by Jan Moran
Chapter 5
Standing before the balcony doors, Arthur Koenig listened to Elisa speak to their parents on the phone. He knew the conversation quite well. It was the same one since they left England to expand the family business to the U.S. While everyone else headed to The Club, they were stuck finishing some family business.
“Yes, Mother,” Elisa said. “Arthur and I are doing well. We promise to visit London in the fall.”
Arthur shot a glare at Elisa. He mouthed, no.
Elisa nodded and turned her back on him. “Why of course we’ll be there. It’s just that right now things are just too busy with the business. We are making a lot of connections, and expanding in many different directions.”
Sipping from his glass of scotch and ice, Arthur opened the French doors. Outside, the city of Karim was bright against the backdrop of the sweet warmth of June. He sat on the red plush bench and drank one last bit of the amber liquid down. He felt like a coward.
How could he tell his family the truth? He never wanted to return to England. Everything about the place reminded him of Mia. He didn’t need to be reminded of the worst heartache he’d ever experienced. Arthur put his feet up on the matching red ottoman and sighed. Apparently giving a woman everything she’s ever dreamed of wasn’t enough.
Mia didn’t want his love and attention. She only wanted his credit card, her own flat, and the freedom to sleep with the musician ex-boyfriend who still lived with his parents.
Ironic.
“Well,” Elisa said, as she stepped onto the balcony and leaned her back against the rail, “she’s not happy. She says we will miss Julian’s birthday.”
Arthur grimaced. “We aren’t twelve anymore.” He stood. “I have more important things going on than celebrating another year of mediocrity.”
Elisa folded her arms. Her green eyes seemed to glow in the darkness of the night. He reached inside the door and switched on the balcony’s overhead light.
“You’re not being fair. He is still our younger brother.”
“And I don’t pester him to stop whatever he isn’t doing to blow out some candles for me. He’s twenty-seven. He needs to grow up at some point.”
Elisa smoothed her short blond hair and shrugged. “Not everyone can be overachievers like us.”
Arthur shook his head. “Yet another statement I am tired of hearing him say.”
“Well, he’s engaged. Maybe he is growing up after all.”
Silence passed between them as Arthur mulled over the fact that his younger brother had found someone to live out his life with. Surprisingly, the news stung his heart. “Who is she?”
“Does it matter?” Elisa smoothed his suit jacket’s shoulder. “We both know you’ll never go back to London to meet her. She might as well be an imaginary friend.”
Arthur felt a tinge of guilt. Perhaps he was selfish.
“And we both know the real reason you’re avoiding going home. And believe me,” she said, poking his chest, and looking up at him, “that little tramp isn’t thinking of you. So stop pining about what could have been, and move on.”
She searched his eyes, and he could see the sadness within hers. She was right, but he would never say so.
“When is the wedding?”
Elisa’s eyes brightened. “August.”
“I’ll be busy,” he said. “Are you ready to go?” Arthur asked, changing the subject as he pulled back his jacket’s sleeve to check his watch. He avoided her eyes. There was little that he could hide from his twin. “We mustn’t keep Henrik and the others waiting.”
Elisa signed. “I am.” She grinned. “Who wouldn’t be ready to seal a business deal with a little debauchery?”
Arthur watched her enter his condo’s living room. Her stiletto heels clicked along the granite floor.
She glanced over her shoulder and winked at him. “I’m sure I can convince Mr. Bauer to see things our way.”
Arthur stepped inside and closed the doors behind him. “I’m sure you can. Lucky you that the owners are attractive young men this time. I’ve yet to meet a female owner that I can seduce.”
Elisa’s laugh filled his sleek, contemporary living space. All white furniture with a pop of black, red, and evergreen decor. “Now, brother, we both know that there will be plenty of girls at The Club for you to seduce.”
“Contrary to what you think, I haven’t seduced anyone in almost a year.”
Elisa looked back at him in surprise. “What?”
Shrugging, Arthur headed to the door.
