by Roma James
A wave of nausea hit me, and I was glad to be sitting down as my legs started to shake. My God, what could have happened to me tonight? It was such a chilling thought. Drink-Stealer had actually saved me.
“Oh my God…” I muttered, still trying to process what he’d just said. “Thank you so much.”
“Of course. You didn’t drink any of it, did you? I’ve already had the police called, but I can call paramedics if necessary.”
“No, no.” I swallowed hard and shook my head. “I didn’t take even a sip of it, you stopped me. Holy hell… I don’t even know what to say...”
He nodded. “I just wanted to be sure. I noticed you were, uh… stumbling… quite a bit.”
I felt my face flush red with embarrassment. “Oh, right. That. Yeah, no… that was just what two mojitos and a pair of high heels did to me,” I told him as my eyes shifted.
Now that we weren’t running through the club and I could think a little more clearly, I got a good look at him for the first time.
He was actually really handsome. The kind of handsome you almost never see just going through your day. He was very tan, and the suit he was wearing did nothing to hide the fact that he was built. He had perfectly styled black hair and a strong jawline. This guy belonged on magazine covers, not hidden away in some sex club office.
I was no longer going to be referring to him as Drink-Stealer in my head. From now on, he would be known as Tall, Dark, and… Handsome? No, handsome was not a strong enough word to describe him. Tall, Dark, and… Hot? Still not good enough.
Tall, Dark, and Lickable.
Yep, that was it. That was his new name.
Tall, Dark, and Lickable.
“Tall, dark, and… what?” he asked me.
I was instantly horrified, and my eyes widened in shock. “What?”
“You just mumbled tall, dark, and I think it was… lickable?”
My heart jumped into my throat. Had I actually said that out loud?
Holy hell, maybe I wasn’t as sober as I thought. Harlow, seriously, what is wrong with you? Maybe Liza was right, I didn’t get out enough. And now my lack of human contact has turned me into a totally socially-awkward fool.
“I didn’t, uh, I was just…” I stumbled on my words, but I was too mortified to find the right words. Or… any words.
He laughed it off. “Well, uh, my name is Ryker, but you can refer to me as Tall, Dark, and Lickable if you’d like.”
I flung my hand to my head in embarrassment. “No, no… I think I’ll go with Ryker…”
Tall, Dark, Lickable Ryker.
“And what should I call you?” he asked me.
“Um, Harlow,” I said, still not meeting his gaze. “Harlow Grey.”
“Harlow, it’s lovely to meet you.” He extended his hand across the desk to shake mine.
I took a deep breath and shook it back before timidly leaning back in my seat, stewing in my own embarrassment.
“Uh, who are you, exactly?” I asked him, desperately trying to change the subject. “I mean… how did you know somebody had put something in my drink?”
“I’m one of the owners here. I was watching the security cameras when I saw you start to follow your friend to the dance floor. As soon as your back was turned, a man squirted a few drops of something in your drink. I don’t mean to lecture, Miss Grey, but you really can’t leave your drink unattended for even a second.”
“It was that fast?” I asked, stunned. I knew for sure I hadn’t turned away for more than a few seconds, at most.
He nodded. “It can be very quick.”
“That’s… horrifying.” I closed my eyes and tried to collect my thoughts. I couldn’t believe how I had taken my safety for granted. Never again, though. This was a lesson I only had to learn once.
“I agree. As I saw it, I immediately instructed my head of security to alert our guys downstairs. But I rushed down personally in an attempt to grab the drink before you did. I’m just glad I got to you in time.”
“So am I,” I said, meaning it. “You really saved me. Seriously, I cannot emphasize enough how grateful I am to you. I’m so lucky you happened to be watching.”
He smiled. “Well, it’s not luck. We take safety very seriously here at Crave, and we also have eyes on the cameras and out on the floor to look out for this kind of thing. Still, it only takes a moment for something to go wrong. Thankfully, this was not one of those moments.”
“That must have been the guy we saw back there?” I asked, though I already knew the answer.
“The one who was surrounded by my security detail, yes.” He glanced down at his phone. “It looks like the police will be here any moment. The bartender held onto the drink so it could be tested as well. The situation is completely under control, but I wanted to make sure that if you had drank any of it, that you were in a safe place away from the commotion of the club.”
“Right, of course. Thank you.” I nodded to him.
“I’m very sorry you got caught up in such a horrifying situation, Miss Grey. But I want to assure you that Crave is a very safe club. These kinds of incidents don’t happen often, and when they do, we catch them. I understand you may not want to return after experiencing such a difficult moment, but I hope you do come back to Crave.”
“Well, I definitely do get the vibe that it’s safe, so thank you,” I told him. “Though, if I’m being honest, I probably wouldn’t have returned here anyway. Sex clubs aren’t exactly my, uh, scene.”
He smiled. “Ah, so that’s why you appeared so uncomfortable?” he asked.
I was a little surprised by the question. “Did I?”
“Very much so, yes. May I ask… what exactly is your scene?”
I didn’t have to think on this long. “I usually spend my weekend nights at home with a cup of tea, curled up with my laptop. I’m a writer, and I spend a lot of time working on my latest book.”
