Page 79 of A Dark Duet

Janine: Congrats on the win. Do you want to come over and I can get your muscles worked out?

That is the last thing I want to do. Especially at the apartment she moved into that I regrettably told her she could rent from me after Brie left. It would remind me of her vanilla smell and her beautiful moans when I would take her on the counter, against the wall, and the bed. Janine is becoming an annoyance I soon will have to take care of. The massages on my shoulder relax my muscles but the pain is still there.

Me: No. Good night, Janine.

I don’t thank her for congratulating me because it will give her the courage to continue to try to get me alone with her. Not happening. I had to stop her a month after Brie left when she tried to kiss me and grab my cock through my shorts in the back room of the gym.

Janine: Ok. I’m at the apartment if you change your mind.

Fat chance. I don’t respond and slide my phone into my pocket.

“Jake.”

“What up?”

“Let’s go. I’ll go,” I tell him.

“My man. All of us except Nate. He is practically married to Giselle, anyway. I’ll text you the address,” Jake says.

Twenty minutes later, I’m walking through the front door of my clean, minimalistic, empty home. My phone vibrates in my pocket and I look at the notification with the address to Equinox.

Parking in a discreet parking garage next to rows of ultra-luxury vehicles, Jake and Kyle Park their sports cars next to mine. Jake and Nick are the first to walk up.

“Ready, Champ?”

“Yeah, let’s go,” I say, following him toward a single black door with a bouncer wearing a tailored suit built like a house. He nods to Jake and says something in the speaker in his hand, giving him a code. We walk in and we are given special bands that indicate all-inclusive for one night only. Turning my wrist to look at the bold letters written across it, it readsNO VIP.I could change that tiny detail, but I decide I’m just here to blow off steam and celebrate with the guys. I know they are excited about me winning and they just want to have a good time.

We follow a hostess in a short skirt that Nick is blatantly checking out. She leads us to a table to the left of the stage. To our right, there is a tall man with dark hair that screams wealth with a bodyguard standing behind his chair. His table sits right in front of the last pole that is at the end of the stage that is set up like a runway in Paris for fashion week.

This place screams wealth with the most expensive wines, alcohol, cigars, and millionaires. Some are even billionaires, I recognize the man that is on our right, Ethan Carter. We move in the same circles and even have business ownerships in certain companies. He comes from wealth and privilege because his father is a Mafia king. We only respect each other because of business with important leaders.

Men like Ethan Carter scream power, and danger, with a huge mix of wealth. He is not old and if I’m not mistaken, he is around my age at thirty-two with a strong build. In other words, a man that shouldn’t need a bodyguard. He is always into some shit that people would try to take a chance and end his life. His head tilts in our direction and his dark eyes land on me and he smirks.

“Who the fuck is that asshole?” Jake asks, lifting his chin in the man’s direction. Cracking my neck, I stare the asshole down. When Jake looks over, the bodyguard notices the tension and crosses his arms over his chest in a defensive pose.

“His name is Ethan Carter. He is a billionaire and probably the richest man in the room, besides me. He owns many conglomerates all over the world. He lost his wife seven years ago in a car accident and has never been serious with another woman. They say she was the love of his life,” I say low enough so that no one near our table can overhear.

“Well, if they could see him now. I don’t think his dead wife would approve of where he is spending his nights,” Kyle chimes in.

Nick chuckles. “There must be someone or something that has his attention here and we are going to find out.”

“It’s like getting information before TMZ,” Kyle adds.

The lights begin to change and there is a huge screen behind the three main poles on the shiny black floor like in a concert or music video.

The hostess that brought us to the table walks over with a tray and a Macallan 18 with four glasses.

She leans in and says, “Compliments of Mr. Carter. Congratulations on your win, Mr. Cyprus.” The brunette with small breasts pushed up by the lace corset smiles demurely at me and takes her leave.

The four of us turn our heads and the asshole raises his glass in a toast.

Sitting upright in my chair, I give him a cold, hard stare. My stomach clenches with annoyance because something isn’t right.

I came here to relax and ease my mind not to get irked. Jake pours me a glass and I take it in one go, the infamous burn as it goes down, coating the lining of my stomach. Jake pours me another and I slow down. I have been training and my body hasn’t had alcohol in a long while.

The seats begin to fill inside the club and the men have their attention on the stage. It’s like they are waiting to see a famous artist in concert for the first time. Fascination and excitement can be seen marred on their faces. Ethan loosens his tie and removes his jacket, rolling his sleeves on his tattooed forearms. My eyes are trained on the stage because whoever they are all waiting for must be something to get all the attention in the room.

The sound of a piano sounds through the speakers as “Breathe” by Fleurie begins to play. The lights shine, revealing a woman with angel wings twirling in a silhouette that looks vaguely familiar. She twirls on the pole in a split as the song begins to pick up in tempo. My head tilts to the side because I can’t see her face or her perfect body twirling on the pole. Her split is flawless and when her wings spread out, it’s the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.

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