Page 2 of Vow to Hate You

“We never drove in the city,” I reminded her. “We always had a town car with a driver.”

“I’ve been driving for the past year. Dad caved about me getting a license after I begged for a year.”

I bit my tongue, trying hard to keep my thoughts to myself. My sister was perfectly fine with this kind of life. She did what she was told and had her own fun when she could. Her life had been mapped out since she was a baby. So far, she hadn’t strayed from that path. Once she finished school, she’d get engaged to someone approved by our father and marry within a year of graduating. Something she was well aware of and had no issue with. As long as the man treated her right, and was someone she could share a house with, she would be content.

“So…” she trailed off, her voice a mix of excitement and nerves. “Plans changed a little. You remember the club I was telling you about a couple of years ago?”

“You’ve told me about a lot of clubs.”

“This one is super exclusive.” She peeked at me for a moment before focusing back on the road. “I finally got the black card.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Black card?”

“It’s the only way into the club.”

Unease slid through me. “What kind of club is this?”

She laughed. “Hot men dancing. It’s an interactive show.”

“A strip club?”

“No. It’s called Club Facade.”

I pulled out my phone, typing the name into the search engine. A website popped up with a picture of a black masquerade mask on the home page. There was nothing else. No drop-down menu. There was only a place to put your email.

I tore my eyes from the screen to stare at Char. “Is this a sex club? I know you go out on weekends, but this isn’t your kind of scene.”

“There’s no sex,” she said with a shrug. “But close enough. Men dance and bring women to the stage. We have to sign a waiver?—”

“For what?” I cut her off, wondering what she got us into. I’d been to my fair share of clubs like this through the years, but my sister didn’t share my excitement for those kinds of places.

“The guys can touch you,” she stated with a wicked smile. “Lift you up. Everything. But they have a safe word for those who don’t want to participate.”

“There’s nothing on this website,” I muttered. “Which means it’s ridiculously exclusive. Expensive too, I’m guessing.”

“It is. The waitlist to get in is insane.”

“How much is it?”

“Fifty thousand. A person.”

My eyes widened. “I’m not paying that for one night.”

“It’s a yearly membership. But each member gets to bring a guest, free of charge, for one time. That’s you.”

“How’d you get Dad to give you the money for this?” I asked, knowing our father was financially controlling.

“I might have told him my rent increased for my apartment this year.” She turned the steering wheel, getting off the highway. “I needed some money to play with.”

“If it’s this exclusive, there might be people who know us.” A chill ran down my spine. “Dad and Damian can’t know I’m here.”

“All patrons have to wear masks, like the one you saw on the website,” she informed me. “It’s also dark in there. They know their clientele, Talie.”

“How did you hear about it?”

“There are rumors going around my college all the time about it. One of my friends got into it last year, and she told me all about it. You have to be twenty-one to enter. Perfect way to celebrate my birthday.”

I continued to stare at the screen, my interest spiking. There were a couple threads online about it, but it was all guesses. Some thought it was an underground sex dungeon. Others believed it was an overrated club. Secrets layered the entire thing, but their marketing clearly worked. If I wasn’t so close to home, I’d be dying to get into a place like this.

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