I explain the Green Room, the rules, the vetting process, the Red Room, the themed rooms, the mission behind The Envelope, the management structure before offering them each a drink. Grace asks for a Negroni while Chastity asks for a French 75. I fight the eye roll.
Old money can smell new money. Both old and new money can smell no money. And that’s what these girls smell like. They may look the part - designer gowns and fancy drinks - but the way their eyes hungrily search the crowd for someone of importance, the way they arch their backs to highlight their bosoms, the way they completely bulldozed their way into an exclusive club without invitation tells me they don’t have the society skills or decorum of anyone who has experience in these circles.
I’m not one to judge anyone’s socio-economical experience and backgrounds. In fact, we have several members who we’ve sponsored their memberships because they couldn’t afford the hefty price of admission. And the only reason we price the general membership so high is that people who have more to lose tend to follow the rules better.
Give them the benefit of the doubt,I tell myself.They might not be important to you, but they are to Nell.
Hopefully, they don’t become regular members, though, because I’m not really keen on seeing my future sisters-in-law naked.
When I return, they take their drinks gratefully and sip, their eyes still scanning the thin crowd. It’s still early.
Chastity turns towards me, and her tits rub against my arm. I stiffen but glue my smile to my face.
“Why don’t you show us some of the rooms?” she suggests, and I’m not all that convince the boob rub was accidental.
That is typically part of the tour, and maybe if I show them the rooms I can convince them to leave sooner.
“Right this way,” I say, holding my arm out and motioning to the dark hallway that leads to the rooms.
“So, Nell said she was working here as a cleaner? Isn’t that wild?” Grace asks, an obvious flirtation to her voice.
I open my mouth to respond, but Chastity beats me to it. “Can you imagine cleaning up... bodily fluids? So gross. I could never.”
“Of course not. That’s what the cleaners are for, though,” Grace replies, and irritation creeps up my spine. It’s so goddamn obvious to me how they see Nell as a second-class citizen. How they see her as not as good as them when it couldn’t be further from the truth.
I know it’s not fair to compare. Nell grew up with a single parent on a blue-collar income. Chastity and Grace probably grew up with more and found themselves struggling financially as a family. I grew up wealthy, shunned it all, and built my own wealth. Everyone comes from different backgrounds.
But fuck, Nell’s character shines so much brighter than these two women in front of me. Her softness, her humility, her sacrifice, her work ethic. Her willingness to do anything andeverything it took to take care of the family that she had left, even when she wasn’t appreciated for her efforts. She did it with a smile on her face because it was the right thing to do.
My protective instincts fire up, wanting to defend Nell’s choices in jobs, but the other part of me - the part that knows how important family is to Nell - shuts me up.
I shake away my thoughts and continue the tour.
“This block of rooms has the standard setup - a bed, dry bar, and ensuite bathroom with a toy cabinet. Rooms ten through fifteen have more BDSM themes. Fifteen through seventeen have thrones. And rooms seventeen through twenty are voyeur rooms, with two-way and one-way mirrors.”
Chastity slips into an empty room, Grace following with a giggle, and I’m forced to follow them - both as a good host and to make sure they don’t do anything that will get us sued. How someone could hurt themselves on a vibrator, I don’t know, but I’m sure these girls could find a way.
Uncomfortable with the situation I find myself in, I clear my throat before continuing the tour.
“The mini-fridge holds water, ice, and cold towels. This cabinet contains a variety of toys, all in their original packaging. The cleaning crew comes through every night to launder the sheets and disinfect surfaces, as you know.”
The pair hold hands in front of their mouths and titter with giggles. It annoys me probably more than it should.
It’s when Chastity spins and, hooking a thumb under her gown strap... when Grace closes the door to the room behind me... that I know I’m in trouble. Chastity pops a hip in what I’m sure she thinks is a seductive move before dragging both gown straps down her arms, letting it pool at her waist.
Grace steps into me, her chest to my back, running her hands up my arms, when I finally lose my shit.
A voice in the back of my mind reminds me that this is Nell’s family - to handle them with kid gloves, even if I want to “This is Sparta” kick Chastity away from me.
Chastity opens her mouth to say something provocative, I’m sure, but I’m beyond done with these two. Fury ignites in my veins as the reality of what this really is sinks in. They saw my Rolex and heard my family name at dinner. They see a wealthy business owner. And they’re willing to seduce their sister’s boyfriend - at least I’d like to think I’m her boyfriend - in order to steal him away.
I need these women away from me - away from the Envelope - five freaking minutes ago.
I lift my gaze to the ceiling, side-step Grace, step out into the hallway and shout for Antonio. Luckily, his post at the entry to the hallway is only a dozen or so feet from the room we’re in.
“Please escort these two women from the premises. They are not allowed back in at any time. Put them on The Blacklist,” I say, struggling to maintain a calm exterior. I don’t need rumors flying about what happened tonight, but I also will not stand for this.
“Oh, Daniel. Is that really necessary?” Chastity coos next to me, running her hand down my arm.
