Page 12 of Velvet Sin
“What do you mean you have someone new coming in to take the front desk tonight?”Blake looked at me like he was starting to doubt my sanity.“All of the staffing is already in place.”
“As it turns out, it wasn’t, but now it is.She’ll shadow Chloe tonight,” I decided.“She’s smart, quick on the uptake.It won’t take her long to figure things out.”
“Who is this woman?”He folded his arms and shook his head disapprovingly.“After all the interviews I sat through and the hoops you make candidates jump through before they’re hired, you tell me you hired an extra body over dinner last night.”
“Since when are you in the habit of questioning my choices?”I was willing to eat a little shit.This was last-minute, made without consulting my partner.At the same time, I had my limits, and he was right up against the edge.“She’ll do fine.If Chloe wants extra hours, she can oversee the dressing rooms on nights Eleanor is handling the desk.Now, if you don’t mind, I’d appreciate it if you would check in with the bartenders and make sure everything is fully stocked.”
He knew when he’d been dismissed and was smart enough to do as he was told, leaving me waiting for Lenny to arrive.My strict instruction involved her entering through the side door and heading straight up to my office.A private entrance was one of my must-haves.I was still highly committed to keeping myself separate from my patrons and anyone hanging around outside the club, hoping for a look at the man behind the brand.
What started off as a means of keeping my mother sane and willing to accept the money put into her care had become a personal challenge.Almost a game I played, keeping myself anonymous except to the people I trusted—investors, business partners, my inner circle.My employees, as well, which was why they signed NDAs.
I asked her to arrive by eight, with the club opening at nine.It was five minutes to eight when footsteps tapped the hardwood outside my door.The bouncers had been instructed to let her straight up on arrival, and the sound of her approach made my heart beat a little faster while I adjusted my tie and straightened my cuffs.There was time to run a hand over my hair before a soft knock sounded at the door.
“Come in,” I called out from behind my desk, hands folded on the surface.My breath caught in my throat as I waited for the door to swing open and for Lenny to appear.
When she did, most of the blood in my body traveled to my dick, stiffening it in the blink of an eye.Yesterday, she dressed professionally, modestly.Tonight?The sleeveless black dress she wore barely reached her knees and showed off a dangerous expanse of creamy cleavage that left my hands flexing with the need to touch her.It also stirred a memory somewhere in my mind, like I had seen it before.But a black dress was a black dress, right?What mattered was the woman inside, a woman whose hair hung in waves that framed her perfect face.
A perfect face full of suspicion.“Why can’t I find anything about you online except for some generic Facebook profile you never update?”she asked when the door was closed.She hadn’t taken another step into the room, standing with her hands on her hips and driving holes through me with her eyes.“What do you really do?What’s with the secrecy?”
“Which of those questions would you like me to answer first?”I asked, still fighting the erection hidden by my desk.
“Don’t try to be funny.I need a job, but I’m not going to do anything illegal or sketchy.”
“You’re a cynical person if that’s where your mind immediately goes.”
“Yeah, well, maybe I’ve been stabbed in the back one too many times.”Her tits stole my attention when she took a deep breath.“So tell me.What is it that you can’t be open about?”
“Look around you.”I waved a hand, gesturing toward the new furnishings, the well-stocked bar, a feature I included at every location, since it wasn’t out of the ordinary for a VIP to stop by and say hello.Like Clayton Manning, one of my investors in Los Angeles who’d promised to pay a visit to the new location very soon.“Does this look like the office of a man who runs a sketchy business?”
“So you know how to spend money.”She scoffed.“That doesn’t mean anything.You’re not answering my question.”
“Have a seat.”Standing, I gestured toward the leather sofa set perpendicular to the desk.“Let me get you a drink.”
“No.Get me the answers I want.I’m leaving if you don’t.”She closed a hand over the doorknob in case I didn’t get the hint.
If I called her bluff, she would leave, but I could find her.It wouldn’t be difficult.The right amount of money would open any door.Some situations were too perfect to waste, though, and I couldn’t squander the chance to have her with me.
“Like I told you, this is a club,” I explained, stepping away from the desk and heading to the bar, where I’d pour a drink for myself if not for her.“The sort of club where discretion is paramount.My patrons rely on that.I keep myself out of the spotlight for that reason since associating with me could leave them open to unwanted attention.And there are other reasons,” I added, thinking of my Bible-thumping mother and how much she’d sacrificed for my sake.
Over my shoulder, Lenny demanded, “What kind of club is this?Why do people have to sneak around?”
A glass of scotch in hand, I turned to ask, “Would you consider yourself a prude?”
Her head snapped back.“What does that have to do with anything?”
“So you’re a prude,” I concluded.“You weren’t always.”
“Fuck off,” she fired back without hesitation.Just when my dick started to soften, she had to show me her attitude and make me that much more determined to bend her to my will.We’d see how long that attitude would last.
“This is a kink club.My patrons indulge in their fantasies, whatever they happen to be.High-class, no sleazy stuff.Somewhere safe.They can tap into parts of themselves the world would rather shame them for.”
A soft breath escaped through her parted lips.“Oh.Okay.”
“And like I told you yesterday,” I concluded, savoring the scotch and her reaction equally.“You would work the front desk.You can wear a mask if you’d like.Most employees do in case they happen to run into someone they know on the outside.You might sometimes be asked to oversee the dressing rooms, where visitors change their clothes and store their phones.That’s a hard rule.No phones on the floor.No harassment either.No is a complete sentence, and anyone violating that rule is invited to never come back.”
She didn’t say a word, breathing slowly and evenly, almost unblinking.“Did your brain short-circuit?”I asked.“You’re breathing, so I know I didn’t shock you to death.”
Her tongue darted over her lips, making me bite the inside of my cheek to keep from groaning.It was impossible to look at her and not remember the way things used to be.When that tongue and those lips worked my cock like no one ever had in the years since.
