Page 154 of Heart of Stone

“You’re with me. That’s all the screening they need,” I said, not bothering to disguise any arrogance in the matter. I flashed her a cocky grin and circled the car around a long and winding bend.

When the massive stone building that housed Club O came into view, Krystina gasped in astonishment.

“Wow!” she said in awe. “From the view of the street, I would never have thought that this would be hidden here. You weren’t kidding when you said that a person couldn’t accidentally stumble into one of these places.”

I pulled into a parking spot and stepped out of the car. I surveyed the lot as I walked around to the passenger side of the car, and took note of the long line of expensive cars that filled the parking spaces.

It’s a full house tonight.

It wasn’t unusual for the club to busy on a Saturday night, but the number of cars in the lot was well above the norm. It had been a while since I had last visited the place, and I wracked my brain trying to think of a particular event that may be going on. Considering that it was nearing late October, there was a good chance that the club was hosting its annual Halloween party. Uneasiness seeped into my bones when I thought over the potential risks with that.

I stretched my neck from side to side in an attempt to shake off my apprehension.

Krystina’s nerves must be wearing off on me.

I opened the car door and made room for Krystina to step out.

“You ready?” I asked, extending my elbow to her.

“As ready as I’ll ever be.”

She took hold of my elbow, and we made our way up the stone walkway to the mansion. Pushing through the massive wooden double doors, I motioned Krystina inside.

Here goes nothing.

CHAPTER 43

Alexander stepped aside so that I could enter into an elegantly decorated vestibule, complete with a breathtaking rock garden and tranquil waterfall. It was not at all what I was expecting. I had envisioned pulsing neon lights for a place like this – certainly not the aristocratic interior that was before me.

The walls were covered with varying shades of blue and green mosaic tiles, giving the entire entryway an almost underwater effect. Next to the waterfall, there was a marble statue that looked as if it had been transported in time from two thousand years ago. The statue was of a woman wrapped in a loosely draped cloth, with one breast revealed. Her sculptor was able to capture an alluring expression of mystery, presenting a certain degree of erotic beauty.

“That’s a beautiful statue, Alex.”

“It’s a rendition of Venus, the goddess of sexuality,” he told me.

“I thought that Aphrodite was the goddess of sexuality.”

“Aphrodite is a Greek. Venus is Roman, even though some people consider them to be virtually the same. I prefer Venus because I find her attributes slightly more appealing – beauty, persuasion, seduction, and sex,” he explained.

“That’s interesting. I didn’t know that,” I mused, reaching up run my fingers over the cool marble arm of the statue.

He chuckled at my fascination and took hold of my elbow.

“This way, angel.”

He ushered me ahead into another room, where the old world feel flowed seamlessly from the entryway. Except in here, it looked like a Halloween cocktail party was taking place. Everyone was stylishly dressed in costume, conversing casually and sipping fancy colored drinks.

“It looks like a Halloween party in here.”

“That’s because it is. I had forgotten that tonight is Club O’s Annual Halloween Masquerade,” he paused and frowned. “But even if I had remembered, I’m not into the costume thing. Come on. Let’s go get a drink.”

Alexander led the way over to a long mahogany bar at the far side of the room. While he worked on getting the attention of the bartender, I surveyed all the people that were present. Every last one of them was in a costume of some sort. It made me feel self-conscious about my very normal, yet extremely provocative attire.

“Are you sure that we won’t stand out? I mean, look at everyone,” I whispered.

“Grey Goose with a splash of cranberry and a glass of Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling. I’ll also need a red bracelet.” Alexander told the bartender before turning back to me. “Don’t worry about it, Krystina. This is only a small part of the club. I’m sure that there are people without a costume downstairs.”

“Downstairs?” I asked.

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