“Jesus Christ,” Elisa whispered as she stepped out the door while Arthur held it open for her. “It is my mission to change that for you tonight.”
Arthur cracked a grin. “You can try. But I won’t guarantee anything.”
“You’d better prepare yourself, little brother. I am a matchmaking magician.”
Chapter 6
Centered in the most prestigious area of downtown Karim, The Club was like nothing Sohana had ever seen. She’d lived in Karim, Texas for twenty years now. The only other place she’d lived had been a small village in India.
“You left your cell in the car, right?” Aimee whispered as they stepped to the line that waited between the velvet ropes and before the doormen.
Sohana nodded. She thought it was odd that Aimee made her leave her phone in her glove box. Being detached from it made her apprehensive. But who would really call her anyway, except her mother or younger brother who were already asleep at home?
“Good. They are not allowed inside. I just don’t want any excuse to be turned away at the door.”
Dressed in a short gold dress and six-inch black stilettos, Sohana started to doubt whether she truly belonged there. Her first warning was when they had to get cleared by the tight security. Standing there with the two large men looking down at her as if they were the secret service, and she was an undercover spy, made her uneasy.
“Hello, Maverick. We are on the list,” Aimee said. “She’s my guest. Sohana Shah.”
Sohana’s eyes traveled up the doorman’s six-four frame to the scar beneath his right eye.
He looked them over, then at the list. “One guest a month, Aimee,” he said. “Don’t try to bring two guests in one month again, understood?”
Aimee rolled her eyes but nodded without a word.
Sohana glanced at him, too afraid to stare for longer than two seconds. He was a large man. Serious. Imposing. She wouldn’t want to talk back to him either.
He gave Aimee one last stern look and then winked at Sohana. “Enjoy your night, young lady,” he said as he stepped aside to let her pass.
“Thank you,” Sohana said, surprised by his wink. Still, he didn’t smile. She followed Aimee as the doormen opened the door for them with a bow. In an instant, the tables had turned, and they were no longer begging for entry into the White House to execute their plans of espionage. They were now grand duchesses or princesses, allowed entry into a fantastical lair.
Stepping into The Club was like entering a magical land. All of her doubts faded with the constant hum of the music that pumped into the room from overhead speakers. Aimee was right, the place was packed with people who clearly had money to blow.
Aimee took Sohana’s hand and marched up to the fingerprint scanner. She pressed her thumb to the scanner and was cleared for entry. She nodded to the hostess on duty, who now stood in Aimee’s usual spot when she was on the schedule to work. Standing before the main bar area, Sohana watched the people on the dance floor as the neon lights flashed and shone over them. She was captivated by their movements and drawn in by how at first glance, everyone was incredibly attractive. She began to wonder if that was a prerequisite for being a member here.
Aimee gave her hand a squeeze.
“Now, tell me,” Aimee said. “What are we going to be tonight? Good girls or dirty little sluts? I say dirty little sluts…it’s so much more fun.”
Sohana couldn’t help but laugh. “You don’t leave much in betw
een, do you?”
Aimee grinned. “There isn’t much room for in between here. Let’s start with shots.”
There wasn’t a chance to protest, Sohana was pulled along to the bar at their right and felt the eyes of the members watching as they walked by. She didn’t blame them. Aimee was hot. She only wished she didn’t look so out of place. She was wearing Aimee’s dress—and shoes—after all.
Yes, a shot would be perfect right now.
Aimee flashed a smile at the bartender. “Hi, Matt. Can you get us two shots of Patron?”
“With lime?”
“Of course.”
“You got it. Who is your friend?” His blue eyes looked Sohana up and down as he collected two shot glasses.
Sohana stepped forward. “Sohana. Nice to meet you?”
He wiped his hand on a black towel that hung from his belt and reached out to shake her hand. “Nice to meet you too.” He gave Aimee a look with a half smirk. “Why do you always bring the pretty girls in here when I’m working?”
Aimee chuckled. “I’m awful, aren’t I? I do it to tease you, of course.”
