No.
I had no intention of staying away.
After a moment, I couldn’t stop myself. Saying nothing more, my hands pressed against his chest, I drifted up to him, and our lips connected. I kissed him. His hand moved from my waist to the small of my back, causing me to moan when he pulled me in tighter. Our light kiss turned into something hungry, new and thrilling, yet so familiar, I was beginning to believe we’d done this before.
Déjà vu.
No doubt about that.
If it weren’t for the glaring fact that we were standing in the hallway of a restaurant with our dinner party waiting for us, I would have let him take me somewhere private so we could continue. Realizing where we were again, I pulled apart long enough to say, “We should get back.”
Eyes still half-closed and lustful, he nodded. “I guess we should.”
I floated downstairs ahead of him, heady, aroused and grateful that the night was young. It was a miracle that I could carry on a conversation after Angelo and I returned to the table.
At some point, Sophia led a toast to celebrate my new job, and I learned that Jeff was actually the Jeff Henderson, self-made billionaire and owner of eVaultify, a billion-dollar technology software encryption firm with main offices in Manhattan and Silicon Valley. And that he was also good friends with my brand spanking new boss’s boss. I wasn’t surprised. The insanely wealthy of New York stuck together.
They were competitive too.
Before we made it to the main course, Jeff was ready to have me leave Neville Industries and try out working for him.
“Oh no. Not a chance. Not yet, anyway,” Angelo objected.
Jeff narrowed his eyes and gave him a confused sideways glance. “Why the hell not? You’re playing favorites now?”
“Christ no, but I just put in a good word with Vic to give her a shot.”
“And?”
“Do I need to spell it out?”
“Yes.”
“One word. Loyalty. You wouldn’t want me poaching your people their first day on the job, would you?”
“Give me a break,” Jeff scoffed. “She’s barely got her foot in the door. She’s what I’d like to call fair game.”
“Hang on, gentlemen,” Sophia said, getting way too comfortable with the power player she’d just met at the same time as I did. “She’s right here. It would be nice for her to have a say.”
“What she said,” I added after taking a big gulp of my wine.
“So…what do you want, Paige?”
I looked at the faces around the table one by one, pausing for effect now that the alcohol buzz was starting to kick in and tear down some of my inhibitions. “Angelo’s right. No poaching the new girl, Jeff.”
“Crap. I had so many ideas for how you and your sister could spook the hell out of some of my VPs.”
Sophia shook her head. “Seriously? That’s why you want to hire my sister? Not because she has relevant education and work experience, but on account of the fact that she’s a twin?”
“Not just that, though you’d be impressed to know I’ve hired people on much less, and they went on to impress the hell out of me.”
“Impressed may not be the word I’d choose.”
“Well, your choice, Paige.” He pulled out a business card and passed it across the table. “If you ever change your mind, now you know where to find me.”
Really?
This was all it took to have two promising job options come my way?
A chance meeting at a coffee shop?
Dinner out with Sophia?
Had I known, I’d have clung to her coat tails more often.
And maybe I’d have visited expensive coffee houses regularly.
“Thanks,” I told Jeff, accepting the card.
I gave Angelo a wink. Meeting him definitely helped. Tonight’s seating arrangements didn’t allow for much more than a few words between us, but every so often, my eyes would wander over in his direction. My stomach did a flip every time I caught him staring. After that smoldering kiss upstairs, I didn’t mind the butterflies. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been remotely interested in anyone. I figured that the second Sophia left, we could pick up where we left off. And he had my number.
Six courses and just as many bottles of wine later, I was stuffed, relaxed and tipsy. As a first generation Italian myself, I always believed that dinner at Italian restaurants should have mandatory stretchy pants rule. Tonight was no exception. A long walk was definitely in order. After coffee and dessert, Sophia paused her chat with Angelo and leaned over to me. “I’ll be skipping out soon. I’m working tonight.”
