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She smiled, and while I saw no lie in her eyes, I still heard it leave her lips. “Yes, I’d tell you. Now go. And I love you heaps, my darling child.”
I smiled. “Not as much as I love you.”
I glanced at Riley again. She nodded briefly, as if in acknowledgment of my unspoken plea. While it didn’t ease the tension sitting in my stomach, it did at least give me the comfort of knowing she was there, and that she would do her utmost to figure out what was wrong.
I turned and headed out. As I walked back to where I’d parked my bike, I rang Stane and asked him to do a search on the name Mom had given me. Then I tried to ignore the urge to run back and shake my mother until all the answers came out—although I would have done it in an instant if I thought it would actually do any good.
The ride back into the city was pleasant, thanks to the fact that there wasn’t much in the way of traffic and I could cruise at the speed limit without having to duck and weave past idiots in cars. Although I did almost head-butt an idiot on an air bike. His laughter overran my curses as he sped away.
I parked in the members-only area around the rear of Franklin’s, secured my helmet, then took off my cardigan and shoved it in the underseat storage area. Excitement drummed through me as I walked around to the front of the building.
Lucian leaned against the far end of the small building, looking divine in dark gray suit pants and a white shirt. The sleeves were roughly rolled up, revealing the perfection of his muscular arms, and his tie was loose, lending him a casual yet elegant air. Several buttons on his shirt had been undone, revealing tantalizing glimpses of golden chest hair. My fingers itched with the sudden need to run through it.
He turned, his gaze meeting mine briefly before sweeping down and then stopping at chest level. A slow smile stretched his lips. “Now, that is the sort of shirt every woman should wear,” he said, voice low and vibrating with desire. “Although if you intend to wear it to work, I expect I’ll see news reports about werewolves rioting in a certain restaurant.”
I laughed and rose on my toes to kiss him hello before saying, “Why do you think RYT’s is so popular? It’s not just the food, baby.”
He grinned. “Then it’s a custom more restaurants should follow—but only if their staff have breasts as shapely as yours.”
I laughed again, then caught his hand and tugged him toward Franklin’s. The building itself was a pretty, two-story structure with lots of lovely fretwork and arched windows. The glass was mirrored and one-way, and there was very little signage out front. If you didn’t know it was a wolf club, then you’d never guess. And that was deliberate.
I got my member card out of my purse, swiped it through the slot, then pressed my palm against the reader. After a moment, the door clicked open.
We walked into a foyer that was all dark marble and gold fittings. A small desk sat to the right, and a plush gold sofa and several potted plants to the left. Harriet—a petite and very human blonde—manned the desk, and she gave me a warm smile as we entered.
“It’s a pleasure to see you again, Ms. Jones,” she said, before her gaze moved to Lucian. “And your guest is?”
“Lucian Dupont.”
She glanced at the light screen to her left, where his name had suddenly appeared. “Would you prefer a short-term or longer-term visitor pass?”
“That very much depends,” he said, a wicked gleam in his eye as he glanced at me, “on the lady standing beside me.”
“Short-term,” I said, trying to keep a straight face but not really succeeding. “I’m not sure if he’s worth keeping just yet.”
He laughed. The sound echoed around the room, warm and inviting. “Oh trust me, I do intend to prove my worth.”
Harriet ordered a short-term pass, then said, “He’ll have to register his print with us, as per the rules.”
“No problem,” Lucian said, giving her a smile with enough wattage to short-circuit half the city. “Just show me where.”
Her cheeks turned a lovely shade of pink and the scent of arousal swirled—the first overtly sexual reaction I’d seen out of her in all the time I’d been coming here.
She pointed to the small screen to her right. “Just place your hand here please, Mr. Dupont.”
“My pleasure,” he murmured, voice low and seductive.
I rolled my eyes—an action he caught, because he rewarded me with another of those high-wattage smiles. Only this time, it was accompanied by a sparkle in his eyes that somehow suggested his pleasure would soon be mine.
The scent of arousal surged, and this time it was mine.
“Thank you, Mr. Dupont,” she said once his prints had been scanned and recorded, then waved an elegant hand to another door. “Now, if you’ll both just go through the next door, Katie will escort you upstairs.”
The door silently slid open as we approached and, beyond it, another blonde waited.
“Ms. Jones,” she said. “Lovely to see you back again. And Mr. Dupont, welcome. I hope you enjoy your time here.”
“Oh, I’m sure I will,” he said, glancing at me with a smile.
