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Last night, she said, her pale purple eyes narrowing on him. Last night, you went out to a brothel...after we...oh. Okay. I see.
It's not what you think, Elise.
He had the sudden absurd impulse to assure her that nothing had happened while he was at Aphrodite, but Elise didn't seem interested in hearing any excuses. With brisk movements, she put on her coat and started buttoning it up.
I think I'm ready to go now, Tegan.
He fell in step beside her as she headed up the corridor. I shouldn't be long with Reichen. Once I finish up, I'll come back to the Darkhaven and we can try to make sense out of what little we got from Odolf tonight.
Elise turned a level look on him. We can talk about that on the way to Aphrodite, she said. I'm going with you.
He met her unwavering stare and exhaled a defeated chuckle. Suit yourself then. But don't say I didn't warn you.
Despite living a sheltered existence in the Darkhavens, Elise had never considered herself a prude. But walking with Tegan into the private back entrance of Aphrodite gave her an instant education in eroticism.
They were let in by a huge, muscle-bound man in a dark, tailored suit. He wore a wireless communication device on his ear, with a small microphone that extended near his goatee-rimmed mouth. He spoke into the mic, presumably advising his employer that her guests had arrived, as he escorted Tegan and Elise through the main floor of the club.
Festooned in bright carnival colors, with polished brass fixtures and sumptuously appointed furnishings, the lounge and bar area was a visual feast. Beautiful nude women reclined on animal- print sofas, some of them entertaining a male client or two in full view of all. Still others performed together, kissing and caressing one another as men wearing silk robes or sauna towels watched with rapt, heated stares.
On another cushioned nest near the bar, a man was being serviced by four women at once. Elise could hardly keep from gaping at the erotic tangle of tanned arms and legs. Even over the soft, pumping beat of the music pouring in through the overhead speakers, she could hear the slap of skin meeting skin, and the pleasured moans and hoarse shouts of release coming from practically every corner of the lounge.
Surrounded by so much humankind, Elise weathered the low drone of her talent, which stirred to life as soon as they entered the club. Fortunately, most of the input hitting her was of a lustful nature, some of it graphically so, but nothing disturbing enough to cause true pain.
She remembered Tegan's coaching and reached with her mind for one of the least offensive voices that was filling her head. She brought it forward, using it to damper the others as she made her way through the place.
When she braved a glance at Tegan, she found him staring at her. If he noticed any of the public couplings taking place all around them, he didn't seem fazed in the least. No, he seemed to be more interested in measuring her reaction. His gaze was hard, penetrating. His jaw seemed clamped tight enough to shatter his teeth.
The intensity of his look made her too warm inside. Elise blinked, glancing away. But glancing away from him meant seeing more of the club. More raw, pulsing sexuality, which only made her all the more aware of Tegan and the very vivid knowledge of how good their bodies felt together.
She couldn't have been more relieved when their escort paused in front of an elevator bank and led them inside a waiting car.
They rode up to the fourth floor. The elevator opened into a glass-walled suite outfitted as both office and bedroom. Reichen stood up to greet them, rising from an elegant sprawl on the luxurious round bed. His white dress shirt was unbuttoned and hanging loose, his finely cut gray trousers showcasing his trim waist and smooth, muscular chest. The vampire's dermaglyphs swirled over his pecs in winglike flourishes, drawing the eye to the masculine beauty of his form.
He seemed accustomed to being admired and merely smiled as Elise and Tegan strode into the room.
I didn't realize you would be accompanying Tegan here, he said, gallantly taking Elise's hand. I hope you aren't too shocked.
Not at all, she said, hoping her discomfiture didn't show. Reichen brought her in front of the tall brunette Elise had seen him with the other night. The woman wore a simple yet sophisticated ivory sweater and pants outfit that looked like it belonged in a boardroom more than a brothel. Tonight her long raven-dark hair was swept up in a loose chignon, secured with a pair of gleaming, tortoiseshell chopsticks.
She was the picture of professionalism, a curious contrast to the live video feeds playing on flat-screen monitors mounted behind her on the wall of the office. While images of people on the main floor of the club writhed and bucked on- screen, the woman merely smiled pleasantly as Reichen and Elise paused in front of her.
This is Helene, Reichen said. She owns the club, and she is also a trusted friend of mine.
Hello, Elise said, offering her hand. A pleasure to meet you.
Likewise, came the accented purr in reply. Elise's fingers were gripped in a firm yet feminine hold that echoed the confidence gleaming in Helene's dark eyes. That self-assured gaze slid in Tegan's direction and politely feigned unfamiliarity, a gesture that seemed for Elise's benefit. Hello and welcome to Aphrodite. Both of you.
Good to see you again, Helene, Tegan said, his tone cutting through all pretense. Reichen tells me you have some intel.
Yes, I do.
The woman picked up on Tegan's all- business tone and reached for a laptop computer that sat on her desk. She opened it and typed something on the keyboard. Behind her, one of the wall-mounted video screens went black, then came back on with a freeze-framed surveillance image of a man seated at the club's bar downstairs. The scar down the Minion's face identified him instantly.
That's him, Elise said. She could still feel his punishing hands on her, could still hear his ugly thoughts ringing in her ears.
He came here only a few times. He was a prick, very nasty to the girls. I banned him a couple of months ago. It wasn't until later that I heard rumors of his involvement in the blood clubs. Helene glanced over at Elise. You were lucky today. I'm glad you gave him some pain.
Elise didn't feel any pride in what she'd done. But more than that, she inwardly shuddered at the mention of blood clubs. They were all but unheard of in Boston for many decades, due mostly to the Enforcement Agency's crackdown on the illegal operations. Quentin had especially despised them as little better than organized sport where humans were the captive playthings of twisted members of the Breed. To think that she and Irina had been in arm's reach of one of the suppliers for that kind of activity put a chill in her marrow.
