Dark Layers (Volume 3), page 14
"She has the right to change her mind." Elijah says with surety.
"Huh. Okay. - Miss Gooden, we have recently been informed that you had a... disagreement with the recently deceased Mrs. Darks. Could you please tell me exactly what happened and when?" He says once he's sat down.
He crosses one leg over the other and holds his pen and pad tightly - he looks uncomfortable and I know it's because of Elijah's presence. I try very hard to suppress my rising laugh.
I peer to the side to get confirmation from Elijah that I can tell him what happened.
He nods gently and winks at me. "Just tell PC Glueton what happened when Jezebel came to your apartment."
"Yes, of course. I, um - I cannot remember when it happened exactly - it was a while back. She arrived at my apartment - on a Sunday morning I think. She was not happy because she thought I was having an affair with Eli," I quickly correct myself, "Mr. Darks here. We had a little argument and then she left. There really is not much more to tell."
"What exactly did she say to you? Was she distressed?"
"Of course she was distressed -" I say but Elijah cuts me off.
"That's enough Anile. - PC Glueton, was there any other questions?" Elijah asks.
"I need to know exactly what Mrs. Darks said to, Miss Gooden, Mr. Darks."
"Miss Gooden is not the type of person to argue, so she let Jezebel say all she had to say. Jezebel told Miss Gooden to leave me alone and then she left. I then saw to Jezebel in the lobby of Miss Gooden's apartment building and had my driver take Jezebel home once she had calmed down."
"I understand that you didn't live with your wife, Mr. Darks, could you tell me why?"
"No, I couldn't, because that is not any of your business how Jezebel and I conducted our marriage."
My mouth is agape - fuck Elijah has some balls! PC Glueton's mouth is also wide open!
"I see. Mr. Darks, you do know that I can summon you to answer all my questions?" He leans forward and rests his elbows on his skinny knees.
"Actually you cannot. I have the right to answer how I see fit." Elijah says all cocky. He sits back and entwines his fingers together; he crosses one leg over the other and rests his hands on one knee.
"Okay, I see where this is going. I will take this back to the station and see where we go from here. If I need to question any of you further, I will just bring you into the station."
"That's absolutely fine, PC Glueton. We want to help where we can."
"Huh." PC Glueton huffs sarcastically.
"So have you still not got any suspects?" I ask. I'm curious as to who murdered Jezebel.
"No, not as yet. The investigation is still pending. I will see myself out." PC Glueton says deadpan.
"Very well, have a nice day." Elijah says confident.
Well that was the easiest interview ever! Maybe I won't wave my rights next time, I'll just call Elijah.
Once the door is closed, Elijah rises to his feet.
"Another coffee, Princess."
I stare up at him in a daze - what a smug muther fucker! But I have to admit, I like it. He's so powerful, even in the presence of a Police man - it's arousing.
"Um, no, thanks." I frown. "Are you not bothered by that?"
He gives me a, please, baby I own this shit, expression.
"Anile, I do this for a living. No one Police man can ruffle my perfect feathers." He jokes.
I shake my head. "I don't think I'm cut out to be a Lawyer."
"Oh you are, Princess, you just need some training on how to control your emotions so you are unaffected."
"It's that easy, huh?" I say sarcastically.
"It can be, if you want it to be."
I shake my head again. Maybe I should just change my profession!
"Are you okay? What's wrong?" He asks.
He kneels down in front of me and peers up at me - his eyes are so blue and intense and I cannot look away. He takes my hand in his but I quickly pull back - his touch at this present time will only make me jump his bones and I need to get back home so I can find a job - I need a clear head.
"I'm fine, you're just - you're so enchanting."
He smiles, revealing all his beautiful pearly whites - he looks proud. He rises to his feet.
"As are you." He breathes in a purring voice.
Jeez, he has to stop that!
I swallow hard. "I have to go. I need to find a job." I say in a small voice.
"Anile, your car is here; it's in the underground car park. I would really like you to use it."
