Page 53 of Seducer

A delicious puzzle to solve.

After tossing the keys of my Corvette to the valet of the country club where I was a member but rarely showed my face, I buttoned my suit jacket and glared at the building. Xander had called a meeting for this location, acting as if our presence was mandatory. I had a bad feeling that this was about a producer breathing down my brother’s neck.

With recent updates to Dark Nights, our most successful virtual reality game to date, our company was back in the news as it had been during the first two months of release. We’d added additional dangerous elements including acts of violence and of a sexual nature. We’d already received several X-ratings fromvarious magazines, but that had only brought us additional notoriety.

If some Hollywood producer wanted to recreate our story, they’d need to dig deep into our pasts. What they’d find would curdle their blood. I was laughing to myself as I headed into the club. At least the place wasn’t nearly as stodgy as it had been twenty years before.

New and much younger owners had brought a vibrant feel along with the two years of renovation to the stuffy appearance. The club was still by invitation only, lifelong members allowed to come and go as they pleased. I often wondered if the younger owners had secretly developed a kink club in the infamous basement, a location considered off limits to guests.

If so, I’d love to see it.

I was still chuckling as I walked into one of two dining rooms. There were plenty of private rooms, but Xander had specifically mentioned he wanted our meeting out in the open. The four remaining board members had been labeled as aloof, dangerous, and loose cannons and for some crazy reason, my oldest brother was eager to alter our image.

Why? Because he’d found respite in the arms of a woman. My brother Wilder would say he’d found salvation, but I doubted that was a possibility. Xander was all about the bottom line, increasing our wealth and standing in the gaming community.

As if any of us needed more money.

I was the last to arrive, which was typical since I didn’t care for the pomp and circumstance of our business activities. I enjoyed delving into the details, refining the games while ensuring every operation within the company ran smoothly. By this point, theorganization was like a well-oiled machine. Very little needed to be done, every employee vetted and considered trustworthy as hell.

We were lucky in that regard, especially after the extortion attempt months before. I strode toward the table, cognizant a solid dozen club members were paying close attention to my entrance.

Not as many patrons were old timers as I’d seen the first two or three times I’d bothered to walk inside. However, the location was still considered conservative, members including the upper echelon of Chicago society. They all acted as if they had nothing to hide, had no dirty little secrets to reveal. If they truly believed they were fooling anyone, they were out of their minds.

The women in the group were openly gawking, a couple licking their lips as if the overt attempts to attract my attention would do so.

Christopher Canton was the remaining nonfamily board member after Elizabeth Reynolds had been arrested for her part in the blackmail and extortion scheme. He was a family man yet adored the games we created, using the alternate reality to soothe the demons he had lurking inside of himself. That’s why the four of us got along so well.

We were all damaged fucks.

“You had to select the club?” I asked as I sat down, immediately leaning back in my chair. We had a pristine view of the manmade lake just outside the picture window. On a beautiful sunny day, there were people out feeding the ducks, a few fishing down on the pier. How picturesque.

As if I cared.

“Why not show off our wealth and status in the community?” Xander asked as he followed my actions, sitting back as if he was on his throne, preparing to command his underlings.

“He has a hidden agenda,” Christopher sighed as he lifted his drink.

Wilder chuckled. “Of course he does. We certainly didn’t come here for the entertainment. At least the food is decent since they changed chefs.”

I rolled my eyes as I glanced at him. Within seconds, I had a drink in front of me, Xander’s refreshed. The club owners prided themselves in learning everything they could about their clients.

When Xander waved off the waiter, I leaned forward. “Cut to the chase, Xander. Why are we here? We could have easily met at the office.”

“We need to be seen more. What’s wrong with that?” He held a mischievous expression on his face.

“I get it,” I told him. “You want us caught in the press.”

“Why the hell not?” Xander was excellent at acting as if he couldn’t care less about being watched, studied like some lab rat.

“You’ve been hiding in the production offices. Right?” Christopher asked, immediately scanning the room. Was the man suddenly nervous about something?

“As commanded by our CEO,” I teased.

Christopher grabbed an ice cube from his glass, sucking on it.

“Why do I have the feeling I missed something?”

“Show him. He’s obviously not paid any attention.” Wilder drummed his fingers on the table.

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