Tori’s POV
I stared up at the unlit neon sign which indicated ‘Remus’ wasn’t yet open for business. My hand trembled as I pressed the buzzer. What I was about to do was daring in the extreme, given my past experience with this kind of establishment. Yet I felt good in my business suit even though I was way too early for my appointment.
The middle-aged female who came to the nightclub door looked unfriendly, adding to my nerves.
“Yes?”
“Victoria Culpepper. I have an interview with Mr Phillips.”
She didn’t even smile, just stood there with a hand on her hip.
“Media, eh? No doubt you’ll be bad mouthing us in your article. BDSM always gets a poor press.”
“There must be some mistake,” I said. “I’ve come about the job.”
She slapped her forehead with the heel of her hand.
“Silly me, I got the days mixed up. The reporter for the Werewolf Times has weaselled her way in because – no, you don’t need to know why or when.” She cleared her throat. “Alpha Calvin is running late unfortunately. Pack business. I’m his Gamma, Naomi Fisher. It will be good to have an extra pair of hands on a weekend.”
I hesitated, not wanting to contradict a possible future colleague. In the end I just went for it. No point being indecisive around members of the North Shore pack, one of the largest in the territory.
“I’m here about the full time position of accountant.”
Naomi waved a hand, dismissively. Her whole demeanour was different now.
“Don’t believe what the agency may have told you. The boss likes everyone to be willing to cover each position.” He did, did he? That was news to me. “With a few exceptions, of course.” She winked. “Can I get you a coffee while you wait?”
“Yes, please,” I said, my stomach churning.
We were inside the building now. Funnily enough, it reminded me of a bank with high ceilings and wood panelling. I couldn’t believe someone like her was working at a club mainly devoted to kink.
She led the way to a small office on the right but didn’t bother to close the door behind me. There was a potted cactus on the desk and a seascape on the wall.
I sank onto the couch, pleased I’d gone for the larger size. I knew turquoise suited me and hadn’t wanted to come across as boring.
“Not mated?” she queried, as she poured me a cup from the percolator.
“No.”
“Same here. Mine got killed before we had the ceremony. That was close to two decades ago.”
She didn’t look a day over thirty. Except for the silver-grey hair which I’d assumed was a wig.
“Sorry to hear that,” I said.
I thought about Alex then. I knew he was still alive because we’d been together when the packhouse went up in flames. And now Fran was missing. I was determined to find my younger sister, who had been crushing on our stepbrother from the day he came to live with us.
“Have you much experience?”
“What?”
I looked up to find her offering me a cookie. I picked one from the plate just to be polite.
“With finances. Calvin finds it tedious in the extreme.”
“What’s he like, the Alpha?
“Well, he’s an equal opportunity employer or you wouldn’t be sitting here right now.”
“I’m not a rogue,” I said, defending myself.
“You didn’t name your pack on the form.”
She smiled sweetly enough, though I sensed the shark lurking beneath the surface.
“There’s a reason behind that, Ms Fisher.”
“Call me Naomi, dear.”
I looked down. The sudden friendliness was too much to bear and my gut twisted with unexpected guilt. I was here to take her boss’s life apart.
A long moment passed. When I finally spoke, it was from the heart.
“They don’t exist any more. Waning Moon took me in but I’ll always be proud to hail from Black Gold.”
I raised my chin and looked her in the eyes when I named my original pack but she didn’t react or show any outward sign she knew of our fate.
“That’s cleared that up.”
The atmosphere changed abruptly but it wasn’t down to her. The Alpha I loathed so much was standing in the open doorway. How much had he heard?
He was blond haired, muscular and wearing an expensive grey suit but no tie. I caught a glimpse of chest hair and was shocked to find him attractive; my wolf, Bethany, hadn’t stirred in months.
This was a complication I didn’t need.
“Miss Culpepper?”
“That’s me,” I said, flashing him a smile.
My heart was beating as fast as if I’d just run for a bus.
“Ready when you are.”
For a split second I didn’t understand. Then I shot to my feet in response to his outstretched palm which I presumed meant I was to follow him.
This was it, my chance to get close to the murderer of my beloved father and stepmom.
I couldn’t be distracted by a pair of ice blue eyes and a dominant aura.
As we passed through a set of double doors to the main room with its public display areas, prominent St Andrew’s cross, hot pink walls and suspension rings, I pretended not to notice. In my opinion this whole concept was demeaning to women. It was so typical of an Alpha to own and run a place like this and I felt only contempt for him.
I’d seen enough to know the bar was well-stocked yet unstaffed. Would I be asked to bottle up in future, maybe even to serve? I could only imagine what kind of outfit I would be wearing if that were the case.
