The Marriage Clause (Dirty Sexy Rich 1)

“This is a...sex club?” I managed, still staring, my gaze snagging on a woman on her knees sucking a man’s cock as if her life depended on the come jetting down her throat. She was naked, aside from the tiny pasties attached to her nipples and the thong that barely covered her pussy. I should’ve been horrified. Disgusted, even.

But I wasn’t.

There was something intoxicatingly exciting about the taboo place. Everywhere I looked there was something illicit and forbidden happening right before my eyes.

After spending my life under the shadow of who I was supposed to become...the idea of being whoever I wanted within these walls had my heart hammering with instant arousal.

Damn Luca for knowing my secret perverted heart.

Luca graced me with an inquiring look as if to ask, Shall we stay? and I gave him a small nod and tremulous smile in answer.

The sensual energy in the club twisted a knot around my senses as we wound our way through the crowded dance floor to a raised section where a table awaited us. Luca seemed comfortable, familiar even, with the place, and I immediately had questions I shouldn’t ask.

The puffed burgundy leather booth was grotesquely ornate, ostentatious and borderline in poor taste, but that was what made it perfect for the surroundings. Everything bore a decadent yet used quality that spoke of the hedonism found in this place. I couldn’t stop staring, my breath suspiciously shallow, as I was bombarded with sights and sounds that were usually reserved for private moments.

A tall, broad-shouldered, dark-haired man with a curvy woman on his arm approached with a knowing grin. “Fucking Luca Donato, you son of a bitch, you came after all.” He clasped Luca’s hand and pumped it vigorously before they embraced in a man hug.

“Dillon Buchanan,” Luca returned with an equal smirk before turning to the curvaceous woman with a respectful bow. “And you must be the woman who made an honest man out of this asshole.”

Dillon beamed, making introductions. “My beautiful wife and business partner, Penny. Penny, this is Luca Donato. We used to run together back in the day.”

“I won’t hold that against you,” Penny promised with a sweet smile before turning to me. “And you are...?”

Luca answered before I could. “My fiancée, Katherine,” he said.

I quickly followed with “Pleasure to meet you,” before shooting Luca an uncertain look. It was obvious Luca and Dillon knew each other from connections I had no access to. I had so many questions, but now was not the time to ask, and besides, they seemed very nice, in spite of the surroundings and the fact that I could almost see the woman’s nipples overflowing from her tight bustier. I shifted a little, knowing my nipples were similarly in the danger zone of popping out.

Well, when in Rome, I guess.

“Pleased to meet you,” Penny said, looping her arm around her husband. “Are you here for the auction?”

“The auction?” I repeated, confused. “What is that?”

“Darling, don’t ruin the surprise,” Dillon admonished when he realized I was clueless. To Luca he said, “I’ll have some champagne sent over. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to drop my name.”

The Buchanan couple left us, and I immediately turned to Luca. “What the hell is the auction? You’re crazy if you think you’re selling me to the highest bidder in this place.”

He laughed as if my fear was absurd. “You should know by now I don’t share.”

I relaxed a little. “So, what is it, then?”

“Malvagio is very exclusive, very difficult to get into. Prospective members must earn a sponsor. Tonight, the hopefuls will step on the stage in the attempt to snag someone’s interest. It’s quite entertaining. I didn’t know the auction was tonight when I called Dillon, but I think you’ll find it worth a watch.”

An auction where people hoped to be bought. What a foreign concept. I’d been bartered in a business transaction before I’d understood the meaning of the word, and yet the people here wanted to be bought.

Luca sensed my disquiet and leaned over to whisper in my ear, “Darling, it’s all a game. A consensual game where the ultrarich get to pretend and forget their obligations for a night. No one is truly bought and sold.” I relaxed until he amended his statement, saying, “Actually, that’s not entirely true. Once a sponsor makes a purchase, that person is obligated to please their sponsor in any way they choose for a year. It’s all in good fun, though. No one is asked to do anything against their will or comfort level.”

It all sounded reasonable, except I imagined that their comfort level and mine were vastly different.

“Have you ever...sponsored someone?” I asked, though I didn’t know why it mattered.

“No.” I couldn’t hide the whoosh of air released from my lungs, and he laughed. “Aw, if I didn’t know better, I’d say my woman is a bit jealous.”

“Don’t flatter yourself,” I replied, but the burn in my chest at the idea of Luca pleasuring anyone aside from me was telling. It also ignited a memory I’d rather forget. I settled against the plush cushions. “So, what now?”

“Now we wait for the show to begin.” The champagne arrived, and he handed me a glass. “How about a toast?”

I raised my glass. “What shall we toast?”

“New beginnings?” he suggested with a cheeky grin, which I immediately countered with a brief smile.

“Closure.”

The glitter in his eyes told me he wasn’t pleased, but I didn’t care.

I would prove to Luca that it would take more than our sexual chemistry to make me forget why I needed out of my contract.

But as I sipped my champagne, the bubbles tickling my nose, my masked gaze watching the people on the floor writhe and move to the music, a strange exhilaration loosened my inhibitions.

Tonight, hiding behind my mask, I was free to do as I pleased.

Perhaps that even meant allowing myself to hav

e sex with Luca, one last time.

Maybe.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Luca

THE LIGHTS DIMMED and the crowd roared as a voice over the loudspeaker announced the beginning of the auction. All eyes went to the stage as the thick velvet curtains rose, and one after the other, the hopefuls walked the stage, the announcer listing their attributes.

“Carli is a sweet girl from a good, upstanding family in Rhode Island, but when she’s not volunteering to help orphaned animals, she’s taking it up the ass! That’s right, Carli loves a fat cock up her ass. Who would like to plug this lovely beauty tonight? The bidding starts at ten thousand!”

Katherine giggled and clapped her hand over her mouth in delighted shock. “I can’t believe this is happening. Do they write their own stuff or is this just made up?”

I shrugged. “Who knows? All I know is that just as her real name isn’t Carli, I doubt any of these people do any volunteer work. Malvagio is all about satisfying the most jaded of appetites, if you know what I mean.”

Katherine nodded and her eyes sparkled as she watched the carnal show. One after the other, women, all impeccably groomed and fanatically physically perfect, walked the catwalk, their talents shared with the potential sponsors.

Once the sponsor made the purchase, a golden collar was clasped around their necks, then they were led off the stage by a thin gold chain to do whatever they were asked to do.

By the end, our bottle of champagne was gone and Katherine was itching to dance.

I laughed as she grabbed my hand and dragged me to the dance floor.

Closing her eyes, she lost herself to the beat of the music, her hips swaying and grinding, a visual that nearly had me busting a nut right there on the floor.

God, she was hot.

Appreciative, and some downright hungry, glances were thrown Katherine’s way, but she was oblivious, which worked in my favor, because that meant she also didn’t catch the back the fuck off vibe I was sending to the wolves in the den.