Free Strung Out (Needles and Pins #1) by Lyrica Creed Page A

an arm around me, pulling me close. I sensed he needed the comfort as much as I did.
    Once inside, we were greeted by a woman with heavy layers of makeup, dressed as conservatively as a senator. Right when I thought I’d misunderstood what this place was, two women passed through the room each outrageously dressed. Yep. Although private and discreet, this was a BDSM dungeon, or something similar. Both women openly appraised Gage with interest and the one carrying a whip even flicked it suggestively as she passed.
    “Mr. Murdock.” The senator woman smiled. “Short notice but we can accommodate you.”
    I refrained from eyeing him in surprise. I hadn’t been aware he’d made any arrangements ahead of time. And Murdock. I knew it was common for celebrities to choose aliases with meaning to them, and Daredevil had been the comic Gage had been most obsessed with when he was a preteen.
    Most essential, what did ‘accommodate him’ mean?
    After a few pleasantries as if the woman were the host of an elite social event, she consulted the electronic tablet in her hand. “I have a room for you. Anyone you’re interested in? I’ll do my best to make them available.”
    “Ivy.” Gage had dropped his arm from me as we entered, but now he brushed his hand against mine.
    “Ivy?” The woman frowned in confusion. “There’s no Ivy here.”
    Equal parts relief and disappointment assailed my senses.
    “A different name?” The woman suggested, and Gage’s fingers wrapped around my wrist, staying my instinctive reach for my phone and its pictures.
    Instead, he described Ivy by her long blonde hair, and again, senator woman shook her head.
    “Let me get you a catalog, and I’m sure you’ll find someone who interests you.”
    Across the room, one of the girls who had passed earlier seemed more than curiously attentive. She knew something and was deciding whether to approach us. I could feel it, and I nudged Gage.
    Returning, the woman in charge was about to hand over an electronic tablet to Gage when she pulled up short. “Oh.” She followed the direction of our eyes. “Have you made up your mind then?”
    I had been about to rush over to the girl with questions but stopped when Gage nodded in that direction and replied, “Her.”
    Remembering the party a couple of days ago when I’d been so far out of my element, I deferred to what he was doing. Which I supposed was getting the girl alone.
    “I apologize. This should have come up when your reservation was made, but your credit card is expired. It won’t take but a moment to update that information.”
    My stomach heaved while I watched him swipe his card into the electronic tablet. Expired implied he’d been here before.
People really did this sort of thing? This was normal?
But I knew the answer. Gage had told me there were a few of these places in L.A. listed in the yellow pages. And many more discreet ones such as this were scattered around. This particular one was popular with celebrities.
    The young woman was nodded over, and she smiled, putting out her hand when the introductions were made—again, as if this were a social event. Gage introduced himself as Matt and me as Lektra. The young woman introduced herself as Selina.
    The room was only a short way down a hall. Selina closed us inside and motioned toward a sitting area and a table of snacks. Candles and sconces softened the ambiance. Still, it was hard to make a room such as this inviting.
    A gurney resembling an examining table was in the corner. A rolling caddy of what appeared to be medical paraphernalia was close by. There was a large rack in the shape of an X against one wall, and what looked like a sawhorse—but it was short and covered with leather. Realizing it was a spanking bench when I spied the assortment of paddles and flogs hanging on the wall next to it, I ripped my eyes away.
    What was Gage’s plan here?
    “So anything you want to share?” Selina smiled, passing the tray of crackers