Page 19 of Holiday Hook-Up
“Yes, hello.” They shook hands and Logan introduced me. “This is my assistant, Ms. Handler.”
“Make yourself comfortable, gorgeous. Clothing is optional here.” I let out a nervous laugh and Logan stiffened beside me. “I’m kidding, buddy. No need to get the boxing gloves out. When you’re here at the club, you can let your hair down.” He patted Logan on the shoulder but when Logan frowned, he thought better of it and retreated a step. “Looks like someone could use a holiday cocktail. Eliza, can you come out here?” he hollered.
Drinks at one in the afternoon? I guess it was technically a holiday. The two of them made small talk and I took the opportunity to take in the room. The interior surprised me, compared to the exterior. It had the feeling of a classy hotel lounge, with dark walls and dim lighting. The red leather bar stools were a bit much in my opinion, but then again, this was a sex club. I wondered what kind of rooms were beyond the open bar area as I shed my coat, suddenly feeling overheated.
“Todd? You called?” I turned at the voice to find a gorgeous woman walking our way from one of the back hallways. Her heels clicked along the floor as she moved with long strides that caused her fire engine red waves to bounce. Damn, she was a bad bitch who exuded confidence. She looked us over with a raised brow. “Mr. Connor and guest, nice to meet you. I’m Eliza, the manager here.”
“Can you make our guests some drinks?” Todd interrupted. When she glared at him, he smiled and said, “Please.” in a whiny, childish voice.
“Red, come with me.” She gestured to me and I followed, but not before glancing at Logan with a shrug. This was the weirdest business meeting I’d ever been to and it had only just begun.
She slid behind the bar, grabbing bottles like a natural while I made more mental notes about the space.
“So how’d you get stuck here on Christmas Eve?” she asked, not looking up from her task.
I perched on one of the stools, chewing my lip. “Well, to be honest, I found out on the way here where we were going. But as for Christmas Eve, it’s another normal work day for me, I guess.”
Eliza poured from a few different bottles into a shaker, glancing to watch Todd and Logan engage in conversation.
“I bet that was a shock. He doesn’t look too comfy here. I wouldn’t picture an uptight guy like him buying a place like this.”
If only she knew hownotuptight he truly was.
“He’s an introvert. I’m learning he’s not really into being social.” Except he’s had no problem socializing with me. I peeked over and caught him watching me. My face flushed.
“Interesting,” she said, pouring her concoction into two glasses. “Between you and me, Todd’s an ass. I’ve worked for him for way too long and everyone who works here is happy to see him finally retiring.” She handed me the glass full of burgundy liquid and I took a sniff. “Try it. I promise, I’m not trying to poison you.”
I brought it to my lips and sipped. It tasted like cranberry and ginger mixed with a subtle sweetness. “This is delicious. Like Christmas in a glass. What’s in it?” I asked, taking a larger sip.
“A lady never tells her secrets,” she smiled. “Come on, let’s bring this over to your man. He could use some loosening up.”
She stepped beside me holding Logan’s drink. “He’s not my man. He’s my boss,” I corrected.
“Right.” She bent closer to me, her warm breath against my ear. “I watch people fuck for a living, Red. And that man right there, he wants you.”
I inhaled a ragged breath as goosebumps crawled up my arm. Taking another sip, I let my gaze bounce back to Logan, where he stood with his eyes on me and me alone. There was no doubt in my mind that we had chemistry. That much was positive from last night, but we couldn’t act on those feelings. He said so himself. Look where we were! Of course we’d be feeling some kind of way.
He took his drink from Eliza and thanked her in a low voice. “Todd volunteered you to show us around, Eliza. I hope that’s okay.”
Eliza bit the corner of her lip and nodded. “Sure, follow me.”
She led us down a dark hall that wasn’t unlike one of the corridors at the hotel, with its numbered doors evenly spaced. My chest tightened with a mix of anxious energy and curiosity. I had so many questions, but it wasn’t the time or place. Instead I added them to my mental notes. This was a whole new aspect of tourism that I’d never considered.
“These are our hourly rooms,” Eliza said, running her hand over the wall as we walked. She stopped at Door 4, which was already open and gestured for us to come inside.
The room didn’t look much different from an average bedroom. I took a closer look, noticing restraints attached to the headboard and footboard and a basket of objects sitting on the side table. Mirrors covered each wall and an oversized chair sat in the corner.
Logan glanced at the different aspects of the room, nodding. “You said these were hourly. Are there rooms that people check into for longer stays?”
“We currently only allow twenty four hours or less. Todd thought it would help keep the rooms turning over,” she said with an edge to her tone.
“And you disagree?” Logan asked.
“I do. I feel that giving more of a boutique hotel experience instead of the hourly rates would increase demand and drive a different sort of clientele.” I could see where she was coming from.
“Would you still have these hourly rooms available?” I asked, curiosity piqued.
She adjusted the blanket on the bed and brushed her hand across it to smooth the wrinkles. “Yes, but I’d make those VIP and charge monthly, separate from their membership fee.” She sighed. “Let’s just say there’s a lot of things I’d do differently if this were my club.”