He looked surprised. “A writer? Of what kind of books?”
“Right now, romance.”
He arched a brow. “Romance? You don’t strike me as a hopeless romantic, Miss Grey, if you don’t mind me saying.”
I laughed. “I’m not sure if that’s a compliment, but it is the truth. I’m the last person you’d call a hopeless romantic. I don’t even date.”
Then I looked at him skeptically for a moment.
“What?” he asked.
“Nothing, it’s just… if we’re talking about looks being deceiving, and all… I mean, you’re not what I imagined when I pictured the owner of a sex club.”
It was his turn to laugh. “No? And what did you imagine?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. Someone… shadier? Definitely older. Okay, that probably sounds rude. That’s not what I mean, just… you seem very polite and… serious.”
“I am. I take a lot of pride in Crave. And you never know… maybe this club isn’t quite what you had imagined, either.”
That much was clear. This night wasn’t going at all like I expected.
Ryker’s phone buzzed on the table, and he looked down at it.
“I’m sorry, can you excuse me for a moment? It seems the police are here, and they’d like to talk to me. I’m sure this won’t take long.” He walked over to a mini-fridge in the corner of the office.
He opened it, pulled out a water, and handed it to me.
“Here, just relax a moment and drink some water. I won’t be long.”
I nodded my thanks, but he had already turned to go.
Tall, Dark, Lickable Ryker.
Sex club owner.
Hot as hell.
And absolutely right about one thing. There was nothing about this place—or about him—that was anything like what I had imagined.
Chapter 4 - Axel
I looked around at the club, soaking up the scene.
My twin brother already had his lips locked around some tight little blonde. Leave it to Diesel to have some chick on him before 10pm.
Not that I h
ad any trouble in that department, either. If I wanted to go after some girl, there was no way I wouldn’t have her eating out of the palm of my hand.
But I was a lot more selective than my brother. For me, it wasn’t about having a new girl every single night. No, I liked the thrill of a good chase. I only went after women that I found irresistible, ones who I was completely enthralled with. Those women only showed up in the club every once in a while.
Tonight was one of those nights.
I had been watching her since she’d come in. Dark-haired and stunning with sexy hazel eyes that I had only caught a glimpse of as she was walking in with her friend. I knew in that moment I absolutely had to have her. She had this sexy librarian vibe going that I couldn’t get enough of. She was in usual club clothes—a tight dress and high heels—but she seemed out of place in them. She even stumbled a bit, which I found kind of adorable.
It was the ones who looked like they were out of place here that were the most intriguing. It was just part of my obsession with the chase. Most women who come here, you can’t chase. They come here looking for hookups, and when they find an attractive guy, they did just that. Not to sound conceited, but I—like my twin who was currently getting it on in the corner—was a good-looking guy, so it was all too easy.
The women who didn’t come here dead set on a hookup were the ones I was attracted to, the ones I liked to chase.
Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t a jerk about it. I didn’t want a woman who didn’t want me, and I wasn’t here to divide and conquer or anything. I just liked to impress a girl. I wanted her to know how sexy I thought she was. I wanted her to enjoy the chase as much as I did, so that when the inevitable hookup finally happened, we were both past the point of denying it.
The brunette was drinking with her redheaded friend, who was also cute but didn’t seem out of place at all. I suspected going to clubs was routine for her, the way she was leading my sexy brunette around.
That was fine, though. I wasn’t ready to start chasing yet. Let them have a little fun and enjoy their night out. I’d come down a little later and check in once they’d had a chance to see the sights.
Besides, I had some work to finish up in my office. Some financial forms I had to get sent off, and I knew damn well Diesel wasn’t going to get it done tonight. Diesel and I split up our responsibilities pretty evenly. We were close, as twins, and it just felt easier that way.
Ryker had his own set of usual responsibilities, and I could always trust they’d be handled. Ryker was the most responsible of us, the most business-oriented.
I wasn’t like my brother, looking for a fuck every night of the week… but I didn’t hesitate to go after a sexy, intriguing girl when I saw her. Ryker, on the other hand, never fucked around in the club. He had the big, bad boss-man vibe. I didn’t mind, though. It was that kind of attitude, that kind of dedication that gave the club a lot of validity. Crave wouldn’t run the same without him.
I took my rum and Coke up the elevator and into my office. Walking in, I set it down on a coaster on my walnut desk, and began to pull out the papers I needed to go over.
My mind immediately started to wander, though. I should have known that after I started drinking I wasn’t going to be able to get a thing done. Especially when that fine-ass brunette was out there waiting for me, tempting me with those long legs, those sweet-but-not-innocent eyes, those lips…
Dammit, I just couldn’t get her out of my mind.
I finished the rest of my drink and walked down the hall and into the security room where I expected Ryker to be. That was where he spent most of his time, so I was surprised to find the room was empty.
Even our head security guy, Tony, was nowhere to be seen.
I immediately started scanning the surveillance cameras and looking for the hot brunette, hoping that I wouldn’t find that she was already making out with some other guy. I doubted it, though. I was damn good at reading people, and I would’ve sworn she was not coming here for a wild night.
