by Roxy Sloane
I can see it now: Zoey Warren, junior reporter, the New York Daily News. I’ll be able to write stories that really matter, pulling in an actual paycheck and learning from the best in the business.
“Aight, sugar?”
A voice snaps me back to reality. A couple of guys are checking me out from across the subway car, their eyes leering. Even under my jacket, this dress is giving them plenty to stare at. “Where you goin’?” One asks. “You got a man tonight?”
Thankfully, we reach my stop and I quickly get out, hurrying to the exit.
There’s only one man I care about tonight: the one guarding all the secrets I’m out to expose. He’s the one I need to fool if I’ve got a hope in hell of pulling this off.
Dax Ryan.
CHAPTER TWO
DAX
‘I know what you’re hiding.’
The note is slipped in with the rest of the mail: a single page with printed text.
I sit back at my desk, then grab the envelope I just ripped open. It’s plain and cheap, the kind you get in packs at the postal office. Just my name printed on the front, no address or postmark.
It was delivered here to The Underground in person.
“Hawkins!” I yell, and a moment later, my head of security appears in my office doorway.
“What’s up, boss?” he yawns. Six foot three of muscly ex-Marine -- nothing goes on inside the walls of this club without him knowing about it.
“Did you see who delivered this?” I ask, holding up the envelope.
“I don’t know, what is it?” Hawkins comes closer.
I make sure the note is hidden beneath other papers on my desk so he doesn’t see. I pass the envelope. He turns it over in his hands and shrugs.
“No idea, sorry.”
“It was with the rest of my mail,” I say, trying to hide my irritation.
“That’s Dominique’s thing,” Hawkins says, passing it back. “You know she grabs the mail when she opens up every afternoon. Want me to ask?”
I nod. “But don’t make a big deal about it. Pull the security footage from earlier today, the cameras by the front entrance. Take a look, find me whoever dropped it off.”
If Hawkins is surprised by my unusual request, he doesn’t show it. He gives me a nod.
“And talk to the rest of your guys,” I add, as he heads back out the door. “Ask if they’ve seen anything suspicious here the past couple of weeks.”
“What kind of suspicious?”
I keep it vague. “Anything out of the ordinary. Members with any issues. People trying to get in who aren’t on our books. I want a full security briefing by the end of the night.”
“You got it, boss.”
Hawkins heads out, leaving me alone in my office. I turn in my chair, facing towards the two-way mirror that looks out onto my domain.
The Underground. The most exclusive members-only spot in the city. The place where fantasies are brought to life, and people become free to explore and indulge their most explicit desires.
I look out at the main bar, set with luxurious leather banquettes and rich decor. It’s empty now, but come tonight, the place will be packed. Celebrities, politicians, the top business people in New York City -- all free to do whatever they want under the cloak of total anonymity. No names. No press.
They trust me with their reputations, and in exchange, I provide them with a playground for the senses. A place where the responsibilities and stress of every day life are left at the front door. Within these walls, there’s only pleasure. Excitement.
Lust.
I’ve built this club from nothing into the most sought-after club in the city. Our waiting list is a thousand people long, and our vetting process for prospective members would put the CIA to shame. Every staff member signs non-disclosure agreements and our guestlist is kept under lock and key.
I guard a thousand secrets for my members. The intimate details of what they do here -- and who they do it with. In this world, discretion is gold. Without it, my entire empire would crumble -- and hundreds of people would be ruined in the scandal.
I pick up the note again, thinking hard. Someone’s threatening me. But with what, I don’t yet know. Could it be blackmail?
Or a more personal threat?
My intercom buzzes, breaking through my thoughts.
“The girls are here, to interview for the hostess positions.”
It’s Dominique, my manager.
“Put them in the lounge,” I tell her. “I’ll be right there.”
I get up, taking my suit jacket from the back of my chair and shrugging it on. I hate to have to invite newcomers to work at the club, especially with a note like that on the table, but I have no choice. Three girls have left me in the last few weeks, and with the club’s popularity at an all-time high, I need replacements to work the floor. We’ll be packed to capacity by midnight tonight, and my guests demand five-star service to match their five-star membership fees.
I step out into the hallway, reaching to lock my door behind me. That’s when I see a strange girl peering into one of the rooms down the hall.
“Excuse me,” I call.
She whirls around, looking guilty as hell.
“Can I help you?” My voice is anything but helpful as I stride towards her. I’ve never seen her here before, I would remember her for sure. She’s wearing a tiny bandage dress cut low in the front and high on her legs to show off the swell of her ripe breasts and long, tanned thighs.
“I, uh...” The girl mumbles. She stare at me with blue eyes under choppy blonde bangs, but I can see her brain is thinking fast. Any other time, I’d find her hot. Sexy and tough in those kinky boots of hers, but right now, all I see is an interloper in my damn club.
“Well?” I demand. “What are you doing poking around back here? How did you get in?”
She swallows, pulling herself together. “I’m here for the interview.” She flashes me a smile. “I’m sorry, I went to freshen up, and then I guess I got turned around. This place is like a maze! It’s hard to keep track.”
