Page 17 of Velvet Sin
It was surprisingly erotic, and I had gotten used to that kind of thing a long time ago.Curious onlookers passed by, couples touching each other, then one man began openly stroking himself to the sight and the sound.Another joined him, followed by a pair of women who got on their knees, offering their open mouths to whoever wanted to fill them.The group room had been one hell of an idea.
“How you stay up here and somehow manage to not go down there and participate, I will never understand.”Blake finished his drink and cleared his throat, loosening his tie.“Anyway, I’m taking the jet back to LA tonight.Veronica is starting to wonder whether she only imagined having a boyfriend.”
“Oh?You’ve made it official?”I asked, raising my glass in a salute.
“She seemed to expect it.And we do have fun together,” he added with a shrug.“Anyway, what’s your plan?It’s been a week.Things are running smoothly.”
“I don’t feel comfortable leaving yet,” I told him, shaking my head at the idea of returning to LA.It was one thing to open clubs in New York and fly out to check in once a month or so, but this was bigger.More involved, with more moving pieces.
And Lenny was here.
Lenny, who now stood at the front counter, offering an inviting smile to two men as they approached.It was a professional smile, the same one practiced at each of my establishments.Just like at a strip club or any other business where maintaining an illusion was part of the game, my employees learned quickly to treat each new patron as the most important person to step through those doors now or at any other time.
And she had picked up on it so quickly this week, hadn’t she?How to arouse a man’s interest without promising anything.How to entice them into spending their hard-earned money.That smile promised a good time.
And I wanted it for myself.My teeth ground together while I struggled against the impulse to race down the stairs and throw both of them out on their asses for the crime of flirting with her.
“I can have my agent reach out to you, pull together a list of properties that would suit your needs.You deserve to be a little more comfortable, no matter how luxurious the suite is,” he concluded.
And there I was, barely listening to a word he said.
“Sure.”Pull it together.I forced myself to look away from the feed, giving him a decisive nod.“Let’s work on that.It does make more sense, having a place out here so I can come and go between locations more freely without wondering if there are any suites available somewhere.”
“I’ll get on it for you.”He made his exit, meaning I could relax a little now that I had my privacy.It also meant I could turn my full attention back to the feed from the front desk.Lenny processed the IDs of the assholes clearly propositioning her, then collected their credit cards while laughing at something one of the men said.Whatever it was, it made her toss her head back, then shake it playfully like she didn’t approve.
That, I could take.
What I could not and would not take, however, was one of the two reaching across the counter to touch her hand.
The world went red, my head filling with a dull roar as I marched to the door and flung it open, storming down the stairs.The motherfucker.What the fuck gave him the right to put a hand on her?A hand I was about to break.
“Excuse me,” I murmured immediately upon exiting the stairwell, approaching the men before they could disappear deeper inside the club.
The lobby was currently empty except for them.Perfect.
Lenny’s mouth fell open, but she didn’t say a word, watching in silence as I clamped a hand over the shoulder of the asshole who touched her.“We have a strict policy against manhandling our staff.I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”
“Wait.What?”The men look at each other, then at me.“What are you talking about?”They had the nerve to laugh like it was all a joke.
My grip tightened.“You touched my employee, and now you are going to leave.And if you try to visit another of my establishments, your driver’s license will be cross-checked with what we already have on file, thanks to the fact that you handed it over to be scanned.You have forfeited your privilege.Have a nice night.”When they didn’t move quickly enough, I steered them toward the door while their protests fell on deaf ears.Something about how much money they had spent and how their credit card charges had better be reversed or else.Like I gave a shit about their empty threats.Like it wouldn’t cost ten times their membership fee to hire a lawyer and get a penny back from me.
They bitched and moaned but had no choice but to leave as Danny and Mike escorted them out.Very few people were stupid enough to keep fighting when they were involved.Probably six hundred pounds between them—two moving mountains.
“This is bullshit,” the man with the wandering hands declared before he left, followed by his friend.
Turning back toward the counter meant being greeted by Lenny’s furious glare.She was blisteringly hot even now, with her arms folded over her sleek, red dress.Many of the girls on staff wore at least slightly transparent clothes, but not her.If anything, she stood out and held my attention by concealing more than she revealed.
“Can I speak to you for a minute, Mr.West?”she asked, surprisingly professional.“Chloe will be back from her break in a minute or two.”
My blood had started to cool, but fresh fire raced through my veins and licked its way up and down my body.“By all means.I’ll wait upstairs for you.”
A group of women came in, giggling in a way women always did when they knew they were being naughty—teasing each other, daring each other, promising not to drink too much.They were going to be good tonight, they vowed.I was snickering at them by the time I started up the stairs.I’d heard it all before, and it was promises like that that usually led to the wildest, most legendary nights.The most profitable for me too.
I poured another drink when I reached the second floor, watching Lenny on the monitor as I did.Her attitude shifted.Now, she was the playful, giggling girlfriend, encouraging the newcomers to let loose and enjoy themselves.I didn’t have to hear her exact words to read her body language—warm, inviting, and she offered one of the women a thumbs-up.
Come to think of it, she always was a people person, adept at fitting in almost anywhere.I used to admire her and even envy her a little since I never felt quite like I belonged.Nobody ever knew the facts of my childhood and teen years.I was a scholarship kid, good at avoiding questions about life back home.Even Lenny was unaware of how bad things could be.She only knew I didn’t have a father in the picture.She never knew the specifics.
It was only after college that I’d discovered I didn’t have to fit in, per se.I could build a world of my own, set my own rules, reign over it like a king.And I did.
