Page 88 of Take Me Under

When he finally spoke, his tone was direct and to the point. “It’s a sex club.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Serena

Iblinked, biting my lower lip, fingers clenching and unclenching.

A sex club.

My instincts were right but hearing him say it out loud made it so much more real. While I knew places like this existed, I never expected to find myself in one. My gaze drifted back to the dance floor. Bodies moved together in ways that blurred the lines between dancing and foreplay, charging the air with heat and unspoken invitations.

Strangely, I wasn’t scandalized. One would think all that Catholic guilt would come rushing back, but it didn’t. I held no judgment for the people who indulged in this kind of thing. If anything, I was fascinated by the freedom of it, the sheer abandon with which they gave in to pleasure. But that didn’t mean it was for me.

I turned to Anton, who was watching me carefully, reading my every reaction.

“This isn’t my scene,” I admitted. “I don’t mind that it exists, but it’s just…not my thing.”

“Don’t be so quick to dismiss it. There’s a stigma surrounding this lifestyle, but it’s not always the way some might imagine it.”

My heart rate kicked up another notch. I wasn’t sure what he was hinting at.

Before he could elaborate further, our server returned, setting down a crystal bottle of Louis XIII cognac alongside a silver tray of mixers. Anton didn’t acknowledge her beyond a nod, already reaching for the bottle. He poured himself a measure of the dark amber liquid. Then he poured mine, but instead of leaving it untouched, he added a generous amount of ginger ale before sliding the glass toward me.

“Thank you,” I said, picking it up and talking a long gulp. The warmth of the cognac mixed with the crispness of the ginger ale slid down my throat. It was smooth, expensive, and did nothing to ease the tension building in my body. I downed the rest of the drink quickly.

When I lowered the glass and set it back on the table, Anton’s brows raised in surprise.

I shrugged. “I was thirsty.”

His expression didn’t change, but there was a new warning in his eyes.

“Slow down,” he said. “Inebriation in a place like this isn’t good for anyone. I want you to have a clear head.”

“I know my limits,” I insisted.

He pressed his lips together in a tight line, appearing to mentally deliberate the situation before standing and extending a hand to me. “Come dance with me.”

I hesitated, glancing behind him at the crowd, then back into his onyx eyes. Things were happening on that dance floor—things I wasn’t sure if I was ready for—yet I still found myself reaching for his hand.

Anton led me toward the mass of people, his grip just as firm and possessive as it had been when we’d entered the club. The thrumming bass matched the beat of my heart as we stepped into the crowd, pushing through the press of twisting bodies. The air was thick with the scent of perfume, alcohol, and sex. Hands roamed freely, and lips brushed against necks as fingers tangled in hair. The atmosphere was spellbinding—dark, primitive, and erotic. I was suddenly hyperaware of everything around me. The heat of it all was suffocating yet intoxicating.

And then there was Anton.

He turned to face me, his hands settling at my waist, pulling me flush against him. My breath caught as his body pressed into mine, strong and unwavering. He didn’t move right away but stood there. Waiting. Watching me. Testing me.

“You’re tense,” he murmured. “Relax your hips. Let me control the pace.”

I let out a shaky exhale and forced myself to loosen, looping my arms around his neck. Then he started to move, his grip guiding me into the rhythm of the music. His pace wasn’t fast. It was slow, deliberate and commanding as the DJ mixed into a new song. The melody was equal parts obsession and confusion, matching the storm of emotion raging through me.

I followed Anton’s lead, my body molding to his in a way that felt incredibly natural. The heat between us quickly grew, spiraling into something dangerous until every move—every press of his hips and slide of his hands on my body—was charged with a sizzling energy that compared to nothing else. A part of me hated how effortlessly he made me forget my reservations. But I also relished it. Ilikedwho I became when I was with Anton.

Every move he made felt like both a tease and a challenge. Each rotation of his pelvis against mine made me forget who Iwas, and I found myself thinking about the couple who’d disappeared through the door in the corner.

Where did they go to?

What happened in the spaces beyond this room?

Anton dipped his head slightly, his nose grazing along my temple before his lips hovered just over the shell of my ear.

---