Page 50 of Midnight Whispers

My stomach bottoms out. So it does. And it’s obvious from his reaction that he’s not looking forward to telling me whatever it is.

I nod, and we walk through the communal part of the house, past the stained-glass raven, and to my bedroom.

Once we’re inside, and he shuts the door, I whirl around. “Tell me. Whatever it is, just tell me.”

He pushes his hands into his jeans pockets and stares at me, scanning me as if he’s trying to memorize me. Does he think whatever he’s going to tell me will change things for me? “That door leads to the basement of the manor.”

I step closer to him. “What’s in the basement, Nero?” I whisper as if I’m saying I can keep his secret.

“The Ritual Room.”

I frown, not understanding. “What’s the Ritual Room?”

He clears his throat and slides his hands out of his pockets, pushing one through his hair. “It’s a sex club that my brothers and I run.”

I blink and blink again. Out of all possible things, the rumors I’ve heard from bar patrons, that was not the answer I expected to hear. “A sex club?”

He nods. “You cannot tell anyone.” His voice is serious, and if I’m honest, there’s a bit of a threat in his tone.

“Of course not.”

“I’m serious, Cinder. I’m not worried about myself, but powerful people attend every month, and if they found out that an outsider knew about it, they wouldn’t hesitate to do what they had to in order to make the problem go away.” His blue eyes burn into mine, and I realize that the threat in his voice is about my safety.

I rest my hand on his chest. “I understand.”

He nods. “My father started it a long time ago, and when he died, Asher took over. As we all came of age, we joined.”

“What happens down there? Is it just a big orgy once a month?”

He smirks. “Sometimes. There’s a theme every month. People do whatever they want down there. That’s the whole point.”

My hand drops from his chest. “And you… you partake in all of this?” The image of him with another woman slams into my mind, and I feel sick inside knowing on that Saturday, he had been with someone else.

“Usually.” He shrugs. “Not lately, though.”

My head tilts. “Why not?”

“Because there’s only one woman these days that I have any interest in being with.”

My shoulders sag in relief. There’s one thing I need clarity about, though. “Why did you seem so nervous to tell me about it? I mean… I’m a stripper. I’m not exactly a saint.”

“It’s one of our family’s most closely guarded secrets for one, and if it were to get out, it wouldn’t affect just me, but my brothers as well. But mostly because I recently told you all this heinous shit from my past. I was afraid that if I piled on one more thing, maybe it would be too much, and you’d want to bail on us.”

I place my palm on his cheek. “You worry too much.”

His head slides along my palm, and he kisses it. “No, just a lot of experience with loss.”

My heart stutters inside, and I wrap my arms around him. When he embraces me back, my body fills with a warm glow.

With my cheek pressed against his chest, I say, “Am I allowed to have fun with you in the Ritual Room?”

He unwraps his arms from around me and pushes me back by the shoulders. “You’d want that?”

I nod.

“The idea of performing sexual acts in front of other people doesn’t freak you out?”

My head tilts. “I’ve been stripping for years. I’ve done VIP parties. It’s nothing I’m not used to, only this would be different because… well, it’s with you.”

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