Chapter 18
LOGAN
“I can’t believe this place is right around the corner from my apartment, and I had no idea it existed.
” Rosie is halfway through her second cocktail when she starts the interrogation.
“Spill, Edwards. If you haven’t been here before, how did you find it?
And why did Claudia the Concierge act like she knows you? ”
I have to refrain from laughing when she says our concierge’s name like a curse.
“My, my, is that jealousy I detect?”
“You wish.” She glares.
Oh, Rosie, you can get possessive over me anytime.
I lean into her, placing a hand over her bare knee and rubbing the silky-smooth skin with my thumb. “Don’t worry, Pip. I’ve never seen Claudia before. I assume she knew how to address me because every access code is personalized. My name was probably on her tablet.”
Rosie thinks about that as she sips from her glass—some cherry, blood orange, and bourbon concoction. “I had no idea any businesses existed below street level around here.”
“That’s the point,” I tell her.
“To maintain the exclusivity?”
I nod. “In part, yes.”
Her brows draw together. “What’s the other part?”
I take a sip of whiskey, then ask, “What do you know about the original purpose of this building?”
Rosie shrugs. “I assume it was used for manufacturing, like most buildings in the neighborhood.”
“Right.” I confirm. “Textiles, specifically. But in the 1920s and early 30s, that was just a front for the real business beneath the surface.”
Her delicate brows lift. “Bootlegging?”
“Bingo.” I take another sip. “This place was modeled after the original speakeasy that sat in this very spot during prohibition. What makes it so special nowadays, is the same reason it was so special back then. It’s connected to a section of the old tunnels that wasn’t sealed off.
But the Gilded Dagger isn’t the only exclusive establishment down here.
There are two other places, and they’re all connected by the tunnels, so you can go between each one while staying underground and protecting your anonymity. ”
Her eyes widen, fingers tightening around her glass. “Seriously? What else is there?”
“Well, there’s a steakhouse with a Michelin-starred chef…” I chuckle when Rosie scrunches her nose. “Yeah, didn’t think you’d care too much about that one. It’s not the most vegetarian-friendly place in town.”
“What else?” Her breasts lift as she leans on the table, drawing my eyes to the abundance of cleavage now on display.
Christ. I’ve been dying to touch Rosie since I first laid eyes on her tonight, but after discovering her dress is backless, I’ve been going crazy. It wouldn’t take much for me to access my favorite ladies.
“Logan,” she whisper-shouts. “Stop staring at my boobs and finish what you were saying.”
I blink rapidly. “Shit. What was I saying?”
Her husky laughter makes my dick perk up. “We’ve got a speakeasy and a steakhouse. What’s the third? And how do you know about them?”
I give her a salacious grin, not at all ashamed she caught me checking her out. Now that I can finally be open with Rosie about how much I desire her, I’m going to make damn sure she never has any doubt.
“The third is sort of like a nightclub, but one where every table is a VIP table. But there’s also…live entertainment.”
“You mean like concerts?” she asks.
I clear my throat. “Less musical, more…exhibitionists on stage.”
It takes her a few seconds, but the moment she decodes my statement, her lips form into an O. “There really is a sex dungeon down here?”
I shake my head. “From what I understand, patrons go there to watch, not participate. They have themed nights on occasion, but overall, it’s not a BDSM club.
” It’s fairly dark in here, but that doesn’t stop me from noticing the flush rising on Rosie’s chest. “I guess you could say it’s the same concept as a strip club, but instead of pole dancers, this place has actual sex on display. ”
“Is that…” Rosie takes another sip of her drink, pausing whatever she was about to say.
I use the time to appreciate the flickering candlelight reflected in her dark eyes, and the way her luscious red lips wrap around the rim of the glass.
“Is that why you brought me here? You wanted to watch a live sex show?”
I try not to get distracted by the thought of being with Rosie in a place filled with people fucking. “Do you really think I’d ambush you with something like that?”
“No,” she replies, stretching the word out.
“Good to know you don’t think I’m a total schmuck.” I laugh. “We’re just here for drinks and appetizers, Rosie.”
“Um…sure. Okay.”
What the…? Is she pouting?
I think about our earlier conversation over the phone, specifically those sexy curiosities she mentioned.
“Did you want to check out the club, Rosie?”
“Maybe?” She shivers as my fingers skate down her arm.
Fuck. I can’t get over how responsive she is. If I wasn’t already obsessed with this woman, that would be the clincher.
“Maybe?” I repeat. “Care to elaborate?”
She nibbles her lip for a moment before replying.
“Dear god, I can’t believe I’m about to admit this, but it’s you, so here I go.
” Rosie takes a breath and blows it out.
“Back in college…I was invited to a few parties that got pretty wild. People would start going at it, not caring who was watching them. It honestly seemed like they were extra enthusiastic because they had an audience. I couldn’t imagine putting myself on display like that or sharing partners for that matter.
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with either, provided everyone consents, it’s just not for me.
But…um, I really enjoyed the watching part of it.
I think I might still enjoy that. You know, assuming the people involved wanted to be watched.
I mean…I’m a big fan of internet porn, so what’s the difference, right? ”
Rosie’s cheeks are even more flushed now, and her eyes are filled with an electric curiosity. Even in this dim lighting, I can clearly see her excitement. Fuck me, I’m in trouble. Never in a million years would I have guessed that Rosie’s had a voyeurism kink.
And quite conveniently, so do I.
