“Ah, the plot thickens.” Riley once again focuses on me. I keep my eyes on Lyle. But I feel the heat rise in my cheeks.

“Apparently Matthew has a membership at a local club, so we went.”

I risk a glance toward Riley, who doesn’t look the least bit shocked. “Did he take you to The Reef? The club in Malibu?”

Lyle tilts his head, and it’s his turn to be impressed. “Didn’t realize you had such intimate knowledge of the local club scene. But no, it wasn’t The Reef. We went to The Firehouse. The LA branch of an exclusive Chicago club, actually. Matthew’s a member.”

“Since Natasha’s in the thick of this, I’m assuming she’s included in the we?”

“She is.” Lyle pauses to look my direction, as if to see if I want to chime in. I don’t. At the moment, I’m happy to stay mute. It gives me the chance to remember all I saw inside The Firehouse…and to wonder exactly how well Riley knows what goes on in a place like that.

“I took Sugar, of course. But honestly, I wanted Nat along, too, especially since I intend for her to sit in on the meetings with the writer. Plus, she has a good eye and a good memory. So she went as Matthew’s date.”

“Go on,” Riley said, at which point Lyle shrugged.

“That’s pretty much it. We went, and the Dom in Residence gave us a brief tour. It’s a club that’s conceived in three parts. You enter into a pretty typical bar, although none of the drinks are alcoholic, and it has a much more sexual decor and a significantly more sensual vibe. A lot of leather and some submissives and slaves at their owners’ feet, but for the most part the first room is cocktail tables and chit-chat. The main area is open, broken up into different sections for different scenes with a variety of equipment. I suppose you’d call that the dungeon. Beyond that are smaller, more private rooms. The doors can be locked or left open if you don’t mind—or want—an audience.”

“I’m guessing you stayed primarily in the dungeon.”

Lyle nods. “Primarily. But there were several open doors in the back, and Matthew took us through quite a few.”

“I see.” Riley turns to look straight at me, those mahogany-brown eyes silently demanding that I tell him the rest.

And, damn me, I hustle to obey. “That’s pretty much it. We didn’t get involved in any scenes. We went in on Matthew’s membership, and we stayed in that main section. It was—interesting.”

I’m not about to admit how fascinated I’d been by the vibrant sensuality that had surrounded me, including full-on sexual gratification—mixed with more than a little sexual punishment.