“They're probably going to want to talk to Emma, Jaxon, and Jacinta. The rest of you can go back to the house,” Dad says as he sits down on an ornate couch in the fancy sitting room we’ve gathered in. It looks like something out of the Palace of Versailles, which doesn’t spare it from Jacinta’s extreme home makeover. She might have underlined that particular note about gutting it. The whole house is a mishmash of styles, like whoever decorated it couldn’t decide what they wanted, so they tried a little of everything. The bathrooms are very art deco, and a lot of the bedrooms have a 70s pornstar feel, with round beds that vibrate and turn and mirrors lining the walls. There’s a lot to be done, and Jacinta took copious notes as we went, but it’s mostly cosmetic, thankfully. Structurally, the house looks good.
“Alright, I’ll head back and see about an early dinner. It’s too late for lunch now, and who knows how long you’ll be. You’ll all be starving by the time you return.” Nana and Poppy wave their goodbyes and take off.
I clutch the record of the zoo in my hands. Emma had located it and left it for me in the library before they had gone to her place. Now, that’s one room that’s staying the same. It looks like it was yanked right out ofBeauty and the Beast. Jacinta and I had squealed madly when we saw it, the two of us trading off with Hope to slide atop the ladder, Belle-style.
I really want to go back there, sit down on the sumptuous couch, and read through all the information about the former zoo, but Oliver’s fidgeting tells me he’s not going to be put off for any longer.
“Alright, I’m going to go do that thing now.” I wave to Oliver, wanting to get the two of us out of the way before the police come. I think he’ll spontaneously combust if he has to wait and sit through questioning before he gets to see the secret. “Come on. I’ll show you the surprise.” Jaxon gets it right away and chuckles, but the others look a little clueless.
“Let them go. It will keep Oliver out of our hair for now at least,” he tells them.
“But I want to know what the secret is!” Holden looks a little put out, and Declan has a big frown on his face. God, they’re far too adorable when they pout.
“I'd really like it if a couple of you were here when the police arrive. Thomas said they’ll come up to the house first, then we’ll need to bring them down to the zoo. Forrest is coming, too,” Jaxon says. Declan and Holden instantly lose their disgruntled look, puffing out their chests like they’re getting ready to protect their younger brother. It’s so freaking cute that I have to hide my grin.
“I swear I’ll show all of you, but I promised Oliver this, okay? Holden, can you hang on to this for me?” I hold out the zoo records, and he takes them from me. “I want to take that with us, so I can read it tonight.”
They reluctantly give in, and I wave goodbye, tugging Oli out of the sitting room and into the foyer. We head up the stairs, passing the secret entrance behind Count Bucataru, and ambling around the mezzanine. We slowly trudge up the next set of stairs until we reach the top, finding another painting at the top of this landing. This one is a floor-to-ceiling painting of a naked woman being pleasured by three men. Her head is thrown back in ecstasy, and I can’t say I’m not jealous. There’s a thrilling reality that this could be me. I stop, and Oliver stops next to me. He reaches for the wall sconce to the side of it, but I shake my head and push a finger into the ass cheek of one of the naked men. The button sinks in, and the painting parts, revealing the elevator behind it.
Oliver’s eyes just about boggle out of his head. “That, that… You couldn't tell that it wasn't one piece. It was flawlessly sealed.”
I giggle, enjoying the fun of surprising Oliver; he reacts so deliciously. “Come on.” I tug him into the elevator, and it closes behind us. “Emma says it will go back to looking like one painting again after it closes, but that’s as much as she really knows. She never came up here. Promised her dad she wouldn't,” I explain, pressing the button she told me to look for. Thank god, it starts to move.
“And she never did? She’s good. I totally would have.” I shake my head at his confession, though I’m not surprised. I admit I probably would too.
“Anyway, this is where the count’s ‘private’ parties took place,” I tell him, wiggling my eyebrows.
“Private?” The door slides open, letting us look around the room. “Holy fuck!” Oliver gasps.
ChapterTwenty
Harlow
“Asex room!” he exclaims as we step out.
