Chapter 12

DIMITRI

“Selene wants to become exclusive.”

I choke on my drink at the club as one of my close friends, Hudson, reveals his dilemma. An insensitive laugh lurches out of my throat, making me slap my chest with a fist.

Hudson rolls his eyes and takes a sip of his wine as he spreads himself leisurely on the red couch.

We are seated in one of the voyeur rooms raised high above a glass-paneled stage below, where a woman is getting rammed into by a man twice her age. She is tied up, on her knees, and blindfolded while the man fucks her ass.

The place is crowded tonight, which is a given for a Friday night at Private Affairs. People are gathered around in leather seats, drinks in hand. Some have their headphones on, while others watch silently, but all for the same reason—to be someone they are not outside.

I catch a few familiar faces, but the ones who don’t want to be recognized wear a mask.

“Is she crazy? That defeats the whole purpose of this club,” I say.

“Tell her that,” Hudson says with a grunt, scratching the center of his forehead with a thumb. “I warned her not to get close. This is the thing about women—fucking uncontrollable with their emotions.”

Selene has been one of Hudson’s regulars. She is the only one able to meet his insatiable needs when it comes to pleasure. But I warned him about the dreamy eyes the woman had been directing his way. Those were a sign of fascination.

In this club, fascination leads to obsession, which could be deadly.

“It’s not just women. Don’t be a misogynist,” I say. “Anyone can get too close.”

“Being exclusive is a big fucking thing.”

I agree. It is a big fucking thing. Being exclusive inside the club is almost like being in a relationship in the real world. Once you become exclusive, you can’t even get a lap dance from another artist without your partner watching over you.

It would be like cheating on your wife.

Yeah, you are married to your exclusive in a way. Very, very married.

“Well,” I say, taking a sip of my drink. “You don’t like seeing her with other men, so I don’t think it’d be that bad to make ~her~ exclusive to ~you~.”

“Good point. Maybe she’ll go for that.” He nods and shifts his attention to the sex show. After a moment, he asks, “And what about you?” He smirks, flashing his eyes at me and winking as he finishes his wine.

“Me?”

“You haven’t been here in weeks. Going to give us a show tonight?” Hudson nods his head toward the stage. “What was the name of your last scene partner? Talia? Tasha?”

I sigh, trying to recall who it was I fucked last, but everyone other than her is forgettable, it seems. And now that I am here, I regret coming. Despite all the beautiful and available women around me, I want none of them.

Not even Sage, who is taking her time getting dressed in whatever she has in store for me. Part of me almost feels sorry for leading her on, making her think I am into her. But she is just a vessel for me to get rid of this want I have for Anya.

Anya, who hasn’t spoken to me all week. We had three classes together, and she was silent. Just like I was, though. I guess we ran out of words after mapping them onto each other’s skin. Now, she is deep in my veins, and I can’t erase her like any other one-night stand.

“No show tonight, but I do have plans,” I reply, not wanting to elaborate.

His green eyes glint at my words. “Is it that Sage again? Are you guys dating?”

I scoff. “You’d be the first to know if I started dating anyone.”

“Yeah, I bet!” He laughs, slapping a hand on his thigh. “Oh, I heard they have two new serving girls. Two young ones.”

“How young?” I blink at him, hoping he is not saying what I think he is. “College girls?” My pulse kicks up a gear as he nods.

“Yeah, I think so.”

~Shit!~ “You fucking kidding me?” I slam my glass down on a nearby table, frustration storming up my nerves. “We had a deal about not having college students here. I’m not the only university faculty member in this club. We can’t risk that kind of exposure.”

“Preston didn’t know they were in college,” Hudson explains. “He gave the job to a girl he hooked up with at a bar, and she brought her friend along.” He shrugs. “I guess she’s the one in college.”

I feel like grating my eyeballs out. “Fuck! This is bad. Where are they?”

He points a finger behind me while rubbing his chin with his thumb. “I see one right behind you.”

Turning, I follow his gaze, and my breath stills when it lands on the figure of an elegant blonde in a cat mask that covers all of her face except for a little, luscious mouth. Those lips alone are enough for me to recognize her, but my eyes still need to take her all in to confirm it.

Her long, dreamy curls are the same ones I had wrapped around my fists, her full hips are the same ones I held onto while I thrust into her over and over, and her luscious legs are the same ones I had wrapped around my head.

Dim lights cast a euphoric glow on her, lighting up the parts of her body that are on full display to all the hungry eyes in the room. She is dressed in lingerie and black boots reaching to her midthighs, giving every man she passes an eyeful of herself.

Anya smiles at a man, showing her bright, perfectly shaped teeth before she hands him a glass. Then she sways her hips delicately as she walks away. She is a dream for everyone. All eyes linger on her as she moves among the crowd.

My throat dries, and a sudden rush of possessiveness blinds me.

~What the hell is she doing here?~