“They have a viewing room on the second level. You can’t interact with anyone, but you can watch what happens in the common areas.”
I’m suddenly speechless. I didn’t want to do the whole stripper thing, but not because I was worried about Angelo. He trusts me, and I trust him implicitly. But the thought of going somewhere like a sex club, where people may openly be having sex might be stepping over the line. The man is easygoing, but everyone has their breaking point.
“Club,” Suzy blurts out.
“Strippers,” Max says.
“Club.” Bianca nods with a wink at Suzy.
“Club,” Mia votes.
“Neither,” I say, which earns me a groan and a few straws thrown in my direction followed by the words “party pooper.”
We go around the table until it’s left up to Izzy to make the final call. Izzy rubs the back of her neck and doesn’t speak for a moment. “God, this decision is so hard. The club is more private.”
I don’t know why that makes me giggle. What’s private about a sex club? Her words strike me as odd, and my laughter earns me a look so serious, I instantly sober up.
“I’d have the room cleared so no one else but us would be there. We wouldn’t have to worry about anyone bothering us.” She taps her fingernail against her lip and glances up at the ceiling. “Strippers can be fun, though, too, but they’re so touchy sometimes.”
“No one’s touching me.” Suzy winces. “All those sweaty bodies. Blech.”
“I’m with Suzy,” I say, because the last thing I want is a man sweating all over me, especially if he’s not Angelo. “I told you, no strippers.”
Daphne laughs and waves me off. “Fine, it’s settled, then. We’ll go to the club. Just please say they serve drinks and I have a chance at seeing dick.”
Izzy pulls her phone out of her pocket and stares Daphne right in the eye. “Girl, you’re going to see more than dick. Just you wait.”
I’m suddenly more nervous than I was before the girls arrived. I wanted a quiet night out. An evening with the girls, a few drinks, and nothing more. I never thought the night would turn out this way, and I only pray Angelo won’t throw a shit fit when he finds out.
“I’ll call Slate and get everything set,” Izzy says as she types away on her phone.
“Slate?” I ask. “Is that really his name?” My giggles are back, and the martini I polished off a few minutes ago is finally starting to kick in.
“Fuck if I know.” She shrugs. “It’s what we call him, though. He’s hot as fuck too.”
“James will murder you,” Angel warns.
“Oh. James can go fuck himself.”
There’s a collective gasp around the table. Even I make the noise, and I’ve never even met the man.
“If I’m lucky, I might get an ass-beating tonight.” Izzy laughs softly as she continues typing on the small screen. When no one says anything, she looks up. “What?” she asks with her eyebrows drawn down. “Don’t knock it until you try it.” She pitches her thumb toward Suzy. “This little princess likes her ass spanked too. I know how crazy y’all are in the bedroom, so don’t even pretend to act otherwise.”
There’s laughter around the table, myself included, but I don’t know why I’m joining in. I would never call my sex life freaky. It’s perfect in every way, but there’s nothing about it that makes me think we’re doing anything outside the norm.
“Slate?” Izzy says into the phone and covers her other ear with her hand because Gavin’s is loud, almost too loud to hear one another over the music. “It’s Izzy Caldo, James’s wife.” She excuses herself, rushing toward the front door and leaving us behind.
“So, we’re doing this?” I ask, swallowing the fear of the unknown.
“It’ll be fun,” Bianca says and downs the last of her water. “Just relax. What could possibly go wrong?”
3
Angelo
I push my plate away, enjoying the company and the meal, and lean back in my chair. Everyone’s talking, catching up after not seeing one another for years. The evening has been great. More than that, it’s been like being home again.
“You okay?” Joe asks, leaning over and speaking softly so no one else can hear.
