Prologue

Unknown

Why do meetings always seem so tedious when you have something you are waiting for? The last minute interruptions seemed to be never ending today, the second Friday of the month, which meant his favorite angel was doing a scene at Lux tonight. Barely containing his annoyance as the same pompous man stood from his chair for the fifth time complaining that the merger did not favor his company enough, even though all the other members at the table were willing to concede more than 12% extra in profits towards him, including cheap rates on supplies, transportation and storage fees.

“Enough.” The deep timbre of his voice radiating through the room bringing all conversation to a halt. He stood from his chair, clenching his fists and leaning forward to rest them on the table staring down at the older man, knowing this pissing match was nothing more than posturing. This imbecile had more millions than he knew what to do with, this was wasting everyone’s time, “This has gone on long enough. The offer that was made at the beginning of the meeting is the one that Sayer Corp will be considering. None of the supplemental demands you have insist upon will be entertained until their ink is dried on paper.”

His words were final. Collecting the paperwork of the new offer from the table, he pushed his chair back, turned on his heel and left the room before any more of these fossils could drag him back. There was tonight's performance to get ready for. Every time he promises it will be the last night, that this obsession needs to end; yet there was something about tonight’s gorgeous creature that kept drawing him back in.

Sweeping through the cubicles of the marketing department, towards the elevators and down to the waiting town car on the curb. Once inside the car, he could take a deep breath pulling his tie loose and undoing the top two buttons of his shirt. Allowing images of the last performance to fill his mind.

They called her the Marked Angel, a gorgeous brunette with clear blue eyes; the same color as the waters around he Caribbean; that had been a buzz in the community for years.

5 years ago she appeared with her master, the perfect vision. She always appeared to revel in the exquisite restraint of silk-bound limbs, and the deliberate fall of leather against her skin, each strike painting her in hues of passion—roseate blushes blooming all over her pale skin.

His thoughts persisted as he made his way up to his apartment, spending longer than usual in the shower, letting the steam fill his lungs as he played what it might be like for her to be his.

Steam curled around him, thick and cloying, as scalding water pounded against his skin. His muscles ached—from the tension, from the hunger that had been gnawing at him for weeks. Maybe longer.

He braced one hand against the cool tile, the other already wrapping around his aching length, his breath coming harsh and uneven. He let his eyes close, surrendering to the image that haunted him, that unraveled him from the inside out.

Her.

She was always there, slipping into the darkness of his thoughts, invading his control like a whispered sin. He imagined the way she would move-exactly as he needed, confident and sensual. The way her lips would part on a gasp as he claimed her, the way her body would tremble, pliant yet defiant.

A groan tore from his throat as his grip tightened. He could almost feel her—soft skin, heat, submission laced with fire. The fantasy built, unraveled, consumed. Water cascaded over him, but it did nothing to wash away the hunger. If anything, it only deepened it.

With a final, shuddering breath, he tipped his head back, surrendering to the wicked ache of need. But even as pleasure crashed through him, it wasn’t enough. It never was.

This obsession had to end, it had been five years since he first saw her and helped her leave Midnight, delivered her to a friends house and left without knowing what happened to her. She disappeared from the community for nearly 4 years after that night before she re-emerged with a friend of his, Preston. Walking into Lux one night with this angel on his arm. She never showed her face, always wearing a mask that covered most of her face, especially when her long hair pooled in front of her shoulders. Yet those eyes, those blue eyes.

They were always on display and he would never forget those eyes for as long as he knew there was a chance that she could be his. Its how he knew it was the same woman he rescued years ago, she could always say so much with those eyes.

Yet as he sat in Lux past 1am, the Marked Angel never made an appearance. Preston never showed to the club either. Maybe they decided to part ways, which left him disappointed yet maybe it was for the best. He couldn’t keep obsessing about a woman he would probably never have, he could simply put her out of his. Easy right? His hard on would disagree when all he can think about is that beautiful red skin, suspended in silk ropes. Looking around at the other scenes, nothing was piquing his interest not in the way his thoughts of the Angel did. Peeling out of the armchair, he strolled towards the front door to collect his jacket and phone, time to go home. On the way out, a flash of recognition at the masked man entering the door.

“Pres!,” He called moving across the foyer to stand next to his friend, “Where have you been? I thought you were meant to be here earlier tonight.”

“I’m not staying,” Preston said turning his attention back to the blonde behind the front desk, “I need to change my status. Angel will no longer be doing scenes with me, so i am looking for another sub.” The blonde behind the desk nodded, typing something into the computer before printing off a confirmation and handing it to Preston. He took it and turned towards the entrance again.

“Hey,” he gripped the back of Preston’s bicep stopping him from leaving the club, “What happened? Where is she?” He didn’t need to elaborate. There was only one person that Preston came to Lux with, Angel.

“She said something had come up and she won’t be doing scenes for awhile, I didn’t pry into her reasons. Shame, never had a sub quite like her, almost as if she needed it as much as i did. We had a mutual agreement from day one.”  Preston sighed heavily folding the piece of paper in his hand and pocketing it, “Now i need to find someone else who understands my needs as well as she did. Anyways i will see you next time my friend.”

He watched Preston walk out of Lux, having a hard time believing what his friend had told him. Angel wasn’t coming to the club anymore and Preston was too much of a gentleman to betray her privacy by giving him a way to contact her. Maybe this was for the best, the natural conclusion of his obsession. But why did it feel so wrong? His instincts were telling him that this wasn’t a mutual separation because a D/s relationship had run its course. Something had happened to Angel.

And as much as his protective nature was screaming at him to track her down and make sure that she was okay, but there was no way for him to find her. The anonymity Lux provided to it’s members was flawless and why majority of members wore masks. Many of Luc’s clientele were wealthy or in prominent community positions, which could be drastically tarnished if people knew of their involvement or even association to the kink community. Unfortunately it is still very much taboo. He was pretty sure it wouldn’t matter how much money or resources he threw at the problem, it wouldn’t solve anything. He was useless and he didn’t do useless.

Shit!