CHAPTER 2
Lucas
Haley’s eyes flicked up to me as she grabbed a shiny black robe off of the staircase and pulled it over her shoulders, stroking her forearms, a nervous habit that made it look as if she had never felt the material before. There was a cautiousness to the way she moved. She had danced on a hoop with confidence, and yet it was different to be face to face with your audience.
It helped that I towered over her.
I held out a hand, offering her assistance down the steps. Not that someone with her grace might need it. But she took my hand; her fingers were cold in mine. She shivered at the touch.
“Nice to meet you, Mr. Conway,” she said. I nodded. There was a moment where it seemed like she wasn’t sure what to say. But my eyes wandered to the open part of her robe; a drop of blood was pooling on the top of her breast. She saw where my glance led and grimaced, then gave a small curtsey before she wandered off, going through a black door in the back markedGreenhouse.
“Lucas!” a raspy male voice called. I turned to face Reeves Aldrich. He was a man I had once looked up to like a father. But these days, Aldrich and I were business acquaintances. Nothing more. “My god. What has it been? Ten years?”
I had never been to the Dahlia District before. Had never had any desire to. But when I requested a meeting with Aldrich, he had invited me here. Now that my financial investment firm had surpassed his, he must have been motivated to work together.
“Aldrich,” I said. In long strides, I made my way towards him. We shook hands. “This is your hideout, I take it?”
Aldrich swatted a woman out of the way, clearing a space for me to sit on the couch beside him. I found an accent chair to the side and brought it over. It was unnecessary to make the woman move. He shrugged.
“Wife is dead,” he said. “Another one lost to e-coli. Can you believe it?”
I couldn’t. Not many people died from that illness. His wives must have had bad luck, or worse. “You need to judge restaurants better.”
“Tell me about it.” He scratched his nose. “No reason to hide, these days. But this has been my sanctuary for years now.”
The women beside him were smiling, gazing up like he was the smartest man alive. One of them inched towards me, strings of lace and silk barely covering her breasts and folds.
“I can see why,” I said.
“Where’s the waitress?” Aldrich barked, flailing his hands around. “Waitress? Waitress?”
“Let me get it for you,” a woman said.
“Two top-shelf whiskeys for us.” He put an empty glass in her hand. “Quickly.Now.”
“Yes, of course, Mr. Aldrich,” she grinned.
She looked over her shoulder and winked at him, and his starry-eyes gave it all away. He wanted to fuck that woman, and likely would, soon.
“Brothel?” I asked.
“Why? Do you want one?” Aldrich gestured at the women beside him. “For the right price, they’re willing to play.”
While I had friends who were high-end escorts, I had never indulged in the trade myself. I found one-night stands satisfying enough.
“I was under the impression the Dahlia District was an entertainment club,” I said.
“It is,” Aldrich answered. He tilted his head. “Restaurant. Entertainment. Sex slavery if you play your cards right.”
“Oh, shush,” one of the women said, and they all giggled in unison. It was eerie, in a way. The woman turned towards me. “We can bottom or top too, if you’re into that.”
Part entertainment venue, part dungeon. Now I understood.
“While I love the eye candy,” I said, glazing over the women, “Let’s get to the point.”
Aldrich groaned. “This is why you’re no fun,” he said. He shooed the women away. “Go along now.” We were left alone in front of that empty stage. “Conway Capital is doing well.”
It was excelling beyond what either of us could have imagined, beating Aldrich Inspired Investments in a few short years. It was worth the toll it had taken. Perhaps it was even worth what had been lost along the way.
