Chapter Three
Olivia
“I can’t believe you guys never told me about Club X! What am I? The ugly stepsister?” I said jokingly while I handed Josie and Erin glasses of wine as we settled in for a night of celebration for my new job.
“We did. Don’t you remember?” Erin said in their defense. “It was that time when Jake offered to help us all get memberships.”
I narrowed my eyes to faux angry slits and studied her expression to see if she was kidding. Her dark brown eyes stared back at me, telegraphing she was telling the truth. I didn’t remember Jake ever offering to get us into Club X, though.
“I have no recollection of that, ladies,” I teased, doing my best lawyer voice for Josie.
Erin looked to her right at her, who sat on the arm of my couch smiling. “Would you like to help her remember?”
Josie loved her job as an insurance fraud investigator and even though we teased her about the fact that she acted like one twenty-four-seven, she took every opportunity to tease us right back. “My pleasure, Ms. Andrews. Now, Ms. Lucas, do you remember the night Mr. Richfield and the two of us sat here discussing how to celebrate your twenty-fifth birthday? I believe you were seated in the same place as you are now, not surprisingly since you’re a creature of habit who never changes.”
She took a breath in her interrogation, and I mumbled, “Harsh,” at her assessment of me, regardless of how correct she was.
“Continuing on, Ms. Lucas. Now do you remember Mr. Richfield suggesting you go wild and really let your hair down?”
Her piercing blue-green eyes stared at me as she waited for my answer. To be honest, I didn’t remember anything she and Erin were claiming. “Ms. Tellow, since Jake says that to me at least once a week, I doubt I’d be able to remember the time he said that nearly three years ago.”
“It was a week before your birthday, and he told all three of us he could get us into Club X. If I remember correctly, and I’m sure I do, you declined his offer while the two of us eagerly jumped at the chance to join.”
Erin nodded her agreement. “Ringing any bells, Liv?”
“No, but now I feel like the odd man out. So you two have been going to Club X all this time? What’s it like?” I asked, unsure if I really wanted to know but too curious not to ask.
“In. Fucking. Credible,” Josie said as she slid down onto the couch cushion next to Erin. “Some of our best times have been at Club X. Now I’ve never taken advantage of the top floors, but someday I will. I’m telling you ladies, when I think of a fantasy I can’t make come true in my regular life, those Club X folks are going to come in damn handy.”
I looked over at Erin, the more reasonable of my two closest friends, but she had that same wide-eyed look that told me she’d enjoyed my new workplace too.
“What?” she asked, throwing her hands up in the air. “You’re looking at me like you’re surprised. I’m not allowed to have any fun?”
“No, it’s just that I always considered you the more sensible of the two of you.”
“Yeah, well, sensible or not, that club you’re working at is the hottest place I’ve ever partied. You should see the men there, Liv. Oh my God!”
“Nice. So why haven’t I heard you guys talking about this place before now?”
Erin and Josie turned to look at one another, and then Josie made a gesture to zip her mouth closed. “It’s like Vegas, baby. What happens at Club X stays at Club X.”
The two of them burst into laughter, and for the first time since I’d met them years before on our high school track team, I felt like an outsider. Everybody I was close to knew all about Club X but me. It was sophomore year when I didn’t qualify for regionals and they did all over again.
“It’s okay, Livy. You haven’t missed anything you would have liked. You like a more refined kind of place,” Erin said trying to make me feel better but only making me feel worse.
Emptying my wine glass, I swallowed my pinot noir and shook my head. “You’re right. I don’t like to have fun much anyway. I was too busy working my ass off to get canned before I could even get vested.”
I knew I was slipping into the pool of self-pity, but I didn’t care. I may not be the kind of girl who swung from the chandelier, but I wasn’t the model for the front of Old Maid cards either.
“Oh, Livy. Erin didn’t mean anything bad by that. It’s just that you tend to be more straight-laced, you know? We just thought Club X was too low brow for you since you showed no interest in Jake’s offer. You’re more of a wine and cheese party kind of girl.”
