Could she plead insanity? That seemed like the only explanation as to why she’d somehow agreed to Bryant’s proposal. Why would she want to go anywhere with him? Lexi would just tell her what had occurred and she could make up her own damn mind as to how pissed off she had to be. He’d hypnotized her again with those magic eyes and although her brain was screaming ‘no’, she’d somehow ended up nodding her agreement.

A part of her called bullshit. She’d agreed because she wanted to believe him. She wanted him to make it abundantly clear that he wasn’t going to sniff around Lexi…or anyone.

Tori cursed herself. So, yes, they’d had sex. Great sex. That didn’t explain why she was still so affected by him, though. Sure, he was pretty enough to look at, but from the very start, she’d pegged him as the kind of man she couldn’t imagine anything long term with. She recalled his clinically clean apartment, and swept her place in one glance. She had a cleaner come in once a week, and she wasn’t a complete heathen, but there was an empty cup of coffee from the previous day on a table in the living room, she’d left her plate and cutlery from the previous night in the sink. There was a throw sitting on her favorite beat-up sofa, along with about half a dozen colorful cushions. She mentally imagined Bryant walking in, and cringed. What would she do with him? Where would she put him and his perfectly crisp suits?

He didn’t fit in her life. She frowned, wondering if that was the reason why she pushed him away so much. She couldn’t really have him, so she preferred if he stayed completely out of her life.

Well, that was dumb, and immature, too. The man couldn’t and wouldn’t just disappear. He was James’ brother, and he was the CEO of Croft Advertising. She resolved there and then that if he really wasn’t trying to get Lexi into some weird shit, she’d stop behaving like a high-schooler and attempt to get along with him.

It was in that state of mind that she listened to Lexi the next day.

They met up at a sushi bar, although it meant that she was going to have to grab a snack in the middle of the afternoon; regardless of how many sushi she ate, she was always starving a couple of hours after lunch. Still, completely worth it.

“I’m really sorry about texting you this weekend. I just don’t have that many friends in town, and no one back home would have known who I was talking about if I told them I was going somewhere with Bryant Parker. Then, they would have googled him, and assumed things, and asked questions…”

Tori didn’t say that while she’d had no need to google anything, she’d certainly assumed things and she sure as fuck wanted to ask questions.

“I get it,” Tori nodded. “I’m glad you texted. If there’s a next time, though, just let me know you get home safe, too. I mean, I’m not your mother, but if you text me…”

Lexi cringed. “Sorry. Totally should have thought of confirming I was okay after something like that. But, by the time I went home, I was on cloud nine - it completely escaped my mind.”

Tori nodded. Then, an annoying silence stretched.

Fuck this. She needed to know, and Lexi had promised to spill. “So…how was it?”

Lexi beamed. “You can’t even begin to imagine, Tori. I mean… okay, so you know about BDSM, right?”

Tori froze like a deer caught in the headlights.

“Yeah, I mean, I’ve seen movies, and read some books, I guess…”

And she’d also been tied up and fucked into oblivion, but that was the extent of it.

“Exactly. I read super sexy books, and I got curious. Back home, I never did anything about it, because, well, it was a pretty small town, so that wasn’t an option - but when I arrived in NYC, I started researching clubs.”

Lexi was glancing at her from the corner of her eyes, as if trying to read her reaction. Tori did her best to smile encouragingly.

“Go on?”

“There are group chats, and everyone said the club I tried this weekend was the best; it seemed safe enough. I liked it. I mean, the ambiance was incredible. I can’t say I found anyone I wanted to…do things with, though. There were three guys trying to pick me up, and not really getting my polite ‘no’. I mean, they weren’t creeping me out, but they weren’t leaving me alone, either. I was just about to actually say thanks, but no thanks, when I saw Bryant.”

Tori couldn’t help it; she didn’t even plan them, but the words were out of her mouth.

“Was he there with anyone?”

The blond shook her head, and Tori’s shoulders relaxed.

“Nah, it was just him. He said that club wasn’t great, security wise, and he knew a better one. I mean, everyone online said it was the best, but as I wasn’t into anyone, I figured I could always go see that other place, you know? He’s the one who mentioned I should text someone, by the way. He seemed very concerned about my safety.”

Tori’s smile was a little more genuine this time. “That’s rather sweet of him, actually.”

“Right? Anyway, we got to this super-posh building. There were huge security men just about everywhere, and they got me in an office. I freaked out a little, because they pushed a lot of paper my way - a nondisclosure agreement, for one, and I had to agree to a background check, too.”

It explained why Bryant had offered to show her, rather than tell her about his club. Still, Tori frowned.

“Won’t you get in trouble if you tell me anything, then?”

Lexi shook her head.

“I was a legal secretary for two years, so I know my way around that sort of contract; it seemed pretty legit. The NDA states that it is null and void if anything happens to me and I want to tell the police. I can’t talk about what I see, who I see there, and I can’t give the location away. Trust me, I’m not about to break my contract. Anyway, I like it: it means no one has the right to talk about me.”

That made an awful lot of sense.

“Bryant sat there, and kept on telling me I could get out anytime. I’d never heard of that club - no one mentions it online or anything. When I got in, though…let’s just say I understood why. The people I met? Some of them are on TV. Some of them make the Forbes list of richest people around the planet.”

“Jesus. How much did that cost you?”

The corner of the assistant’s mouth curled up. “I got in on Bryant’s membership. I think the woman who set me up said he can get five people in. She joked about how she’s surprised it took him so long to bring a woman in. He told her we’re just friends, though. Then they showed me around each floor and I basically creamed my panties for about three hours. Can’t say much more, but wow.”

Tori couldn’t place a finger on what she was feeling. Lexi had mostly eased her concerns; it didn’t sound like Bryant was trying to get her into sex trafficking or whatever else she’d imagined when she’d first read the text. She hadn’t really believed him capable of that, but still, she was glad that possibility had gone out the window. And, apparently, Lexi had found her way to that scene by herself.

Still, Tori wasn’t happy about the development. Imagining her friend being shown around sexy stuff by Bryant made her feel…

No. She wasn’t going to say jealous, dammit. She just wasn’t.