By Chance Read online

  Shannon had arranged for him to have their regular room at The Plaza hotel. It was close to Amanda’s office, and though it seemed cliché and a little tired to stay at The Plaza, it also had a ring of authenticity to it that the newer hotels couldn’t offer. The Plaza was where serious business people stayed, or so Gid and Aaron had always thought, and they wanted to be taken seriously as businessmen.

  The taxi driver didn’t speak except to ask him his destination. Seth was fine with the silence. It allowed him to focus while internally beating himself up for not immediately thinking of asking out the girl on the train. She was beautiful and funny, so of course she had an escape plan, probably without even realizing it. It usually worked that way for Seth; the good guy rarely got the girl. Maybe he needed to take Gid’s advice—WWGD. Be less good guy and more … whatever females thought Gid was.

  Traffic had gotten even more intense, and as they sat trying to escape the gridlock, Seth pulled out his phone and scrolled for the right name. He pushed the little icon that held his buddy’s face and waited for him to pick up.

  “Tell me you’re in town.”

  Seth smiled. “I’m at The Plaza this week. I thought I’d see if you had time for a drink.”

  Seth hadn’t heard the voice on the other end of the phone in a long time, not since the end of his junior year when Chad had graduated and landed a high-profile job on Wall Street. They’d had an epic going away party for him that, had his new employers seen the things he’d gotten up to, he never would have been employed. Chad was their group’s Wild Boy. The one that did the stupid human tricks and made you think that Steve-O wasn’t as dumb as you’d thought. They’d steered clear of him once the business had picked up because crazy friends and serious business didn’t mix, but Seth needed a break. Badly.

  “Tonight. There’s this club we can go to. I’ll swing over around nine.”

  “Perfect.” Seth smiled and ended the call just as the cab pulled up out front of the hotel. Seth paid the driver, then exited the cab and took in the sight of Central Park.

  Check-in had gone as expected. The staff was getting used to his face, and most knew him by name. Lily and Oak had complicated their lives enough to have one or more of them in the city on a regular basis. Seth paced around the room, listening to his voicemails. He’d ignored his phone through the entire trip. It was just easier to take care of things when it was quiet and he could be sure to remember all the details. His sister had called. She was happily married and headed off to Machu Picchu but had wanted to check on him before she left. He’d send her an email and invite her to visit when they returned.

  The rest of the phone calls demanded more of his attention, including one from Amanda’s assistant requesting he be at the office at one o’clock the following day. That message also contained a breakdown of the information Amanda and her team had uncovered. The bottom line seemed to be that Lily and Oak had a choice; file for bankruptcy or file a lawsuit against their biggest competition. They’d been given the pathway to the latter from Genesis’ own corporate assistant and resident crazy bitch, Bella. Seth cringed every time he thought about all the information that she’d had access to, and how much of it she’d pilfered to the other side. Thankfully, her insane behavior had gotten her locked up, and Amanda had been able to slap Bella with a gag order pertaining to their case. She couldn’t speak to, or about, either side, and he wanted to keep it that way.

  Seth spent the rest of the afternoon on his laptop. He ordered dinner in so that he could be assured he’d have everything he wanted finished completed before he met with Amanda the following day. Concentrating was tricky business. He had thoughts of the train girl interweaving with whatever debauchery Chad would introduce him to that night interrupting his reading of dry contracts. After several hours, he finally read the last word on the contract that Lily and Oak had with their marketing company. Seth slumped in his chair and let out a groan as he closed his computer. Lily and Oak may not have a steady influx of cash, but they were far from stupid. They had fantastic attorneys, and at that moment all he could do was thank his lucky stars that Amanda was a friend; a friend that also happened to be one of the biggest sharks in Manhattan. She would figure something out. His phone, on the table beside the bed started to chirp. It was his eight-thirty alarm. Chad would be there in a half hour to retrieve him. He still had to shower and change for the night ahead.

  Seth tossed the computer from his lap to the bed and pushed himself out of the chair to silence the alarm. As he moved through the spacious room, he told himself he’d focus on tonight alone. The lawsuit and everything else would be there in the morning. He needed one night to let loose.

  Chad was waiting in the lobby when Seth stepped out of the elevator. The two of them headed towards each other with goofy grins on their faces. And as soon as they were close enough, they shook hands and pulled each other in for a bro hug.

  “What’s up man? Long time no see.”

  Seth dropped his friend’s hand and turned toward the front entrance. “Sorry about that. You know how things are. The business has been taking up a lot of my time lately.”

  Chad nodded. Seth could feel that his friend was next to him, but he stayed silent. “Maybe it’s been taking up too much of my time, actually,” Seth confessed to the quiet.

  Chad nodded as they went down the steps. “Now that’s what I was thinking. You know what they say, all work and no play makes … makes … well it makes something not fun. You seem like you could use some fun.”

  Seth laughed as the valet exited Chad’s sleek silver Audi, and Chad took his place behind the wheel. Settling himself into the car, he laughed again. “I think the saying is all work and no play makes you a dull boy.”

