in the bedroom too. Or they went in the other direction completely. Assuming that she wanted someone else to take charge and she would enjoy being dominated in the bedroom since she was in control of every other aspect of her life.