yes, very nice. That was some show in there, wasn’t it?”
M’s hand remained on my arm. “Would you come to my office for a little chat? I’d like us to know each other better.”
Shit.
But I knew better than to resist. Now was not the time to raise suspicion.
“Sure. I’d love to see your office.” And maybe learn a thing or two…
She led me through the club, stopping to say hello to what seemed like a hundred people. I had to hand it to her, though, she introduced me to all of them, which could really come in handy at some point.
The office looked exactly as one might expect. A huge, heavy desk dominated the room, which was decorated with flocked wallpaper, thick red carpeting, a Victorian-style love seat, and a matching chaise. The walls were packed with bookcases, but it was too dark to see any of the titles. Sex club chic I guess you would call it.
The stories these walls could tell…
I relaxed on a settee and she walked over to a liquor cabinet.
“Can I pour you some port?”
I hated port.
But without waiting for an answer, she selected an ornate decanter and began pouring the thick red liquid into tiny stemmed glasses.
I accepted it, all smiles, and took a sip, holding my breath.
“So tell me,” she said, “what brings you to Club Silk?” She took a seat on the other end of the settee.
I set down my glass. “Well, I suppose I come here for the same reason everyone does.”
One of her eyebrows shot up. “Really? I thought people came here for a variety of reasons.”
I shot right back at her, “What brings you here night after night? I mean, we know you’re the proprietor, but what do you like about it?”
She gave me a smile that said I see what you’re doing here, set her glass down, and moved closer to me.
“I just want to make sure you’re here for the right reasons.” She removed my mask and pushed a strand of hair behind my ear.
She dramatically snapped her hand back. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have been so forward. Did you mind that?”
I shook my head. I actually didn’t mind it.
What I did mind, though, and what was getting under my skin, was how sly she came off. She was up to something.
Course, I was up to something, too.
“Good. Very good,” she said.
I breathed her light perfume, and then her lips were on mine, soft and light.
I’d kissed a girl only one other time on a dare at a college party. There’d been much alcohol involved.
If she was testing me, I planned to pass with flying colors.
She pulled back and examined my face. “You see, it’s my job to make sure my guests are comfortable, and enjoying themselves,” she explained.
“That’s good of you, M,” I said. “I appreciate your looking out for me, and for making sure I settle in well.”
She suddenly stood, extending a hand to pull me to my feet. Guess my little test was over.
Had I passed?
“Let’s head back to the party, shall we? I have guests to check on, and you need a cocktail.”
I replaced my half mask and followed her, leaving the awful port behind. Music blared a thumping dance beat, bodies writhed on the floor, and people fucked on a high stage overlooking the room.
M disappeared into the crowd.
Good riddance.
It was obvious she was trying to scare the shit out of me, intimidate me—the question was, why? She couldn’t possibly know I worked for the paper. And the funny thing was, that was what scared me.
Or was she just pulling some alpha-girl bullshit?
I worked my way through the crowd toward the bar and ordered my usual bubbly. Rooting through my purse for a cash tip, I saw my phone flashing with a notification a text had just come in.
Chapter 17
Varden
As soon as the redhead had recovered from having her mouth and ass delighted, I excused myself. Luckily, the preppy perv had grabbed our friend’s attention and was now chatting her up, enabling my easy escape.
I wandered through the club, finally cooling behind the mask, and pissed as hell I hadn’t been able to come. This was one of those times I really wanted to take the damn thing off. The consequences, though, would be so serious that I never actually did. I’d worked my ass off to build my company, and my weakness for kink was not going to ruin it.
I ordered a drink while I was cooling off, and glanced down