Highest Bidder (Salacious Players’ Club)

Ronan

Swirling the bourbon in my glass, I watch the voyeur hall with a keen eye. I need to speak to Eden, but she’s a little tied up in room five at the moment. So I bide my time, having a drink at the bar, keeping up casual conversation with Geo and Emerson while I wait.

When I hear Daisy’s name, my interest piques and I lift my eyes to where Geo is smiling, while drying a glass with a bar towel.

“Oh really?” Emerson asks with curious interest. I wasn’t paying attention, so I have no clue what they said, but I’m willing to bet Geo is telling the club owner everything about me and Daisy.

“I guess Garrett didn’t tell you Ronan took our drink server to Paris for a week,” Geo says.

Emerson grins wickedly as he takes a sip of his drink. I send Geo a scowl. “You’re the only one spreading gossip,” I mutter.

“It’s hardly a secret,” Geo replies. “You’ve both been wearing heart eyes since you got back.”

I can’t exactly argue with that. Instead, I shrug and toss back the rest of my drink. Emerson claps a hand on my back with a laugh. He looks pleased with himself, as if he’s somehow responsible for this.

“I’m happy for you,” he says astutely, and I nod in return.

“Thanks.”

It’s easy for him to seem so casual about it. He’s happily married and settled down. Every ounce of my happiness still feels so fragile, as if it could all dissolve into nothing at the drop of a hat.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Eden emerge from the voyeur hallway, looking a little more worn out and red-faced than she normally does, so I seize my opportunity.

I say good night to Emerson and Geo, slapping a bill on the bar before hopping up from the barstool and meeting my friend halfway across the room.

“Uh-oh,” she says when she sees me coming. “What’s that face for?”

I smile. “Got a minute? I want to talk to you.”

“Sure. Let’s go to my room so I can relax.”

We walk together up the stairs, and I catch sight of Daisy delivering a tray of drinks on the second floor. I shoot her a wink and she blushes in return, just before I disappear down the hallway.

As soon as we’re shut in Eden’s room, I remove my coat and walk directly to the bar, where I know she keeps her good wine, uncorking a bottle she must have already opened.

“Let me guess,” she says from behind me. “You’re curious what Daisy and I talked about yesterday.”

“That’s one thing.”

“Oh. There’s something else?”

I take a deep breath. Why am I nervous about this? Eden and I have done this dozens of times. It’s nothing out of the ordinary for us, but it feels different this time. This time it’s someone I care about—someone I love.

“I just wanted to make sure she has the right intentions.” Eden’s response is so straightforward, and nothing I didn’t expect, but it still catches me off guard as I take the seat next to her, drink in hand.

“She does,” I reply with confidence. “And you realize I’m not a child and I don’t need my mother to vet the women I date.”

Eden laughs, leaning a head on my shoulder. “But I’m a good mother. I just get a little possessive. Okay?”

“I know,” I reply, throwing an arm around her shoulder to hold her closer.

“But hey, so is she.”

I lift my head. “She was possessive?”

With a laugh, Eden grins. “Oh, she nearly bit my head off when I implied that I cared about you more. She even said, ‘If Ronan didn’t have a dime to his name, I’d still love him,’ which is a little sappy if you ask me, but sweet.”

The hairs on the back of my neck stand up as my brows pinch inward. “She said that?”

Eden slaps a hand over her mouth. “Fuck. I wasn’t supposed to tell you that, was I?”

“It’s okay. I figured that’s how she felt.”

“So, what’s the problem?” she asks, reading my tense expression.

“The problem is that I’ve heard that before.”

“I know you have, and I really don’t want to see you get hurt again,” she says, touching my shoulder.

“Thank you, Mommy,” I reply with a laugh.

“If I don’t look out for you, who will?”

“I really need you to protect me from beautiful twenty-one-year-olds,” I joke.

After we laugh for a second, it grows silent, and I practically feel her concern radiating off her. “She is really young, Ronan.”

