“Thanks.”
And I meant it. The ten steps between the door to check-in and entering the main lounge might as well have been ten miles. Plenty of time to convince my body it was sick. I didn’t want that. I didn’t want to chicken out anymore.
“Come on,” he nodded toward the door. “Let’s get a drink and talk a bit.”
He took my coat and passed it to the attendant I hadn’t noticed, and I clasped my bracelet around my wrist.
“We can head to my office if you’re more comfortable there.”
“I think the lounge will be fine.”
Maybe I could warm myself up for the big performance if someone performed a small show in a corner I could view.
Voyeur was twice as busy as it had been last week. Daniel must have seen my wide-eyed shock at all the people because he explained, “Valentine’s weekend.”
“Shit. I didn’t even realize.”
“I’d probably forget it too if we didn’t decorate and host a fifty-percent off for a show.”
“Yeah,” I laughed. “I guess it’s your business to know all the mushy holidays.”
“It sure is. Carina usually keeps us in line with our marketing.” When we reached the bar, we managed to find two stools. “What can I get you to drink?”
“Tequila. Neat.”
A beautiful blonde in hearts lingerie efficiently twirled a bottle and filled two glasses, sliding them our way.
Once I’d finished half my drink, I was finally calm enough to actually talk.
“I hear you just opened another club in New York.”
His smile stretched wide. “We did. Kent travels there enough, so it seemed like a good market.”
“Do you plan on opening any more?”
“I don’t think so. We have this club and the bar, Voy. I’m content with that. I don’t need an empire, just a successful business.”
I looked around pointedly. “I think you’re doing pretty well.”
He shrugged but winked before lifting the glass to his lips. I did my best to not stare at the way they curled around the edge of the glass.
“How’s work?” he asked
“Good. Busy. We’re actually talking about expanding.”
“To another city? You guys just set up in London, right?”
“Yeah, but I think we’ll stay here. We want to grow our home office. Hopefully, some of the floors below will open up.”
He nodded in understanding, gesturing for another round when our glasses were empty. “How is it working with your brother?”
“It’s not too bad, actually. We don’t work directly together too much. He works more with R&D while I run the behind the scenes. Besides, if he gets too bossy, I’ll just tell Mom on him.”
Daniel’s head tipped back, exposing the thick ridge of his Adam’s apple, letting loose a loud, boisterous laugh. It somehow managed to not get lost in the crowd, but instead, wrap around me like a warm hug. It was relaxing—comforting.
“Why don’t we go make a selection?” he asked once he’d settled down.
I downed my tequila like a shot and nodded my head, unable to actually agree aloud.
Another couple had just finished with an iPad, leaving Daniel and me alone in the back hall. He tapped the screen, filling out information until finally, we came to the dreaded list of my worst nightmares.
“Anything you want or don’t want?”
“No talking,” I muttered around my thumbnail.
“Okay.” He clicked a few more buttons before stepping back. “How do these look?”
Passionate. Gentle. No talking.
Good. They were good.
Boring.
God, he was going to get so bored. I’d be a ball of nerves, and he’d probably yawn on the couch. What if we never did this again, and it didn’t even work because I’d played it too simple? What if I never got a chance to watch again? Would I regret being safe?
No. I needed to be cautious because one thing that would make this beyond awkward would be a panic attack. Bored was fine. This wasn’t for him. It was for me.
Yet, before I turned away, I clicked one more box.
Oral sex - female receiving.
“Good choice,” he praised.
He finished up on the screen and stood in the middle of my pacing path, forcing me to stop and look at him. He didn’t touch me, but he did bend at the knees so he could meet my eyes.
“We can leave at any point. I can leave at any point. Just say the word.” I nodded like a bobblehead, gnawing the last bit of my nail off. “Even if you need a little alone time to yourself,” he said with a wink, his lips slowly lifting.
It took only a moment before his meaning hit me. I knew what he was trying to do, and it worked. I dropped my arms and huffed a laugh. “Oh my god.”
His smile grew until he was almost laughing. “I’m just saying.”
I slapped his shoulder, and in a dark hallway at a live porn club, with a man I didn’t know very well, I relaxed. I bantered and joked. For a second, I almost felt like the old me. The one who used sarcasm like a sword—who always made the dirtiest jokes, who wasn’t scared.
Then the bracelet vibrated, bringing any laughter to a screeching halt. I held up my arm to show him it was time.
“Do you want another drink? I know more than two is against the rules, but I know the owner.”
Another laugh, but I shook my head. More alcohol may relax me, but it may also lower my guard in a bad way, and I’d flip out. Better to be tense, than panicking.
“I’m okay. Lead the way.”
He nodded to the big, hulking man outside the door and let me walk through first. It was a different room but set up the same as the last. The scene beyond the window was the same, but the colors were different. Instead of a blue comforter, there was a white one. The headboard was grey instead of wrought iron.
Turning away from the window, I made my way to the same black leather couch, perching on the edge, but prying myself away from the corner. Daniel
