“The…the front room,” he paused and cleared his throat before looking up at Snow. “The front room is always quite inviting.”
Pulling his right hand free, Snow took lightly grasped the blond’s chin, letting his thumb graze his bottom lip. “You don’t really think this my first visit here, do you?” His words remained a whisper, but they grew harder with each syllable. “I know the red room is where you keep the high-quality goods, that the playroom is open only in October, and that the show is at two.” Snow’s grip tightened on the man’s chin and his smile became a little more feral. “Now… tell me something that isn’t a waste of my time.”
“For-forgive me, sir,” Blondie stammered, stepping back from Snow’s grasp. “I didn’t realize. I don’t usually work the front door.” He turned and grabbed from a nearby table two small black leather folios like those that would contain a restaurant check. He quickly handed them over to Jude and Snow with a nervous smile. “Please feel free to wander through all the rooms. The show is at two and a special exclusive show follows at three. If you see anything you like or have special requests, please leave them in the books I’ve given you and someone will be happy to take your order.”
Snow fought down his own disgust, keeping his face blank while being very careful not to look over at Jude. When their shoulders brushed, he could feel the tension humming through the paramedic and he could only pray that he wasn’t going to start asking questions about how Snow knew so much. Now was definitely not the time.
With the leather folio tightly grasped in one hand, Snow led the way down the hall, past the first set of closed pocket doors to a second room that was blocked by a set of heavy curtains. The second he paused, a guard stepped forward and held the curtain open for Snow and Jude to step through.
The small room had a scattering of round tables with two or three chairs. The chandelier overhead cast the room in a warm, buttery glow but the corners held deeper shadows. Half the tables were occupied by older men in expensive suits holding crystal tumblers of alcohol while watching the young man on the stage play an acoustic guitar.
In this room, there was still a slightly civilized air. Well, except for the man seated at the table near the front of the room who was quite obviously getting a blowjob from a man who looked young enough to be his eighteen-year-old grandson. Other than that, the servers were shirtless and in tight leather pants. Of course, the rooms would get progressively worse as they moved deeper into Southgate, but Snow was hoping they wouldn’t have to go much farther. They wouldn’t be able to linger more than thirty minutes at most before they risked being discovered.
Snow led the way to a table toward the back in heavy shadows and dropped into the seat that put his back to the wall. For the first time since stepping inside Southgate, Snow chanced a look at Jude. The sexy paramedic was managing to keep his expression bland and bored, but there was no missing the rage burning in his dark eyes.
“It’s not what you think,” Snow whispered, leaning close to Jude.
“It damn well better not be,” Jude growled. He lounged back in his chair, keeping his eyes locked on the young man with the guitar probably because he seemed to be the safest thing to look at in the entire room.
Before Snow could say anything else, a boy with a tray swept in front of them. “Good evening, sirs,” he murmured, placing a pair of empty tumblers in front of them. He picked up a bottle of water and was about to pour when Snow placed his hand over the glass.
“Bottled sparkling water from a new, unopened bottle,” he snapped before placing the black folio next to his glass. The young man paled and nodded before hurrying away again.
Jude leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table. “Drugged?”
Snow shrugged. “I’d rather not take that chance. I don’t drink anything at bars that isn’t opened and poured right in front of me.”
Jude shot him a little smirk, some of the tension seeming to ease from his shoulders. Snow let his gaze linger on the man’s strong jaw and dark, hypnotic eyes for a moment. He was more beautiful than anyone in Southgate House. And he’d agreed to come to the toxic place just to watch Snow’s back.
“Thanks for coming,” he murmured, forcing his eyes away.
“There was no way in hell I was going to let you come here alone.” Jude shook his head and settled back in his chair.
Snow swallowed back his next words as the server returned, making a show of displaying the brand new, chilled bottle of water before opening it and pouring a glass for both men.