Total pages in book: 129
Estimated words: 120165 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 601(@200wpm)___ 481(@250wpm)___ 401(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 120165 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 601(@200wpm)___ 481(@250wpm)___ 401(@300wpm)
Radimir looked strangely furtive. “Not...exactly.”
I frowned, confused.
He sighed. “It’s a sex club.”
“What?!”
“A very exclusive sex club, for the rich.”
I stared at him. Now I knew why he’d told me to buy lingerie. Why he’d told me to change into it, when we checked into our hotel. I was wearing it right now, under a swishy, satiny black cocktail dress I’d got from Rachel. Oh God, am I going to have to strip off? “You couldn’t have mentioned this before?!” I squeaked.
“I didn’t want to make you nervous.”
I stared at him. Half of me was furious, the other half was too busy being terrified.
“I’m sorry, Krasavitsa,” he said softly. “But it’s the only place he’s not surrounded by bodyguards.”
I sat there staring at the house. My leg had started jiggling with nerves. It wasn’t just that I’d have to take my clothes off in front of a bunch of strangers, it was not knowing what to expect. I’d never even thought about going to a sex club. Sex in the hot tub, sort-of-kind-of-maybe in public, was daring enough for me. I felt like the high school geek, accidentally invited to the cool kids’ party full of drugs and booze. “Fuck,” I muttered.
I took three quick breaths...and then I got out of the car.
Radimir scrambled out after me. “What are you doing?”
“Going.” I adjusted my dress. “This is our only chance and if I don’t go now, I’m going to chicken out.” I held out my hand.
He looked stunned and then proud and then just utterly besotted. He grabbed my hand, squeezed it tight and we walked across the street towards the house.
What the hell am I doing, I asked myself. Then the doorman nodded to us, pulled open the door…
And we went inside.
54
BRONWYN
For the first thirty seconds, everything was weirdly normal.
The owner of the townhouse had knocked a few rooms together to create a huge, high-ceilinged reception area. A beautiful wooden staircase curved up to the next floor and a chandelier hung overhead. By the door, a man in a suit and tie was standing behind a desk, checking names and IDs, and Radimir paid him what looked to be a hefty entrance fee in cash. Three couples were standing around, talking and laughing, and other than everyone looking seriously rich—I was suddenly very glad I’d gone to Rachel and got a makeover—it could have been any classy party. A waiter in a crisp white shirt offered us flutes of champagne and I grabbed one and knocked most of it back in one gulp. Okay. Okay, see this is okay? I can do this, it’s not so—
A gorgeous woman about my age emerged from a doorway at the back of the room. She was in stockings, heels, and nothing else. I froze, a bunny in the headlights, as she strolled towards me. I crushed Radimir’s hand so hard in mine that it must have hurt. Do I look? Do I not look? I somehow wound up staring right at her bouncing boobs, watching them come closer and closer. Then, at the last minute, she turned and strolled up the stairs. I locked on to her naked ass for a few seconds and then managed to drag my eyes away and looked around. Everyone else seemed to be completely unphased.
I looked up at Radimir for help. He was glancing around the room. “Konstantin’s not here,” he said quietly. “Let’s try upstairs.”
We walked hand-in-hand over to the stairs, trying to look nonchalant. But a pretty, blonde-haired woman in a smart blouse and skirt stepped smoothly in front of us. “I’m afraid you’ll have to dress down to go upstairs.”
My stomach sank because I was fairly sure dress down didn’t mean jeans and a hoodie.
The woman pointed to the doorway at the back of the room. “You’ll find changing rooms through there.”
Oh crap.
We turned around and headed through the doorway. There were discreet silver symbols pointing men one way and women the other, like something out of a high-end spa. My heart was booming in my chest. The thought of walking around in my underwear was waking up every demon that had ever sat on my shoulder telling me I was too curvy, too pale, that there was too much of me. I stopped in front of the sign and looked down at our joined hands, not ready to let go.
Radimir brought our hands up and kissed my knuckles. “We can turn around and walk out of here,” he said firmly. “We can find another way.”
I loved him for that. But there was no other way. I squeezed his hand...and let it go, marching off into the changing room before I could change my mind.
Inside, it was just like a changing room at a gym, but with lower lighting and a scented candle burning. A few other women followed me in and started undressing, which made it a little easier. I found a locker, unzipped my dress and slid it off. But that was the easy part.