“That’s too bad,” Franko said when he overheard us. You’ll miss the fun.”
“Where are you all heading?”
Franko raised his eyebrows. “I’ll let Jeff do the honors. He’s the one who scored an invite for the group. Right Jeff?”
Straightening his eyeglasses, Jeff cleared his throat and ran a hand through his light brown hair. “We’re going to Club Privé. Have you heard of it?”
I hadn’t, but Sophia nodded. “I’ve been there… a few years back, I think. Is it that club with the pool on the main floor?”
“That’s the place.”
“Nice. It’s pretty classy. Didn’t they close down?”
“They did, a while back. They reopened about a year ago.”
“I was there for drinks or happy hour, I think.” She tapped my arm. “You should go, Paige.”
“Sure. After all this food, I could use a little exercise.”
Sophia turned to Jeff again. “It’s a dance club, right?”
“It used to be.” Jeff glanced over at Angelo, then at Franko. I noticed a marked contrast to his demeanor a second earlier.
“Full disclosure, ladies,” Angelo spoke up, glaring at Jeff now. “It’s now a sex club.”
Sophia leaned forward in her chair. “Come again?”
“Club Privé is a sex club…but we’re only going for drinks.”
“And to watch,” Jeff added, smiling.
Tre, Clive and Franko looked at one another for a second, waiting for someone to continue, and the three of them cracked up with laughter. Who could blame them? They were so young, I was fully expecting a lot more immaturity than they’d shown all through dinner. A few giggles over the mention of a sex club was minor. Not that I had ever been to one. I had barely been to regular dance clubs, tightly wound chronic homebody that I was.
I leaned back in my chair, allowing my full stomach some extra room while patiently waiting for Sophia’s reaction. I didn’t have to look over at her to know she had probably gone from zero to crazy-eyed, and ready to scold someone at the table for assuming we would ever entertain the idea of joining them.
“You want to take us to a sex club.” She turned to Angelo and punched his arm. “You want to take us to a sex club!?”
“Relax. I can guarantee you it’s nothing like what you’re thinking. You’ll be safer than anywhere else in Manhattan.”
“Go easy on Angelo. It was my idea,” Franko said proudly. “You could say that Tre, Clive and I are going for…research.”
“I’d bet. Are you up for it?” Sophia asked me in a whisper.
I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Um…I wouldn’t mind taking a look,” I admitted.
“Cool. As long as you’re sure. It’ll be you and these five guys. That already sounds like a recipe for disaster.”
“I think I’ll be fine.”
She looked back and forth between Angelo and me, assuming he’d heard us. “You better make sure she is.”
He nodded. “You can bet on it.”
Chapter Ten
Angelo
Sophia left for work.
Not that her presence would have made a difference to me. I did as I pleased, and her earlier threat was long since forgotten, more so than my father’s announcement that she was off limits. Still, I could tell Paige was more relaxed the second Sophia wasn’t br
eathing down her neck with protective warnings.
The kiss upstairs sure helped too.
I didn’t even understand the sisters’ dynamic much. They were identical twins. It wasn’t like Sophia was any older than Paige, yet she was clearly the one in charge. Their personality differences were striking too. Sophia was worldly, street smart, tough and outgoing, while Paige seemed innocent, reserved, intelligent, and for lack of a better word, delicate.
It was yet another mystery to figure out, but I was sure the question of how identical twins could be so different would come to light as I got to know Paige better.
On the way over to Club Privé in Jeff’s limo, he gave the boys the highlights of what he called his top ten guest rules. He took extra time to stress that Club Privé was a sex club, not a swingers club, not a prostitution hub, not a bathhouse, and definitely not a strip club. I didn’t need the briefing. Jeff had dragged me, Victor and all of our friends out to the place on several occasions. Paige was exempt too, as he had immediately sized her up as “too conservative to partake”. Those were his words, which he told her to her face on the drive over.
