Tonight, though, I was tossing those rules aside. And that opened the door to a lot of interesting possibilities.
I mean, if nothing else, it was time to have a little fun with my wardrobe.
twelve
I ended up dressing in a sheer, white short-sleeved blouse over a blood-red bra. I paired it with a black circle skirt that hit mid-thigh, sexy and flirty and—if I do say so myself—totally hot.
I finished the outfit with strappy black sandals with four inch heels and a small red purse to tie the whole thing together. I’d spent more time than I liked to admit debating about my wild, thick hair—always my nemesis—and ended up piling it on top of my head and letting a few tendrils hang down in what I hoped was a provocative manner.
Finally, I’d kept my makeup simple, highlighting my lips in red and my eyes in a smoky gray.
I stood in front of the full-length mirror and assessed the result of my efforts. I needed to be prepared. Confident. Sexy.
I wanted him to look at me and get hard. I wanted him to look at me and regret walking away.
Most of all, I wanted him to look at me like he didn’t even see the clothes I was wearing, and then I wanted this outfit that I’d so carefully selected to be wrinkled on the floor, tossed negligently there as Evan pulled me down into his bed.
I drew in a breath, struck a pose, and decided that if this outfit didn’t do the trick, nothing would.
I considered having Peterson ring for Jahn’s driver—as hard as it was for me to remember, those services were mine now—but decided that I needed to be more confident. A driver would wait for me, after all, but I didn’t want to have any way home other than in Evan’s car.
I took a taxi, then settled back for the ride toward Midway airport and the club. I stayed lost in my thoughts for most of the trip, but when we turned off the Stevenson Expressway, I tuned in. We headed down the tollway for a while, passing various neighborhoods, before turning off into a light industrial area.
I’m not sure what I was expecting—gaudy neon signs and naked women, maybe?—but when the driver finally stopped in front of the massive building, I had to admit I was impressed. It was the size of a large warehouse. There were no windows facing the street, and the entire building was surrounded by ample parking. Even at just past three on a Saturday, most of the parking slots were full.
The sign was low-key and classy. A black monolith with the name—Destiny—written boldly in red so that it stood out against the black. Though the sign looked like stone, I could see immediately that it was not, because the lower portion was an LED screen flashing the various specials throughout the week. Today, I saw, was “Six Dollar Saturday,” which I presumed referred to the cover charge.
On the whole, the place looked low-key and fit in just fine with the area, which boasted a few office complexes, a delivery company, a fire station, and a convenience store.
The driver pulled up in front of the door, then turned in his seat to face me. “This the place?”
“Hell, yes,” I said.
I paid him, slid out of the car, and marched myself to the front door. I didn’t pause, because that would be like showing weakness. Instead I just reached out for the brass handle and tugged the door open. And then, despite the fact that it was bright and sunny outside, I stepped into the dim, casino-like interior with the same awe as one might experience crossing over into a whole new dimension.
It took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the change in lighting. All I could see was the dark entry area and the bright lights filtering in through frosted glass doors, along with the twisting cords of colored neon that curved upon the black walls, subtly hinting at the lushness of the female form. To my right, there was a polished reception desk that looked almost like what you might see at a classy hotel. A woman with glistening blond hair stood behind it wearing a tight T-shirt that emphasized her braless breasts as well as the word plastered across her chest:
Destiny.
Two video cameras were displayed prominently in the area, their red lights glowing steadily as if to underscore the message printed neatly on a sign that hung on the door that led from this reception area to the main part of the club:
For the safety of our employees, these premises are under 24-hour video surveillance.
Muffled music filtered in from the main area, but for the most part, this little room served as a transition between the mundane world outside and the promise of what lay beyond those frosted doors.
“Six dollar cover,” the blonde said. “Unless you’d like to enter the wet T-shirt contest.” She glanced at the clock. “It’ll be in the champagne room in just under an hour.”
I glanced down at my barely B-cup boobs. “What’s the champagne room?”
“It’s totally awesome. There’s an additional cover, but you get all the champagne you want while you’re in there. And, of course, for the wet T-shirt contest, we can’t just spray the girls with water. Where’s the fun in that?” She laughed, obviously delighted with the idea. I grinned, too, sucked in by her infectious attitude.
