Page 57 of Devil's Riches

“Oh, how wonderful. What made you pick that?”

I gave her a generic answer about my thirst for knowledge and love for storytelling, because there was no way I could tell her the truth—that it was all in pursuit of my father’s vindication. She nodded and smiled as I spoke, marking little boxes and scrawling notes on the papers in front of her.

There were at least fifty questions after that first one; all of them clearly designed to get an idea of our backgrounds, personalities, interests, and habits. It felt like an interrogation, and my heart hammered the whole time. The only thing that kept me grounded was the knowledge that Nate was right next to me, ready to squeeze my hand and reassure me whenever the nerves threatened to choke me again.

After we’d been in the office for what felt like an hour, Victoria paused and shuffled the papers around before looking up at us again.

“This is probably the most important question,” she said, leaning forward with her hands clasped on the desk in a pyramidal shape. “What made the two of you want to join us at the Mayfair Club?”

Nate spoke up first. “I guess you could say we’re looking to experience a different sort of nightlife beyond all the frat parties and city clubs that we’re used to going to,” he said in a casual tone, as if it were a completely off-the-cuff answer and not something we’d rehearsed multiple times.

I nodded. “We’d really like to broaden our horizons, and we’d prefer to do it somewhere where we can be surrounded by our peers,” I added. “Somewhere our privacy is valued and ensured.”

“I see.” Victoria nodded slowly and scribbled another note on the paperwork. “Are you aware that the membership fees are ten thousand dollars per year?”

“Yes,” I said, pulse picking up as anticipation built in my chest. That last question was a good sign. If Victoria wasn’t interested in letting us join, she wouldn’t have brought up the fees.

She confirmed my thoughts a second later. “Well, I have to say, I think you two are great candidates,” she said, eyes crinkling at the corners. “I’m happy to proceed to the next stage of the application process if you are.”

“We are,” Nate said with a firm nod.

Victoria leaned over to her right and rifled around in a drawer. She produced some more paperwork and sat up straight.

“This next part will sound a little odd, but rest assured we have a good reason for it,” she said, sliding the papers over to us. “We like to ensure the good health of all our members, and part of that involves us asking prospective members to provide a blood sample for testing. We have a small rapid-testing laboratory on the premises that can deliver results within forty-five minutes. Is that all right with you?”

“That’s fine,” I said with a nod.

“Excellent. If you’ll just read and sign these forms, we can get started on that as soon as possible.”

I scanned the printed text on the paper she’d given to me. It was a basic medical consent form which gave permission to the Mayfair Club to take a blood sample from me, test it for certain infections, and view my results.

I scrawled my signature on the bottom, and Nate followed suit with his own form.

“Perfect,” Victoria said, taking the papers from us. She stood up. “I’ll take you to the lab now.”

We followed her out of the office and down the hall. She opened a door on our right and led us into a room that looked like a doctor’s office on one side and a lab on the other.

“I’ll be back to see you when your results are available,” she said. She left our forms on a nearby table before turning on her heel and exiting the room.

A small woman with dark hair scraped into a severe bun came over and took our blood samples. After she was finished, she led us across the hall and into yet another room.

It was a large space with baroque gold leaf sofas, a low mahogany coffee table, tall bookshelves, and a hearth with a roaring fire in it. Soft classical music filtered through the air from hidden speakers.

“You can wait here while your samples are being processed,” the woman told us. “An attendant will be with you shortly.”

A moment later, a young man in black pants and a crisp white shirt appeared with two menus. He handed them to us with a friendly smile. “If you’d like anything at all, please let me know. There’s no charge,” he said. “There’s a call button on the wall over there, so you can reach me whenever you want.”

With that, he stepped out of the room, leaving us to our own devices.

I put my menu down on the table without looking at it. I couldn’t face the thought of eating or drinking anything right now. My stomach was churning too much.

I wasn’t actually sure which part of this evening I was more nervous about—sleeping with a complete stranger, or sleeping with someone that wasn’t Nate.

He looked over at me, seemingly sensing my trepidation. “Are you sure you want to do this?” he asked, brows dipping in a concerned expression. “It’s not too late to back out.”

I swallowed hard and took a deep breath. “I’m okay,” I finally said in a small voice. “Are you okay with it?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” he said. He leaned closer and lowered his voice. “Are you sure you don’t want to get out of here? You look like you’re about to have a heart attack.”

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