Page 41 of Hacker Beloved

CJ placed a quick kiss on my cheek. “No. The door outside has a fingerprint reader on it when you grab the knob. If you’re not in the system, the door won’t open. Once Asher touched the door, his information was pulled up and sent to the woman at the desk.”

“What is this place? I thought we were getting dinner.”

“We are getting dinner. Why would you think differently?” Asher asked, his eyes searching my face.

CJ shook his head. “It takes a while to get used to the life of the uber-rich. They dine and experience life on a different level.”

This experience made me wonder how many other doors I’d driven by and never realized what was behind them.

At the end of the hall, there were two doors, one on the right and one on the left. I heard muffled bass to the left.

“That is the club side, but I don’t think you’re ready to step through those doors,” Asher said.

The thought of dancing between Asher and CJ sounded fun. “I’ve been to clubs before. I wouldn’t mind dancing after dinner.”

“You think it’s a club people go dancing at?” CJ asked, his eyes dancing with laughter.

Asher pulled me into his arms and placed a quick kiss on my lips. “It’s a BDSM club. And tonight, I don’t want to share you with the world.”

The door swung open, and a couple walked out. The bass vibrated against my skin. The man had no shirt on and leather pants. The woman’s breast was exposed. Her nipples had silver clamps, and only a thin string of material covered her ass.

The man nodded at Asher and CJ before he went down the hall toward the exit. I couldn’t help but stare at the mostly naked ass of the woman. Obviously, Asher and my ideas of a club were two different things. When we turned to the other door, butterflies swarmed my stomach.

“You ready?” Asher asked.

I nodded.

We stepped through the door one by one. There was a bar counter with ten seats and a man behind the counter slicing a piece of tuna. “Welcome. Chef Ono is ready for you in your private room.”

CJ led us to the back of the room and through a door. Inside was a curved booth and a bottle of wine on the table. They had me get in first. CJ and Asher climbed in on either side of me. The door we’d came through opened, and a waitress handed us warm cloths scented with Jasmin to clean our hands.

Asher filled our glasses with wine. He held his up, and CJ and I clicked our glasses with his. “To a night of fun.”

The chef walked out with three small plates in his hand. “Good evening, guests. Tonight, we are going to have around seventeen courses. Your first course is Otoshi. This is made to be eaten in one bite. Enjoy.

He turned and left the room. I glanced down at the masterpiece with oyster, crab, and caviar. It almost looked too pretty to eat.

CJ and Asher had both eaten their pieces, and Asher glanced at me. “Do you want something else?”

“What? No, but it’s like art. How can I eat it?”

Asher grabbed the small bite and brought it to my lips. “Open.” Something about the command and the intimate setting caused my sex to tingle. I opened, and a blast of flavors hit my tongue. “That is so good.”

“Each course is like that,” CJ said.

“Zayla, at any moment tonight, if something becomes too much, you need to let us know,” Asher paused. “We can take things as slow as you want.”

I took a sip of my red wine and paused to collect my thoughts. “I’m not going to break or run away. For a few days, I felt trapped in limbo, and I didn’t know what to expect next.”

Asher nodded. His mouth opened, but the chef came through the door with three more plates.

“This course is a piece of Shmia Aji.”

I didn’t hesitate this time as I popped the piece in my mouth, and the fish melted against my tongue.

Asher waited until I was done before he spoke.

“Tomorrow, you have a meeting with the bank to change the account information,” Asher pointed out. “Until we catch this person, I think it’s best we head back to Ft. Lauderdale.”

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