“I guess that’s supposed to make me feel better, Josie?” I asked with more emotion in my voice than I’d intended.
Erin leaned over to give my knee a sympathetic squeeze. “I’m sorry. We’re both sorry. It’s all water under the bridge now, though. You’re going to be part of the inner circle of Club X, so whatever stories we have are going to pale in comparison to yours. I’ve heard the men who run the place are sexier than all hell. Are they?”
I thought about Cassian and Stefan March and had to agree. Both were definitely sexy. And Kane? While that mad, bad, and dangerous to know vibe wasn’t what I liked in a man, I could certainly understand why some women would be all over him.
“I don’t know, Erin. They were very nice,” I teased as I pretended to play coy.
“Nice my ass,” Josie butted in. “I saw that Cassian March one time at a hospital benefit Sebastian and I attended last year. The man oozes incredible fuck. I swear if I hadn’t been in a relationship, I would have made my move on him. I bet he gets freaky when that Italian made suit comes off.”
“I remember seeing his younger brother one night at the club,” Erin added. “No suit for him, but I can tell you that man can definitely fill out a shirt. He was wearing this button down look that fit so perfectly I swear he had it painted on. I like my men more muscular than Josie here, so he’s my kind.”
“His name is Stefan,” I said, liking that I could at least feel like I knew them in a different way than Erin and Josie. “He’s really sweet.”
“You like him! I see it in your eyes, Liv. Tell us everything that happened!” Erin squealed.
I stood from my seat to head into the kitchen for another glass of wine and to escape the probing stares of my two best friends. The non-disclosure agreement I’d signed just hours before weighed heavily on my mind already. I knew it probably wouldn’t have violated anything if I told them about meeting all three brothers, but I wasn’t going to be able to keep my cool about Cassian and Stefan if I didn’t get my feelings under control.
Gulping down some wine, I took a deep breath and walked back into the living room to find them waiting for me to explain. Sitting down, I balanced my glass on the arm of my favorite chair and shrugged. “There’s nothing to tell. I met all three brothers in my interview. I’m going to be Cassian’s assistant, but I had to meet with the other two also. They were nice.”
Josie pointed her finger at me and cocked one perfectly shaped dark eyebrow. “You’re holding out on us, girl. I know. I deal with witnesses all the time who have that same face you have on right now. Spill it or we’ll never let you have any peace.”
“Yeah and don’t leave any of the details out,” Erin added.
“There’s nothing to tell. I swear. Yes, Cassian is very good looking. Yes, Stefan is funny and hot. The third brother, Kane, is a little scary for my taste, but he’s definitely got a sexy vibe to him too. Other than that, I don’t know what to tell you. No one asked me out or bent me over the desk while the other ones interviewed me. It was just a boring, run-of-the-mill interview. I swear.”
Both women had leaned forward in anticipation of hearing all my salacious details, but now they sat back crestfallen with a look of disappointment on their faces. I must have looked like I told the truth because Josie didn’t appear to want to grill me anymore.
“I’ve never heard of the third brother, Kane. What’s he do there?” Erin asked, almost as an afterthought.
“He’s in charge of the fantasy part of the business,” I explained, suddenly realizing there was something I could tell them that I hadn’t. “Oh, I forgot! I get a free membership to Club X, and that includes the fantasy stuff, not that I’ll ever use it, I imagine.”
Josie’s and Erin’s jaws dropped. It was one of the rare moments in our friendship that I, Olivia Lucas, got to shock them instead of them shocking me. It wouldn’t last, but for the time being, I basked in the limelight of being cooler than everyone else in the room.
“So what fantasy do you plan to have them fulfill? You know what they say about you quiet types—still waters run deep. And dirty. I know you have some deep, dark desires inside that business suit look you sport,” Josie said with a wink.
“Oh, I love this! Liv, you have to do the fantasy thing. It costs a fortune, and you get it for free,” Erin said.
“I don’t know, guys. It might not be a good idea if I want to keep my job. You shouldn’t mix business with pleasure. You know, no shitting where you eat.”
