I flipped the temperature control from medium to high heat since I was cold and on the verge of panicking. I only needed two more weeks. I could have been on tour and away from this place. I would be blissfully unaware of the sex club my brother owned and that there was any kind of threat to me and my safety.
Mossimo turned into the parking lot of what looked to be a windowless warehouse, surrounded by a gate. A guard stopped us, and Mossimo lowered the window before handing a cardover. The guard looked at it, then returned it to Mossimo before waving us in.
“It’s an abandoned warehouse?”
“No.” As we approached the building, a huge door opened, allowing us to drive into the warehouse. There were several dozen cars already there, including one just like ours that Mossimo stopped beside. “For privacy purposes, the basement and first floor are for parking. It helps confidentiality so nobody is worried about their secret proclivities being divulged to the world.”
I shuddered. What the fuck? “How dark does this go, Mossimo?” My mind rebelled at the thought of my brother and Lorenzo being involved in anything morally bankrupt. Yeah, they did illegal shit, seeing as they were part of the Italian mafia, but there were some things I couldn’t stomach, and I hoped like hell they weren’t involved in those.
Mossimo must have gotten what I was hinting at. “No, Miss Morelli. Nothing like that. Anyone who enters is a consenting adult and wants to be here. Your brother has no desire to be a part of the skin trade. I wouldn’t be here if he did.”
I let out a relieved breath. “I knew that, but thank you for confirming.” I swallowed hard. “I’m nervous.” It was a difficult admission that I wasn’t entirely comfortable making.
“I know, but I’ll be outside the door, unless your brother invites me into the meeting, and there are at least three men in that building that would die before they let something happen to you. Your brother, Lorenzo, and I. You’ll be safe, Miss Morelli. For now. Here. You are safe.”
“Thank you.” I took a deep breath and got out when he opened the door for me, guiding me to a bank of elevators where he scanned a card. He repeated the process once the doors closed behind us and selected the third floor.
Upon reaching our destination, we exited into what looked like a hotel hallway. Thick plush burgundy carpet, off-white walls, and numerous rooms with keycard locks.
“I thought this was a sex club?” I whispered as we continued.
“These are private rooms that members can rent by the hour or night.”
“I thought you guys weren’t involved in the sex trade business.”
“We don’t employ whores. Nobody is paid for sex here. The women and men who visit are looking to discreetly satisfy a need. Sometimes that requires special equipment that you can’t buy at a local furniture shop, other people, or merely a safe place to explore fetishes and fantasies. Lussuria provides all that.” We came to a stop at the end of the hall in front of a set of double doors. “I’ll let your brother explain more if he so chooses, Miss Morelli.”
Mossimo knocked, and it swung open to reveal Lorenzo looking incredible and menacing. His gaze swung toward Mossimo standing behind me, his hand on the small of my back. I could feel the heat emanating from Lorenzo.
“Costa.” Lorenzo’s voice was low and dangerous. He was terrifyingly beautiful, as always. The man made my heart race with equal parts anger and lust, a response that continually annoyed the shit out of me. It felt so wrong, yet so right.
Mossimo’s touch disappeared, and he took a step away from me. “Lorenzo. Do you and Romeo want me to stay or to wait out here?”
“Neither. You can leave, but do not return to the estate until we clear it. Go spend time with your girlfriend or fuck around in the club, but stay the hell away from the main house. You got me?”
“I told Miss Morelli I would remain in the hall.”
“Bianca is safe with me and her brother, Costa. Get gone.”
Mossimo nodded and sent me a look of apology because he couldn’t ignore an order from my brother’s right-hand man. Gino was my father’s consigliere, a position everyone knew Lorenzo would eventually fill when Romeo took over. That or underboss. My siblings considered Lorenzo their chosen family.
Lorenzo stepped back and gestured for me to enter. There was a large kitchen with an island, a sunken living room with plush couches, and a television.
“What is this place?”
“Your brother’s secret apartment.”
“Where’s Rome, and what’s going on?”
“We’ll wait for him to finish a call. Are you thirsty?” Lorenzo asked as he removed my bag and set it on a counter.
“Yes.”
“There’s water in there.” Lorenzo nodded to the stainless steel refrigerator. “Help yourself.”
When he began extracting items from my bag, including the now dirty underwear I’d worn during practice, I tried to stop him. “Um, what are you doing?”
His chilling look had me freezing in place. “Back off. Get some water and have a seat. It’s not like I haven’t seen yours before.”
