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“Who said I need protection?”
“I do. And what I say goes.” I grinned at her, but the pull in my gut remained.
Gregory caught my eye, giving me a nod as he walked closer. Almost immediately, both Jameson and Grant headed in our direction as well.
“Lachlan McKenzie. Who allowed the riffraff in?” Gregory grinned as he approached.
I laughed, extending my hand. Gregory was powerful in his own right, he and his three brothers taking over for their father years before. I’d spent more than a little bit of time inside the establishment when Jameson, Grant, and I had made the decision that DC would become our home base. I remembered their father fondly, including the man’s penchant for keeping secrets.
He’d told me a thing or two about how he kept members as well as outsiders in line. His tutelage had proven far more helpful than I’d originally imagined. “Gregory Dunham. I hear you’re kicking our butts in membership.”
He burst into laughter as he shook my hand. “Jameson. Grant. What a pleasant surprise. I’ve heard fabulous things about the clubs in Miami and LA. I think you guys are the ones kicking ass.”
“We do aim to please,” Grant said with a grin on his face.
“You’ve renovated,” Jameson added.
“It’s important given my competition refuses to go down without a fight,” Gregory said, laughing as he threw me a look.
“Two old boys’ clubs,” Lark mused. “How could this town survive without them?”
All three men laughed. I shifted my attention to the room, noticing at least six different members were watching our every move.
“Ms. Winston. I had the honor of seeing your father in our illustrious club last night.” Gregory’s leering smile shot a moment of jealousy into my system. It didn’t matter he was happily married.
I could the news annoyed instead of surprised her. “Did he threaten the industry in general or just Club Darkness?” she asked. When Gregory narrowed his eyes, I couldn’t help but experience the same dark angst as before.
“It would appear my lovely date has no love lost for her father’s attitude about our… services,” I said in passing as I scanned the area. The facility was different in that there were evocative performances every night, the stage already backlit with shimmering blue lights.
“Then you’re allowed in my club, Ms. Winston.” Gregory glanced into my eyes, obviously realizing we hadn’t arrived for a good night on the town. “It would seem he was a guest of our illustrious chief of police.” He allowed the news to sink in.
“Don’t trust my father,” she told him.
“Anything in particular or in general?”
She gave me a mischievous look before answering. “In general. He pretends to be a very conservative, law-abiding citizen. I know him to be otherwise.”
I sensed both Grant and Jameson were just as curious about her comment as I was. At some point, I’d need to tell her about her father’s plan.
“You’re a very wise woman, Ms. Winston.” Gregory grinned.
“You’ve done very well,” Jameson said, shifting the conversation. The last thing either one of us needed was to be overheard. And from what I could see, now there were far too many people with keen interest in our conversation.
“Our feisty controller keeps us informed of just how well you’re doing.” Grant laughed.
Gregory shook his head. “Yes, I’m very well aware your sister enjoys spending time with one of my employees. They better not be discussing trade secrets. Given my illustrious clientele this evening, why don’t the four of us go to my private suite for a drink?”
“Agreed.” Jameson huffed. “It’s been a long time since I’ve hung around DC for this long, but there are some heavy players in here tonight.”
Lark turned around to face me. “Since I’m obviously not invited, what do you want me to do?”
“Stay here,” I told her.
“Why am I not allowed behind the hallowed halls?” Her defiance reared as usual. My cock twitched from her heated gaze alone.
I took her hand, moving closer. “I don’t want you involved.”
“Because I’m an attorney.”
