“I take it there’s a lot of interest in this place?”
“More than I expected,” he said. “I had to take Mercedes’s advice and implement personal interviews as well as extensive background checks.”
“And you said members pay hefty fees?”
“They do. But even if they can afford it, that doesn’t guarantee they’ll get in. Getting a membership at Dichotomy is harder than getting a weapon through airport security.”
That I believed. I knew firsthand how much Master protected the people he was close to. I could only imagine his club members would get the same loyalty.
“Let me know how I can help,” I told him as Master opened the door and allowed me to walk in before him.
Sitting at a desk in the small reception room was a pretty blonde with a sweet smile.
“Hey, boss,” she greeted, her eyes snapping over to Master.
“What’re you doin’ out here?” he asked when the door closed behind us.
“We had a glitch in the system this morning,” she informed him. “But I got it worked out and put in some security measures to ensure it doesn’t happen again.”
Master nodded, then glanced over at me.
“Troy, I’d like you to meet Sarah Thomas. Sarah, Troy Shelton.”
“Your assistant,” she said, her eyes glittering as she shook my hand.
“More than that. And yes, I’ve decided to bring him over to the dark side.”
She stared at me for a moment, but I couldn’t tell what she was thinking. Probably what I was: What did the more in that statement mean?
“Welcome aboard,” Sarah said kindly.
“Thanks.”
“This is Ransom Bishop. He’s Troy’s bodyguard. You can expect to see him while we’re here. He’s also a member in Chicago, so you can pull over his information and get him an access card.”
“Of course,” she said quickly. “It’s nice to meet you, Master Bishop.”
Ransom nodded, but a word never fell from his lips.
“What are you doin’ here so early?” Sarah asked Master, her smile wide.
“Dylan talked me into a couple of interviews,” he told her.
She glanced down at the computer screen. “Those aren’t for another hour.”
“Yeah. Well. We had nothing better to do.”
It was obvious Sarah was teasing Master, which was a testament to their relationship. Although I hadn’t been privy to this side of his world, I had caught the mention of names over the years. I knew Master was quite fond of the people who worked for him.
“Of course you didn’t.” Sarah giggled.
“Troy’s gonna be here with me tomorrow night. I’ll need a packet for him to complete. And I’ve also got another guest coming,” Master informed her. “Clarissa Tinsley. Can you ensure she has a guest pass available?”
“Absolutely.” Sarah grabbed a notepad after passing over a stack of papers.
“Her paperwork is on file at Devotion,” Master explained.
“Sub or Mistress?”
“Sub,” he answered easily while I watched the back-and-forth between them.
“Do I associate her with a specific Dom?” Her eyes shot up to Master’s face and her surprise was evident. “Wait. Did you say Clarissa Tinsley?”
“I did.”
A smile curled her lips. “Does she have a Dom for Friday?”
“Yes. Me. And that goes for every night.”
That seemed to startle her, but she recovered quickly. “And Troy?”
“I am his Dom as well.”
Sarah’s eyes widened as she glanced up at me again. “Uh … okay, then. I’ll get it handled.”
“Thank you, Sarah.” Master motioned for me to head toward the single door that had a card reader mounted beside it. “Members are required to show their ID card to the submissive on duty so they can verify the picture matches the person. At that point, the members use it to unlock the door. When the club is open, we have a submissive doing a pat down. We don’t allow cell phones or cameras of any sort. I’m a stickler for privacy.”
We made our way into the club proper and I looked around the street-level floor. Like Devotion, it didn’t look like I was expecting. There were no torture devices anywhere. Instead, this place looked like any nightclub I’d ever been to.
“Relax, Bishop. I’ll let you know when we’re ready to leave, but that won’t be for a while.”
The big man nodded before wandering toward a set of stairs.
Master turned back to me. “This building was originally laid out for condominiums, but the developer changed his mind, believing the location to be unacceptable for the clientele he’d envisioned. I grabbed it up for a reasonable price, then gutted and redesigned.”
“How many floors?”
“Four. And a basement.”
I wasn’t up to speed on downtown development, but I knew from experience that most of the bigger clubs were near Deep Ellum, a popular hot spot in Dallas. Evidently, Master had opted to steer clear of that area, yet it appeared to be in a safe neighborhood, as well as a trendy area.
“Is the other location similar?” I asked as I scanned the room. “The one in Chicago?”
