4

SUMMER

I didn’t think there was another floor to this place, and as we walked up the back staircase I could feel my hands shaking in anticipation. I knew there was a main floor and a VIP balcony, but that was it. Where was he taking me? The bouncers in this club had a stark reputation for protecting their performers, so if someone thought I was in trouble they would’ve come to get me.

Right?

We stopped at the third floor and he pushed the door open, revealing a decadent room with incredibly low lighting. There was a separate bar with a bartender in a suit as well as leather furniture peppering the main room. There were people on the couches writhing all over one another. One woman was taking off her own shirt while a man sank to his knees in front of her, and I saw another man pull out his dick right there on a leather chair before someone started sucking it!

“What the hell is this place?” I asked.

“This is The Woods. The Wild is where you perform, but this is a secret hideaway that was built above the club and bar itself about ten years ago,” he said.

I listened and moans and groans filled the room, and I couldn’t help but look away. I caught the bartender’s stare and I could tell his eyes were sizing me up. I felt uncomfortable in the atmosphere with everyone taking off their clothes. I felt Mr. Johnson’s hand lightly descend onto my waist however, and he led me over into a dark corner.

A corner that was concealed from everyone else.

“Mr. Johnson, I don’t think-”

“I’m just going to educate you a bit. I’m not going to touch you if you don’t want me to,” he said.

“Good, because I’m getting out of here,” I said. “What the hell is this place? Where did you take me?” I asked.

“It’s The Woods, Miss Summer. It’s a secret hideaway that the billionaires of the city donate to in order to keep it open. It runs solely off our donations, which means that bartender back there makes a serious amount of money to keep this secret. It’s where men like myself bring our little playthings for the evening.”

“Excuse me?” I asked. “Did you just call me a ‘plaything’?”

Did he really just call me a ‘plaything’? Did he actually think that I was going to get down on my knees and willingly suck his dick in front of other people? There was a man currently cumming down a woman’s throat in the corner while another woman panted and moaned while she chased her own orgasm on another man’s face! I wasn’t staying here a second longer, much less taking my clothes off in it.

Who did this man think he was?

“Mr. Johnson, I don’t know what kind of woman you take me to be-”

“You’re the kind of woman who knows what she wants,” he said as he ran his hand up and down my arm. “The kind of woman who can toggle between classic, sultry, and innocent depending on the needs of the situation. You’re a talented, vibrant, independent soul who probably secretly enjoys giving over her control to a man who knows what he’s doing. And Miss Summer, I most certainly know what I’m doing,” he said.

“You’re disgusting.” I shoved him away and headed for the door. My heels hit the floor desperately as I tried to get away, but just as I swung the door open I felt his fingers curl around my hand. His long, intentional fingers that boasted of experience and desire. I could feel the way he guided me and didn’t force me to stay, and for a split second I wondered what those fingers would feel like traveling up my thigh.

“Is that all you wanted me to be?” I asked.

“It’s all most women want when it comes to me, Miss Summer. You’re lucky, you know. I pick and choose my women with prudish standards. Women experience nights of wining and dining. Women have been known to receive presents from me they can pawn for cash that’ll help them thrive for years after the fact. I change lives, Miss Summer. And I’ve chosen to change yours. Don’t you understand? I’m Abraham Johnson, of the Shyft Johnsons.”

Of course, he was. I couldn’t believe I’d fallen for the act. What the hell was I thinking? And how could I have been so naive? Decent men didn’t come to The Wild. Men who were looking for decent women didn’t come anywhere near this place. Rich man-scum came to The Wild for an evening thrill. I couldn’t believe I’d allowed him to convince me that I was somehow special. That I could possibly be of more worth to him than his wealth. That I was somehow going to wake up next to this beautiful man and swim in his dark, brooding eyes while we ate pancakes in the morning ass naked in his home.

Change my life? No man changed my life. I changed my own life the moment I walked off that stage with everyone chanting my name. I didn’t need a Johnson giving me some diamond necklace I could pawn for money. I’d changed my own circumstances with the hard work, dedication, and long hours I’d put in waitressing and living in a one-bedroom apartment with three other people.

What the fuck was wrong with me? What the hell had I expected?

I turned my gaze back to him and he dropped my hand. If he thought he’d seen the innocent and the sultry and the whatever else he called me out for, then he was really going to enjoy this side.

The stone-cold side that could cut someone off and never look back.

“I’m glad you enjoyed the performance tonight, Mr. Johnson,” I said lightly. “I hope you do come back and enjoy the next show.”

I saw the hesitancy flash behind his eyes just for a second. In that very moment, he recognized the grave mistake he just made and I watched him lean back onto his heels. My eyes stayed hooked onto his while my mysterious stare turned to one of ice. My body went rigid and I held my breath, not wanting the trembling of my limbs to give away how absolutely petrified I was of this entire situation.

I was never coming back up here so long as I lived.

Then, when I was sure he was good and turned off, I turned my back and started down the steps.