Granted, Club Destiny had nearly one hundred exclusive full time members and another fifty or so part time members, all of whom shared the same lifestyle and interests in some form or fashion as Luke and Logan, but he rarely met anyone off the street who didn’t give him a questionable scowl when he mentioned his profession.
“That’s correct. It’s more of a lifestyle club that caters to the needs of our members.”
“Is it limited to married couples?” Sierra asked, and Luke realized she knew more about his world than he expected.
“No. Single, married, it doesn’t matter. However, membership to Club Destiny is steep, which is a requirement to keep the sort of clientele we’re looking for.” Steep was almost an understatement. For the price, an interested party knew what they were signing up for when they joined.
“What about nonmembers? Can they engage in any activities?”
“No. Our policies are finite and extremely strict as we aim to ensure the anonymity of our clients. As you saw the other day, we have a public facing club that we open to anyone, but the other is limited to members only.”
“Are there rooms on site?” Sierra asked in all seriousness.
Luke didn’t know what to think about Sierra’s inquisitions. She knew all the right questions, the same ones that he frequently received from those applying to become members of his club.
“Yes.” Realizing they were venturing into unchartered territory, Luke was reluctant to continue answering her questions without throwing out a couple of his own. “You sound familiar with this type of club. Have you ever been a member of one?”
When Sierra’s cheeks brightened once again, and her eyes averted, Luke wondered if he had nailed it. Unsure of what he hoped her answer would be, he held his breath as he waited.
“No. I haven’t.” She admitted, but she didn’t turn to look at him again.
“Is that because you didn’t want to?” He had to ask.
“Yes.” She said, her bright blue eyes flickering with some hidden emotion. “Yes and no, I mean. It isn’t that I have anything against the lifestyle, it’s just that I have never ventured down that path.”
Luke exhaled deeply. He hadn’t realized how much he hoped she would say that until the words were out. For some reason, the fact that she hadn’t been a member of a club like his, spurred on his possessive nature. But something in the way she answered said there was more to the story than she was letting on.
“Have you ever been married, Sierra?”
Her head jerked in his direction, but then she covered her reaction smoothly. “Yes.”
“Are you married now?” He asked, trying to hold back the fury starting a slow pulse deep inside. There were boundaries he would cross without hesitation, but he would never, without explicit permission, be with another man’s wife.
“No. I’m divorced. Eleven years now.”
Luke tried to do the math in his head, but since he didn’t know how old she was, he wasn’t able to pinpoint an exact timeframe. Based on her appearance, and what he did know about her, Luke assumed she had been remarkably young when she got married.
“How about you? Are you married?” Sierra asked, turning the tables on him.
“No. And before you ask, no, I’ve never been married. So, what happened?” Luke felt there was more to her story than just the normal irreconcilable differences, and when the question tumbled out, he didn’t try to hide his interest.
“What happened with what?” He could see her attempt to deflect the question, but Luke wasn’t going to let her off that easily.
“With your marriage.” He clarified, hoping to back her into a corner.
“It’s a long story.” She said, turning to face the seat in front of her once more.
Luke took a chance and placed his hand on her arm, aching to touch her, and wanting her to know he was genuinely interested. He made a show of glancing down at his watch, then back at her. “We’ve got time.”
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Sierra remained as still as physically possible, the warmth of Luke’s hand on her arm sent sparks straight through her.
His dark, tanned hand was a remarkable contrast to her much paler skin. As if that wasn’t enough, the size of his hand compared to hers, the coarse feel of his skin, made her insides do flips. She wondered what those hands would feel like on the rest of her.
She didn’t want to talk about this, but she had no one else to blame for the direction their conversation had taken. After all, she had been the one to start it, which meant she would have to be the one to finish it. Either she would sit back and share the next hour and a half with Luke, telling him her deepest, darkest secrets, or she could shrug him off, tell him that it was none of his business. The crazy thing was, she wanted him to ask these questions, she wanted him to be interested in her. Answering him was the only downside.