“You have a scat fantasy?” Erin asked, her eyes huge with shock.
I couldn’t help but laugh when Josie elbowed her for being so dumb, splashing wine down the front of her shirt. “No, I don’t want someone to shit on me. Jesus, Erin! What the fuck? I’m boring, remember?”
As she grabbed a napkin off the coffee table to blot the wine, she tried her best to explain. “Well, Josie said your kind runs deep and dirty and then you mentioned shitting. I just thought…”
“Well, don’t.”
“In all seriousness, Liv, they wouldn’t offer you the club’s services if they didn’t expect you to take advantage of them,” Josie said in her legally solemn voice. “I think it might be good for you too.”
“Why do I get the feeling you two spend your time pitying me, like I’m some nun or something compared to you guys?”
“How many dates have you had since you and Mark broke up?” Josie asked in her interrogator voice, making me feel like any answer I gave would only validate their sad opinion of me.
I didn’t want to admit that I’d had just a handful of dates in nearly a year, and only one of them had included any sex whatsoever. And that hadn’t been anything to write home about either. Quietly, I admitted, “A few. You know how it is. When it doesn’t click, there’s no point in going any further.”
Josie turned to look at Erin, and they both gave me their best pity faces. “Honey, you’re twenty-seven years old and you spend more time in this apartment alone than any healthy woman should. You’re gorgeous and you could have any man you want. You just choose not to. I know the whole Mark thing was tough, but there are more fish in the sea and you need to put your pole back in the water,” Erin said, her voice full of sympathy.
“I think you have your sexual metaphors mixed up. Seriously, I’m fine, guys.”
Shaking her head, Josie frowned at me. “You’re not fine, but I think you might have a good chance at fine if you find some happiness at this new job and take the chance on their fantasy services.”
“I don’t know,” I said, lying. I knew all too well I didn’t want to get involved in any fantasy business at Club X.
Erin tilted her head and smiled. “We’re not saying you have to try to fulfill a fantasy of having sex with an entire soccer team or anything wild like that. Just try something small that feels good. Will you at least consider it?”
I was never going to see an end to this conversation if I didn’t agree, so I forced a smile and nodded. “I’ll think about it. Good enough?”
“That’s all we’re saying,” Josie answered. “Just keep an open mind, okay?”
“I will. And if I ever come up with something I think Club X can make come true for me, I’ll consider it.”
* * *
Opening the heavy steel door to Club X, I paused as my eyes adjusted to the dim light of the club. The place was quiet and deserted, but I suspected the three owners were nearby. Unlike the day before, I took a good look around my new workplace, imagining my best friends having the time of their lives there. The club was really just a large space lined on the side with metal walkways to the upper floors and an enormous bar on the main floor, but I envisioned when it was filled with people and the lights were flashing to the beat of the music it transformed into the place my friends had bragged about.
I waited for someone to come out and greet me, but after a few minutes no one had appeared so I decided to investigate a little around the main floor. The bar looked like it was made of glass and seemed to go on forever down the left side of the room. Reaching out, I ran my fingers over the top of it and felt the coolness of glass. Above me, hung from the ceiling, hung frosted curved pendant lights. Behind the bar was more glass in shelves and refrigerator doors. Bottles of red, blue, and even a neon green liquor sat on the shelves that reached what looked like ten feet in the air. Craning my neck, I wondered how the bartenders reached the top shelves and the liquor up there to make drinks.
“You came back, so I guess my brothers didn’t scare you off. Good. I bet you’re thinking you can’t imagine how anyone gets to the top shelf stuff, aren’t you?”
I lowered my head and saw Stefan standing next to me. Dressed in what I imagined was his usual look, he wore a black Club X T-shirt and jeans and looked incredible. His hair looked tousled, as if someone had been running their hands through it in the heat of passion just moments before. I imagined it was entirely possible that had actually just happened, likely with one of the many women he had in his life. He had a look that said he was rarely alone and liked it that way.
“You must be reading my mind. I could barely reach the third shelf, much less those all the way near the ceiling.”