There was a part of me wanted to run. He was much more powerful than I had anticipated with those impressive biceps and that chilling stare. Being an Alpha’s daughter I was used to indulgence for the most part. Yet, if I found the proof I needed, I would kill this murderous beast. I owed it to my father and Moira, the stepmom who hadn’t lived up to the stereotype. Instead I continued to follow my prospective employer all the way to the second floor.
His office was much larger but he didn’t at any point offer me refreshment. Because the interview didn’t last more than five minutes. I guessed he was the kind of man who could tell at a glance if you were suitable or not. He told me he’d had one other applicant but I was by far the best in a way which had me hoping my foundation was masking my blush.
The only other daunting thing was when I had to lie to him for the first time. I told him I had never visited a BDSM establishment.
“I find it intriguing, though,” I admitted.
I didn’t want him thinking I was that rarest of she-wolves, a prude.
“Good. We’ll make a kinkster of you yet, Victoria,” he said.
Not if I could help it.
“Please, call me Tori.”
“And you can call me ‘Alpha’.” His laugh rang out, a deep chuckle which affected my very core. I shifted uneasily on my seat, hoping Bethany wouldn’t need muzzling. “Just kidding,” he said. “It’s Calvin. Welcome to the team.”
I shook his hand, relieved to feel no aftershock.
If he was guilty of ordering the arson attack which virtually demolished our packhouse and took away my loved ones, then he’d better watch out.
I wasn’t a karate champion for nothing.
“Did my Gamma explain how we do things around here?”
“She said something about covering other roles,” I mumbled.
Not my finest hour.
“And you’re okay with that?”
“Sure.” Lying was becoming second nature these days. All in a good cause. “When would you like me to start?”
“Monday morning.”
“Next week?”
My voice sounded shrill even to my own ears.
“Is there a problem, Tori? I wasn’t under the impression you had to give notice.”
And there it was, the cold and dangerous tone. Don’t mess with me, it said.
“No, Alpha Phillips,” I said.
“Let’s discuss your starting salary.” He named a sum which was reasonable given my lack of experience. “Stick around,” he said, a glint of amusement in those hypnotic eyes. “Things get quite wild on Fridays.”
“I’d love to,” I lied. There was no way I wanted to hang out with this monster. “But my flatmate is cooking.”
“You must bring her some time. I’ll arrange discounted drinks. Can you find your way back to reception? Naomi will let you out.” He checked his watch. “Better hurry if you don’t want to be surrounded by leather and latex.”
As I made my way downstairs, I tried not to think about what went on here. It was a licence to torture women and I should know. No wonder they called the rooms ‘dungeons’.
I shivered. Underneath it all I was beyond excited to be getting closer to the murderer of my parents, even if it meant working in such a sleazy place and for a man like him.
Tori’s POV Ellie screamed when I gave her the news. “That’s wonderful, Tor,” she said. “I know the circumstances are just awful, but you’ve a foot in the door now.” She hugged me and I wiped away a tear. I was doing that a lot recently, crying. “Thanks for making dinner, Els. I love your special pasta. The meatballs are just divine.” My friend and flatmate hailed from Waning Moon. We’d attended the same college and she’d vouched for me when I applied to join them. One day I was from Black Gold, then I was in mourning, and within a week Alpha Joseph had accepted me into the pack which specialised in ceramics. They were short of females. Ellie was training to become a doctor, so we attended a mating ball once in the proverbial blue moon. That suited me just fine. “Tell me about the Alpha.” “You mean Calvin?” Her eyes widened. “Do you get to call him that? Already?” She put her hands on her hips. “What did you do?” Her frivolity was just what I needed. “Nothing, Els.” “Did y
Tori’s POV I spent Sunday on my own as Ellie got a call from her mom to say her sister was visiting from Oregon. She drove herself, straight after breakfast, and I spent the morning chilling in my bathrobe. A long soak beckoned after which I tried on the lingerie I’d bought. Some of it was lacy and delicate – the teddies, all in pastel colours – and the corsets had saucy little bows. I expected to be sharing an office with the Alpha, though didn’t think he’d let me use it when he was elsewhere. Nobody trusts a new employee at first. If I had to sit in the office off reception with Naomi I would manage. A laptop isn’t called that for nothing. She may even let me use the desk. Ellie wasn’t back by the time I was due to set off for work. Calvin had said to turn up around ten. I called an Uber and fussed over my appearance during the twenty minutes it took to arrive. No jacket today, just a tasteful skirt and retro blouse, striped with a white collar, the minimum of foundation and a
