“It’s not like you don’t have the same world and pool of guys at your fingertips!” I exclaimed.
She shook her head. “Yeah, but I’ve got the feeling you’ve got something really great ahead of you. You’ve never done it before, you’re older than some people are when they have sex for the first time and you’ve got a good idea of what you want. I think you’re in a great place.”
I fished the card out of my pocket and placed it on the coffee table, pushing it toward her. She reached for it and saw the name. Looking up with some surprise, she spoke with trepidation.
“Where did you get this?” She asked.
“He gave it to me.”
Her eyes widened slightly. “Wow. That’s…something. Not sure if I would call him up though. I mean, if we’re continuing the same conversation here.”
“He’s experienced I guess.”
Samantha cleared her throat. “You could say that.”
I tilted my head and looked at her with narrowed eyes. “Yes, but what would you say about him?”
She shrugged slightly. “I would say that he has a bit of a reputation around the club. Clearly, this is confidential between you and me, and I really don’t know anything for certain. But when you work at a place like Club V…you hear things. I’ve been there long enough now to have heard some pretty crazy stories about the owners.”
“What do you know about them?” I asked with genuine curiosity. I had gotten quite a glimpse at Jake Mesa that evening, but I wondered what else Sam might know. She was right about workplace gossip and if he was doing what he did to Miss Diamond Collar to other women who worked at the club, I had no doubt that word was making its way through the groups of women who worked there.
“Okay, so, the club was originally started by three friends when they were in college. They are all still owners of the club and still very active, although I haven’t really worked much with any of them. I’m still pretty low-level bar staff. They don’t really engage with us much. Anyway, they were all friends in college and decided to start up Club V. They started with one location and it grew and as you may or may not know, they are all over the country now. They’ve got one in almost every major city.”
“So these guys are filthy rich?”
She exaggerated her nod. “Filthy, fucking rich. There are so many people coming in from foreign countries to become members and they charge them an arm and a leg— more than domestic memberships. They’re making money hand over fist with no sign of stopping anytime soon.”
I chewed my lip. This was mostly stuff I knew, but I wasn’t sure how far to press Sam for personal info on the guys, Jake Mesa in particular. It didn’t sound like she had much interaction with any of them.
“Who are they?”
“Neil, Pete, and the one who gave you his card is Jake. I’ve probably seen more of Neil around, but Jake has the reputation with some of the girls around the club. There are a few who have messed around with him and they quit shortly after.”
I frowned at that. It didn’t sound good at all. “Why?”
She shrugged. “I’ve heard things. It’s not like he’s done anything wrong or unlawful, but I think he’s got an interest in things that some of the girls are not really into. And he’s kind of scary and intense. He’s really got that whole alpha male, brooding thing going on.”
“I gathered that much,” I said quietly as I reached for the card and turned it over in my hands.
“He gave you his cell number.”
I nodded. “He did indeed.”
“Did he just come up to the bar and give it to you? Like was he flirting with you or anything?”
“I’m not sure, but he might have been trying to get me to become a member or something. He mentioned ‘fresh blood’.”
“Holy shit, Tay. Please don’t call him. I don’t think he’s dangerous, but I don’t think he’s the sort of guy you want to mess with. Not with what you’re looking for. He might give you a good time, but I think his good time consists of something more than what you are looking for.”
I nodded. “I know.”
Samantha stopped mid-sip of her tea. “What do you mean you know?”
I looked up at her, realizing what I had said. I hadn’t been sure that I was going to reveal what I saw to her, but knowing what she knew about the guy, I didn’t think I would be revealing anything too surprising about his proclivities.
I took a deep breath. “I was trying to find the bathroom this evening because the staff one was out of order, and I accidentally stumbled into his office.”
Samantha put her mug of tea down. “Oh hell no. This is some Beauty and the Beast, ‘stay out of the west wing’ shit. Tell me you turned around and walked right out of there.”