Breathe [Running to Love 3] (Siren Publishing Classic) Read Online Free

ruefully reflected that all her reading had given her quite the varied vocabulary. The Urban Dictionary was really quite interesting.
    “I won’t, I swear! Oh, Rowan, maybe we’ll both get what we need.”
    Rowan sipped her wine and made a silent wish that her friend’s hope would come true.

Chapter Three
     
    The club was nothing like Rowan had envisioned. It was quiet, for one thing, and not really dimly lit. There were small groupings of loveseats and chairs arranged to give people the opportunity to chat and enjoy a drink, much like the foyer in a nice hotel, although with considerably more intimacy. A large man met them at the door once they had parked Ashley’s car, and he checked their names against a list, despite the fact that he obviously knew Ashley. She winked at him and ribbed him gently about pulling door duty, but didn’t introduce him. Rowan immediately assumed that this was an indication of how seriously everyone’s privacy was respected. She had been surprised, as well, at its downtown location, assuming that such a club would have tucked away somewhere on a seedier side of town, but could see how it might hide in plain sight. It was a big, square, brick-fronted building with a short flight of wide stairs leading up to a paneled wooden door set on heavy iron hinges. Nothing distinguished it from its neighbors.
    They had left their coats in the small cloakroom, and Ashley led the way to a discreet bar. It was tucked in a corner of the room and was more of a long counter faced and topped with pale marble, the veining reminding Rowan of the bark on birch trees. The bottles were tucked into mirrored shelves, and there was a variety, but it clearly wasn’t the focus of the lounge area. Any influence on the senses here didn’t come from alcohol. The acting bartender, another large man who was also teased about working on the weekend, raised his eyebrows at Ashley. She said, “Nothing happening tonight, sweetie. Just introducing my girls.”
    He nodded and filled their drink order, and they chose a place to sit.
    “What was that about, Ash? The ‘nothing happening tonight’?” Jackie asked, easing Rowan’s pressing need to do so.
    “If you were participating in any of the activities tonight, then you can’t have booze,” Ashley explained. “Alistair has firm rules about everything being totally clear, consensual, and communicated. We had a screw up here last year, and he’s determined that it never happen again.” Ashley glowered. “The only good thing that came out of it is that a certain redheaded bitch can’t talk to any of the members, either here or anywhere else. Alistair would revoke her Dom’s membership and she sure as shit wouldn’t want to bring that down on herself.” Rowan’s curiosity was piqued, to say the least, but she was distracted by Jackie’s next question.
    “Alistair?” Jackie’s voice sounded a little shrill. “That’s an unusual name.”
    “He runs the club. He’s actually the owner and the only paid employee. The members pay dues and also take turns providing security, tending bar. The stuff we don’t want to hire out to outsiders. We even clean the place. There’s a roster, and none of us really complain. It gives us a safe, secure place to, well, shall I say, pursue our varied interests? You’re here tonight on a visitor’s pass. You might get invited back again, or you might not. Either way, you’ve passed a security check. We take our privacy seriously.”
    Rowan watched the other woman, who didn’t look like anything her mind’s eye had conjured in regards to what a female cop looked like, even if there was a distinct air of authority about Ashley. She was about average height, but with none of the body mass Rowan would have expected. Instead, the cop had a whipcord, feline grace about her. The short, feathered red hair complemented her pale skin and light-blue eyes, and Ashley wore tailored pants and a short blazer over a tight, shiny dress