“Arya is being a self-centered bitch, Bee.”
“Rosa!” I scold, but she peers back unflinchingly.
We’re sitting at the bar that we found easily by following the low hum of chatter and music. I’m drinking a gin martini while she’s sipping red wine. If I expected high-class hookers and strippers dancing on men’s lap, I was dead wrong.
The place is all elegance and silent wealth.
I was drooling, just like Rosa warned, except I acted cool outwardly. The minute we had taken a step inside, all the men halted and stared but as soon as they recognized Rosa, the conversation eased.
The inside is so much more stunning than I imagined. The walls are painted in a navy blue that almost appears black under the lighting while the bar sits in the middle. Just past it is a casino where I could see men sitting in circles around tables, laughing and betting. Everything they could desire is waiting to appear at their command.
Power is a heady drug and all of us are its slaves.
Men all laugh and joke like old pals and yet most wouldn’t hesitate in stabbing the other in the back just to succeed. It’s the one thing I hate the most about our world.
No one is trustworthy.
“You know I’m right?” Rosa says, arching one perfect eyebrow.
“How would you feel if the situation was reversed and Jasmine told you to fend for yourself?” I ask hypothetically by mentioning her older sister, who is already married.
“God I hope so. She doesn’t possess a cheating bone in her body,” huffs Rosa, not taking me seriously.
“You know what I mean.”
She sighs and settles her free hand on mine.
“You’re too young to settle down,” she states. “Especially with a stranger you’ll probably meet twice before the wedding day.”
“I know,” I murmur.
“Hell, I’ve known Nova my entire life, yet I want to run away.”
“I would like to see you try,” taunts an arrogant voice, interrupting us.
My head whips toward Nova’s who has his dark eyes fixed on Rosa with part hate and part possessiveness. They trail down to the drink in her hand before slowly rising back to her glaring face.
Nova is a few years older than us and runs in a completely different circle. Though his circle of friends is big, it’s mostly superficial. He only has one close friend, Nathan Singhania, who also happens to be dating our friend, Iris. He must be around here somewhere.
I wonder if Iris knows.
“You’ll never catch me if I choose to,” Rosa taunts back before turning to ignore him.
I watch as he inches closer and crowds her against the bar with his hands on each side. Rosa isn’t intimidated as she meets his gaze head-on. I might as well not exist to them both as he leans down to whisper in her ear.
Whatever he says has a shutter going down Rosa’s eyes and her hand tightening around her glass.
Their marriage won’t be dull, that I’m certain of.
Mine, if I choose to, the same can’t be said.
I’m about to intersect them, when my attention is caught by someone else. My heart stutters as I blink rapidly, thinking my eyes are playing a cruel joke.
It can’t be him.
The pounding of my pulse says otherwise as I stare at that familiar broad back. I would recognize that smooth and cocky gait anywhere. Long-forgotten memories assault me like a freight train.
Soft lips kissing my tears away.
Rough hands eagerly pulling each article of my clothes off.
Mouth licking and sucking my skin while fingers caress the inside of my thigh as they inch closer to my heat. The burn of his hard length, which is piercing my walls.
A deep voice whispering, “Call out my name, Bianca.”
I swallow thickly and shiver, feeling those invisible hands on my body, and search for him. Rosa and Nova are still bickering like an old married couple and don’t notice when I slip away. My feet carry me in the same direction as him—the man I swore to never run into.
The one I tried harder to forget than the one who broke my heart.
The one who shouldn’t even belong in my world, least of all this place.
The hallway he walked into is narrow and deserted with only dim lights to guide. My heartbeat thuds in my ears as I glance behind, expecting him to sneak up on me. I tell myself he hasn’t seen me and even if he did, he will never approach me.
He only ever liked to watch me from afar.
Just like I did with him, despite promising myself not to each time.
Maybe I deserved what happened to me…
No. I shut down the doubtful and accusing voice inside my head and keep moving ahead. I have to take a left until I stand before a door marked as The Mirage and below it—private. My curiosity is piqued as I wonder what lies beyond because no noise comes from the other side.