I want to say no so he spanks me again - I think I liked it. But I also want to please him. His alpha presence has infected my system and made me want to do everything he asks of me.
"Okay." I say angelic.
"Okay?" He asks gobsmacked; he cannot believe I took the car without a battle.
"Okay." I smile but then frown. "Elijah, are you sure you are okay about Jezebel?"
"Princess, I am sure. Please do not worry."
"Don't you want to know who killed her?" I frown again. It's so unusual how he is okay with this.
"Of course I want to know. I already have investigators on the job."
"Oh!" That's news to me! "The two that were here earlier?"
He nods.
"I see. Why are you so unaffected by her death?"
"Princess, just because I'm not a mass mess of tears, it does not mean I am not upset by what happened. I was deeply disturbed when I found out but there was nothing I could have done to save her, and there still is nothing I can do. All I can do is try to find out who killed her."
He stares me right in the eyes and I try to hold his solid gaze - but I cannot.
"Well, okay. As long as you are sure that you are okay."
"I am, please don't worry, Princess."
"As you wish." I breathe. "Until tonight, Darks."
I rise to my feet and aim to leave but he pulls me back by tugging on my arm. I'm flush against his hard chest. I inhale his musky scent - hmmm. I look up at him, revealing a dirty smile. He mirrors my smile and blesses me with a tender kiss on my cheek.
"Until tonight, Princess." He says while releasing my arm.
I feel so good - I am just fucked and protected from the cops by one beautiful man. Apart from the revelation of his dead wife, things are finally looking up for us.
THE MERCEDES IS JUST beautiful. A soft drive and fully loaded - as Elijah told me it would be. I have Nancy Wilson - My Love Has No Beginning, My Love Has No End, on repeat and the sun is shining. Today is turning out to be a good day - apart from getting sacked!
The only problem with this car is the brakes, I think they need checking, they feel a little bare. Elijah is grilling me on the phone about the brakes, he's sure he had them checked and I don't doubt him for one second but maybe the garage didn't check them properly.
“Okay, okay, I believe you. But I am still getting them checked.”
“Anile, do you honestly think I would let you drive a car without the brakes being checked? Honestly, I feel like you are mocking me!” He snaps down the phone.
“Elijah, I am driving, I shouldn’t be on the phone while I’m driving. I have to go.”
I shut down the phone and sort of giggle to myself as I hit the throttle. This car really is a beautiful drive, and I have Elijah to thank for it.
I'm on my way home but I decide to get the brakes checked first, it's better to be safe than sorry. I pull into a side street in London where a car garage is. I park inside a small car park and shut off the purring engine. I roll my hands over the steering wheel and appreciate what a beast this is. I step out of the car while eyeing a greasy man who’s walking towards me.
“Hello, Love. How can I help you?” He says.
He’s wearing the most rotten blue overalls. Grease is a part of him – yuk! I cannot even see what he actually looks like because he is greasy black all over!
“I am booked in to have the brakes checked - I called ten minutes ago. Anile Gooden.”
“Ah, yes, we have you booked in for two, you are early.” He says stern.
“Um, sorry. Would you prefer it if I came back?” I ask sweetly. I’m hoping he will squeeze me in so I don't have to endure another journey here.
“I can fit you in. I can always make room for a pretty lady.” He says all sleazy.
“Eh, thanks.” I try not to come across all snooty but I cannot help it.
I toss him the keys and walk fast away from him, clicking my high heels down the cobbled street. After only a minute of walking, I spot - of all things – a sex shop! The sign is just too much, ‘She Plays, He Pays’. I almost want to fall to the ground and burst out laughing! I cannot help myself, I have to go and see what’s inside!
