Scandalous Games (Arranged Games Book 1)

Have you ever felt like you’ve entered another realm?

A world you heard whispers about but never truly believed it existed.

The legendary tales of debauchery and luxury that felt far-fetched.

Tonight, I have a feeling I may just find out, if the discreet building we’re standing outside is anything to judge by, especially the two hulking bodyguards perched on either of the gates. Both dressed in all black, they look intimidating, and my curiosity of the place rises tenfold.

Awareness prickles at the back of my mind that Dash has brought me to a club. Memories of the last time we were together at one rises to the surface and it feels like forever ago that we would only watch each other from afar. This place itself doesn’t feel the same. The vibes are subtle, luring and mysterious.

Much like the man on my arm.

The moonlight casts a shadow on his profile, highlighting his perfect jawline as he nods at one of the two men, who lets us in without a word. We step into an eerily silent and a dimly lit corridor that surprisingly doesn’t look creepy and dingy.

I tighten my hand around his. “Where are we, Dash?”

“Sanctum.” He caresses the inside of my wrist, on my pounding pulse, soothingly.

Intriguing name. “Have you been here before?”

“No. You need to bring a date or be a couple to enter.”

“Did you bring me to a sex club?” My question comes out breathless. I narrow my gaze suspiciously and maybe even with slight jealousy. “And you were never tempted to bring a woman the last time you visited? You’re known for having threesomes at places like this.”

Dash stops and faces me just as we reach another door and tucks a wayward strand behind my ear. “It’s a kink club, kitten. It’s for couples to explore and experience their sexual fantasies in a safe and clandestine world where nothing is off-limits. And like I said, I’ve never come here before, because until you, I never wanted to.”

“What’s so special about me?”

“Moments and memories are special but you, kitten,” he pauses, his thumb grazing my bottom lip and eyes full of softness and bewilderment, “you’re extraordinary.” Bending down, he kisses me once. “Rare.” Kiss. “Beautiful.” Kiss. “And mine.”

My heart somersaults at each press of his lips and goosebumps rise on my flesh with each endearment. My mind, on the other hand, screams it’s a dangerous game we’re playing and to not let my guard down around Dash.

It’s one thing to call me his, when we’re in the throes of passion but when it’s said during intimate moments like this while sober and with so much clarity, it terrifies me.

Learning he wanted me in the past has changed our dynamic completely.

I wonder if I would have asked him to be my fake husband if I knew the truth. The answer comes easily and I know we still would’ve ended up here together. Because my attraction to him and our chemistry was undeniable the moment we ran into one another.

Even before I saw Dash that night, I was gravitated toward him.

Then I craved him the second I saw him.

And had he not brought us here, I never would’ve known just how much. I’m not merely attracted to him, I actually like the man he is. That truth is the scariest of them all.

“I’m never going to have threesomes, though,” I tease when he leans back.

“Good. Because I don’t share and you’d just be signing their death warrant.”

“But you’ll let others watch?”

“We’re not here to fuck, kitten,” he reveals in a dark note. “I brought you because I know you like to watch other people fuck, it turns you on when they lose their inhibitions and put their bodies on display while consumed in dirty lust. I saw it in your eyes that night, and if it wasn’t for your innocent curiosity of voyeurism, I never would’ve met you again.”

“I-I’m not a voyeur, Dash,” I whisper in denial while ignoring the dampness between my thighs and that intoxicating rush of thrill.

Charming and seductive as a devil, Dash circles his fingers around my neck and tilts my face until I can’t hide from him. Then coaxes in a dark and low voice, “Is that why you couldn’t look away when Justin fucked that girl’s throat?”

“I don’t know,” I stammer, closing my eyes.

His fingers tighten, stealing my oxygen, and I’m met with a fierce gaze. “I haven’t forgotten the pleasure on your face or the disappointment when I wrenched your gaze away from them. It’s seared into my brain. Tell me it didn’t turn you on when I was fucking that whore while you stared from the shadows.”

I shake my head, biting my lip, because damn it, I couldn’t pull my gaze away. It felt wrong and forbidden and I didn’t want to stop.