  Chad shifted the car into first gear. “Must be true, because you are sounding really dull to me.” He laughed as the car jumped from stillness before gliding onto the street before them. “All that is about to change, though. No one at Chains is dull.”

  “Chains?”

  Chad nodded. “Yeah. It’s a club. One of my favorites.”

  Seth didn’t have much of a chance to worry about it because they were there in minutes. He was surprised to find that they’d pulled up out front of a stone building that looked as if it held Burberry or some other designer line, rather than a nightclub. “What is this place?”

  Chad got out of the car and spoke to Seth over the roof as he pulled together the middle button on his jacket. “I told you, no worries. Trust me.”

  Seth laughed as they made their way to a hard silver door flanked by two men dressed head to toe in black with shiny silver accents. “That’s what I’m afraid of. Last time I trusted you I had to have Gid wire me bus fare to get home from Atlantic City.”

  Chad stared him down. “And Gid came through, so it’s all good. Now shut it and chill.”

  Chad approached the man to the right of the silver door, handed him what looked like cash, and the door swung open before them. Genesis had been lucrative long enough that Seth was no longer surprised by such transactions. They’d become par for the course.

  The faint pounding of bass drifted through the open door. Seth was surprised. He’d thought it would be louder. After following Chad through the door, he realized his mistake. There was a second door, even more intimidating than the first, that came into view as the silver door closed on their backs. Enclosed in a stark white hallway, they waited. Seth thought the entire process was odd and was becoming a bit annoyed. He’d agreed to trust Chad though, so he kept his mouth shut.

  After many long minutes a gorgeous female in a silver mini dress materialized from what looked like a wall but must have been a door. “Mr. Tilt, Mr. Ellison, right this way.”

  Chad immediately followed, and after shedding his wonder at how she knew his name, Seth followed along as well.

  “Your table will be in the balcony, sir. Unfortunately, we only have the one private suite still available this evening. If you need anything at all, please ask Tarah
.” The female in the tiny silver dress spoke softly, but clearly, as she led them down a black hallway with a glowing floor. The woman stopped in front of a door and turned the knob. “The next show starts in ten. Tarah will be up momentarily.”

  Seth followed Chad as he entered the room, and the female stood watch. He turned around to thank her as soon as he went over the threshold, but she was already pulling the door closed behind them. He opened his mouth to speak, but she shook her head and brought a finger to her lips, showing him the best thing for him to do was stay silent. He nodded to her before she winked and left, securing the door closed behind her.

  Seth spun back around to take in the room they’d entered. The walls were all black, just like the hallway, and like the hallway the floor glowed. Seth studied it for moment before realizing that it actually wasn’t glowing. It was metal tile that was lit all around the edges making it look like it was glowing. There were differences in the space that distinguished it from the hall, like the clear glass furniture and a table with four chairs in the center of the room. A light shone up through the table from the floor, causing a reverse spotlight effect on the table itself and the shiny silver pole that ran from the ceiling to the floor right through the middle of it.

  Seth scanned the small room with his eyes and noticed that they were indeed on a balcony. The dark walls ended less than halfway up in the one corner and had two taut chains that ran across the space, presumably to prevent patrons from falling. Seth took a few steps towards the edge. There was more glass furniture in front of the open wall. A long, high-backed bench stretched the length of the opening. This was the one piece of furniture he’d seen that wasn’t lit from below. Had he not been paying attention, he probably would have run right into it. It was almost invisible.

  A soft knock echoed through the room, but before either of them could answer, another brilliantly beautiful female entered the room. This must be Tarah. Seth’s heartbeat kicked up, and his throat got tight as he took in her appearance. She was stunning. Not too tall, but had long, toned legs. She wore high black pumps, and a silver mini-dress similar to the woman that had shown them to their room. Seth couldn’t help but notice the one glaring difference between the dresses. They were both short and tight so when the light hit them it danced off every curve, but the other woman’s dress had been made of a sparkly fabric, one that was made to catch the light and make you guess. This female was wearing a dress made of tiny chainmail that not only hugged every curved, but made you think about every tiny piece of skin that shone through. Never in his life would he have though chainmail was sexy. He’d been dead wrong.

  “How can I help you gentlemen?”

  Seth watched, his throat so dry he couldn’t answer, as Chad pulled out a chair and sat at the clear glass table. “Two Manhattans,” he answered before leaning back against the chair. “And bring back a friend.”

  Seth couldn’t help but stare back while the woman eyed him before she turned and left the room. There was something in her eyes. It excited him.

  After she was gone, Chad got out of the chair and went to the railing. Seth swallowed so he could speak. “So, where are we? What is this place?”

  Chad turned. “It’s a nightclub.”

  Seth took a step toward his friend. “What kind of nightclub?”

  Chad smiled and turned back to look over the railing. He waved his hand in a gesture for Seth to join him at the railing. Seth followed directions, and once standing beside his friend again asked, “What kind of nightclub?”

  Chad didn’t answer immediately. The music had stopped and the entire place went dark. Seth caught his breath as a single spotlight grabbed his attention and settled on a single sliver metal chair on the stage. He let the breath out as his friend finally answered him.

