“I understand.” I take a deep breath and look away. This is futile. I might as well just thank him for his time and get out of here.
“I’ll see what I can do for you.” He reaches over and sets a hand on mine. My stomach turns, but I try not to let my discomfort show on my face. “You’re too young and beautiful to hold onto this much sadness. If it will help you get closure and move on, I’ll try to get you the list you want or see if my brother-in-law has any videos put away somewhere, but I can’t guarantee anything.”
I offer him a small smile.
“Excuse me, Miss Santos?”
I snatch my hand back and look at the beautiful black woman standing there. She looks like a vintage pin-up model. Leo looks at her as well, licking his lips as he stares at her very ample chest. He’s obviously a tit man, and hers look great. That beige corset dress hugs her voluptuous frame perfectly.
“Yes. That’s me,” I say, returning her smile.
“Someone is requesting your presence in room five.”
My heart starts to race. “Who?”
“I don’t have a name.” She offers an apologetic smile.
I glance at Leo, who’s still ogling the messenger. “Do you think it’s one of your people?”
His gaze snaps to mine. “Possibly.”
Fuck. I don’t want to meet with anyone from this mix. Certainly not in a private room. Part of “welcoming a new face to the group” was to have a naked conversation, and even though I’m totally okay with nudity, the entire thing was weird. Because of my outfit, I had an excuse to not go fully nude. Still, in an attemptto fit in and make them comfortable, I unzipped the top of my jumpsuit, took my arms out of the long sleeves, and left it open to my belly button. I didn’t get much information, but there’s a guy named L.T. with clear blue eyes that looked at me extra carefully when Leo said Mallory had been a friend of mine.
“Well, I guess I should find out who it is.” My stomach is in knots as I push my chair back and stand. “Thanks for everything.”
“Of course. We’ll be meeting at Onyx next Saturday, and a few other regulars will be there. I can’t give you a list, but I can invite you to join us.”
“For a fee,” I say, smiling.
He chuckles. “For a fee, but if you want to hang with me, I’ll cover your fee.”
I force myself to continue smiling as I stand up, and when he stands, he takes my hand to kiss the back of it. When he drops it, his eyes are back on the woman in the corset, who’s still waiting patiently.
“Lead the way,” I say, and follow her out.
“I absolutely love your bodysuit,” she says as we walk.
“Thanks.” I grin. “I didn’t really consider how difficult it would be to take off.”
She laughs. “Wrong place to wear it.”
I’m wearing what Livie and I call my, “Catwoman costume”. I actually bought it for Halloween one year, but it’s become my go-to when I need something sexy and don’t want to wear a dress. It’s a shiny leather bodysuit with a low neckline and a zipper that goes from my breasts to my crotch. It makes me feel sexy and powerful, but it’s a pain in the ass to take off and put on.
I only had to unzip it to my belly button earlier, and I’m not planning to fully take it off until I get home, so that won’t be an issue. I take a deep, shaky breath and try to swallow the unease rolling through me. Do I really want to go inside a room with a stranger? My immediate answer is no, but I need to at least look inside. Maybe I can have this woman wait for me.
“What’s your name?” I ask as we walk.
“Lisa.” She glances at me over her shoulder.
“Do you really not know who requested to see me?”
She shakes her head, her thick dark waves bouncing with the movement. “No, but it’s room five, so I assume it’s someone important.”
My stomach twists again, and when we finally reach a red door with the number five on it, she punches in a code and turns the handle. I’m about to ask her to wait, but she pushes the door open and my jaw drops when I see who’s waiting for me. I step inside, still gaping at Finn, and forget all about the door.
This room, unlike the previous one I’d been in, has a huge bed with black sheets, cuffs peeking out of the corners, and red walls covered with photographs of people in sexual positions. Finn’s standing between the door and the bed, hands in his pockets, wearing a casual black suit with a white button-down and white sneakers. His hair is tousled and his green eyes are dark and inscrutable from where I stand. The pounding in my ears makes the click of the door shutting behind me sound far, far away.
“What are you doing here?” I ask when I manage to compose myself.
