The Irresistible Bundle (131 page)

The crowd jumps up giving a standing ovation as the music cuts off. Men stumble off their chairs while we blow kisses winking at the patrons. This shit is just too much fun to pull off. I can do these numbers all night because yes, I love being a cock tease. Talk about empowering a bitch!

"Okay boys you only have about an hour to recover from those naughty girls before we bring in the New Year!" The DJ's voice booms over the patrons. I follow Carina into the dressing room knowing we have to hurry up and get ready. We're officially done for the night.

I can't wait to toast to the New Year. This was just too busy of a year and I'm beyond ready to begin with a clean slate. Out with the old and in with the new.

GAUNTLET

~ DIEGO ~

"Did you hear?" A giddy Sati bounces into the room. Her eyes flare with excitement as she stares at the group gathered together. Valentino invited everyone over to the club to hang out while he and Marco take care of things. It's obvious they want to keep Carina close but can't do it without everyone else.

"Nicholas is charging a premium for those who want to receive lap dances. It's no longer going to be all the men within the nightclub."

"And how does that make us different than a strip club?" Andrea squeaks. Her usually mocha colored skin pinks beautifully.

The lap dance numbers are just like all the others with the exception of audience participation. It's still choreographed, rehearsed, and professional. I've seen the girls go over the moves and timing for hours on end. It's too easy to only see the end product without taking into consideration how much work they put into it. It's no secret that I wasn't thrilled about the girls working for Nicholas. I didn't think he had much to offer them in terms of quality employment but they're all proving me wrong at every turn. Their performances grow in popularity; with patrons constantly asking for more. I'm surprised it's taken Nicholas this long to make that decision.

"Because it's us" Desirae flings her hair over her shoulder making a few of the girls giggle. She has a point; anyone else trying to pull this off would just look like a bunch of wannabe strippers.

Sati and Carina sit the excited group down explaining the details of Nicholas' expectations. It's impressive watching their "business" interactions. Sati and Carina remain professional while the others ask genuine and outrageous questions. They toss around a few song ideas before calling Nicholas and agreeing to a predetermined schedule. Their original plan was to only work for the estate during the summer and perform at the nightclub for special events; now Nicholas wants them at least one weekend a month plus holidays and special events.

"School remains the number one priority" I firmly remind them. I don't care if I sound like a nagging parent.

"We know" Carina, Andrea, and Sati reply in sing-song unison. Griffin chuckles knowing their acceptance makes me happy. Getting into college is a process but flunking out or abandoning it is too damn easy. I don't want them to lose focus or have regrets. It's no secret that Desirae plans to make a career within the estate's walls. I still don't know how I feel about it but I can't frown upon her choices.

"Tonight we'll pilot the concept" Sati refocuses the conversations.

"But you're open to the public" I interject. At least with members they know the rules and consequences for overstepping the boundary. The general public is a whole different stage.

"Nicholas is on it" Sati calmly replies. "He has extra security for the evening and mentioned something about ensuring they can't touch us."

"What time do we have to head over?" The girls all look at their phones trying to arrange enough time to rehearse a few things before having to get ready for the night. I stare at Desirae, hard, trying to get her to give in and look at me. I miss our battle of wits and war. We're at a stalemate and I'm trying to figure out a way to get back into the trenches. I've been banned from the dungeons completely until further notice and that just fucking sucks. I don't have a need like other people but it was nice to go down to the lower level and release some of this pent-up energy in better ways. I'm not a big drinker and I don't do one-night stands. I guess it's time to get involved in team sports again. Griffin and I never had problems getting into leagues or getting enough rounds in during open gym.

The girls gather their things waving goodbye to us. Rafe looks at me trying to determine if we're permitted to stay or have to leave right behind them. I'm just as lost as he is. I don't usually hang out with Valentino and Marco without Carina. It isn't that I don't want to, it's just that the three are always together when they're not at work or school.

