Chapter 6
PAIGE
“Are you sure I look okay?” I haven’t worn a dress this revealing in God knows how long.
Looking down at myself, I adjust my boobs to give me a little more cleavage.
I’m more curvaceous than most of my friends, and this is when wearing figure-hugging dresses works in my favor. My black silk dress contours perfectly to every curve of my body, and the black silk and lace bra I splurged on last month is keeping my girls in place.
“You look sexy as hell.” Cat’s grin is wide and has an undertone of devilment about it. “I’d fuck you.”
I chuckle out loud as I leave Cat’s private limo, then remember the first thing she said when she elegantly floated into my house, smelling like a perfume shop.
We’re riding in style for tonight’s night of debauchery.
I really hope there’s no fucking or debauchery.
Speed dating is one thing; debauchery is a whole different evening altogether.
I glance up at the deep-red velvet-looking sign with subtle black lettering embossed into it: The Velvet Rooms. I’ve never been here before. “What the hell is this place?”
“Sex club,” Cat says casually, like it’s the place we visit regularly for coffee every day.
“What? No,” I exclaim. “I’m not going in there.
” I’m going through an adoption process, and I can’t have anything jeopardize it.
Alfie needs me. I need Alfie. My heart’s thudding so loudly it drowns out any noise around us.
“I’ve worked too hard fighting for Alfie to ruin it.
One wrong move and the agency could pull everything.
What if someone sees me? What if there are cameras?
What if it leaks somehow?” My voice cracks.
“They already questioned me about being single. This would be the nail in the coffin.” I point to the club.
“Yes, you are going inside.” Cat drops her voice as we look up at the sign.
“This is an exclusive club. It’s a respectable and ethical members-only space.
I’ve been a member for a while and everything is discreet.
No phones, no cameras, no social media.” She steps closer.
“As a member, I’ve been heavily vetted. I can invite up to three guests.
Only guests I trust. You’re my guest.” She gives me a look.
“There will be masks. No names. No one will know who you are. The people inside have more to lose than we do, they protect confidentiality like it’s religion.
” Then, more gently she adds, “I know this adoption means everything to you. But you’re allowed one night.
One night to not be an adoptive-mother-in-waiting.
You’re not doing anything wrong, and you’re not alone.
I’ll be right beside you.” She steps in front of me, searching my face.
“And I promise you, this won’t jeopardize your adoption.
I wouldn’t bring you if there was even a one percent chance of that happening.
” She pauses. “You’re not breaking any rules.
You’re not doing anything illegal. You’re just breathing for a minute.
And you deserve that. This isn’t about risking him, it’s about holding onto yourself and remembering that you have needs too. ”
“Members only?” I ask, quietly.
“Yes. This isn’t like your sister’s world, this isn’t some seedy backroom sex club.
” She takes my hand in hers as her limo drives off, meaning I am now stuck here with a dilemma: to take the plunge or not.
“It’s one hundred percent safe, Paige. Confidential and discreet.
This place is vetted, protected, and light-years from the place your sister works and has worked in,” she provides calmly and without any unease in her voice.
“And again, I swear to you, nothing about this night will touch your adoption file. It won’t even leave a fingerprint.
They have strict security protocols and encrypted data protection software.
Also, you are not your sister. Far from it, Paige.
Her career is something she does to fund her lifestyle.
” She sighs. “And I know how much that upsets you, but I promise you, the only reason I brought you here tonight was to have fun. That was all.”
She’s right, I’m not anything like my sister, and everything she said has reassured me.
This is fun. However, nothing she said stops me from being stunned by her membership so, with my mouth open in astonishment, I stare at her.
Cat is stunning, a picture of sophistication.
She’s gorgeous and exudes quiet confidence that commands every move she makes.
Success clings to her like glue, which is why she runs the most successful health supplement business in North America.
Not only is she lithe, but she’s also elegant and so graceful, I’m sure she could command the ocean to part for her.
As the winner of the executive of the year, she’s unstoppable, and when she’s around, it feels like you’re breathing the same air as a legend.
