Vanessa took the bottle from Mel and held it up in front of her eyes. “I’ve been waiting for this. Single malt Japanese whiskey. Aged for thirty years, cask finished. Very difficult to find.”
To Mel’s surprise, she knew what all of those terms meant. James’s lessons had stuck with her. Mel got up to leave.
“Stay. Drink this with me.” Vanessa’s eyes fell to the coat and purse slung over Mel’s arm. “Unless you have somewhere to be?”
Mel hesitated. She did have a lot of work to do. But she wanted to stay. One drink wouldn’t hurt. “No, I don’t,” she said, sitting back down.
Vanessa walked over to the counter. She took two glasses and poured the amber liquid into them, then brought them over to the couch and handed one to Mel. Vanessa took a seat in the chair across from Mel. She swirled the whiskey around in her glass and held it up to her nose. She took a sip. “Not bad,” Vanessa declared.
Mel followed Vanessa’s lead. She couldn’t taste any difference between this whiskey and the one she’d tried the other night.
“So.” Vanessa placed her glass down on the table carefully. “Last time you were in here, I ambushed you with questions. Now that I know so much about you, it’s only fair that I give you a chance to get to know me. Is there anything you’d like to ask me?”
Mel’s mind went blank. There was so much she wanted to know about Vanessa that she didn’t know where to start. “You’re the mystery owner of The Lounge?” It was the only thing she could think of.
“I’ve heard that I’m quite the mystery to you all. Yes, I own The Lounge. It’s one of quite a few bars and clubs that I own. I moved on to bigger things long ago. But I have a soft spot for this place. It was my first investment.” She leaned back in her chair. “You seem surprised.”
“A little,” Mel said. “Everyone thinks you’re some rich old man.”
“I assure you I’m not a man, and I’m only thirty-four” Vanessa said. “I haven’t done anything to discourage those rumors. I may have even dropped a few hints to throw people off my trail.”
“But why the secrecy?” Mel asked.
“A few reasons. I run my own investment firm now. Most of the firm’s clients are extremely conservative. And some of the clubs and venues that I own privately could be considered unsavory to some. Not all of them are as respectable as The Lounge. So I don’t want them associated with my name and my firm.”
What kind of place was less respectable than The Lounge? It wasn’t uncommon for Mel to find little white powder smudges on the restroom countertops.
“And quite simply, I’m a very private person. I don’t want anyone digging through my life. There are certain things about me that would scandalize people if they knew.” Vanessa said. “Is there anything else you want to know?”
“What’s this room for?” Mel asked. “Is it yours?”
“Yes. It was empty when I acquired the premises. I later decided to repurpose it to be something of a second apartment. For when I have company. I don’t like to take women back to my home, so I bring them here instead,” Vanessa said casually. She seemed determined to get under Mel’s skin.
And it was sure working.
“That can’t be all you want to ask me, Melanie,” Vanessa said.
Mel kept her mouth shut. She had a lot of questions on her mind. But there was no way she was going to ask them.
“All right then. I have a question for you.” Vanessa leaned back and crossed her legs, her eyes fixed on Mel’s. “Both of the times you’ve been in here, you haven’t been able to stop staring at my riding crop.”
Mel’s face flushed. She’d hoped Vanessa hadn’t noticed. No, that was a lie.
“Does it make you uncomfortable?” Vanessa asked.
“No,” Mel said softly.
“Does it scare you?”
“No.”
Vanessa examined Mel’s face silently. “Could it be that you’re curious?”
Mel’s heart sped up. “Maybe a little…” She couldn’t help herself. There was something about Vanessa that made Mel feel compelled to answer her truthfully.
“Would you like to take a closer look?” Vanessa asked, her voice a low purr. Without waiting for a response, Vanessa walked over to the bed and picked up the riding crop. She sat down on the coffee table in front of Mel and held the whip up before her chest. “It’s a lovely piece of workmanship. Custom made. Leather. Narrow tip. The thinner the tip, the greater the bite.” With a flick of her wrist, Vanessa slapped it against her palm.
A soft gasp escaped Mel’s lips. The sound of the impact surprised her. And it set off a spark somewhere deep inside of her.