I look to Tannis for help, but they only offer a simple shrug. With a sigh, I move myself between Gray’s legs and take his face in my hands. I smooth my thumbs over his chiseled cheekbones. He’s cool to the touch, and I can’t help but relish the familiar softness of his skin.
“Why don’t we do something fun?” I suggest. The last thing we need to do is sit around chewing our nails over anxiety. And by ‘we’ I mean me and Gray. Probably.
“You mean your romping around this gentle evening wasn’t enough fun?” Tannis asks, their tone thick with sarcasm.
Ignoring their comment, I give Gray’s cheek a pat. “Come on. Let’s go out! I’ll get drunk and you can tell me all about the terrible decisions I’ve made up to this point.”
He considers it seriously, then says, “This idea has some merit.”
“It’ll be great! I’ll even invite Jill and Emma.” The three of us used to go out all the time. I know they’d love it, Emma especially.
“And what if I would prefer a party of two back in my room this evening?” He smiles, running a hand along my hip and hooking a thumb into the waistband of my leggings.
“I’m sure I could arrange that, too.” I wink.
“Ugh! You two are making me sick.” Tannis groans loudly and pushes up from the chair with a dramatic flip. “Nathaniel!”
Both Gray and I pause, attention drawn from each other to the new vampire that appears from nowhere. I saw him before, too. He was one of the four who had carried out the furniture. His red hair was unmistakable from the bunch. It’s a deep mix between maroon and burgundy, a perfect complement to his pale complexion.
“Nathaniel, be a dear and escort these two to my club.”
“Your club?” Gray asks.
“We’re not going toString Theory?” I ask, my voice a little pitchier than usual. I’m afraid to text and tell Dax that I’m not coming in… again. There’s only so much one man can take from me, and I fear he’s hitting his limit.
“Millie, you can’t have fun at work. That’s derivative to the point you’re trying to make.” Tannis crosses their arms over their bare chest and rolls their neck. When it pops, they sigh with satisfaction.
“I guess,” I mumble.
“So if not String Theory, then where?” Gray stands, and I take a step back.
Tannis smirks. “Like I said. Nathaniel will escort you to my nightclub.”
“Call me Nate.” The redhead nods his head with a partial smile.
I narrow my gaze and lock in on Tannis. “Are you serious?”
“Deadly,” Tannis says. “I’ve invested in property over the years. It’s the most lucrative way to make money, build a reputation—”
“Create yourself a seat of power,” Gray adds casually.
“You get it.” Tannis winks at their cousin and then continues. “Anyway, it just so happens that after you disappeared, dear cousin, I bought the building and the bar where you were last seen. For a while, it just sat there, collecting dust. I’m sure you can relate.”
My brows pull together as my mind works out the details. Gray did mention working nights at a speakeasy before he was captured.
Gray scoffs. “And here I was about to say how sweet it was you kept it all these years.”
“Yes, well, I’m a bit sentimental.”
“So this bar?” I give Gray a stern look before turning back to Tannis. “What did you do to it?”
“What any sane and rational vampire with a disgusting amount of money would do.” They shrug, as if the answer should be obvious. “I turned it into a laundromat… with a secret passage to an underground nightclub.”
“You’re joking.” My jaw almost drops. I know exactly what they’re talking about, and if it’s the same club I’ve heard the other girls whisper about, then we’re in for the most spectacular night of our lives. “You’re not talking about—”
A wicked curve pulls at Tannis’s perfectly shaped lips. I hear the name in my head before they even say it aloud, and already I can feel the excitement rising to the surface. There isn’t a single thing that could make tonight better, except this. Two words: Your Fangtasy.
Inviting Jill and Emma out was as easy as I expected. I only needed to name drop the club, and they were in.
