Page 49 of Love JD

“Oh?”

“Oh,” she repeated with a smirk. “Well, this will get his attention, that’s for sure.”

My face went furnace hot. “That’s not what I’m doing.”

Mattie laughed. “Shortbread, either you’re going to get his attention, or you’re going to find out he doesn’t give a shit. There’s no in-between here.” She inclined her head to the side. “You’ve got plenty of cash, I assume.”

“Unholy amounts,” I replied honestly.

She snapped her gum between her teeth and bounced her eyebrows. “Off you go then. Enjoy. I’ll wait here for you.”

I examined the elegant entrance out of the tinted car’s windows. Then I glanced back at Mattie. “I don’t suppose you want a drink.”

“Thought you’d never ask.” She killed the engine. “You get the valet bill, sugar mama. Let’s go.”

Grinning, I exited the car and waited for Mattie to hand the keys over to a valet. She wore leather pants slung low on her hips and a simple, white crop-top T-shirt over her thin build, and she linked her arm through mine. “We match,” she grinned. “You’re like my powdered donut sugar mama, and I’m your sexy bodyguard.” She winked.

I laughed as we approached the door. “Okay, but like… will they let us in here?”

“Let me see your credit card,” she said, holding out a hand. I handed it over to her. She examined it, and with a wicked grin, waved it in front of the black-clad bouncers. They nodded, opened the door for us, and she handed me the card as we walked into the cool building. “I’ve never seen a bewildered millionaire, but I guess there’s a first for everything,” she joked.

I peered at the black credit card. “How does this tell people I’m a millionaire?”

“Look at the edge,” she said, pointing to it. “It’s gold on top and silver on the bottom. Like… real gold. And real silver. Not very many people have those bad boys. Did you rob Tony Stark or something?”

I snorted. “No, my brother is… successful. I’m just not used to it.”

“Ah, blood money,” she nodded, leading us through a red-carpeted hallway lined with mirrors and darkened sconces.

I made a choking sound. “Isn’t that money you get from killing people?”

“What’d I say?” she asked in confusion. “Anyway, welcome to Luryd.” She swept an arm out as we stepped through a red-curtained doorway.

The silence was what hit me first. Shuffles and muted conversation murmured through the club, but otherwise, no music beat with incessant bass, no blaring tenor wrapped around the dance floor, and yet, the patrons ground against each other and swayed to music I couldn’t hear. They all appeared to be well-dressed, sparkling in the dancing lights with jewels and designer outfits. But no music.

An attendant at the doorway handed me a pair of earbuds with a welcoming smile. She wore a sheer, black, sleeveless sheath dress that pooled at her feet and showed off her nipples and thong, and I blinked, looking away. “Uh… what?”

“Oh, it’s a silent club,” Mattie explained, taking a pair of buds from an attendant in a similar bedazzled gown to our left. “City statutes,” she explained seriously.

“Right,” I replied, drawing out the word uncertainly. I took the earbuds and fitted them to my ears. Techno music filled my head with a catchy beat that had elements of songs I recognized, but they had been heavily remixed.

Mattie gestured for me to follow her into the club. It had been built almost stadium style, with elevated rows of tables and comfortable armchairs that overlooked the dance floor and stage. Up on the black stage, strippers—male and female—performed acrobatic dances so graceful, I stopped in the middle of the sloping stairs to gape in amazement. It was like a super dirty Cirque du Soleil.

Along each half-circle level that led down to the stage, patrons sat and chatted, sipping their drinks, while others danced to the beat in their earbuds. Somehow, it was both elegant and basely filthy, and I’d never seen anything like it.

Mattie grabbed my hand, grinning. “Come on, Shortbread! Let’s find a good seat. You didn’t bring actual cash, did you?”

I shook my head, stupefied.

“Good. You’d look like a total rube if you did. Everyone wears scanners in this place.” She looked a nearly naked man up and down before turning to me in question. “You looking for a lap dance?”

I realized I could hear her even over the insistent droning of the music, and it was because the earbuds had been adapted with a noise-canceling microphone that picked up on speech and filtered out everything else. Fancy. “I don’t know,” I admitted. “I’ve only kissed twice.”

Mattie stopped in the middle of leading me down a row of tables and chairs. The tables were draped in black silk, and the chairs padded with deep maroon fabric that added to the whole “Fifty Shades of Smut” vibe. Her brown eyes assessed me up and down. “You want me to teach you?”

A smile escaped me, tugging up without permission. “That’s the second time someone’s offered to do that in the last forty-eight hours. Thanks, but I’m good.”

She gave me a knowing look. “Ah. The housemate. I got you. Let’s go find a seat and get you a cute waiter to make Housemate jealous.”

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