Page 7 of My Favorite Sin

I gasp, my entire body suddenly stiff and flushed with embarrassment as I turn and see Dan. His gaze switches from me to the couple having sex through the crack in the door. A second later, the tiniest smirk pulls at the left corner of his lips.

The woman murmurs, “Babe, is someone out there?”

The man peers out, seeing me and Dan, yet that doesn’t stop him from working his dick into the woman while sliding the door shut.

“I… uh…” I try to explain myself to Dan, but all that comes out of my mouth is a bunch of stutters.

“Voyeurism, huh?” He chuckles, the soft laugh smug. “Come on, my game hasn’t finished yet. Wanna watch?”

My face burns hotter at the pun in his question. I’m so humiliated and need to shake this moment off that I follow him through the velvet curtains and into the club, ignoring the underage factor.

Just like Club Noir’s entrance, the entertainment area is sensual and classy and is filled with an audience of patrons lounging on couches in front of a stage. I’m no prude, but considering the embarrassment that is still fresh in my system, the strip tease on stage does nothing to calm me down.

“You got caught in the rain. Take my jacket,” Dan offers.

It’s an offer I want to accept. The wet fabric of my coat clinging to my body isn’t pleasant and I’m sure I’ll start shivering again as soon as this embarrassment wears off. But the act of wearing Dan’s jacket feels too intimate. “I’m fine.”

“You sure?”

No. I would love to wear his jacket and be surrounded by his scent, which is exactly why I shake my head.

“Suit yourself.”

Dan places a hand on my upper back, guiding me through the venue. The contact sends a warm shiver down my spine. Unable to function with Dan touching me, especially after he walked in on me watching two people having sex, I shrug his hand off. He glances at me curiously as we walk side by side, examining me, and that damn smirk returns. I can only imagine what he’s thinking right now.

“Through here.” Dan nods to a door, holding it open for me.

I step inside the dark room, finding a single light hanging over a poker green, a card dealer, and a group of suited men sitting at the table with rivulets of cigar smoke swirling around them.

I glare at Dan. “Is this even a legal poker game?”

“Legal enough. Don’t worry, you’re safe with me.”

He brings me up to the table with him and takes a seat.

“Baby sis, you made it.” I recognize the sly tone of my oldest stepbrother’s voice before I see him. He sits to the other side of Dan, spinning a poker chip between two fingers.

I should have known Dan would be playing with Felix tonight. Dan is the youngest of my four stepbrothers, and even though there’s five years between him and Felix, they’re the closest out of all them. Felix is the one who got Dan into poker, teaching him about the game when he was only fifteen. Dan and Felix have tried to teach me too, but I’ve never been any good.

I give Felix a hug. He always smells like whiskey, and right now is no different. He looks a lot like Dan, but where Dan has more charm to him, Felix is a little intimidating. There’s a sharp and cunning manner about the way he holds himself. His blond hair is always slicked back like something from the 1920s, and ink peeks above his suit collar and over the backs of his hands.

“Good to have you back. How was Paris?” Felix squeezes my waist. His warmth spreads into me, and as soon as he drops his arm, my shoulders clench with a new wave of shivers from the a/c. He gives me a once over, raising a brow. “You get caught in the rain or something? You look cold.”

“I already offered her my jacket,” Dan says. “She wouldn’t take it.”

“I’ll warm up soon. Finish your game so we can get dinner.” I take my wet coat off and step back from the game, draping it over a chair against the far wall.

The game continues. A female member of the bar staff arrives with a tray of crystal glasses and whiskey. There’s chatter among the men and laughter. But overall, the game has a serious tone, and I can’t help feeling nervous being in this room, being part of this “legal enough” game. Whatever that means. I swear, I am going to kill Dan after this.

As for Felix, I’m not fond of him being involved in this stuff either. His morals are worse than Dan’s but at least he’s secretive about it and keeps me out of his business. He’s not the one who dragged me along tonight.

When I think about it, the two brothers aren’t so different. Dan makes a living off winning poker games, many of them illegal; Felix makes his money through owning an illegal speakeasy here in Manhattan called The Scarlet Mirage.

I’m not supposed to know about the speakeasy. Not even Mom and Josh know about it. They think he sets a fine example for the family name by owning a cocktail lounge. I’m only aware of The Scarlet Mirage because Dan told me a few years back and swore me to secrecy.

Within a minute or two, Dan glances over his shoulder, finding me over by the couch. His gaze trails down my body in concern, and I realize it’s because I’m clinging to myself, shivering in my wet outfit.

“Come here. I need to tell you something.”

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