“What are you doing?”
“Getting closer to you, sweetheart.” He leaned to whisper in my ear. “I’m here to do what everyone else is here to do—and I’m going to do it with you. I just had no idea I was going to get lucky enough to fuck a college girl. Why don’t we head to a private room? Would you like to have another girl join us? Or another man? Maybe someone who likes to watch?”
I pulled myself out of his grasp and hopped down from my barstool.
“Don’t fucking touch me.”
“Hey now, what’s this all about?” He asked, throwing his hands up in mock surrender.
I looked for Celeste to back me up, but she was stuck at the other end of the bar running a blender and couldn’t hear me over the noise from that and the music.
Chadwick reached for me again and I jerked away, turning to head around the corner when I ran smack into the solid chest of none other than Jake Mesa.
“Problem?” He asked. His tone was so even, so measured and sure, that I was certain if there had been a problem there was no longer one.
He steered me back toward the bar and Chadwick, who was looking at Jake with disdain. Still holding his hands in the air, he tried to laugh it all off.
“Hey buddy, there’s no problem here. My friend and I were just talking.”
Jake looked down at me. “Is this your friend, Taylor?”
“No, he is not,” I said as I shot Chadwick a dirty look.
“Sir, can I see your card?” Jake asked the man and Chadwick fumbled to find it in his wallet. When he handed it over Jake took it without giving it a second glance. “You do understand that when you sign the contract to join the club you agree to a certain set of rules, correct?”
The man nodded.
“You seem to be struggling with one of them—one of the rules which, in my opinion, is the most important of all. That rule is about consent and making sure that your companion is just as interested in the activities as you are. The lady doesn’t appear to want your company, and yet you continue to pursue her.”
Jake held the card between two fingers and studied it.
“This is a warning. We don’t generally give those, but I’m feeling friendly tonight. If I see you step one toe out of line in this establishment again, you’ll wish you never stepped a foot inside the door. Do you understand?”
Chadwick looked genuinely frightened as he nodded. Jake flicked the card back at him and the man scrambled to find it on the floor.
“I think it’s best that you leave for the night. Come back another time when you’re feeling more congenial.” With a simple nod of his head, Jake had two security guards beside us and escorting Chadwick Fontaine out of the building.
I looked up at him, realizing how flustered I really was by the man’s advances, but unwilling to admit it.
“If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go make sure that Mr. Fontaine understands exactly what isn’t allowed in this club.”
Jake saw himself out behind the security guards and I turned to Celeste who was now done mixing the drink she had been working on and stood near the end of the bar.
“I would not want to be that guy,” she muttered.
“Do you know him?”
She shook her head. “His membership card indicated this isn’t his home location. Probably in town for business. I just wouldn’t want to rile up Jake. He takes the rules very seriously, as you heard him say. And the consent thing…well, it’s one of the main tenets of this place. If people aren’t treating others with respect then the whole thing falls apart. None of the owners will put up with that kind of behavior. It is the quickest way to get you banned. Not just from one location, but from the entire club. He might not be back here again.”
I sat back down at the bar, somewhat shaken. I didn’t know when Samantha would be off work, but I hoped that it would be soon. All I wanted was to be back home in my cozy bed and away from here.
A few minutes later I sensed some motion out of the corner of my eye and saw that Jake had returned. He was straightening his jacket and looking around the club floor before his eyes landed on me there at the bar.
“You’re still here,” he said, looking a little surprised.
I nodded. “I’m waiting to pick up my friend.”
He offered a kind smile. “I wanted to say I’m very sorry that you were treated that way here at Club V. That’s not what we’re about and I hope you won’t let that one person’s behavior spoil your opinion of the place.”