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“Maybe I’m not joking. You’re not like Jake…”
“Don’t say the fucker’s name. Not after how he hurt you.”
“Okay… I won’t. It’s just…” Her words failed her. As always when she had to try to verbalize the insane things her body and mind craved, she came up empty. Admitting she wanted to feel pain—controlled pain—it was just wrong.
Markus filled the silence. “I made you a promise, didn’t I? That I would never put you through the shit that asshole did.” He glanced at her for the first time, and she saw his jaw locked, his eyes intense. “Haven’t I kept up my end of the bargain?”
“You have… and I’ve loved you for it. Truly. I needed to heal, but…”
“There is no but, Brianna. You made it clear to me when we met that you’d been scarred, both physically and mentally, by what your ex put you through. I’ve seen the scars he left behind on your gorgeous body. I’ve held you as you woke up screaming from a nightmare. Forgive me if I’m a little confused by why you’d joke around about something so damn important.”
Brianna was botching everything. She opened and closed her mouth, trying to come up with the right words, but they wouldn’t come. Instead, tears blurred her vision and she had to swallow several times to keep from crying.
The rest of the short ride was in silence, each of them trying to figure out what to say to bring back the celebratory mood. By the time they turned into what felt like an industrial neighborhood, Bri was completely confused. Brick buildings that looked like old warehouses lined the streets, some with business signage on their entrances. While the landscaping and sidewalks had been refreshed and felt new, the neighborhood certainly wasn’t a nightlife hub of the city.
She was just about to ask her husband if he was lost when he turned down a narrow alley between two warehouse-like buildings. There was barely enough room for two cars to pass in the block long path. From the street, she hadn’t noticed that all of the street-level windows had been blacked out, making it impossible to see inside.
A single, well-lit awning jutted out from the brick building about halfway down. As they got closer, two burley men shot out of the heavy-looking, steel door. There was no signage, just a few letters and numbers that meant nothing to her.
TPP 7969.
If it weren’t for the bulky bouncers and the pounding music filtering out into the alley, Brianna never would have suspected they were at a club.
The men standing outside her car window made her nervous. They were looking through the tinted car window as if they were going to devour her. Brianna tore her eyes away from them to look at her husband.
“Markus, this is a strange location for a club. Are you sure you have the right address?”
He watched her closely as he replied, “Oh yeah, I’m sure.”
“Well I’m not sure about this. What kinda club is it?”
“It’s a private club. They have an exclusive kind of clientele.”
Bri’s heart rate had taken off. Something felt out of place… wrong. When her husband didn’t expound on his comment, she prompted him. “And what kind of clientele is that?”
A strange expression broke out on his handsome face. “The naughty kind.”
He didn’t wait for a response. Instead, he exited the car, leaving her and her racing heart alone. She fought the urge to lock the car doors as her husband chatted with one of the guards. She strained to catch some part of their conversation but couldn’t make out what they were talking about over the pounding bass coming from inside the club. She wasn’t sure if she was relieved or not when Markus finally came around to open her door for her as one of the bouncers lowered himself into the driver’s seat of the Porsche. He immediately had to move the seat back as far as it would go to try to make more room for his bulky body as he prepared to valet the car.
Brianna sat glued to her seat, afraid to get out. Something wasn’t right. When Markus reached for her hand, she looked at him pleadingly, but refused to take his hand.
That was when she felt the bouncer’s hand on her arm. He was gripping her hard enough that she worried he’d leave a bruise.
“I believe your husband is trying to help you out of the car, Mrs. Lambert. Why don’t you be a good girl and listen.” When she stayed frozen, he added a sharp, “Now.”
Bri flinched and then scrambled to exit the car as fast as she could, wondering what she was getting herself into.
Chapter Eight
Brianna
Brianna huddled close to Markus as he closed the car door and the Porsche sped off down the alley. Only when the car turned out of sight did she realize that she’d left her purse with her phone in the car. She started to tell Markus that she needed her purse but decided against it as he hustled her toward the door, where the second menacing bouncer stood guard. He was as tall as Markus and covered in tattoos. Everything about him screamed danger.
When they got to the door, Markus reached to shake his hand. “Hey, Derek. Thanks for watching out for us.”
“No problem, Markus. Anything for you, man.” While he continued to pump Markus’s hand in greeting, he let his eyes shift to Brianna and she was shocked at how brazenly he scanned her body. When she visibly shuddered under his gaze, the guard shot her a knowing smile and her shudder turned to a shiver.
Brianna grasped onto her husband’s arm, trying to turn him toward her. She leaned closer to his ear. “Markus, I don’t want to stay here. I know your friend invited us, but I’m not feeling well. Please... I want to go home now.”