Maybe there is a sex dungeon, after all.
There’s a horizontal brass door handle, so I grab and give it a shove, but it doesn’t budge. I’m disappointed to find it locked and search for another way inside. Do I need a code or a card to enter? I saw him go in this direction, so he obviously didn’t just disappear.
“Ma’am.”
I jump at the voice from behind me and twist to look back. A different guard, this one dressed in black, watches me with a suspicious gaze.
“Women aren’t allowed back in here alone,” he informs me.
“I’m with someone,” I lie, and he notices the subtle hitch in my voice and takes a step forward. “I only came out to get a drink from the bar.”
“May I know their name?”
Fuck! I’m about to tell Nova’s name when I’m whipped backward as the door opens behind me. My grip slips from the brass knuckle while strong and steady hands grab my shoulders.
“Careful, beautiful,” a silky smooth voice says in my ear.
I look up into the brightest blue eyes I’ve ever seen and push away from him. He feels familiar but I can’t place from where. He’s handsome and tall but I can’t find it in me to admire him as I hear the guard’s footsteps come closer.
“Ma’am. I need you to come with me,” he orders like I’m trespassing.
I look between the two men as they keep me trapped. Suddenly, an impulsive idea that will put me in trouble forms at the tip of my tongue. I need to know if it was him I saw. So, just as the guard makes a grab for me, I run past the other man into the still open door.
I hear one of them curse but I don’t dare slow down, and I feel like I’ve stepped into a whole other world. My feet halt as I land in a room filled with men and women. Seductive acoustic music is playing in the background as bodies writhe at every corner of the freaking dungeon.
It isn’t as crowded as I expected it to be, though.
Unlike earlier, no one pauses to stare at me and it’s a relief. I’ve never liked unwanted attention. It always makes me nervous and shy. The girls are all dressed elegantly in lace and silk as some sit on men’s laps while a few roam around the space.
I look around to see if the guard followed me in here and breathe in relief when I don’t see him. It would’ve been embarrassing if someone saw me being escorted out. If my dad finds out, he would certainly reprimand me. Though I can’t seem to worry about it now as I lose myself in my surroundings.
The middle of the room has a table decorated with a fountain of champagne pouring into the pyramid of glasses. Several private booths line the corner of the rooms and you can only tell people are inside upon looking closely.
How the hell am I supposed to find him in this maze? Maybe it was just my mind playing tricks on me, I can’t help but wonder, and as a waiter passes me by, I grab a drink from him. I’m so desperate for a distraction that I’m making one up.
But why did I conjure him up, of all people?
My mind tells me that I should just leave, but I stay rooted to the spot. Rosa is already busy with Nova, so I might as well take advantage of my surroundings. It’s not often that I come to a lavish private party held in a gentlemen’s club. Because that’s what this is.
Cloaked and hidden below the world outside.
Taking a sip of the hard whiskey I just took a second ago, I circle around the room until I’m walking down another dark hallway. The crowd lessens the deeper I venture, and I gasp when I hear a low moan. My skin heats and goosebumps rake along my arms as they get louder, followed by the sound of bodies slapping.
Light spills into my path from a widely arched doorway a few feet from me. Silhouettes of a trio form on the wall as I stare at them move erotically. It looks like a man and two women and instead of turning away, I prowl closer like a stalker.
A sick thrill courses through my body, twisting into heat when it enters my lower belly.
I swallow when I see the shadow of the man yank one of the women’s hair roughly until she whimpers in pleasure. There are other rooms with sex taking place in them yet I’m drawn to the last one. My heels don’t make a peep on the plush carpet and I’m glad because I don’t want to be caught.
But is it getting caught if the invitation is obvious?
My heart is in my throat when I finish the last two steps and peek inside. My head spins at the erotic sight before me, and an involuntary gasp spills past my lips.
The earth tilts as I stare at the man.
The guy who stole my virginity.
My ex’s older stepbrother.
Dash Stern.
