Page 6 of Sinful Palace

3

Willow

My palms dampenedwith a mixture of fear and anticipation as I stared up at the enormous building ahead. While I’d seen photos of Wonderland over the years and heard all about it, including the nasty rumors that often made the rounds, I’d never actually visited the place.

The photos didn’t do it justice. It was far more impressive in person, resembling an enormous Disney castle. Even though it was the middle of the night, the building was alive with warm golden lights, illuminating the sky and land around it so brightly that it almost looked like daytime.

With the combination of Gothic and Châteauesque architecture with ornate gables, massive circular turrets, and a sweeping central tower of eighteen floors, it was clear the Thornes had taken inspiration for Wonderland’s design from historical hotels such as the Château Frontenac. In fact, the only major difference between Wonderland and the Frontenac was the coloring of the exterior walls and roof. Wonderland’s walls were pale sandstone, and the towering roofs were charcoal gray.

“Holy shit. This place is crazy,” I murmured, lowering my eyes to the artificial lake outside the hotel. A replica of the famous Pont Alexandre III bridge spanned the shimmering water, decorated with gilded lamps and ornate stone carvings. All around it, majestic fountains rocketed glittering streams into the air.

“You’ll get used to it,” Logan said, taking my arm. “You’ll probably even enjoy it here.”

“What makes you say that?” I asked, timidly glancing up at him as he led me across the bridge.

“I know how much you hate attention, and you won’t get much of that here,” he replied. “People visit this place to have fun and forget about the rest of the world, so you’ll barely get a second glance.”

I nodded slowly and pondered his words as he directed me through the towering glass doors at the main entrance.

Wonderland’s interior was just as extravagant and impressive as the exterior, decorated with a combination of old-fashioned and contemporary touches. Massive tiered chandeliers lit the space, and the walls were adorned with custom moldings and painted artwork.

An enormous round pool with marble statues and a soaring fountain lay in the center of the lobby. The main reception area stood on the other side of the pool, with dutiful, impeccably-dressed staff checking people in and giving them directions to their rooms or different entertainment areas. To the right of that, a sweeping staircase led to a curved observation balcony with a glitzy restaurant beyond.

The whole place was buzzing with activity, despite the late hour, but Logan was right. No one paid any attention to me whatsoever, even though I looked like a complete mess. It was nice to be invisible for once.

“This way,” Logan said, gesturing to our left. “We’re going to take the private elevator.”

On our way there, we passed the main entrance to the casino. It was filled with well-dressed men and women, drinking and laughing as they tried their luck at the gaming tables and gambling machines. At the same time, beautiful young escorts in sexy, barely-there costumes paraded around them in brazen attempts to lure them to the Wonderland Club.

I wasn’t surprised to see that. Prostitution at Wonderland was an open secret. Despite all the nasty trafficking rumors surrounding the place, nothing would ever be done about it. The Thornes were simply too rich and powerful to be held accountable for breaking the law.

Logan led me over to an elevator and typed a code into the exterior keypad. The doors opened to reveal a plush royal blue carpeted floor, mahogany-paneled walls, and a gilded console. Each button had a label next to it, marking out different entertainment venues, restaurants, clubs, and accommodation on the lower and middle floors. Three of the upper floors had ‘Wonderland Club – Members Only’ written next to them, and the top floor was marked as ‘Thorne Suites – Code Required’.

Logan pressed the button for the seventeenth floor, and the elevator ascended with a smooth hum. When we arrived, he escorted me out with a hand on the small of my back. “I can’t take you to our room just yet. It’s not ready, because the staff weren’t expecting us to show up in the middle of the night,” he said, noticing my confused expression.

“So we’re staying here for now?” I asked, looking around the top floor of the Wonderland Club.

It wasn’t what I expected for a high-class bordello at all. It was serene and well-lit, with soft classical music filtering through the air. Young women in outfits ranging from lingerie to casual sweats lounged around the place on comfy chairs, eating, drinking and chattering to one another. There wasn’t a single man to be seen apart from Logan.

“I’m going to leave you here for a while,” he said. “I need to go and get a few things sorted out.”

“What am I supposed to do while you’re gone?” I asked, eyes widening. “Just sit and wait?”

He pointed to a hallway on our left. “There’s a bathroom by the dressing rooms, so you can go and get yourself cleaned up a bit,” he said. “After that, if you go through the glass doors over there, you’ll find a cafeteria. You should probably eat something. All the food is free, so don’t worry about that.”

Now I knew why we’d taken the private elevator. The elevator for guests probably opened up at the main entrance to the Wonderland Club, but the one we’d taken opened into the back, where the escorts hung out and got ready in between shifts. That explained the quiet, casual atmosphere and the multiple girls in sweats and ponytails.

“I’ll be back in half an hour,” Logan went on. “Try not to talk to anyone if you can help it.”

He returned to the elevator, and I headed down the hall to find the bathroom. When I stepped inside, I felt safe and comfortable right away. It was lit with warm lamps and decorated with pale pink marble tiles and pretty golden fixtures. Directly ahead of me, there was a long row of sinks and vanities, and a wide passage on the right led to several large shower cubicles and bathtubs.

I gasped as I stepped up to one of the sinks and caught sight of myself in the mirror. I knew I looked like a mess, but I had no idea I looked this bad. My eyes were puffy and red from crying, and my skin and clothes were flecked with Teddy’s blood and a few dark smears of soot from the fire at Thorne House. My hair also reeked of smoke.

“Oh my god, what happened to you?”

Heart hammering, I whirled around to see a petite woman with black hair, tanned skin, and mesmerizing blue eyes standing behind me, wearing nothing but a black leather bra, matching panties and black thigh-high lace-up boots. Despite the chunky heels on the boots, I hadn’t heard her enter the bathroom.

“House fire,” I said softly, hoping my eyes didn’t give away the fact that it was only a half-truth.

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