“I think I’ll pass,” I said, even though it was a little tempting. “The truth is, I’m looking for someone.”
“Oh.”
The room seemed suddenly chilly and I hurried to explain. “No, no. I’m not an angry girlfriend trying to track down my guy. Nothing like that. I’m looking for Evan Black.”
She leaned down and pulled a sheath of papers from somewhere behind the counter. “Job application?”
I laughed. “No.”
“Oh.”
Her brows lifted and she did a quick up-and-down scan, her eyes covering me from head to toe, and I could see the curiosity in her eyes. “Is he expecting you?” Her corporate-polite voice now held a hint of ice.
“No,” I said. “I just thought I’d drop by.” I almost blurted out that I was a friend, but at the last second I clamped my mouth shut. Hadn’t I come here with the intent of becoming exactly what she imagined me to be?
I cleared my throat. “So, um, is he around?”
Her plastic smile was so tight I thought her cheeks might crack. “He’s not on the premises at the moment, but—”
The frosted glass door burst open, cutting off her words, and Cole strode through, all power and poise, fire and energy. “You want to tell me what the hell you’re doing here?”
I bristled. “Excuse me?”
He glanced sideways toward the blonde. “Take a break.”
She nodded, eyes wide, and slipped out through a door that was camouflaged in the velvety blackness of the wall behind her.
“This isn’t the place for you,” Cole said, all of his attention on me.
“No?” I crossed my arms over my chest and mentally dug in my heels. “Because I’m feeling right at home.”
He moved closer to me, emotions storming across his face. “Dammit, Angelina.”
I forced myself not to cower as he approached. Instead, I held my ground, telling myself that I knew this man well. That even though he’d grown up around gangs—that even though he could snap me in two without breaking a sweat—that he absolutely did not intimidate me. On the contrary, I knew that Cole would always watch out for me.
“I mean it,” I said. “I’m not leaving until I get some answers.”
“Answers?” He cocked his head, his eyes narrowing as he examined me. “And what exactly is the question?”
“Evan,” I said simply.
“What about him?”
I sighed in exasperation. This felt a little bit too much like junior high. “I want to know how to find him for one thing. And since I don’t have another address, this was my best option.”
“And why exactly do you want to find him?”
I almost told him it was none of his damn business, but I was tired of being contentious. “Come on, Cole,” I said wearily. “He owes me something. And I don’t think that Evan’s the kind of guy who squelches on his debts.”
“Something?” Cole said, and I was grateful for the dim light that kept my blush from showing.
After a moment, I nodded and his grin grew wide. I had the feeling he knew exactly what kind of debt Evan owed me. “Well, look at little Dragonbait, all grown up. You win. Come on in.” He cocked his head toward the frosted glass doors.
I exhaled in relief and followed. Considering the understated entry, I’d expected the main room to be nice, but I wasn’t expecting it to be so big or so shiny. The room was huge, with the same cavernous feel of the casinos I’d visited with college friends on jaunts to both Vegas and Atlantic City. Instead of blackjack tables, there were individually lit raised dance floors—I counted six—scattered around the room. Each featured a pole, and each pole featured a girl. There was a bar around the edge of the platform, and men lined the barstools, some standing long enough to tuck a bill into the sequined nothingness that the dancers wore. And nothingness was pretty much it. Though some wore bikinis and some wore G-strings, some were entirely naked but for a garter belt around a thigh, the purpose of which was clearly to serve as a tip collection device.
For those guests who didn’t want such an up close and personal view, there were round tables surrounded by four comfy chairs scattered throughout the room. A long bar with three scantily clad waitresses took up the far side of the room, and I saw the doors to private rooms as well. One must be the champagne room, and I couldn’t help but wonder what the theme was for the others.
The main area was primarily illuminated by the glow of the dancers’ spotlights, which meant that the corners were much dimmer. I’m pretty sure that if I’d stood there peering into the dark, I would have seen one of those lap dances that I was so curious about.
Honestly, I was tempted to do just that.
