Page 63 of Worship
“Gretchen, my father, their fathers, all of our fathers—they’re the horrible people. We’re untouchable. Especially Luca.”
“Why Luca?” I lean in, curious.
He shakes his head, unwilling to answer, opting instead for a sip of his water.
“Okay.” I eye him and then the key on the counter. “What’s that for?”
“You ask a lot of questions,” he fires back, pointing to the drink in front of me.
“I do. Are you going to answer any of them?” I laugh, and he shrugs a maybe.
“This,” he says, picking up the intricate piece of metal, “is the key to gain entry to the downstairs. I took it from Shelby. Each key has a serial number, so I can look up who gave her the key. Gio doesn’t have one. Luca would never allow it.”
A woman approaches us as I take a long swallow of my drink. I hear Matteo call her Sarah and recognize the name from conversations with Drew. He’s facing her, and their conversation seems tense. I barely process the thought before I act. I reach out and swipe the key off the counter.
Matteo seems flustered, but Sarah is calm—condescending, but calm. Drew said that Sarah is like a little sister to Dom and Luca. “Alpha” must be a shared personality trait because she is definitely the one calling the shots between her and Matteo.
I finish my drink, the warmth filling my body but only slightly calming my nerves. I push my glass away and notice Sarah staring directly at me. Her expression is tight, and I see the judgment. Sarah doesn’t like me.I don’t give a shit.
“Can you tell me where the ladies’ room is?” I ask the two of them.
Sarah points a finger. “Just over there. I can show you?”No, thanks.
“I’m sure I can find my way,” I remark, sliding off the stool and walking toward the restroom.
I look over my shoulder, and neither are looking in my direction, so I change direction and make a beeline for downstairs.
I show my stolen key to the guard, hoping he doesn’t somehow know what I did, and he lets me in. I walk down the stairs, each step harder to take than the one before. I don’t know what to expect.
The darkness envelops me, and my eyes take a few seconds to adjust to the light produced by the wall sconces. I walk down a long hallway and past door after door. I don’t know which door Luca is behind. I stand in the hallway and look around, wondering what to do. I lay my ear to one of the doors, but I hear nothing. Should I knock on them? No.
What am I doing? This might be the strangest situation I’ve ever been involved in. I reach into my purse and pull out my phone. Fuck, no service. I can’t even text him. Letting out a sigh, I turn to walk back to the upstairs when I notice a door ajar.
Walking over slowly, I touch the handle and call out, “Hello?” No response, so I push the door open farther and walk inside. Blair’s words come back into my mine.“I would highly recommend the rooms downstairs.”
The lights in the room are dimmed but it looks like a regular room. There’s a bed and a couch, both facing a wall, which is odd. It actually seems unfinished. I’m disappointed. I was expecting some Fifty Shades kind of kink: whips, chains, that cross thingy.
The room’s not even red. All I get is a bed and couch. I walk to the couch and sit down, starting to feel emotionally exhausted. This day has been a roller coaster. Relaxing my head on the back of the sofa, I close my eyes and just breathe.
A muffled voice presses into the space.
“Let me make you feel good.”
My head shoots up in shock at the woman’s voice, and I look around the room. I know I’m alone, but I’m surprised by it. The noise sounds like I’m hearing it through the wall.
“Please, I’m sorry. Punish me, hate me—just keep me.”
The desperation in her voice rings loud and clear even with the distortion. Someone’s into role-playing. It feels scandalous to listen in, but I’m so far out of my element in this place that I can’t help myself. I scoot to the edge of the couch, interested.
“Beg.”
A man’s voice. The commanding tone in his words make me squirm. It’s hot.
I walk to the wall and press my ear against it, placing my hand beside my face. I can barely hear them now. They must have walked farther away. I press my ear closer, and my fingers brush a bump on the wall.
A low vibration makes me jump, and I take a few steps back, taking in what’s happening. Wow. It’s not a wall—it’s a window, except not. I can see two figures, but the glass is frosted, so I can’t really see them.
This room just shot to epic sexy levels. I feel caught, nervous, because I’m not meant to be here, so I pull to the corner of the room, using the shadows as my friend. I should leave, but I’m riveted by the scene playing out in front of me.
