Page 52 of Devil's Riches

As he spoke, Nate speedily typed out a note to me on the laptop. Rumor has it that the DP has a few extra services beyond the bars/clubs. Apparently there’s some sort of BDSM dungeon under the main building, and one of the movie theaters only shows porn. I think there’s also a reason the private suites can be hired by the hour.

The ‘Devil’s Playhouse’ nickname made a lot more sense now. Avalon’s richest citizens clearly liked to play at the venue in every sense of the word.

“I think all the stories are true,” Georgina said. “After they vetted the first part of my application, they invited me in for an interview. Obviously, they liked what they saw, because they said I’d made it to the next stage of the process. Then they asked me for a blood sample.”

Nate’s forehead creased. “A blood sample?”

“Yes. Crazy, right? At first I thought I was getting mixed up in some sort of Satanic cult. But then they told me they have a rapid-testing lab right there on the premises, and they test all potential members for sexually transmitted diseases. I asked them why they needed to do that, and they didn’t really answer properly, but it was implied that some of the members are into partner swapping and other stuff like that. So I guess it’s a precaution they take to make sure there aren’t any sudden outbreaks of syphilis at the club.”

“Right. So you turned them down after that?”

“Yes. If a club wants my fucking blood, then I’m not interested. I don’t even care if it’s got bars packed with hot billionaires who wouldn’t be caught dead at regular bars. It’s just too weird.”

“Do you have any idea what happens after the blood test?”

“No, but my cousin does. He made it further in the process when he applied a few years ago,” Georgina replied. “Do you want me to ask him about it?”

“Could you just give me his number so I can hear it all firsthand?”

She made another huffing sound. “Okay, fine. I’ll text it to you, and I’ll let him know you’re going to call him. But you owe me one.”

“Sure. I’ll buy you a drink next time I see you.”

Georgina laughed. “As long as it’s just a drink, and you don’t try anything else.”

Despite her standoffish words, her tone had turned slightly flirty. It made me want to reach through the phone and jab her in the eyes.

Stop it,I told myself. Nate is not yours. You have no right to be jealous.

That didn’t stop the gnawing feeling in my guts every time I thought about him hooking up with the other girl, though.

“It’s weird, right?” I said, raising my brows as he finally ended the call. “That they want to blood-test all the applicants?”

He shrugged. “Not really. They need to protect their reputation, and that includes protecting their investments.”

“Investments?”

“The elite members. Imagine the shit they’d kick up if one of them met some young hot thing in one of the nightclubs, took them to one of the private rooms for an all-night fuck-fest, and ended up with gonorrhea after paying ten grand a year in membership fees.”

I lifted a shoulder in a shrug. “Fair enough. I didn’t think of it like that.”

Nate glanced down at his phone as it let out a short beep. It was a message from Georgina with her cousin’s number.

He dialed right away.

The phone rang four times before a man with a deep voice answered. “Ben Silver speaking.”

“It’s Nate Lockwood here. Georgina gave me your number.”

“Oh, yeah, she told me you might call soon. She said you’re interested in the Mayfair Club.”

“Yeah, I’m thinking of joining. What can you tell me about it?”

“I applied to join it a few years ago. Didn’t really know much about the place at the time, but my girlfriend was really into the idea,” Ben said. “Ex-girlfriend now. She was a bit of a social climber. I think that’s why she was so keen on getting into such an exclusive place. Probably wanted to find an upgrade on me.”

“Right. What was the application like?”

“We filled out a bunch of forms online. My girlfriend wasn’t originally from Avalon, so she didn’t have the sort of connections that would let her skip ahead to the top of the list, but we were told it would be fine if we applied as a couple. That way she could skip ahead using my last name.”

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