He smiled warmly and pointed to a silver button behind the bar. “See that? They’re moveable levels. All the girls have to do is step on them and press the button to reach the highest shelves.”
“Cool. They must have great balance,” I joked, picturing women pitching themselves off the levels by mistake.
“They have railings to hang onto,” he said with a chuckle. “But I’d never thought of the balance problem before. I have no idea how the girls walk in four inch heels every night, but they do it and without falling.”
I noted immediately how he referred to the bartenders as girls. “Are all the bartenders female?”
Stefan leaned his back against the bar and smiled. “Not all of them, but most. There are some male bartenders for the female customers, though.”
I couldn’t help but notice how incredible his body was. His muscular arms bulged out from underneath the cotton T-shirt, and I was sure his abs were washboard cut. Trying to act like I wasn’t checking out one of my bosses, I quickly said, “I’m sure if I had to do their job in four inch heels I’d topple over. It would be a big mess.”
His gaze traveled the full length of my body down to the floor and then back up again. With a twinkle in his eye, he said, “You’d be fine. We’d take good care of you.”
Why was it whenever this man spoke, every word came out the way a man would sound when he was on top of me? As I looked away uneasily, I heard footsteps coming close and turned to see Cassian approaching us, his expression far more serious than his brother’s.
“Good morning, Olivia. I see Stefan has already found you. Has he been explaining the workings of the bar?”
If Stefan sounded like he was always trying to seduce me, Cassian sounded like he was always working to control himself, especially when Stefan was nearby.
“Actually, I was telling her that I think she’d be a perfect bartender. She’d love working under me.”
I could have sworn I saw a flash of anger for the merest moment in Cassian’s eyes as he shot Stefan a glance at the mention of me as a bartender. Whatever his look was meant to telegraph, Cassian looked back at me with a smile that soothed the edge still present in his expression. “Let me escort you to your office and we can get started.”
An awkward feeling settled in among the three of us, so I said goodbye to Stefan and followed Cassian toward the back of the building. Just as the last time I walked behind him, I couldn’t help but check out the view. He may not have been all muscles like his brothers, but Cassian March certainly did fill out a suit well. I knew it was wrong, but something about how serious he was even as he stood there looking gorgeous was incredibly appealing.
Before he caught me checking out his ass, I silently chastised myself for acting like Josie and Erin and made a pledge that I’d be all business, just like he was. He stopped in front of an office right next to his and turned around to face me, his expression back to the serious one he’d worn when we’d talked alone the day before.
“This is your office. While it is separate from mine, they both adjoin in a meeting room through the door on the back wall. Feel free to make yourself at home. I have something to take care of, but I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
With that, he walked past me out toward the bar and I entered my new office, immediately impressed with how nice it was. No cost had been spared on the furniture or décor. A stunning deep red teakwood desk and black leather office chair sat in front of matching teakwood bookcases and file cabinets. Still modern like Cassian’s desk suite, it felt warmer and far more luxurious. Two coordinating leather upholstered chairs were placed in front of the desk, and on the floor was a cream colored tile just like in his office.
It was the nicest office I’d ever had. Taking it all in, I couldn’t help but admit I could get used to this.
“I hope you feel comfortable here, Olivia,” Cassian said behind me.
Turning to face him, I nodded to show my approval. “It’s gorgeous. Whoever picked out this furniture has great taste.”
“I’ll make sure to tell her. I’d have gone for a glass desk like mine, but the designer reminded me that you’d likely prefer something a bit more inviting. I’m glad you like it.”
His face was so cool and emotionless, but something about the way his voice lowered when he said he’d tell the designer how much I liked her taste in furniture made me think there was a lot more to their relationship than simply designer and client. Maybe Mr. All Business wasn’t just that, after all.
“We have a large party to get ready for Friday night. Kane has his part under control, but I need you to plan the event that will occur before they head up to the top floor. I realize you don’t have experience in party planning, but not to worry. I’ll walk you through this first event, and then you’ll be fine for future ones. Sound good?”
“Sure. I’m ready.”
“Great. Let’s get started.”