"Rafe" Marco approaches the table with a smirk on his face. Of the two, Marco's the one with the bisexual history. From what I know about the guys, Marco dated both men and women throughout college and in recent years. I've yet to hear about Valentino being with another dude except Marco. Carina doesn't talk about it but I'm curious as hell to know how things came to be between the three. I know how they ended up together but I can't figure out for the life of me what made Valentino decide to take a dip into unchartered waters. Regardless, to each their own.

"Nicholas wants to see you today before things get too hectic for him. Diego, can you take him?"

"Is he meeting us in the foyer or do we need to go to directly his office?" Carina's mentioned both situations on a number of occasions and I don't want to be presumptuous.

"Whoever greets you at the door will direct you" Marco clasps his hand on Rafe's shoulder. "Expect something between an interview and an interrogation."

"The difference being" Rafe's brows furrow. He isn't sure if this is a good or bad thing.

"He needs to have you complete an application for membership to the estate but I suspect that he also wants to determine if you have any talents or ways to pay your annual dues by other methods."

"Does he require this of every member?" Rafe's eyes widen with apprehension. He's never cared about what everyone else does but I can understand his reticence.

"No he doesn't" Marco honestly replies. "But he has great instincts when it comes to the estate and the nightclub. None of us were thrilled when he offered the girls an opportunity to work at the estate over the summer but it ended up being a phenomenal business decision."

"Is he the reason why they're now performing at
Scandalous
too?" Rafe inquires. I take for granted that he doesn't know everyone's back story. Leti's right; it takes a while to play catch up with everyone's lives. It's crazy sometimes but I wouldn't have it any other way. Carina and the girls are always busy and dictate where their paths take them. Plenty of girls their age spend every night in parties and clubbing getting drunk searching for love in all the wrong ways.

"
Scandalous
is our baby. We envisioned a nightclub that could meld the worlds of
Hedonism
and Club 69 into one. Nightly performances were an intricate part of that. Valentino and I planned to hold auditions but Nicholas had already been vetting girls from other clubs. He
told us
not asked us that he was going to proposition the girls." Marco smiles and shrugs. "As they say, the rest is history."

"Nicholas is the brains behind Jaxon and Carina performing too" Griffin adds.

"Jaxon's the one who proposed it" I corrected remembering that debacle only a few months ago.

"Yeah but I don't think even he thought it was going to be as amazing as they've managed to pull things off" Griffin rebuts.

"Well then let's see what Mr. Visionary intends to do with me." Rafe stands looking eager to get this over with. The first time he met Rafe a few days ago, Nicholas wasn't over-friendly. Someone was under his estate roof that he hadn't vetted yet and I know it rubbed him the wrong way. Fortunately Nicholas didn't throw him out.

~

"This place is freaking incredible" Rafe gawks at the manicured lawn and palatial estate. Although we've been here plenty of times it's just as impressive as the first time I laid eyes on the property. Erotic statues stand proudly throughout the grounds but they don't hold a candle to the wealth of luxury and detail surrounding the place.

"You already said that the first time you saw the place" Griffin teases. We both wonder if we sounded like that the first time the girls brought us here.

"No wonder the girls never want to leave" Rafe chuckles. His dimples peek out reflecting how excited he is to be here. Having him with us for Christmas break reminds me how much I miss some of my old teammates. Rafe and I picked up as if a few years hadn't passed. The three of us meld together easily; I'm grateful for that.

"Let's see what kind of perks you can get us" Griffin teases. Rafe smiles widely thrilled at the possibilities before him. He really is getting a more unique opportunity than me and Griffin. We just got in because of my relationship to Carina. The only requirement was that we passed the background check and physical but after that nothing else mattered. I'm curious to actually watch the process unfold with Rafe.

A stunning redhead dressed only in body paint answers the door. To say our jaws drop to the floor while our eyes fall out of our heads probably under exaggerates things.

"Fuck" Griffin groans. The redhead's eyes sparkle with delight at our reactions. Really we should be accustomed to this shit by now but the estate's themes always throw us for a loop. "Please tell me all staff members aren't sporting the body art like you sweetheart."