Sohana blushed and looked away. She focused on the dance floor, feeling the music vibrate beneath her feet. It had been ages since she’d last danced. She just might step out onto the dance floor later. Maybe, if she had enough shots to give her a little liquid confidence.
Matt poured the shots and placed them on the bar before them. “Start a tab?”
“Yeah right,” Aimee snorted. “Now you know better. The first round is on me. All of the rest are on some rich dude.” She laughed and handed Sohana her shot.
“Lick, drink and suck. Right?” Sohana held her lime in her other hand and grinned.
“That’s right, babe.” Aimee held her glass up to Sohana’s. “Cheers!”
The clank of shot glasses signified the beginning of what Sohana hoped to be a night that would make her forget everything awful that had happened that week.
She was right. The cool liquid went down her throat, and the sour squirt of lime between her teeth had an almost immediate effect. She was surprised. She’d always had an extremely low tolerance. Aimee must have noticed the look on her face.
“You’ll be stripping on the tables before you know it.” She laughed as she took Sohana’s glass. She stepped close and cupped Sohana’s face in her hands. “You trust me?”
Sohana grinned, feeling the heat of the tequila trailing down her body, warming her shoulders. She took Aimee by the waist. Who could she trust more than her best friend? “Of course, I do. Show me around.”
“Let’s do it.”
Into the crowd they went.
Let it all go. Sohana followed Aimee from the bar. Just for tonight, be someone free. Have a little fun for once.
She didn’t need much encouragement. The Patron worked its magic, and suddenly she felt as if the night was hers. She could do anything.
Sohana brushed shoulders with a young man with dirty blond hair. He gave her an odd look when he passed her, a look that asked the question, do I know you? His green eyes nearly made her stumble as they pierced into hers in the dim lights that flickered like a strobe light.
She smiled at him as he passed. It was all she could think to do. She looked over her shoulder. Always a sucker for a handsome face. She was starting to realize that an attractive man was her one and only weakness. But this one was familiar to her. She couldn’t place where she’d seen him before. The room was too dark, and the moment had been too quick.
She realized then that the man looked like Arthur Koenig. It couldn’t be. She had to find out.
Her eyes searched for him in the crowd, and she saw him heading to the VIP section. That was where she needed to be.
“Take me to VIP,” she said. Something stirred within her. A strange sense of purpose and thirst for adventure. The moment his eyes met hers, she knew that she would have to find him again.
But what exactly would she do when she found him?
The answer excited her.
Chapter 7
“Sure, we can head over to the VIP section. I mean, the entire club feels like VIP, but that is where the real high rollers are.” Aimee winked at her. “It’s also where I have the most fun, and you’re not quite ready for the other levels of The Club.”
Sohana raised a brow. “What’s on the other levels?”
“Not much,” Aimee said with a shrug. “Just voyeurism rooms, Shibari rooms, private rooms. The really kinky stuff.”
“What is a Shibari room?”
“Rope art,” Aimee said.
“What?” Sohana asked as she continued to search for him.
“You’re hopeless!” Aimee laughed. “You just asked me what a Shibari room was. It’s where people go to play with ropes. You know, get tied up and stuff.”
“Oh.” She gave up on looking for him. Before her was a smorgasbord of attractive men. “Interesting.”
Aimee spun around. Her eyes widened with mischief. “Really?” She pulled her to the right. “Let’s go take a look then.”
Sohana pulled her back. “Yeah right!”
“I didn’t think so.” Aimee paused and looked around. “I need another drink. Don’t you?”
“I could go for another. Let’s get wine this time.”
“Sure. Watch this,” Aimee said, and they marched past the velvet rope that sectioned off the VIP section. She simply nodded to the two men who patrolled the section and led Sohana to the long, fluorescent-lit bar at the back of the room.
At the bar, Aimee smiled at the bartender. “What’s up, Starr?”
“Just pouring that liquid lust,” Starr replied, and Aimee nodded.
“That’s right. I like it.”
She turned to Sohana. “Welcome to the VIP bar.”
