Thoroughly Whipped

The door was smashed open, and two women came barreling in. “He was, by far, the hottest guy I’ve ever seen in my life.”

“And he had an accent.” These women were both blond and pretty. “If I’m not under him tonight, then I may as well go back home to Oklahoma and marry Jimmy Burns. That guy out there was the reason I came to New York. I bet he’s amazing in bed. The quiet ones always are.”

Harry. Of course they were talking about Harry.

I snorted a laugh. The one who had been talking gave me the side eye, seeing me dipped into a limbo position under the hand dryer blowing on my breasts. She curled her lip. I rolled my eyes, dipping back as far as I could, widening my smile. Shaking their heads, they left, and I hoped to god she collared him. Lord knew the viscount needed a good fuck. Maybe then he’d learn how to crack a smile for once in his life and maybe loosen up at work. Hell, in life!

Once my dress was dry enough and appeared to not be a total write-off, I walked back into the hallway, sighing in relief when it was empty. Instead of going back to my friends, I headed straight to the bar. I was buying us a bottle of prosecco, whatever I could afford. I had my credit card with me, and I was seizing the day and using it.

The bartender sighed as he saw me coming. “More sodas?”

“Au contraire!” I said smugly. “A bottle of prosecco.” I handed him my card. He winked as he took it. I quickly grabbed his arm, stopping him in his tracks. “But make it the cheapest you have.” He shook his head in exasperation.

“Make that a bottle of Cristal. On me.” An arm reached over me, and the bartender nodded. He handed the stranger my card. When I turned, a blond man with gray eyes smiled down at me. He read the name on my credit card. “Faith Parisi. I believe this is yours.”

He was a handsome bastard, and when he smiled, my breath caught in my throat. “And you are?” I asked.

The bartender came back with the Cristal and four glasses. “On my tab,” the mystery guy said. I waited for him to give me his name, but instead he pulled a black business card from his pocket and handed it to me. “If you’re ever feeling adventurous,” he said, pointing to the card, “don’t lose this. It’s your golden ticket to the chocolate factory, Charlie.” Then, kissing the back of my hand, he moved away through the crowd like a ghost. I lost sight of him as he disappeared into the mass of bodies and smoke. I glanced down at the card, all kinds of confused. A phone number was on the back, and a code of some kind. When I flipped the card over, one word was spelled out in richly embossed silver: NOX.

The breath left my lungs, and my mouth dropped open. I turned and grabbed my champagne; then I made my way back to our table as fast as my shaking legs would carry me. My friends were already there when I returned.

“There you are! I was about to gather a search party!” Amelia lifted her brows in surprise when she saw the Cristal. “What’s all this? Did you win the lottery and not tell us or something?”

“Long story. But I was bought this.” I then held out the card to Novah.

Within seconds she looked at me and whispered, “You lucky bitch.”

“What is it?” Sage said and took it from Novah. His eyes widened. “Faith. Forget the lottery. You’ve just hit the jackpot with this.”

“What is it?” Amelia asked. She read the card. “What the hell is NOX?”

“It’s a sex club,” I said, still stunned with disbelief.

“A what?” Amelia choked.

“A sex club. A sex club, she says!” Novah said dramatically. “It’s not merely a sex club, it’s the sex club! The sex club of the elite. The rich and famous. All kinds of high-powered people go there. It’s a damn fortress. People pay a fortune to get a membership there, that or—”

“You get invited,” Sage said, looking at me like I was a damn mythical creature who’d just stepped into this world on the back of a pink unicorn. “To be invited is more than rare. But if you do, you get a free membership.”

Novah started jumping up and down. “Fuck, Faith, you just got invited to NOX!” Novah grabbed the champagne. “Wait, who invited you? Did he buy you this too? What the hell happened when you went to the bathroom?”

“Some hot blond guy approached me at the bar.”

“Wait, wait, wait!” Amelia said, making a slicing motion at her neck. She stood in front of me. “Faith. Firstly, what the hell? And secondly, you’re not thinking of going are you? A sex club, Faith? A sex club?”