Sweetheart
winks at us motioning us in. "There's plenty more to see today" she cheerfully responds. The guys mentioned that New Year's Day is another big day for
Hedonism.
Apparently we're getting front-row seats.

"You know what this means right?" Griffin looks directly at me. He doesn't follow the hostess who already knows who we are and where we need to go.

"What?" Rafe asks puzzled by Griffin's reluctance to take another step into the estate. Okay, so apparently I am slow because it takes Rafe inquiring for me to finally get it.

"Shit" I grouse which only makes Griffin laugh as the horrifying realization sets in. "Fuck" I mutter in dismay.

"What!" Rafe demands. Griffin stares at me expectantly; always the best friend and gentleman in these situations. If I say
fuck no let's leave
he won't even question it and we'll go.

"We know the score when we step onto estate grounds" I sullenly reply.

"Why are you moping about seeing a bunch of naked bodies only covered with paint?" Rafe can't believe I'd even turn this down.

"Because one of those beautiful naked bodies includes Carina's" Nicholas states from the hallway. "Let's go gentlemen. I've got a busy day and limited time."

"Oh shit" Rafe breathes as his eyes widen. Yeah buddy, now you understand my predicament.

We follow Nicholas to his office. It's hard trying to maintain his brisk pace when all our eyes want to do is wander. Every female staff members has absolutely
nothing
on but paint. No thong, bra, or pasty to cover up their bits. Small groups head in various directions while others just linger in the common areas.

"Rafe I require a copy of your driver's license. Go ahead and sit here and complete this application." Nicholas gets straight to business. Rafe hands him his license before sitting down with the laptop. Griffin and I sit awkwardly in the corner while Nicholas asks additional questions. It's like watching a tennis match as they volley questions and answers back and forth.

"Have you been tested for sexually transmitted diseases before?"

"Yes."

"Any positive results?"

"No."

"Health concerns I should be made aware of?"

"None."

"Would you sign a consent form releasing your medical records to the estate?"

"Yes."

"Good" Nicholas answers. Apparently that was a deal breaker for some.

Rafe hands over the laptop. We sit in silence as Nicholas uploads the information. Rafe's eyes widen momentarily as Nicholas grabs a fingerprinting kit. He's going at a wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am kind of speed. His kit is more high-tech than most places. Rafe presses each finger onto designated sections of the touch screen. A nurse comes in patiently waiting while Nicholas finishes a few more things. In moments Rafe's whisked away to the medical wing for his physical and blood work.

"I like him" Nicholas states the moment the door closes. "As long as everything clears I don't see there being a problem."

"What will you charge him?" I'm a little nervous about his answer. I brought Rafe to the estate having no idea that he'd be required to jump though all these hoops. I can't believe how much I've taken for granted regarding the estate and the nightclubs.

"Let's see what he has to offer first" Nicholas replies. His eyes shine brightly. I'm concerned that the girls have a new partner for their onstage antics. Griffin and I patiently wait while Nicholas tends to business. It's humbling watching him manage the impressive estate. There's so much involved to ensure everything operates smoothly, legally, and profitably.

"Is my ban permanent?" I dare to finally ask the question out loud that's been itching to escape my mouth for the last hour. I know Desirae's the reason why I've been banned but I'm hoping Nicholas can veto her ruling.

"The only person who can lift the ban is Desirae and I don't see her doing it anytime soon. You fucked up. End of story."

I look away ashamed and irritated with his response. My stomach churns with the memory of that day. I fucked up but so did she. I want to own up to my mistakes but she won't even give me the opportunity. How can I make amends?

"Valentino's the best one to talk to about her" Nicholas advises. A growl resonates within my chest; hearing that just rubs salt on my still-open wound. I know they're close. I can see the similarities in their relationship compared to Carina and Jaxon's. I just don't know how to deal with it. I know for a fact that they haven't messed around in months but it still leaves me unsettled whenever they're in such intimate situations.