“It’s nice. What are we getting?”
Aimee grinned. “Nothing. We wait. Don’t worry, it won’t be long.”
As if by magic, two guys approached them almost immediately. Tall with an athletic body, dark hair, dark brown eyes, and swarthy skin, one looked to be in his thirties. The other was in his early forties, bald, much shorter, with a round body.
“Hello, ladies,” the taller one said in a German accent that surprised them both. “What are you drinking over here?”
“Patron,” they said in unison.
Sohana couldn’t help giggling.
He held a hand out to her. “Henrik,” he said, and she shook his hand. “This is Ben.”
“Aimee and Sohana,” Aimee said quickly. She stepped closer to Henrik. “Let’s take a shot together, Henrik.”
“Yes,” a female voice thick with a British accent said. Everyone turned to the stunning blonde with the short haircut.
Sohana refrained from saying, wow. The young woman had a slim body that was showcased by the plunging neckline of her teal dress. The teal brought out the many shades of green in her eyes as she scanned the four of them.
“I see you’ve found my servants,” she said with a grin, nodding to Henrik and Ben. “How about some wine?”
“Sure,” Aimee said.
The young woman stepped past them in her black stilettos with a pencil-thin heel. “Bartender,” she called in that lovely accent that captured all of their attention. “Pour us some Cabernet from Koenig Vineyards.”
She swirled around and held a hand out to Aimee. “Elisa Koenig. And you are?”
“Aimee.”
Elisa Koenig. Sohana swallowed and held out her hand. “Sohana.” The realization that the man she had seen was indeed Arthur hit her, and she looked around for him.
“Lovely. Who is ready for a bit of fun?” Without waiting for a reply, she turned to the bar and started handing out wine glasses. “Let’s head back to our booth.”
Sohana could tell by the look on Aimee’s face that although Elisa was aggressive, she sparked something in her. There was something about Elisa. She didn’t know if it was the accent, or her overall look and class, but they both wanted to be around
her.
“Cheers,” Sohana said, and took a sip of the rich and maroon liquid. “Show us the way.”
“Right,” Elisa said. “This way.”
Sohana’s excitement grew as they crossed the room and entered the even more exclusive VIP lounge area. Eyes followed them as they walked past.
The women dancing on the podiums at each corner entranced her. Clad in black, jewel-encrusted bras, and black skirts that were short enough to expose a peek of their butts, they moved in unison, mirroring each other. The young women even had their hair cut in the same blunt bob despite their range of ethnicities. The beauty of it made Sohana smile.
“This place is incredible,” she whispered to Aimee.
“I told you,” Aimee said, giving Sohana’s hand a squeeze.
When they turned the corner to reach Elisa’s VIP booth, Sohana’s smile faded. Her eyes rested on one person. One man out of everyone around them.
Even in the dimly lit area she could tell that his eyes were a bright green. With his arms draped over the back of the leather seat, he stared back at her. A look of amusement came to his face once he recognized her as well.
Arthur Koenig.
She looked away. “My God.”
Aimee glanced at her. “What?”
“It’s him,” she said. “Arthur Koenig. The man who may be my new boss.”
“Have a seat,” Elisa said with a bright smile. “I’ll buzz the waitress over and order more wine. We didn’t come here to drink the same stuff as the peasants.”
“Sweet,” Aimee said, laughing at Elisa’s comment. “Let’s get this party started.”
Sohana sat in the seat closest to Arthur, leaving a little space in between them. She glanced at him once again. He sat up in his seat and ran a hand through his dirty blond hair.
“I want him,” she said, turning to Aimee.
Aimee raised a brow and glanced over at him. “Holy hell. Me too.”
Sohana nudged her in the ribs. “Not this one.” When she looked back at him, their eyes met once again. She tried to suppress her attraction for him. She didn’t want a repeat of what had almost happened with Gavin. But her research had revealed that Arthur was never married, and had been single for some time. The situation was completely different. Still, she vowed to be cautious.