“I know,” I reply.

“Just be careful letting her become dependent. Shit never works out well when that happens.”

I force a smile as I turn toward my friend. I see the sweet woman under the tough exterior that no one else sees. As tough as she is, Eden has a soft side too, and when she does love, she does it fiercely.

I can still remember the young woman I found nearly seven years ago, battered and afraid, but not broken. And not alone. Even when she was twenty-seven, she seemed wise beyond her years. And she’s come a long way since then.

“Thanks for watching out for me,” I reply, kissing her forehead.

“What else did you want to talk about?” she asks, taking my wine and sipping from the glass.

When I let out a sigh without responding, she picks up the hint.

“Oh…” Clearly rousing her interest, she turns toward me. “Your girl wants to play?”

“She feels safe with me. Safe enough to ask for things that I don’t know if I can give her.”

“Sure you can,” Eden replies with sincerity.

“I need your help. It’s just hard for me. You know that.”

With a nod, the corners of her lips lift in a tight smile. “I know. You know I’ll help you give her whatever she wants, but is it what you want?”

“I want what she wants,” I reply plainly, and I can already see Eden’s expression hardening.

“Ronan…”

“Do I sound too desperate?” I ask with a forced smile.

“You sound scared. Are you afraid of losing her if you can’t give her what she wants?”

“Yes,” I reply with a nod. “I’m afraid of a lot of things, Eden.”

“Like what?”

“Like what if she’s using kink to mask the pain of something bigger? What if she’s only with me because I make life easy for her? What if she heals…and doesn’t need me anymore?”

Tears well in Eden’s eyes as she stares at me. It feels as if I’ve shredded a hole in my chest and everything I’m afraid of coming out is ceaselessly spilling from my heart.

“Oh, Ronan,” she whispers, a tear spilling over her cheek. I lift a hand and quickly wipe it away. “You are such a nurturer, and it’s something everyone loves about you, but it’s far from the only thing. I don’t need you anymore, and I still love you. She will too. If she’s got any brains in that pretty head of hers.”

A smile cracks on my hardened face. “Thanks.”

“You need to talk to her. Your heads both need to be in the right place for this.”

“I know,” I reply sternly.

“And if you decide this is what you want, you know I’m there.”

I drag a heavy breath into my lungs and letting it out feels like shedding a layer of something that was weighing me down. I feel lighter.

Eden wipes at her face and quickly composes herself before standing. I rise up from the couch and stare down at her.

“Thanks, Eden,” I say, pulling her to my chest.

She wraps her arms around my torso and squeezes hard. I almost forget how small she is for such a dominating woman.

“Where is your girl now?” she asks after pulling away.

I nod toward the door. “They put her back in the VIP area.”

“The VIP area?” Eden says with a smile. With her lips around the rim of the wine glass she stole from me, she adds, “They grow up so fast.”

“Very funny,” I reply, giving her a gentle nudge.

“I think I’ll go find her. Are you busy tomorrow night?”

She gives a shrug. “Nope. I’m all yours.”

“Okay. I’ll talk to her then.”

Eden waves her fingers at me as I slip out the door of her room. I’m feeling restless as I march down the hall toward the VIP bar. As I reach the open area, I spot her immediately. She doesn’t see me. She’s too busy talking to a table of women, the bright smile on her face like sunshine.

Just staring at her, the weight of the conversation I just had heavy on my mind, I realize that I’m in love with Daisy. Helplessly. Hopelessly. Foolishly.

I’ve fallen for women this fast before, but it was never quite this hard.

Without letting her see me, I pass through the crowd around the VIP bar and slip through the curtain to the large private room. The open display of sex doesn’t even faze me anymore. If anything, it almost calms my nerves. It seems strange, but the sounds of pleasure drown out the noises in my head.

But the only reason I’m going in now is because I want her to find me. I need to see her in this environment. And when her shift is over, I’m going to take her to my room. Tomorrow night, she’ll have it her way, but tonight, she’s going to have it mine.