I push open the old dark wooden door. It’s swollen and takes a bit of woman muscle. Once it’s open, I’m hit with a smell of plastic – or rubber? I’m not sure which but it's strong. The entrance room is tiny, around four foot by four foot with no windows, and there are so many dvd's - hundreds - all covering the walls. I cast my eyes across them while standing in the centre of the small room. They are all categorized; gay to lesbian, to girl on girl, to triple penetration! I mean honestly, I have never seen such things! I am so curious as to why Elijah likes bizarre sex and I want to know more, for my own curiosity and also to please him.
I lower my gaze and see a white arrow painted on the black stone floor. It says, 'please cum this way,' and leads you through a small hall. Jesus, that's a little forward!
I pass the dvd collections and walk through the tiny dark hall. The walls in the hall are an off dirty white and look like they need a good clean. There are also no lights in the hall, it's really dark. At the very end of the hall is one door, it has a white sign saying, 'the play room’. I enter the door and walk into a huge low lit room. The room is a deep red and stacked to the ceiling with sex toys. The wall to my right is full of whips and chains, the wall to my left is covered in masks and other bizarre looking objects. I peer around at everything. Holy fuck! Or should I say, fuck me! I couldn’t even tell someone what half of this stuff is for! They even have fake vaginas on the shelves! I mean, who needs a fake vagina? Don’t we have, Match.com these days?
I run my fingers across all the whips and the shiny silver chains and wonder why people get off on this kinda thing. They must have issues or at least imagine they are beating someone they hate! Surely?
I suddenly spot a white male mannequin in the corner of the room. It has a thick silver chain wrapped around its neck and either end of the chain has handcuffs that are locked around the mannequin's hands. It looks like a sort of lead, a highly controlled lead! I have to have this, I have to tie Elijah to this!
I act on impulse.
“Excuse me.” I call out. “Hello? Is anybody here?” I shout once more.
A skinny brown haired woman appears through another door that I didn't notice. It's hidden behind a long draped red curtain that's across the room, directly opposite the hall I came through. The woman's hair is spiked into a Mohican and shaved at the sides, and she has so many tattoos covering her arms and a few on her face. She has a tear tattooed under her left eye – it’s the only tattoo I truly capture.
“How can I help you?” She says in a lazy stoned voice.
She is really pretty; her eyelashes are so thick and long and almost black. She was stunning once, I know it.
“Can I buy this please?” I point towards the leash.
“Sure.” She says.
She untangles the chain from the mannequin with ease.
“Um, do you have any that are still in the packet?” I ask. I don’t really want one that everyone has touched!
“No, we only sell what's on display.”
“Oh, okay.” I say uncomfortable. She seems annoyed, or just snarky with me.
“That’s, three-hundred pounds.”
“HOW MUCH?” I gasp.
She peers around at me with a rolled eye expression.
“This stuff doesn’t come cheap.” She snaps.
She eyes me properly, looking up and down my body – it makes me feel uneasy.
“I can throw a female dom vid in, how about that?” She says while trying to sweeten the sale.
“Eh, um, no, it’s, um, okay.” I cannot help but stutter, it’s all I have! This is so embarrassing it’s actually beyond words! Why oh why did I come in here?
“Do you take card payments?” I ask.
“We take, cash, card and valuables – no cheques.” She narrows her eyes at me while walking out of the door under the draped red curtain.
“Oh, good – we don’t do cheques either!” I try to joke while I follow after her – I mean Darks Lawyers doesn't take cheques but she wouldn’t know that. It’s my nerves, they are taking over!
The door leads into another room; it's smaller than 'the play room'. It's dark red and again low lit. It has single black wooden doors on every wall - this place is bigger than it looks from outside. The doors are all named. To my right is a door that says, 'playtime'. To my left, a door that says, 'private'. Directly opposite the door that we came through is a bigger door, it's got to be at least four foot wide; it says, 'snuff', and the door we came through says, 'exit'.
I shake my head because I'm trying to digest everything.
The walls are again covered with sex toys, but more latex suits than anything else. There is a shiny black counter in the centre of the room. It's huge and looks expensive; it's probably the most expensive thing in this shop.
She walks inside the counter and eyes me strangely - fuck she thinks I'm a weirdo!
