“I thought we could go upstairs to Paradise,” she explains, looking at Kai.
The whole club is based on two levels—Paradise and Purgatory. Orion Ravage owns the place, and I enjoy how exclusive it is here. I know Sophie does, too.
“No Purgatory for you tonight?” he asks, his voice teasing.
She leans back in her chair, crossing her legs. Her answering grin is slow and deliberate, and her fingers trace the rim of her wineglass.
“Not tonight. I’d rather skip the penance and go straight to the reward.”
Kai leans forward, his eyes dipping down to her crossed legs. “Careful, little dove,” he says softly. His tone has an edge to it. “Paradise isn’t as safe as it sounds.”
The weight of his implication hangs in the air between the three of us. Sophie shivers, and my own pulse thrums at the way he’s able to control her, the way she seems to unravel without so much as lifting a finger.
Kai is an anomaly, a contradiction I can’t stop turning over in my head. With Sophie, I know where I stand, the rhythm of us well-worn and familiar—equal parts give and take, though I do prefer being in control.
But Kai? He’s fluid, shifting between roles with a grace that unsettles me in the best way. When he submits, it’s deliberate, an offering that feels earned, like he’s letting me in on a secret no one else gets to see. And when he dominates, like when Sophie yields to him, it stirs something almost primal in me. A test. Achallenge. Maybe even admiration.
I want him under me, completely mine, but it’s more than that. I want to unravel him, to understand how someone so controlled can let go so entirely.
It’s intoxicating in the best way.
And I feel damn lucky in the moment to have both of them in my life like this.
“I’ll take the risk,” Sophie says after a beat, her voice more defiant than steady. “Shall we?” she asks, standing from her barstool.
Kai takes in her outfit—a short, plaid skirt and a fuzzy, white jumper with over-the-knee, heeled boots. She looks incredible, as always, and I drink in the way Kai studies her.
I know,I want to tell him.We won the fucking lottery.
Kai shifts his focus to me, his gaze dragging like a physical touch. “Let’s go.”
Sophie’s eyes dart to mine as if to gauge my reaction. I can feel the heat creeping up my neck from the promise of what’s to come.
We all walk upstairs with me leading the way. Sophie’s hand is in mine, and Kai trails behind her. Once we get to the top floor, Sophie places something in Kai’s hand, whispering in his ear. From the way he stares down at her, and the way his neck flushes, I can tell she just handed him the remote.
“I changed my mind,” she says to us. “I want to go straight to our room.”
Kai’s eyes find mine on the landing, and I arch a challenging brow in his direction. We’d booked out a private room fortonight, and it required a few strings to be pulled because everything was already booked out.
Kai answers her by clicking the remote on, and her tiny inhale is the only indication that it’s working. He looks at me again, his expression serious.
“Lead the way,” he says.
I pull Sophie down the hallway, and when I look back, her other hand is entwined with Kai’s, her fingers laced with his.
I can’t speak for other couples who open their marriage, but I’m starting to understand the appeal. Seeing the person you love,lovingsomeone else and happier than ever? I can see why people do this. It’s almost addicting, this feeling of compersion.
Once we get to our room, I reach into my pocket and unlock the door, labeledThe Library.
When I looked into renting a private room for tonight, I’d seen that they had different themed rooms to rent out. And I thought that Sophie would enjoy this one.
When I push the door open, she gasps behind me.
“Oh, this is lush,” she says, coming to stand next to me.
There are two walls of books, floor to ceiling. There’s a desk and an armchair, and on the other wall, an extra-large king bed adorned in red, satin sheets.
Kai comes to my other side, and when I look over at him, that same expression from earlier is back on his face.