There’s an empty table near the center of the room, so I take a seat and watch the door, waiting for her.

It doesn’t take long before a beautiful woman with dark eyes and black hair approaches me. She’s in nothing but a pair of thin panties, and her tits are in my face as she leans over, placing her hands on the back of the chair next to me.

“Hey there, need some company?” she asks.

She’s beautiful. Two weeks ago, I’d let her sit down. I’d let my hands roam her body, exploring the way she responds to my touch. I’d let her kneel by my feet, and if I was in the mood, I’d take her to my room and have some fun with her.

But there’s not a single part of me that wants to do that anymore. She’s beautiful, but she’s not the delicate blonde with pretty pink lips that I want.

“Not tonight, sweetheart,” I reply with a smile.

She shrugs, looking momentarily disappointed. “Bummer.”

I laugh as she stands upright. Light from the bar shines through the open curtain as I look up and watch Daisy walk into the room. She spots the half-naked woman standing near me, and her eyes widen.

The dark-haired woman leaves, and I lick my lips, staring at Daisy. There are drinks on her tray, and she swiftly takes them to another table. Then a moment later, she’s standing in front of me.

“What are you doing in here?” she asks.

Needing my hands on her body, I pull her into my lap, both legs hanging off one side. Without answering, I slide my fingers up the front of her tight black skirt, running my thumb along the soft fabric covering her warm cunt.

She hums, and I take the opportunity to kiss the soft pulsing surface of her throat.

“I’m working, Ronan.”

“I couldn’t wait,” I mumble. Shifting her panties to the side, I rub my finger through her sweet, warm core, making her gasp.

“Ronan!” she argues, but she doesn’t move to get up. Instead, she spreads her legs a little farther for me.

“People are watching you,” I whisper in her ear. “Does that bother you?”

“No,” she mumbles.

I can’t get the thought of her acting so weird this week out of my head. I know this isn’t a solution, but I want to pretend it is. If I can make her body feel good, I can ease whatever is plaguing her mind. I can make us good.

Her drink tray falls to the floor with a clang as I slip my middle finger inside her, thrusting hard because I know that’s how she likes it.

“Oh my God, Ronan,” she cries out. “I’m going to get fired.”

“No, you won’t,” I reply, sliding out and back in. “You’re not leaving my lap until you come.”

“Fuck it,” she mutters as she twists her upper body and grabs my face, kissing me hard on the lips. “It’ll be worth it if I do.”

I smile against her lips, holding her tight to my body. She’s writhing against me, searching for her own pleasure, when I add friction to her clit with my thumb. The deep groan she lets out is breathtaking.

“Listen to everyone fucking around us. Does it turn you on, baby girl?”

“Yes, Daddy,” she cries out.

“That’s my girl,” I mumble against her ear.

She lets me rub and thrust and massage between her legs until her spine straightens and her legs tense. When she reaches her climax, going breathless for a moment, I soak up every second of it. I love the way she looks as she reaches her peak, the delicate features of her face tensing and creating a cute little wrinkle between her brows.

“You are so fucking perfect, Daisy. Tell me you’re all mine.”

“I’m all yours,” she says, after opening her eyes and gazing up at me with adoration.

“After your shift, I’m taking you to my room and then I want you to be truly mine. Understand, Daisy?”

She blinks. Then nods.

“You’ll submit to me. Let me do whatever I’d like to you?”

Another blink. Then another nod. “Yes, Daddy.”

I can’t hold back. I pull her mouth to mine, kissing her hard. If I had my way, I’d make her mine forever. I’d never let this one go.

But I feel her pulling away already. Maybe it’s the age thing that’s getting to her. Maybe seeing men like Clay makes her realize that she could have any man she wants, especially one her own age. There’s no reason for her to settle for a man thirty-five years older than her.

Or maybe there is something else that’s bothering her.

Whatever it is, I plan to make her forget all about it tonight.