This could be fun.
The thought of taking her to a club…holding her and teasing her as we watched other people get off…yeah, I could easily get onboard with that. My god, the sex would be out of this world once I whisked her away to somewhere more private.
My lips curve into a crooked grin. “Interesting.”
“Interesting?” she repeats mockingly. “I share something with you that I’ve never told anyone—not even Sylvie—and all you have to say is interesting?!” Rosie licks her lips, drawing my gaze to them.
“No, that’s not all I have to say.” I shake my head. “First, I appreciate you trusting me with that. Second, we’re definitely circling back to the internet porn topic later. And third, I’ll give you two things I’ve never told anyone—not even Ryan.”
Her brows lift in an ‘I’m waiting’ gesture.
“Wow. Tough audience.” I laugh. “Okay, here goes. This place—the Gilded Dagger—I’m a silent investor, which is how I knew about it in the first place.
Killian—a friend of mine from Stanford—was a little short on capital, so he came to me with a proposal.
With their target clientele, it had the potential to earn big returns, so it didn’t take much to convince me, despite the fact that I’ve never had any interest in business outside of tech or real estate.
The steakhouse and club owners are Killian’s best friends, so as a perk, I have unlimited access to all three establishments, and I get to bring along a guest. Usually, their members have to go through an intense vetting process and pay exorbitant fees, so it’s a rather nice incentive.
Ironically, I’ve never taken advantage of it before tonight.
I’ve met Killian down here a few times outside of business hours, but I’ve never been while they were open. ”
“How come?”
“That’s secret number two.” I wink, motioning for her to come closer before leaning into her ear.
“You see, Pip, I also enjoy watching.” I smile as she sucks in a breath.
“It’s not a driving need, mind you. I wouldn’t go to a place like that by myself just to watch.
But…if you ever wanted to check it out, I’d be more than happy to take you.
You see, I haven’t told any of my friends about the Gilded Dagger because I didn’t want to tell them about the club connected to it.
I guess I wanted to keep the option open to bring a special guest along if I ever decided to cash in on my free membership. ”
She pulls back just enough to look me in the eye.
“I feel like I’m missing some key information.
I know for a fact you used to hang out with people who are into the club lifestyle, because my agency has had to cover some of their asses on a few incidents that went viral.
Why wouldn’t you want your friends to know about the club? ”
Oh, Rosie, I still hang with people who are into kink clubs—namely, your brother—but I’m not about to bring him into this conversation.
“That doesn’t mean I have any interest in frequenting sex clubs with them.” I rub a hand over my beard. “In fact, that’s something I’ve never done and have zero intention of ever doing.”
She appears to be mulling that over. “Huh.”
I narrow my eyes. “Rosie, why do I feel like you have some preconceived notion of what my sex life looked like before you came along?”
“Maybe I do.” She takes a sip of her drink.
“I’d say it’s more of an educated guess considering you’ve spent several years living your best Hollywood life, never dating the same person for more than a few months.
Part of my job is to know all the dark and dirty details of what really goes on in VIP sections, or at wrap parties and whatnot.
But I’m certainly not judging you for it, Logan.
Quite frankly, I’m reaping the benefits. You’re very good at all the sexing.”
“I’m glad you think so.” I chuckle. “But your job also tells you reality isn’t necessarily as scandalous as a strategically angled photo might suggest, right?”
“Right,” she concedes.
“There you go.” I point at her. “I haven’t always been a saint, Pip, but I don’t fuck for sport.
Before Tahoe, I hadn’t slept with anyone in over seven months.
People might assume certain things, but I’ve never shared details about my sex life, not even with my best friend.
And whenever I was dating a woman, I made damn sure we were on the same page from day one.
Those relationships were so brief because that’s all they were ever meant to be. ”
“And me?” she asks. “You said in Tahoe that you’re all-in with this. What exactly does that mean?”
“Oh, Rosie, I don’t think you’re ready to hear exactly what that means.”
“Try me.”
She’s throwing down the gauntlet, which is sexy as fuck.
But as bold as she’s being right now, I also know she’s vulnerable because of what that prick Julian did to her.
The truth is I want every-fucking-thing from Rosie, but until she’s ready to tell her family about us, I know she doesn’t fully trust I won’t break her heart.
Which means I need to work harder to show her that her heart is safest with me, and then I’ll be happy to give her the words along with it.
“How about this?” I brush a piece of hair behind her ear. “Why don’t you tell me where you’d like our evening to go from here? Whatever you want to do, I’m in. You just need to say the words.”
Rosie’s big brown eyes bounce between mine.
I can practically see the thoughts racing through her mind, ping-ponging off each other, weighing all the options and possible conclusions.
I remain silent, slowly rubbing my thumb against her thigh as she deliberates.
I know the moment she makes a decision because those beautiful eyes of hers are filled with curiosity, but also a heavy dose of excitement.
“Question.” Her tongue darts out to wet her lips as she leans into me until our mouths are a hairsbreadth apart. She smells like cherries and bourbon, and I’m having a really difficult time keeping my mouth to myself. “You said you get to bring a guest to this club? Anyone you choose?”
“Anyone I choose.” I suck her lower lip into my mouth, groaning when I get a taste.
She returns the favor with my lower lip. “Take me to the club, Logan. That’s what I want to do next.”
I graze my lips along her jaw, grip tightening on her thigh. “I’ll have Claudia make the arrangements.”