Total pages in book: 164
Estimated words: 152931 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 765(@200wpm)___ 612(@250wpm)___ 510(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 152931 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 765(@200wpm)___ 612(@250wpm)___ 510(@300wpm)
Embarrassment was something he’d learned to live with a long time ago. “I’m in a T-shirt and jeans. I don’t know why I didn’t think to dress up.”
“There’s not a reason to.” Julian disconnected the call and started walking toward him. They met in the closest parking lot to the front doors. Julian was dressed in a perfectly fitted suit, with no tie. He looked like a million bucks. Levi shoved his phone in his back pocket before shoving his fingers into his front jeans pocket. He hadn’t even gone inside and already felt so out of place.
“I should go.”
“Stop trying to leave and get in here.” Julian placed a hand on his back then gave a little push to get Levi moving.
As they got closer, Julian clasped his arm, pulling him toward a side entrance. The sense of relief overwhelmed him. Luckily, he didn’t have to go through those main doors.
“Generally, the restaurant side fills up about five thirtyish and stays packed until about nine. There’s a firm dress code for the restaurant. This is the employee entrance to the lounge.”
He followed Julian inside and down a long hall to a set of double oak doors. As soon as Julian pushed one open, the sound intensified.
“About this time of night, we begin a slow build with music and lights to help entice the diners over once they’re finished with their meal.”
Curiosity began to win out over nerves. The song playing was nowhere near the ear-splitting volume of the music in the nightclubs he’d gone to before. The ethereal glow and the erratic flashes of light were all the welcome he needed. They made him wonder what kind of show could be taking place just beyond the threshold.
Julian lifted his hand and motioned in the direction of another door, encouraging Levi to enter first. He stepped through and the beauty and tranquility of the room struck him immediately. His trepidation eased as all the negative images he’d imagined began releasing their hold.
“This is nothing like I imagined.” Elegant wasn’t a word he’d ever thought he’d use to describe a club, but this place was just that. Elegant. The lights danced hypnotically to the electronic beat, their beams bouncing off the dozen or so massive crystal chandeliers filling the space above him. They sent prisms of rainbows dancing throughout the room, bouncing off the chrome and glass bar.
The music and lights almost seemed out of place for the grandeur of the club. The sweeping black granite set of steps arched gracefully from the lower landing where he stood with Julian, his shoes planted firmly on the polished stone as he took it all in.
Julian shifted closer to him. “I don’t know what you expected, but you should see it when it’s full of paying customers.” Julian gave him a wink. “Feels even better when there’s more than just us and the DJ and lighting guys. They’re working on getting the timing just right for when the doors open tonight.”
The dance floor divided the large room in two equal spaces. The atmosphere, from what he could tell, had a laid-back vibe. Tables and chairs filled the floor space. Oversized booths lined the perimeter. They weren’t the standard diner cubicles, but a more intimate seating arrangement. Zebra-striped chairs and purple rope lights ran along the floor, giving the marble a soft glow. A leather-cushioned bench provided comfortable seating along the long expanse of the back wall.
Two heavily stocked bars with chrome and mirrors anchored opposite sides of the massive space. Throughout the room were several large ornate cages draped in the same crystals decorating the chandeliers, but hanging in various heights. A long neon-lit runway led to a larger main stage with several smaller platforms shooting off the end in a starburst pattern with a single pole positioned vertically through the middle of each smaller stage.
“We don’t officially open until eight. I should have told you that so you didn’t needlessly worry about your clothes. Come this way.”
Levi followed, trailing behind Julian as he nodded to several different men along the way. All looked about Levi’s age, height, and build. They were super tanned, perfect hair, some tattoos and wore nothing but blue, silver, and black underwear and matching boots that reminded him of Doc Martens. All that flesh on display worried him on a couple of different levels. The most basic being that he didn’t think he compared to any of those guys, and he really didn’t want to be paraded around in skimpy underwear.
“Remington, come with me.”
Remington eyed Levi up and down, grinned and nodded, before falling in step behind him as they went down a small hall to a set of stairs that led to a second-floor office. When shut inside the small office, the music faded away. Julian walked immediately to a closet as he spoke.