I pause. She’s giving me a confident beam, no sign of the guilt on her face from when I caught her. Did I just imagine it?
“The lounge is this way,” I tell her gruffly. “I’ll escort you.”
“Thanks, that’s so nice of you.” She hitches her purse up her arm and heads in the direction I point. “It wouldn’t be a good start if I got lost before I even got the job!”
“Luckily, a sense of direction isn’t on the required skills list,” I tells her dryly, following behind. What is required is for my hostesses to be beautiful, courteous, and discreet.
She has one out of three, at least.
I admire the view of her shapely ass and leather boots until we arrive in the side lounge room, where several other girls are waiting. “Someone should tell the guy to turn on a few lights,” she says, looking around. “Everything’s so dim and dark.”
“People like the dark corners,” I tell her, looming over her. “All the better to hide dark deeds.”
She looks startled, then covers it with a laugh. “You’re right. I forgot, I’m not interviewing at a normal club here.” She looks around the room, then leans in. “Can you do me a favor and point out the boss? I want to know who to impress.”
I arch an eyebrow. “It’s a little late for that,” I tell her, and enjoy the look of dawning realization on her face.
“Shit,” she curses. “It’s you.”
“It’s me.” I repeat. “I’m sure we’ll be introduced later. If you’ll take a seat, it’s time to begin.”
She slinks off to a chair at the back of the room, but I pause, watching her a moment longer.
Whoever sent that note is either in possession of damaging information -- or they want it. Badly enough to send a spy to infiltrate my club? I’m not yet sure. Either way, I’m on my guard. And anyevery girl here tonight could be a risk to me.
Somebody is hiding something. I’m going to make sure I f
ind them out.
Want more of Dax and Zoey’s sexy game of cat and mouse? The full series is available now!
OTHER BOOKS BY ROXY SLOANE – AVAILABLE NOW!
THE SEDUCTION SERIES
All women look the same on their knees with their lips wrapped around my cock.
You like to think you're different, special somehow. But trust me, I'll have you wet and begging for it before you can think of all those bullshit, good girl reasons why not.
I'm your darkest secret. Your dirtiest fantasy.
Who am I?
The Seducer.
And I've never lost a case.
Until her. Keely Fawes. My mysterious new target.
Someone wants to destroy her -- and I'm their weapon of choice.
Her secrets could be my undoing. Her innocence will ruin me.
But I don't care.
I'm going to show her how fucking good it feels to be bad. She'll come screaming my name if it's the last thing I do.
Full series available now!
THE SEDUCTION 1
THE SEDUCTION 2
THE SEDUCTION 3
THE SEDUCTION 4
THE SUBMISSION SERIES
Most women don't know the pleasure of total surrender.
You've fantasized about it. Maybe you've even tried. Asked for his hands to grip you a little tighter. If he could tie you up. Hold you down. But he always stops too soon.
He doesn't mean it when he makes you beg for him, doesn't push you to the limits of your pleasure and demand everything you have to give--and more.
You wonder, what would it be like with a man who truly commanded you? How sweet would the release be, giving yourself up completely?
No limits.
No boundaries.
His control.
Full series available now!
1. Sweet Submission
2. Wild Submission
3. Total Submission
4. Perfect Submission
THE EXPOSE SERIES
A cat and mouse game with red-hot stakes. Prepare to get exposed!
Sexy mogul Dax Ryan has secrets he'll do anything to protect. As owner of the most exclusive club in New York City, his members trust him with their wildest fantasies -- but a mysterious blackmail plot threatens to bring his hard-won empire crashing down.
Wannabe reporter Zoe Warren is after the scoop of a lifetime. An exposé from The Underground could be the break she's been waiting for -- she just didn't bet on the hot-as-hell owner watching her every move.
Full series available now!
The Exposé 1
The Exposé 2
The Exposé 3
The Exposé 4
THE SCENE SERIES
(BAD BOY BILLIONAIRE)
**Warning: Xavier is dirty-talking, panty-melting, and alpha as f**k. Can you handle the heat?**
How did I wind up getting f&*$ed hard against the wall of a luxury hotel suite? Oh yeah, I was just doing my job. My maid’s job, that is. But sexy guest Xavier has other plans – and he’s not a man who takes no for an answer.
I’m breaking all the rules, and rumor has it, Xavier’s hiding a dangerous secret. But I can’t help it – I want more.
All ten inches more.
Because maybe I've got secrets of my own...
Full series available now!
The Scene 1
The Scene 2
The Scene 3
EXPLICIT: A STANDALONE SEXY ROMANCE
"I’ve told you I’ve fantasized about you. So, tell me the truth. Do you fantasize about me?”
Bestselling novelist Jackson Ford is arrogant, exacting, and relentless on the page and off. His irresistible new editor, Ellie Parker is smart, headstrong, and not intimidated by Jackson's attitude - or the way he turns every exchange into a filthy seduction.
There isn't a thing these two can agree on, except their intense attraction. But with Jackson's deadline looming, can they stop fighting long enough for him to deliver the hit she needs?
The relationship between editor and author has never been so intimate or so explicit..
AVAILABLE NOW!
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