My brother and his friends were a different story. Jeff made Franko, Tre and Clive swear to adhere to his rules at all costs.
No paid entertainment allowed. i.e. No escorts, no hookers.
Consenting adults only.
No means no.
No uninvited touching, kissing, fondling or contact.
Full frontal nudity only allowed in areas designated as private.
Dress code in effect in areas designated as public.
Observing without participation is allowed in all open areas designated as public.
Confidentiality is expected and assured.
Condom use is mandatory.
Boisterous or disruptive behavior of any kind will result in immediate removal, and possibly trigger suspension and/or revocation of membership.
I had to laugh. After he had rattled them off, Jeff reached into his pocket and pulled out several unbranded plastic cards that looked like hotel access cards. Christ, the man had taken the time to have the rules printed. And he passed one each to Tre, Clive and Franko. Jeff must have brought people here on a regular basis. Or he was being the usual inflexible, insistent, authoritative, control-freak as always. That, raised to the power of geekdom. Yes, as handsome and attractive as women found him, Jeff was a nerd through and through.
Because they were under twenty-one, Jeff added one extra rule to the mix.
No alcohol.
They all mirrored Jeff’s solemn expression, and gave their word about laying low and behaving themselves.
Too bad it was for nothing.
Even though all our names were on the guest list, the bouncer at the roped-in area outside carded them when we got there.
“Sorry, Mr. Henderson,” he said to Jeff. “They’re under twenty-one. Management won’t take the risk, sir. I hope you understand.”
Franko wanted to protest, but his buddies led him back to the limo. He calmed down when Tre reminded him that they had their fake IDs back at my place. Jeff told his driver to take them anywhere they wanted to go, and the kids left.
That left Jeff, Paige and me. He took us inside, striding through the entrance like he’d just made it home. We stopped at the coat check booth, noticing the upbeat music from a live band playing somewhere past the immense double doors further down the hallway.
“He’s really into this place, isn’t he?” Paige asked. She nodded over at Jeff, already greeting patrons that must have been regulars just like him.
“If he could, he’d probably live here.”
“What about you?”
“I’ve got nothing against the place…consenting adults should be free to do as they please.”
“I suspect there’s a but coming. You didn’t actually answer my question.”
“True. I would say that my preferences aren’t much different from anyone here, except for two things.”
“Which are?”
I pulled her close and whispered into her ear, “First, when I find something I want, I don’t like sharing.”
Her hand snaked around my waist and slid up my back.
“And?” she said in a breathy moan that had me straining against my zipper.
“I enjoy my privacy.”
Jeff cleared his throat beside us. “Save some of that for when we get inside,” he teased. “Come on. I’ll give you two a quick tour.”
“I think we can find our way around,” I told him. “I’ve been here before, remember?”
“I know, but they’re trying out something new for the next couple of Fridays. Remember the private rooms upstairs?”
“Yes.”
“Well they’re perfect…so perfect that they’re almost always booked out by the membership. A few of us have been asking for more private spaces, so…let me show you. Come with me.”
We followed him into the large main hall. It was different from my last visit. The space was transformed. Light, airy translucent drapes hung from the vaulted ceilings and down the walls. Ornate chandeliers were strategically accented with purple and blue uplighting and fabric made from the same drapes fanned out around them. We passed the area that was sometimes used for dancing. The retractable floor was opened tonight, showing the stylish, elaborate pool. Its intricate marble and mosaic tile design was even more pronounced tonight now that the blue and purple fiber optic lighting around the club reflected around it.
A few small groups were grazing at a long table near the main bar, laden with fruits and cheeses, caviar and other hors d’oeuvres. Everyone was well-dressed, including the servers passing by with their trays with wines, beers and other alcoholic drinks.
“This is gorgeous,” Paige said.