"Do you want the leather leash to? It attaches to the chain that wraps around the neck so you can prompt your sub. It's an extra eighty-pounds."
I frown. "Leather leash, hmmm." I should invest, Elijah loves leather.
"Have you ever used an extreme leash before?" She asks wryly.
"Um, no." I confess. I'm turning puce by the second - jeez!
"Okay, I wouldn't recommend this one for you if you have never used it before - this is not for beginners. I would recommend a simple dog leash made from leather, or maybe a stretcher bar with a collar."
"Um, what's a stretcher bar?" Crap this is embarrassing.
She sighs. "Would you prefer a room?"
My brain almost stops. "You do rooms? For play?" I gasp.
"We do. We have female dom rooms fully equipped. You can invite your submissive over via our invite system and we will escort them to your room. The room is five-hundred and you can have it for four hours. There are guides, rules and safety precautions in a provided manual. Do you want one?"
I peer down at my watch. I don't have any plans and I think this would be good experience. I think hard on whether to do this or not; I should, it would shock the hell out of Elijah.
"Yes. Please could I have a room?"
She swipes my card once I pass it to her and once the payment clears, she uses her index finger to pull me in her direction. She enters the black door to our right; the door says, 'playtime'. We enter a deep red hall that's lit up with wall candles. It looks like something Dracula would decorate! We pass around twenty doors, they are all strangely named. Anal play, Fully Fledge BDSM, Dominant Male, Dominant Female - the names go on!
She abruptly stops outside of the door, Dominant Female Beginner. I swallow hard and wonder if she's mocking me.
"Here," she pushes the door open, "there is a wardrobe that possesses a lock for your valuables. There is a guide book on the stand to your left and everything you need to punish your sub. If you could write on this card, the number of your sub and an invite message, I will go and text your sub now."
I take the bright red card from her hand. Fuck me it looks dirty; it's a little sticky and has penises drawn all over it. I shake my head and collect the pen she passes me. I know Elijah is working but I'm sure he can spare an hour to entertain me.
You have been formally invited to please your Dom.
You have fifteen minutes to arrive.
Do not be late otherwise your punishment will be severe.
I cannot help but laugh - Elijah is going to flip!
"What is your name? And your subs'."
"I am Anile, and he is Elijah."
"Thank you. Please help yourself to anything you desire. Everything has been sanitized so it is all safe to use." She says as she turns and leaves back down the hall.
I turn and peer into the room. My eyes are wide while I mentally scan everything. The room is dark. There are two huge windows at the far end of the room but they are covered with black draping sheets, shielding the room from the sun. There are small wall mounted candle lights turned on but they hardly illuminate the room, I can still make my way around though. The walls are again a deep red. The floor, black uneven stone. It smells in here too, like body odour mixed with bleach; the smell is strong and potent and not in a good way.
There is a white toilet and a white sink basin beneath the windows. In the centre of the room, a BDSM table, like the one Elijah had in his office. Pushed against the wall to my right is a small bed with four black posts. The posts don't look like they came with the bed, they look like someone added them at a later date, they have been drilled to the bed with thick shiny silver screws. The bed has only a red silk sheet fitted over the mattress. It looks dirty, I will not be using that!
I walk in further. There are so many black leather masks on high shelves that I start to wonder what they are all for? There is even a mask that looks like a bloody horse - yuk! I shake my head because of the disgusting image that has popped into my mind - Elijah turning me into a fake leather horse.
I turn to the right and cast my eyes over whips that are hanging from the top half of the wall. There are tons of them, so many, too many - who needs this many? Don't they all do the same thing? There are long black ones with tons of tassels; small brown ones with one long thread that thins out at the very end, and others that look like bats - I will not be using them!
The bottom half of the wall is full of body suits; bra's that look painful with metal circles that I assume go around the nipple; and also barbwire bra's - I definitely am not wearing them! Vivid memories of the Standing Room Basque pool around my mind.