On the whole, it was a nice place. Not the Palm Court, but classy in its own way. And the girls were pretty. Not too skinny or used up. They had curves and moves and they looked like they were genuinely enjoying their work. As I followed Cole to the far side of the main room, I didn’t see any touching that they didn’t somehow consent to. I did see one guy get a little rowdy, but a bouncer who looked like he used to play professional football descended on him like a tick and politely but firmly showed him the door.
Finally, Cole stopped at one of the tables, signaled to a waitress, then pulled out a chair for me. “So what do you think?”
“It’s a nice place,” I said honestly. “Classier than I would have guessed.”
“You thought we’d lean more toward skanky?”
“No, I—” I cut myself off when I saw his shit-eating grin. “Dammit, Cole. Don’t tease me. I’m not exactly in my element here.”
He chuckled. “You sure the hell aren’t, baby girl.”
I sat, still taking it all in—and thinking about my words, and the lie hidden within them. Because even though I’d never been any place like this before, the truth was I found the whole environment rather intoxicating. I looked at the girls doing their moves around the pole, and I could imagine myself up there. All eyes on me. My leg hooked around that hard length of steel, and all the while that I was shimmying against the pole, it was Evan that I imagined I was touching.
I swallowed, looking down at the tabletop until I was certain that my face revealed nothing. I looked up just as the waitress arrived. She wore a top made of gauzy scarves crisscrossed over her breasts. An equally transparent scarf was tied around her waist in what resembled a bathing suit cover with no bathing suit beneath it. She slid a drink in front of Cole and a glass of red wine in front of me. “Shiraz,” she said. “I hope that’s okay?”
“Perfect. How did you—”
“Beth knows everything,” Cole said.
Beth smiled. “I even know that the liquor delivery is here. Since Mr. Sharp already left—”
“Yeah, yeah. Have Frankie check the invoice. Tell him I’ll be there in a minute.”
She nodded and hurried toward the far side of the room.
I leaned back in my chair. “So what’s the deal? You three work out of your downtown office during the week and come here for a little R&R on the weekends?”
“Fuck that,” he said. “Evan’s the one with the hard-on for a high rise. Tyler and me? We go in when we have to, but we work mostly out of the back.”
I cocked my head. “So this isn’t Evan’s kind of place?”
Cole’s eyes narrowed, but I just smiled innocently. “I didn’t say that, baby girl. But our Evan’s a man of many vices—and many virtues. I guess that makes him multifaceted.”
“I guess it does.”
Cole swallowed the rest of his drink, then thrust his legs out as he leaned back in his chair. “You gonna tell me why you’re here? What exactly does Evan owe you?”
“Cole, I love you to death, but you’re completely fucked if you think I’m telling you my personal business.”
He laughed. “You have more of your uncle in you than any of us gave you credit for.”
“I mean it. All I want to do is see Evan. When’s he going to get here?”
“I just wanna help, baby girl. And I get that there’s some shit between you and Evan right now. He told me what happened.”
“About the Da Vinci?” I asked, because I couldn’t imagine that Evan would have told his friend what went down in the alley.
It may have been my imagination, but I thought Cole sat up straighter. “The Da Vinci? You mean the Creature Notebook? What about it?”
I frowned, wondering why Cole was so keyed up about the notebook. Then again, Evan had been in a snit about it, too. “Jahn left it to me, and that didn’t make Evan a happy camper.” I peered at his face. “Or you, either, I’m guessing. But this is all news to you, which means it’s not what Evan told you about. So what did he say?”
For a moment I had the impression that he was going to force us to stay on the topic of ancient manuscripts. But then he seemed to change his mind. He shrugged casually. “The alley.”
I’m not sure what he saw on my face, but it made him laugh. “The Poodle on Wednesday, my fine establishment tonight. You’re certainly expanding your horizons, Dragonbait.”
I’d never until that moment fully understood what it meant to get your feathers ruffled. But mine were very ruffly indeed. “Fine,” I said snippily. “You win. I am expanding my horizons, and I want Evan to expand them even further. I want him to finish what he started. And I came here to convince him that he should.”