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I sucked in a breath and got to my feet as my eyes landed on the guy’s friend. Tall and slim, with pale blond hair parted and slicked back, and looking not at all comfortable in the three-thousand-dollar suit he wore, the young man who’d caught the attention of Faolán had the face of an angel. While many of the new faces that walked through the doors on nights like this were young and inexperienced, the one standing only feet away from me now was different somehow. It was the innocence behind his crystal-blue eyes and the curiosity in his expression—not eager and ready for the night to unfold, but rather unaware of how he’d managed to end up there.
I took a step forward, closer to the window, closer to the man, and slowly angled my head to the side as I continued to look him over. I couldn’t stop the hungry way I took in every feature of his flawless face, from his high cheekbones to the pouty pink lips, and as I stood there in the silence of my soundproofed office, I was more than aware my fascination with the man went beyond the surface. Yes, he was exquisite in an understated way. But it was the striking resemblance he had to someone I knew long ago that had me itching to get closer—while at the same time backing the hell away.
I did neither of those things. Instead, I stood rooted to the spot, and it wasn’t until Faolán whined again and nudged at my fist that I realized I had balled my hands. My tension must have been radiating off me, and when the blond by the bar turned away from his friend and looked directly at the mirrors I was standing behind, I thought my knees would give out.
It was unbelievable. Like looking at a ghost. And as I took a step back, away from the temptation standing only feet away from me, the man turned to his friend, said something, and then they started to walk away.
As I watched them disappear into the crowd, I told myself to stay put. Nothing good would come of me going out there. Nothing good would come from me introducing myself to him…getting closer to him.
But even as my own words played over in my head, I was walking toward the hidden door with Faolán close at my heels, determined to get one more look at the young man who seemed to have risen from the dead.
2
I followed Brayden into the dark stairwell, where a small row of lights lit each stair and led the way down. As we entered the second level of the club, it took my eyes a few seconds to adjust to the dimly lit room. Unlike the space above, there was no dance floor, no idle chatter. Poles descended from the ceiling around the room, and several scantily clad women climbed and twirled off the shiny silver props, putting on a show for those who weren’t in the middle of more intimate relations. As I looked around, I realized that the vast majority of those on this level were in various stages of undress, and hands and mouths were everywhere.
Oh shit, I thought, as I watched a man unzip the pants of another before taking his cock into his mouth. Beside them, another pair—a woman and a man—were in heavy make-out mode, grinding on each other as his hands roamed under her tiny skirt.
What am I doing here?
“Fuck yeah,” Brayden said beside me, and then a huge grin spread across his face. “Where to first?”
“Uh…” I looked around for the bar, but there didn’t seem to be one on this level. A couple of cocktail waitresses were milling around, but for the most part, it seemed as though everyone was too busy to worry about drinking. Damn, I should’ve taken a couple of shots before heading down here. At least then I’d have a bit more liquid courage to deal with…whatever this was.
Brayden was still looking at me, waiting for an answer—or, rather, waiting to see how fast I bolted back up those stairs. But if I did that, I knew he’d follow me, and then his entire night would be wasted. As uncomfortable and out of place as I felt, I wasn’t about to ruin my best friend’s night.
“I’m gonna, um…watch for a bit. I think,” I said finally, trying to scope out a place hidden and out of the way where I wouldn’t be bothered and Brayden could…do his thing. Not that I wanted to see that, either.
It was right about then that a couple entered the room from behind us, and as the woman followed behind the man, she tugged on his hand and then they turned toward us, and both of their eyes roamed over Brayden, who seemed to enjoy their perusal. After something unspoken passed between them, Brayden clapped me on the back.