I looked in the bar area where I last saw her before I headed upstairs to my office, but she wasn’t there. She wasn’t anywhere that I could see. I caught a glimpse of her redheaded friend on the dancefloor without her, and Tony huddled with a couple of our other security guys nearby.
Dammit, that made me worry a little bit.
Where was she? And what was going on with Tony and the other guys?
There had obviously been some sort of incident—or at least the threat of one—for them to be huddled up like that. Was my sexy brunette somehow involved?
We tried to keep Crave as safe as possible, but it was hard to keep creepers out completely. Some women were okay coming in solo, but those were the regulars that knew what they were here for. They usually stayed fairly sober and found the man they wanted. It wasn’t that some women couldn’t hold their own, plenty of our regulars did.
But this girl was no regular, and I couldn’t get over the red flags that were going off in my head.
Maybe she was fine. Maybe she just decided to leave early.
That would have both been disappointing to me because I wanted to talk to her, but also comforting because I didn’t want her to get into trouble.
I decided to go downstairs to try to look for her… just to put my mind at ease. But when I stepped out of the security office and into the hall, I saw Ryker’s door open. It wasn’t Ryker that stepped out, though.
It was the brunette.
What the hell?
This floor was for employees only. We didn’t bring guests—certainly not women from the club—up here. And even if we did, Ryker would have been the last one to do so. Hooking up with anyone here—especially in his office—just wasn’t his style.
But then… what was she doing up here?
“Hey, it’s you,” I said without thinking.
She raised an eyebrow at me. “It’s… me? Sorry, do we know each other?”
Fuck.
Way to sound like a creeper, Axel.
“Oh, no, sorry… I was just downstairs and saw you. I’m Axel, part owner of the club.” I extended my hand to her.
“Nice to meet you,” she responded, still giving me a look that was a mixture of curiosity and apprehension.
“What were you, uh—” I stopped, reminding myself that even though I might have felt protective over this woman, we were still strangers. She probably wouldn’t appreciate it if I went all caveman jealous asshole. “I mean, I was just a little surprised to see you up here. We don’t have… guests… in this part of the club.”
She sighed. “Right, it’s kind of a weird story… but basically Ryker saw that someone spiked my drink. He came down to get me and had me come up here. I actually think he’s down with the police right now… I was just coming out to look for a bathroom.”
I was immediately infuriated. “Are you okay? Did Ryker call the paramedics or anything?”
“No, n-no—” she began to explain quickly. “It wasn’t like that. I didn’t actually drink any of it. Ryker saved me just in time, thank God.”
Yes. Thank God.
Ryker took the safety of clubgoers as seriously as I did. I was very grateful for that.
I was still fucking pissed, though. It enraged me that men like that drink-spiking asshole got into our clubs. This was supposed to be a fun, safe place, and I wanted to destroy each and every low-life predator that threatened the women at our clubs.
“Are you okay?” she asked, her eyes darting back to the open door of Ryker’s office. “I hope I didn’t, um—”
“I’m totally fine,” I said, interrupting. “You didn’t do anything wrong here.” I swallowed hard. I really needed to get it together before I freaked her out. She had already been through enough crazy shit tonight. “I’m sorry if I’m making you uncomfortable at all. It just really infuriates me to hear stories like that. That’s not what our club is about, you know? It shouldn’t be something a woman has to deal with anywhere. It’s despicable. Guys like t
hat disgust me.”
She smiled softly. “Yeah, Ryker was telling me the same thing—that you guys do a lot to keep people safe around here.”
“We take many precautions,” I said, nodding. It was the absolute truth, and I was glad to see that she still had that impression even after her less-than-great experience tonight.
“Well, it’s super sweet of you guys to care this much. I genuinely feel safer, thank you.”
I thought for a moment. “Hey, can I walk you down to your car? I’m sure you’d just like to get home by now. You don’t have to wait until Ryker gets back up here, I’ll make sure you get there safely.”
“After the weird turn this night has taken, yeah, I really would like to go home,” she replied. “The thing is, I can’t really do that. My friend ordered an Uber, that’s how we got here. So I don’t have a car waiting for me or anything.”
“I see. Well, if you’d like, I can just drive you home.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Uh, you would do that? For just one customer?”
“Of course,” I said, shrugging. “Especially when that customer had to deal with something as awful as almost getting drugged. It’s really no problem at all.”
She still looked leery, though—not that I could blame her. She was questioning my intentions.
I’m sure she was acutely aware of how creepy men could be right now. I’d worry about my intentions too if I were her.
And if I was being completely honest, I didn’t trust anyone else to get her home safely tonight.
“Here,” I said, pulling out my wallet to flash her my driver’s license. “This is my ID, so you can see my full name and my driver’s license info. Hold onto it until we get to your house. And here…” I pulled my phone out of my back pocket. “You can hold onto this until we get to your house. Seriously, I’m not pulling any tricks here. I just want to make sure you get home safely. I don’t want to be presumptuous, but you seem like a very nice girl who maybe doesn’t have a lot of experience with clubs like this.”
I hoped she wouldn’t take that the wrong way, but she didn’t seem to. “No, I really don’t. Is it that obvious?”