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“You don’t have to thank me. I’m just sorry I didn’t force myself into your apartment sooner.”
I let out a small chuckle, and he laughs a little too. The heavy weight of sadness seems to have evaporated a little, leaving us both feeling a little lighter.
“Don’t you have an event to get to?” I ask.
“I’m not going,” he replies as he leans his broad arms on the granite countertop.
“Bullshit. Yes, you are.”
“Not if you’re not.” The look on his face is stoic and unforgiving, and I know that he’s got me. The master manipulator that he is has to just control everything and everyone, and now he has me right where he wants me. Even after that touching moment we just had, I’d still like to punch him in the jaw.
My teeth clench as I squeeze the coffee cup tighter in my fingers. “You’re the world’s worst business partner,” I mutter.
“Well, then I guess it’s a good thing I’m not here as your business partner.”
RULE #35: PAYBACK IS A BITCH.
Garrett
The club is almost unrecognizable. It’s even better than I imagined. There’s a low, false ceiling created from thick black velvet curtains to give the room a more intimate vibe. The lights are so low it’s almost impossible to see another person, but low LED lights run along the length of the floor, guiding patrons through the main room, which has been transformed so that the voyeur hall is no longer a hall…it’s the entire club.
There’s a sultry beat, louder than normal, mingled with the low hush of whispers in the crowd. And when I glance around, I see so many new faces. People I remember sending invitations to. Performers and agents and then our regulars, too.
Ronan Kade tips his glass toward me when I notice him at the bar with a beautiful woman on his lap. A new one, of course. I spot Eden and Charlotte near the front, looking busy, and I feel a pang of regret for a moment that Mia isn’t here. She should see this, but the odds of her stepping foot in this building again are pretty slim.
Emerson and I stroll through the space, each room occupied. And it makes me laugh as I think about Mia comparing the voyeur hall to a museum, and when I look at it like this, she’s right. It does look like people are admiring art in a museum. Suddenly, I feel a tap on my shoulder, and I turn to find Isabel, Hunter’s wife, throwing her arms around my neck.
“It’s so good to see you,” she whispers. “You look great!” She rakes her eyes admiringly over my suit, the velvet-black embossed Tom Ford jacket, one I picked especially for this occasion.
“Thanks,” I stammer uncomfortably as I smile back at the stunning redhead. This woman has to be the kindest person on the planet, soft-spoken and generous. Almost makes you wonder how she ended up with a foul-mouthed guy like Hunter.
He shows up at her side a moment later and shakes my hand with a tense smile. “Good to see you,” he mutters, because that’s about as much general emotion Hunter shows.
“Are you going to the main stage?” Isabel asks, clasping her hands together.
“The main stage?” I reply.
“Yeah, she lookssobeautiful.”
“Who?” I ask, but Emerson grabs my shoulder and steers me away from the conversation. “What is she talking about?”
We make our way through the hallway toward the main room, where one room is set up on stage. It’s black-on-black with a platform bed on a round dais and against the wall are cuffs, hanging from a single point in the back. It’s simple and classy, and I remember the design being Mia’s idea.
“Don’t be mad at me,” Emerson says quietly.
“What?” I ask, feeling the blood drain from my face.
“Remember when I said Mia wasn’t going to be here tonight?”
Just then, the lights go down, so it’s almost pitch black and the music gets louder, drowning out all the noise in the sex-filled club. A small spotlight shines on the stage. A moment later, she walks into it, a subtle gleam glistening in her pearly white hair. And my jaw nearly hits the floor.
I glare back at Emerson with my teeth clenched. He avoids my gaze as he quickly replies, “I lied.”
“What the…” I mumble, but she catches my gaze again.
In flowing white silk draped over her shoulders, and literallynothing else,she looks ethereal and angelic. I’m speechless as I watch her glide gracefully across the stage, her body in sync with the beat of the music.
She crawls sensually onto the bed, and it starts to rotate slowly. After picking up a piece of black silk off the bed, she ties it around her head, blindfolding herself.