That’s why I ask, “What the hell do you need a membership to a sex club for?” Powerful and ambitious, she’s the sexiest woman I know. With the snap of her fingers, she could easily have any man she wanted.
Smoothing her blunt black glossy bangs with her perfectly black manicured nails, she dismisses my bewilderment with a quick shrug.
“Excitement, fun, sex with no commitment, no awkward afterglow, and cuddles.” She shudders.
“Here, there is no expectation to follow up with unnecessary calls to arrange another date, and there are no feelings involved. This suits me perfectly.” She gestures to the sign with the tilt of her chin.
Oh my God, this is crazy. “We’re doing speed dating in a sex club?” I squeak, still standing gawking at the sign, my mouth opening and closing like a fish gasping for breath on dry land.
“Okay, so I told a teeny tiny itty bitty white lie.” Turning toward me, we look at each other face-to-face.
At this moment, I don’t recognize my friend.
She hoodwinked me into thinking I was going speed dating in one of the many swanky bars Cat regularly frequents, and instead, she’s brought me to a sex dungeon where I’m going to be tied up, whipped, and I’ll be made to have sex with a stranger.
Holy. Fucking. Shit.
I can’t do that.
The pasta I ate earlier is threatening to make its reappearance, tension coiling, my temples pulsing.
“It’s dating in the dark,” she finally says.
“What even is that?” I’m not sure I want to know.
“We step into a darkened room meant only for singles where you can interact with a group or with someone you feel connected to. You can touch, listen, talk, whisper, use a fake accent, be whoever you want without being seen—that’s entirely up to you.
” Her voice remains steady and calm, unlike the panic I’m feeling right now. I think I’m sweating.
I point to the ominous red door with my sparkly silver clutch. “But what if there is someone in there I know?” I let go of Cat’s hand and lay my hand over my heart. Yup, my heart is beating so fast, I’m sure I’m having a heart attack.
Unaware of the mental image playing out in my head of me jumping onto a magic carpet so I can get the hell out of here, Cat replies deadpan, “I already told you, it will be dark and you will wear a mask, and let’s be honest, Paige, what is the likelihood of that happening?”
Well, now that she’s asking, I have no idea what the probability of that is.
I try calculating the population of San Francisco and the percentage of high-flyers who can afford this kind of membership, then divide that by…
what? Hell, I’m lost. One in a hundred thousand, maybe?
God, yeah, that makes me feel better. It’s slim. Almost zero.
Cat eases my spiraling thoughts. “In the twelve months I have been a member, I have yet to meet anyone I know. Everyone is vetted, they only let a handful of members join every quarter, and it’s expensive. The joining fee alone will put a lot of people off.”
I dare not ask how much it is.
Stepping toward me, Cat grabs the top of my arms. “Breathe, Paige. It’s going to be fun and I’ll be there.”
“But what if you meet someone and you leave me alone?” Although, maybe this is how I overcome my awkwardness with dating.
Surface-level chatter is not my thing, and dating in the dark seems like it offers less pressure to perform, worry about what they might think of me, or how I look.
A chance to go deeper, perhaps without any social filters.
This might be fun after all.
“What if, Paige,” she says slowly, “you meet someone and you leave me alone?”
Oh, I never thought about that. I remain quiet while Cat stares at me with a mischievous look.
To hell with it. “Let’s have some fun.” I summon all the confidence I can, taking the first step toward the doorway that doesn’t look quite so scary now.
“Ready?”
“No. But I’m here and ninety-nine percent sure I’m going to throw up my mac and cheese, but I’ve done less with more anxiety, so yes. Let’s go.”
Cat chuckles by my side. “Just remember to breathe.”
I think that’s all I will be capable of. “I might need to use the restrooms.” Before I pee myself from fear.
“To freshen up your kitty. I like your thinking, Paige.”
Jesus fucking Christ. “That’s not what I meant.”
Completely unflappable, Cat ignores my strained response and takes a black card from her purse with gold writing on the front before tapping it against a hidden reader on the wall.
I flick my long blonde hair over my shoulder.
Holy shit.
I’m really doing this.