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Lily.
CHAPTERSIXTEEN
Lily
“Kelly isn’t working at Bare Flesh,” Rylie announces as the elevator descends. “She’s a manipulator and a thief.”
“Know her well?” I ask, my eyes roaming over his face.
The muscles in his jaw twitch, and he clasps his hands in front of him. “If she’s ghosted Leo, it’s because she found another idiot to take her in.”
“You sound bitter.”
“Bitter would mean I give a shit. I don’t.”
“Who are you trying to convince?” I scoff as the doors ping. He shoves me forward, and I snap, “Don’t push me asshole.”
“What are you going to do—hit me with your purse?”
“I don’t have a purse, but I have fists and teeth.”
“Are you trying to scare me or turn me on?”
We round a corner, and my mouth drops. Various platforms border a club floor, sex acts being performed by couples and groups on them. Booths surround the stages with raised backs for privacy. A circular bar sits in the center. All the bartenders are fully naked, barring a small black mask over their eyes. Rylie leans in and murmurs into my ear, “No one is forced to perform down here. They beg to.”
A soft pulse vibrates the floor and sets my blood bubbling. “Come on.”
He tugs me toward a door, stopping abruptly when an alarm blasts over the music. “What’s going on?” I ask, looking around.
“Fire.” He frowns, clutching my arm. He drags me back the way we came to the elevator and forces me inside with him. Hitting the button, the doors close. We start to ascend, only to stall as the elevator jolts to a stop.
“What the fuck?” I hate small, enclosed spaces. Panic flares inside me.
“The sprinkler system must have been activated.” He bashes the buttons, growling when nothing happens.
“If the sprinklers went off, that means it’s a real fire, right?”
Zane.
Looking around the small square tin, he nods to the ceiling. “There’s a latch. I’ll lift you.”
“And then what?”
“See how far we are from the doors.”
“If this starts up again and I get squashed, I’m coming back to fucking haunt you.”
He attempts to wrap his arms around my thighs, and I smack him away. “Use your hands to make a step. No grabbing the goods.”
“Get over yourself. I prefer more meat on the bone.”
“Fuck you. I worked hard for the meat I have.”
Interlocking his fingers, he holds them out for me. I kick off my heels and grab his shoulders, stepping into his hands with one foot, knowing he’s getting a view straight up my dress when he boosts me up.
He lifts me with ease, and I fiddle with the lock, pushing the latch open. I hoist my body through the small gap. Thick metal cables surround me, keeping the elevator suspended. The shaft is just concrete blocks and cables. A fire shouldn’t spread in here. The metal doors are right in front of me, and I hear voices on the other side.
“What do you see?” Rylie calls up.