This wasnotwhat I was expecting, though I suppose I should have. I had pictured a giant bed with lots of pillows and maybe some seating for people to watch, but nope, this is a BDSM fantasy dungeon. It’s a large open space; the walls are raw stone, and the ceiling is covered in a velvet-like material, making it look like the roof of a tent. Familiar wall sconces are evenly spaced around the room, and they must be motion activated because they light up as we move further from the elevator. It’s low lighting, but we can still see clearly. There are no visible windows, but Emma did say there was a balcony, so I’m guessing it’s behind the velvet curtains across the room. Thanks to the room being inside the turret, the space is circular. I’d love to see a schematic of this place because it’s not obvious from the outside.
“This also definitely stays,” Oliver says as he wanders around the room. I can’t see his face, but he’s practically turning in a circle, his head bobbing here and there like he’s trying to drink all of it in as quickly as possible.
“Oh really? Should I start calling you Mr. Gray?” I snicker and then screw up my nose. “I don’t know how I feel about using all the equipment. Who knows who and what has happened on it. Jaxon’s grandaddy could have defiled any number of women, or men, in this room.”
Oli’s expression instantly changes to disgust as he yanks himself away from the bench he had been running his hand over. “Gross, Harlow. Now I havethatin my mind.”
To the left is a large sunken pit filled with pillows and cushions, probably for group activities. Beyond that are two doors, and in front of us is enough equipment to furnish a BDSM club in nothing but dark wood and red leather. There are stocks, benches, and a St. Andrew’s cross, all with chains and cuffs hanging on and around them. There are also a couple of sex swings hanging from the ceiling and a bunch of other instruments neatly racked along the wall—whips and paddles and feather-tipped wands as well as more extreme-looking things like a cat of nine tails with metal tips and a metal-studded paddle. Next to that is a glass-doored cabinet holding a brow-raising amount of packaged sex toys.
“Oh look, these are all still closed! We can keep them.” Oliver opens the doors and pulls out a large jewel-tipped butt plug, its packaging glinting in the light. Well, I won’t argue with that. Some of those things look like they'd be fun to use.
To the very right of us is a cage. It resembles an ornate bird cage, though it’s big enough for at least two people, and there’s a comfy-looking bed inside. Almost without thinking, I move closer, a tingle in my core as I think about role-playing with my boyfriends. The cuffs and chains open up so many possibilities… I run my hand over the bars before stopping at the door built into the wall behind the cage. I turn to look at Oli.
“First things first, all the sheets, cushions, and fabrics can be burned. Now, the leather, I guess we can just wipe over with sanitizer. I’ll leave it to you to decide what you want to keep or get rid of, and we can get a big dumpster to collect all the trash. All I know is that we’re not using this room ourselves until it could pass a blacklight test. We can explore the rest of the room later, but first, come on. I have more to show you.”
After I put in the same code that opened the vault, the door behind the cage clicks open, revealing a dark interior. I pull out my phone, clicking on the light and shining it into the darkness. Lucky I did because it's not a room, but a set of spiral stairs leading down. “Come on.” I grab Oli by the hand, and we carefully make our way downstairs.
At the other end of the steps is another door. What strikes me as most odd is that this one looks like it could be made from reinforced steel or something. There’s another keypad. “Apparently, this is a safe room as well as the count’s master bedroom. His paranoia had gotten so bad he didn't feel comfortable unless he slept within these walls. Or that’s what Emma told me, at least.”
When the door clicks open, we step into another dark and dungeon-like room. Honestly, I’m expecting to see a lot of metal and chains, but the bed is a pleasant surprise. It looks like something out of a fairy tale and is most definitely custommade. Or at least I assume it’s a bed. Taking up a big chunk of the space is a large box with sliding doors on the end. Carved panels enclose all sides, with creatures of myth and fable practically leaping out of the wood. Much like the frescoes on the ceiling of the foyer, these animals are wickedly indulgent. Small air vents are cut into the top of the panels, and the enclosure appears big enough for five or six adults.
“Oh wow. I love it!” I can’t stop the words from escaping me as I take it in. Stepping up, I slide the doors open, squealing as a family of mice run out of a hole in the middle of the mattress. “Well, that's going to need replacing.” They disappear behind it, and I wrinkle my nose when the smell hits me. “Hopefully that’s just the mattress. Do you think it will fit in the elevator?” I ask Oliver, and he shrugs.
