Devotion (Club Destiny #5)(36)
Author: Nicole Edwards

Luke turned to face his lover, waiting as patiently as he could for the tongue lashing he was sure to get. When Cole leaned in, pulling him close and pressing his lips to his, Luke inhaled slowly.

“Keep an open mind,” Cole whispered. “This decision is entirely up to you. Don’t forget that. I’ll give you my opinion, as always, but you know I support you, regardless.”

Cole’s words soothed him, his lips did as well. With his gaze pinned on Cole’s, Luke forced a smile and a nod. He knew Cole supported him, just another in the long list of reasons why he was in love with the man.

“Let’s get this over with,” Luke barked, doing his best to remember Cole’s words.

When they reached the main entrance, Luke opened the door, allowing Cole to enter first, and braced himself for what was to come. He wanted to have an open mind, but more than that, he wanted to have a conversation with Cole. Asking the man to go into business with him, officially, was the only thing he could think about. Before he could act on that, footsteps sounded on the concrete floor, and Luke looked around at the vast, empty warehouse space until he noticed the source of the sound.

Coming toward them was a man. A rather imposing figure, dressed head to toe in one of those expensive ass suits like Tag Murphy favored. This man reeked of money and power.

When the man reached them, he held out his arm and Luke immediately returned the gesture, shaking the proffered hand.

“Xander Boone,” the man said by way of introduction.

“Luke McCoy,” he replied and then Cole did the same.

“Trent’s told me a lot about the two of you,” Xander stated firmly in a no-nonsense rough baritone that echoed through the cavernous warehouse space. “What do you think?”

Luke almost made a smart ass comment, but he held it in, letting his gaze roam the area and then back over Xander. Standing at six-foot-five in bare feet, it wasn’t every day that Luke met a man taller than him. Xander probably had an inch or two on him, and he was built more like a professional athlete than what one would expect of a business man. Luke wasn’t bulky the way Cole was, but Xander had some serious bulk beneath that fancy ass suit. His dark brown hair was perfectly styled, his light green eyes gave nothing away, and his strong, square jaw reflected no tension. All in all, Xander was an impressive man and clearly used to being in charge when it came to business. Intimidating almost.

Almost.

“Trent said you were looking to sell this place,” Luke began, glancing around.

From where he stood, Luke liked what he saw. It was a warehouse that had essentially received a modern overhaul. The floors were stained concrete, dark, chocolate brown with cream marbled through them that had seen a significant amount of wear over the years. The walls were constructed of glass windows. Top to bottom and on all four sides. In the center of the space was a square box of cement block walls that he assumed contained the restrooms since there weren’t any other enclosures within the warehouse.

“I previously leased it out to a call center, but they went out of business and went bad on the lease. No surprise there. I’m in the process of letting go of some of my properties, and I figured this would be a good one. As you probably noticed, it’s a little far out.”

Luke did notice that. In fact, it was quite a ways from their house, which meant that Luke would be spending a significant amount of time traveling if they did purchase it. He wasn’t sure how he felt about that idea.

“Only one floor, although I don’t think you’d have issues adding another, or even an additional section on top of that structure,” Xander stated, referring to the enclosed area Luke had been checking out.

“How much did Trent tell you about what I’m looking for?” Luke had to ask the question because he had a feeling this guy knew more than he would’ve expected.

“Enough,” Xander stated, meeting Luke’s gaze head on. “I’m aware of the fetish club. I needed to know in order to find an appropriate property.”

“Then you’ll understand my concern with all of the windows,” Luke added, moving farther into the space.

Plenty of ideas ran through his head, and he wished Sierra was there. He fully intended to get her help if they decided to move forward with another club. She knew what he liked, knew what he was looking for, and now that she had been to The Club, she could understand what he had in mind.

“The exterior windows are mirrored. They’re also backlit with fiber optics, which means when the shutters close,” Xander lifted a remote and hit a button, “from the outside, it will appear that there are lights on inside. It affords complete privacy, which I expected to be important.”