  “Just the kind you need.”

  Eight

  Seth let Chad’s words sink in as two ladies, one on either side of a tall man, appeared under the spotlight. The girls led the man to the chair where they directed for him to sit. It was then, that Seth noticed the chains piled at each foot of the chair. Each female, dressed in the chainmail mini-dresses, bent down and used the chains to bind him to the chair.

  Seth found himself enthralled. He watched raptly as the girls slithered in their dresses, the light not quite touching their faces. The lack of music made it easier to concentrate on their movements and the sounds of flesh meeting metal. Seth only noticed the door opening because a sudden faint rush of wind passed over his ear. There was a rustle behind him and suddenly a cold drink was set into his hand.

  The cold perspiration from the glass making contact with his skin made him groan as he watched the women on stage dance for the man. They had been slowly moving the chainmail down each other’s bodies. Now every time they moved their breasts swayed and the layers of links around their waists jingled.

  Seth tried not to be startled by the hands that moved along his shoulders from behind, slowly moving his jacket down his arms. Holding his drink steady, Seth complied and allowed the strange hands to maneuver across his body. He was overwhelmed. His senses felt heightened, his body humming with excitement. He watched the women on the stage touch each other and the man they’d chained to the chair. He was straining against his bonds, his breathing heavy as it broke the silence in the club. Seth sucked in a breath and closed his eyes as the strange hands that had removed his jacket went to the front of his pants.

  The tightening there became painful as teeth bit down on the back of his bare neck. Seth reached down to take the hand that was now gently cupping and massaging over the material that covered him. His hand was pushed away.

  Seth tried to turn to face the woman that continued to nip at the skin on his neck. But he was once again denied. She pushed against his back making him come in contact with the small wall that surrounded their balcony. Seth’s eyes flew open as he felt himself fly forward into nothing. He gasped for air as the woman behind him held him over the crowd with just a tight hold on the back of his shirt.

  Seth turned his focus on the stage. The light was bouncing off nothing but bare skin now. It was difficult to distinguish between bodies. Seth focused on the straining in the man’s arms as two different women caressed and pleased him. He watched as the man’s arms got tighter when one of the females settled themselves on his lap, slowly thrusting herself on him while her friend stood at attention, watching them before falling to her knees.

  Seth couldn’t watch anymore. He was straining in all his clothing, the buttons on his shirt threatening to burst and fling him down three stories into a sea of bodies. The floor of the club below had been packed with people before the lights had suddenly gone out, but he couldn’t tell if they were still there. Those people, Seth was sure, wouldn’t want to meet their death in a sex club being crushed by a half-naked man falling from a balcony.

  Using the stability in his core, he straightened himself and spun around to face the woman that had held him over the mass of sex-seeking people. It wasn’t Tarah.

  She was just as beautiful as all of the other women he’d seen so far. Her chainmail dress had slid down, and he could see little pink marks that covered the swell of her breasts. She stumbled back as the slack came into Seth’s shirt and she spun away as he turned on her. He caught her as she started to fall and brought her body against his. She was petite to look at but felt even tinier in his arms. Seth used his free hand to trace the top of her dress, while simultaneously sliding it down a bit further. He caressed the pink imprints that remained from the metal against her soft skin. She gasped as he brought his lips to her ear after freeing one of her nipples.

  “Does it hurt?” he whispered in her ear.

  She sucked air in harshly when he pinched her freed nipple between his thumb and forefinger. “Yes,” she breathed. “Yet, not nearly enough.”

  Seth pulled back in surprise as his cock kicked at her words. He didn’t understand why her liking pain would make him so hard ... but hard he was. The stranger put her h
and back to work at the front of his pants. Seth lifted the woman, one hand under each thigh, and set her on the table in the center of the room. As soon as her ass hit the glass, the light below the table lit up the room, highlighting the female displayed there while she shifted her dress, leaned back, and arched herself against the metal pole, freeing her breasts completely. Seth clenched his jaw tight as her hands went to his belt, and he leaned in to pull a hard pink nipple into his mouth. Seth hadn’t yet felt her skin against his lips when her hand crept down his waistband and took firm hold of his dick. Squeezing it firmly, she breathed, “You shouldn’t clench your jaw so tight.”

  Seth’s body jolted and his memory flashed back to that tiny female on the train. He couldn’t stop the overwhelming urge to have her beneath him, to have her hand wrapped tightly around his cock as he sucked her flesh into his mouth. He wanted it to be his train girl that wore a little chainmail dress that he now realized brought as much pleasure to those who wore it as it did those ogling the ones that wore it.

  He pulled back hard, his breathing shallow and labored. “Have to go.” He managed to get the words out before fumbling with his pants and racing toward the door. He turned back to see the room briefly before pushing out the door. But it was long enough to notice that Chad and Tarah had no problem distracting the girl from his sudden departure. Tarah immediately brought her lips against the other girl’s while Chad was busy removing the remnants of her dress. He felt a pang of guilt, but swallowed it as he heard one of the girls moan against the other’s mouth. He fled as fast as he could down the glowing hallway.