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The bouncer checked her phone. “I was told to expect two brunettes.”
Mitch stepped forward. “It’s a wig. Want me to take it off?”
“No need.”
The only door in the basement creaked open. Gone was the sterile underground room that vaguely smelled of the ‘90s rave scene. Here arrived what one billionaire heiress with too much time on her hands created for her best friends and most discerning clients.
If Vanessa didn’t know that blue was Candace’s favorite color before, there was no denying it now. Everything, from the furniture to the backlight behind the bar, was a soft and relaxing dark blue that enticed Vanessa to sit down in the circular sunken pit overlooking either the bar or a dimly lit stage, depending on which side one got comfortable.
The club itself was small. Two hallways led away from the intimate main room, one marked with restroom signs and the other roped off with a twinkling chain.Private rooms?That was Vanessa’s first assertion. That, and perhaps an office for Candace to go over her dealings. Undoubtedly there had to be some place to drop off and pick up supplies for the bar, unless that was done through the main entrance.
There wasn’t much time to consider the options, though. Their hostess turned away from the bar and the scantily clad mixologist who did not meet the state standards for dress while preparing drinks and foods.Even the most exclusive, naughtiest clubs in California still display their credentials and inspection notices somewhere everyone can see.The A grades from health departments were a particular point of pride some clubs used to raise prices. Here? Nothing. As Vanessa and Agent James suspected, this was not a legal club.
“How lovely to have you two arrive.” Candace wore a blue cocktail dress that matched the décor of her cozy club. Her hair was loose over her bare shoulders, a tiny teardrop necklace placed primly atop her collar bone. Aside from the bartender and two hostesses wiping down the stage and fluffing pillows on the circular couch, Candace was the only one who had arrived. Vanessa already had an odd feeling about this. “I hope it wasn’t too much trouble getting here. We’re so clandestine that sometimes guests text me for half an hour before they find the door.”
“No trouble at all.” Vanessa allowed one of the hostesses, barely dressed in a mini-skirt and a see-through bra, to remove her coat. Mitch preferred to keep her jacket on for now. “Quite the intimate space you have here. It’s no wonder I’ve never noticed it before, considering how often I come to Chestnut Street.”
“Don’t you love how hidden away it is? So conveniently placed for locals and tourists alike, but I keep complete control of who knows about it. There are crème de la crème of the Bay Area who have no idea this place exists, and there are bank tellers and supermarket managers who are frequent guests. It’s exactly what I dreamed of when I was younger, cutting my teeth on the ruthless world of hospitality.” Candace sat in front of the bar while gesturing to the other side. “Do make yourselves comfortable. Would you like a drink? They’re all complimentary in my club.”
“A Chardonnay is fine with me if you have any.”
“Of course. Amalie?”
The bartender went right to work procuring a wineglass and the bottle in question. Candace looked to Mitch, but Vanessa’s pet said nothing.
“Does she not get thirsty?” Candace wistfully asked.
“I tell her when she’s thirsty.” Vanessa got comfortable while Mitch sat next to her. “And what she would like to drink. I think she’ll also take a glass of Chardonnay if that’s all right.”
Candace waved at the bartender behind her. “Make that two, Amalie!”
“Yes, ma’am.” Amalie’s voice was loud but obedient.
This would be one of the most impressive clubs with plenty of potential…Vanessa thought while forcing her body to cut tension.Except for what we know about it already.Mitch surreptitiously stole multiple looks at the hostess who took their coats. Like Mitch, she clearly wore a wig, but hers was flashy and synthetic. Her makeup was likewise thick. If Mitch thought she recognized her, it would take her a while to place from where.
“I hope you don’t mind that it’s the three of us for a while,” Candace said. “I didn’t invite anyone else, because I wanted to get to know you two better. I do, however, have a business acquaintance stopping by in a couple of hours. I doubt you will see them, though.”
Vanessa was more grateful than ever to not be wearing a wire.With so much attention on us tonight, the agent was thinking straight.She exchanged glances with the hostess when she brought over the two glasses of Chardonnay. The woman refused to look her in the eye before demurely scuttling away again.
“You hire certain kinds of women for your private club, don’t you?”
Candace guffawed, caught. “What made you notice? Not your attraction to them, surely?”
Mitch handed her Mistress a glass after secretly sniffing it with one flared nostril. They couldn’t bring a whole test kit here, but Vanessa knew what was up.I drink, she doesn’t.There was no telling what might be in this wine. If Vanessa was drugged, they’d find out, but Mitch wouldn’t be caught swallowing any of this until they were sure it wasn’t. She was the best for self-defense for more than one reason, and women like Candace completely underestimating her because she was short and submissive in these scenarios was a big reason.
“I think we could become great friends,” Vanessa said before sipping the Chardonnay. “We’re on the same wavelength, after all.”
“A healthy love for women who know their place around us?”
“And thrive on it, hopefully.”
Candace gave a single curt nod. “Naturally. Some women have to learn, though. I doubt yours came out of the box ready to fulfill your every whim, after all.”
“You might be surprised. I certainly was.”
Eyelashes batted in their direction. “There’s natural spirit and talent, yes, and I amalwaysscouting for that.” Candace snapped her finger at the other hostess, a blond in a sheer shift dress. Without a word, she approached the bar and waited for the drink Candace demanded. “Few women know instinctively how to service our desires, especially since every Domme is different. They have to be trained. Surely, you trained your submissive well if you two were an immediate hit on the circuit.”
Vanessa didn’t like divulging this private information to her friends, let alone women like Candace.Women I barely know. Potentially dangerous women.Once Candace had her drink in her hands, Vanessa drank hers more confidently. Everything had come from the same bar.