“It is,” I agreed. She made quite the impression on me as I glanced over at her. Paige was carefully surveying every detail the club—and the people—with eyes wide and face intrigued. We passed a few couples chatting, kissing or making out at a few lounge areas and booths. Her expression could only be described as studious, reflective, and enchanted. She wasn’t embarrassed or uncomfortable. To the contrary, she was fascinated, indulging with her eyes, absorbing it all as if discovering something as basic as breathing for the first time.
I saw what he meant by semi-private spaces when we passed the main bar. Some of the hanging fabric draped and bundled around frames that mimicked the feel of four-posted beds, except that the area they each covered could probably hold forty or fifty people. From the outside, we could only see muted silhouettes of the people inside.
“See what I mean?” Jeff asked. “They went all out with these new rooms. I booked us one for tonight.”
“Nice, but hold up there, champ. Paige is new, and you know I don’t swing that way.”
He laughed. “Calm your ass down. Of course I know you’re a goddamn boring prude…and you should know that watching is my thing.” He pointed back and forth between the three of us. “We’re not doing anything. You’re both more than welcome to have drinks with me, or you can cozy up in one of the booths over there. Later on I’ll be in the space I booked with some…friends.”
I nodded. “Perfect.” Looking down at Paige, I asked, “Do you want to walk around a bit?”
“Sure. Lead the way.”
Leaving Jeff to his own devices, I took Paige’s hand and slanted through a couple of the more crowded sections, ambling around patrons and open areas until we were back at the lounge.
She pointed at one of the empty booths. “Can we sit for a while?”
“Of course.”
She slid into one side of the booth, but didn’t release my hand. I took that as a sign to sit beside her.
She continued to look around. “Wow. This place is stunning. And I didn’t expect it to be this way…The people seem so refined, you know? Cultured, yet very natural.”
“I think I know what you mean. It’s easy to prejudge a sex club as lewd and lecherous. Maybe some
of them are like that, but not here.”
“Awesome. I like it.”
“Glad to hear that. So…care for a drink?”
“Thanks, but I really shouldn’t. I had my fill back at Rinaldi’s. All that wine went to my head,” she admitted. “It’s one case where too much of a good thing isn’t quite so wonderful.”
“There are some exceptions to that rule.”
“Like what?”
I brushed a lock of her hair behind her ear. “I can’t imagine it’s possible to have too much of what’s happening between you and me.”
Paige was definitely more comfortable now. She leaned into my side, resting her head on my shoulder. Placing a hand on my knee, she slowly slid it up my leg until it was daringly close to my growing bulge. “Me either,” she agreed.
I cradled her back, moving my hand down until it came to rest at the curvature of her hip. I’d been tempted to touch her there since I saw her this morning, and now, sitting this close and with her hand where it was, I couldn’t resist.
“As you're so forthcoming, I have another confession. There’s something indescribably sexy about you being so relaxed in this particular crowd.” Before she answered, I reached my other hand up to hold on to her shoulder. “Paige, you’re the sweetest, most captivating woman I’ve met in a really long time.”
She opened her mouth to say something, but I didn’t let her get a word out. My lips covered hers in a hungry, fiery kiss, sending my mind into a wild state of curiosity about how the rest of her would taste. She let out a shallow breath at the back of her throat that I swallowed up in the kiss, loving that her hand was now pressed against my zipper, rubbing along my throbbing length. Her mouth parted as I skimmed my tongue against her lips. Pleased with her receptiveness, I explored all the bows and bends of her perfect mouth.
Moaning seductively, Paige broke away from the kiss and looked up into my eyes. “I think the mood in this crowd is rubbing off on me. I’d like to go somewhere more private now, Angelo. I want you. Tonight.”
I didn’t know she had it in her, but hell, I was glad that she did. Nodding, I slid out of the booth and helped her to her feet. I enjoyed a woman who knew what she wanted and wasn’t afraid to ask for it. Especially when I was craving the very same thing.
Club Prive: Un-Leashed (Kindle Worlds Novella) (A Bad Boy Crime Family Romance Book 1) Page 5