“Don’t deny the truth, kitten. Once we go inside, your wet cunt will prove you a liar.” His body shoves mine against the door and faster than I can react, his hand pushes underneath my skirt as he growls, “Say it or I can find out for myself right here.”

“Fine. Yes,” I murmur, aching to feel his fingers against my core. “I liked it.”

His eyes glow with lust and satisfaction. “Nothing makes me harder than knowing you’re a kinky little girl with a penchant for voyeurism, kitten. I want to know your every depraved desires, your filthiest fantasies that you dream of when you lie awake at night.”

“Why?” I can’t help but rasp out.

His mouth tilts in a savage smirk. “Because they’re mine to make true.”

“You’ll make me an addict.”

“I’m already yours.”

Steadying me on my feet, he tucks me to his side and finally knocks on the door. A second later, it opens, revealing an elegantly dressed woman, who greets us from a few feet ahead. I notice two more closed black doors on either side.

“Monsieur and mademoiselle,” says the woman with a flirtatious smile. “Welcome to Sanctum.”

I give her a polite smile while my insides feel like jelly. I’m too busy admiring her simple black gown while Dash gives our name until we’re ushered into the room on our left where we’re asked to check in our phones as they’re not allowed inside.

Unlike at The Mirage, there will be no sneaking into this club.

Once done, we are taken down to yet another corridor and two more doors when I hear the sound of soft acoustic music playing. It’s in French so I don’t understand the lyrics but the woman singing sounds sensual and soft.

My eyes widen in surprise when I realize she’s performing live and clad in a sexy Bordeaux dress which appears see-through under the spotlight. I half expected to walk into an orgy but inside, rich couples in pairs or groups dine together around private tables, laughing and flirting. Huge chandeliers hang from the ceiling while the low lighting gives an intimate ambience.

“Would you like a drink first, kitten?” Dash asks, bending to whisper in my ear.

“Yes, please.”

I’m going to need alcohol, even if it’s one drink, since there’s a limit for what tonight has in store for us. I won’t lie that not knowing anything isn’t adding to my arousal. My body is already thrumming with need. An unquenchable thirst.

Mostly because of the presence of Dash beside me.

I feel insatiable despite having two mind-blowing orgasms.

He and I are seated in a booth in the corner, hidden from prying eyes, and instead of sitting across from me, Dash slides in by my side. The impeccably dressed waiter comes and takes our order, leaving us alone. Dash leans and stretches his arm behind me, playing with my curls while his other hand traces up my naked thigh.

“What are you thinking, kitten?” he curiously murmurs.

“I can’t believe I let you talk me into going commando.”

He chuckles and I squint my eyes playfully. “Here I thought you’d be nervous.”

“Oh, trust me, I am.”

“Why?”

“Because ever since I met you, I’ve done everything opposite of my nature,” I confess and he stills, fingers pausing on my skin. “I’ve never chased a man yet I ran after you, asking to be my fake husband. Every time my life has gotten messy, I always find my way to you, even when I thought I hated you, and you say yes every time. Out of all the people in the universe, you’ve managed to become my savior. Twice.”

“Don’t mistake me for your savior, Bianca,” he says, his voice ominous and unflinching. I shiver when his fingers circle the back of my neck. “It will be your downfall. I’m not your knight in shining armor, I’m just a selfish and possessive man who has no moral compass when it comes to making you mine. I claimed your virginity because even if you couldn’t be mine, I’ll always hold a permanent piece of you that will only belong to me. It’s just your bad luck that fate wound you into my arms again.”

“Are you going to ruin me?”

“I will.”

“Why?” I whisper, inching closer when I should be running away.

“Because it’s all I know.”

He says it so brokenly and definitively that I feel my heart crumble. Undeterred and probably reckless for not running away, I cup his face. Bringing his lips down to mine, I whisper, “I think it’s too late for a warning.”

“Is it?”

“Yes. Because I’m already ruined.” I crush my mouth against his and kiss my not-so-knight in shining armor.

Because being ruined by him is already a thousand times more exhilarating than being broken by a man I believed to be safe and good.

Bad luck with him is more enticing than any good fortune.