“It should be in the mailroom.”
“I’ll go now.”
“Take the elevator.”
I rolled my eyes. “Yes, sir.”
There was a beat on the line, like he was about to say something else. Then a quiet sound came through the speaker—low, brief, and cut off almost immediately as the call ended.
I stared at my phone.
Had that been… a groan?
Heat crept up my neck before I could stop it, because it hadn’t sounded like irritation. It hadn’t sounded like anything work-related. It had sounded—
No.
I pushed myself up off the couch a little too quickly, like I could shake the thought loose if I moved fast enough.
It was nothing. Just a normal conversation. I wasn’t going to start reading into every little sound like that.
I definitely wasn’t going to decide he was enjoying this too.
“Stop,” I muttered under my breath, grabbing my phone a little tighter than necessary.
I've just been busy. That had to be it. Classes, work, coming home, dealing with him. I hadn’t had time to think about anything else, no dating, no flirting. Obviously no sex. Nothing that would normally keep my brain occupied.
So yeah, just my brain filling in gaps.
That had to be it.
There was no way I was sitting here thinking about my dad’s business partner like that. I pushed myself up off the couch.
Because seriously, he was older, a lot older, and completely put together in a way I had never been. Disciplined, controlled, the kind of man who probably had his entire life mapped out somewhere and actually followed it. Men like that didn’t look at girls like me and think anything worth acting on, and even if they did, they definitely didn’t do anything about it.
I grabbed the mail key off the counter and headed out, taking the elevator. The mailroom was quiet, the lights humming overhead as I walked down until I found his unit, and the package was there. No dents or signs of being mishandled.
I pulled it out along with the rest of the mail and shifted everything into my arms before heading back to the elevator, sending him a quick text as I waited.
It’s here. Looks fine.
His reply came almost immediately.
Leave it on my desk. I’ll get it later.
I leaned back against the wall as the elevator doors closed and glanced down at what I was holding, flipping through it without really thinking. Bills, business mail, something official looking, and then a postcard caught my eye.
The postcard was glossy, dark in a way that caught the light without being flashy, the kind of thing that didn’t need to beg for attention because it already knew it would get it. The lettering across the front was simple, clean, and deliberate.
Club Temptation.
I turned it over, expecting something loud or tacky, but the back was the same kind of polished. Clean. Bare. Not flashy, just the kind of thing that looked expensive and private and very much not meant for random people.
Orientation Night – New Members Welcome.
Thank you for being a member. We invite you to attend Orientation Night for those interested in the lifestyle. Discretion is expected at all times. Guided introductions and structured experiences will be provided in a private, supervised setting.
I swallowed, my eyes moving slower now as I took it in.