Tori’s POV I couldn’t get to sleep that night, even though I’d already picked out the outfit I was going to take: a black corset with burnt orange bows. Was this a test of my sensibilities, or something more sinister? I really hoped not to have to participate. Wondering if Naomi would be attending, as well, I dozed, only to be woken by Ellie, who was stumbling about in the dark. I knew we had agreed to save on electricity, but this was ridiculous. Then I began to wonder if it was even her. If only I had a baseball bat to hand. The mini crisis set my adrenaline flowing but it was a false alarm as I found out when the thumps and bangs ceased and she came into my bedroom by mistake, instead of returning to hers after a bathroom visit. I switched the light on. “We must stop meeting like this,” I said. Because it had happened before. “Sorry, Tor,” she mumbled. “I was hoping not to disturb you.” “Was it as bad as you were expecting?” She nodded. I saw the smear of what looked like
Tori’s POV It was eerie being in a closed club environment, yet I sensed Alpha Calvin was doing his best to put me at ease. The cut-out mini dress he’d selected covered me in all the right places with just a smidgen of tease. I felt confident and sexy, something which hadn’t happened in a long time. I was watching Travis show a small audience of about twenty dominants, or Doms, how to deliver a spanking safely. To my surprise, Maria, the submissive taking part was able to give her perspective as well, once the scene was over. “Your sub must be aware she can communicate with you at all times, even if gagged,” the Delta said. One of the watchers raised a hand. “What if she’s bound as well?” he asked. “Establish pre-arranged signals like waggling fingers or blinking a set number of times. It is your responsibility to keep checking in with her.” “And if there’s a blindfold?” “Someone wants his money’s worth,” Travis joked. “Prepare for all eventualities. Each one of our submissives
Tori’s POV“Have you seen this, Tor?”Ellie thrust a copy of the Werewolf Times in front of my nose. The banner headline read, “‘Romulus’ and ‘Remus’ to slug it out”.No shit.I abandoned my muesli to read the article. Apparently, the owner of a rival club was threatening to file a lawsuit for damages when his proposed change of name to ‘Romulus’ was blocked by Alpha Calvin.“He’s got some nerve,” I muttered.“I don’t get it.”“What do you know about Rome?”“Uh, it wasn’t built in a day?”“Nice try,” I said. “It was founded by Romulus after he killed his twin brother, Remus.”“So?”“Apart from the association with Alpha Calvin’s establishment, which may give customers a false impression they’re connected somehow, it also implies ‘Remus’ is kinda the poor relation.”“You mean this guy’s trading on the Alpha’s success?”“Yep,” I said.No wonder he’d been off with me yesterday.“Maybe you should poke the bear,” she mused.“Already thought of that. How do you fancy a trip to ‘Cheetah’s’?”
Tori’s POV I’d been wondering about his second-in-command and why I had never seen him at the club. “Who’s catering? Because I know a deluxe service in town which doesn’t charge over the odds.” “Typical of my financial adviser.” He grinned. “His mate, Laura, is organising that side of things.” “I’m not a waitress,” I pointed out. “Knowing you, Tori, you’d excel at that as well. However, on this occasion I want you to be my official plus one.” My mind went blank. What could I say? “Like an escort, you mean?” “Hardly, Tori,” he said. I was enthused now, even if it would have been preferable to mingle with his pack members in a neutral uniform and carrying a tray of drinks. This would be a great opportunity to find out more about the North Shore pack. Yet, in effect, he was paying me to act as his girlfriend. Tough job, though I’d never have a better chance to suss out whether he was guilty or not. Partygoers tended to gossip and become loud when they’d had a lot to drink, and m
Tori’s POVThe Dom in question was Oscar. I’d seen him around though he never said much. He was using Susan to demonstrate signals and positions to an audience of females, as I had expected.“What am I looking for this time?” I whispered.“Women who won’t make the cut.”Calvin was wearing leather pants and a black shirt.“How will I know?”“Put yourself in their position, Tori.”I hoped he didn’t mean that literally. Empathy was something I could do. If it saved the club money that was a bonus.The Alpha was gradually giving me more responsibility and more of an insight into this kind of scene. I have to admit, even though I’d lied at that first meeting when I told him it intrigued me, there was a small part of me which was curious.Why did women sign up for this kind of thing? Did they have a past trauma or just a strange fetish?I was dragged into it when one of the observers balked at trying it out. Had he somehow anticipated this?“What about her, the bruised one?” she asked, poin
Calvin’s POVSurely she must be aware of my interest by now. I wanted her in my bed, even if it was just the once: my rules. Yet that vulnerability made me want to kill whoever had put it there.I could sense her reluctance to be seen in my company. Was it partly because of the boss/employee relationship as she had implied? No, there was something more, something I hoped I was wrong about.When I mentioned having dinner together her face changed completely.I had to put my foot down or it would never have happened. It rankled, too, that she looked on it as her doing me a favour. Maybe she was … but not in the way she imagined.“Won’t people talk?”Was that what had been bugging her?“Let them,” I said. “It’s not a date.”I drove us to my favourite Italian bistro, the one with the checked tablecloths and aroma of garlic. Tori seemed to know her way around pasta, ordering farfalle with chicken, while I had my usual calzone.She opted for sparkling water rather than wine, correcting me w