I raised my eyebrows. “What are you doing?”
“It’s time to get this party started, my man,” he said, shrugging off his shirt to reveal a toned physique. He’d never been shy about his body, and he’d shared it with men and women alike all through college. I’d grown immune to him parading around half-naked by now, but being in this club—or den, or whatever it was called—was like being surrounded by hundreds of horny Braydens. That was something even I couldn’t ignore. “We’ve got to go downstairs.”
That doesn’t sound promising… “Should I ask what’s down there?”
“Probably not,” Brayden said, chuckling, and then he knelt beside my chair. “Beds, mirrors, toys, and some major action. More than we can do up here.” Brayden glanced over his shoulder at the couple who were waiting on the couch watching him.
“I don’t know about all that…” I started, but when Brayden’s face fell, I quickly added, “I mean, maybe I’ll just stay up here while you…you know. Do…them.”
Brayden laughed, and then looked over my shoulder at where King was still watching me and listening intently.
“I’ll show your friend around,” he said to Brayden, giving him what I assume was meant to be a charming smile, one to let him know I’d be in good hands.
The thought made me shudder.
Brayden flashed him a smile, but then under his breath said, “You gonna be okay with that?”
“Whatever happens in this place has to be consensual, right?” When he nodded, I said, “Well, then, yeah. I’ll be fine. And maybe I’ll go down and…watch. Or something.”
Brayden visibly brightened at that. “Just make sure you lose your pants. And your shirt.”
“Come again?”
“I haven’t come the first time, but I’ll be sure there’s a repeat,” he said, winking. “But seriously, to get to the Pack level, it’s strictly no shirt, no pants.”
Jesus, what is this place? I asked myself for about the millionth time that night. Saying you were going to a sex club was one thing, but actually being there? Experiencing it? It was the strangest thing I’d ever done by far. Then again, wasn’t Brayden always going on about how I needed to live a little? That was why he’d dragged me along, and it wasn’t like I was a prude. I wasn’t sleeping around on the regular, and definitely not in front of other people, but I was a single guy, and there seemed to be more than enough willing participants, evidenced by the stares in my direction.
Maybe I could…get…interested. Stop thinking so much. Loosen up, have a casual, no-strings-attached hookup.
“Ahh, see?” Brayden said, leaning back and nodding. “It’s supposed to be fun. And the best part is, you leave it all here. No awkward one-night stands to wake up to. Most likely you’ll never set foot in this place again, so the likelihood you’ll run into someone in a city this big is slim to none.” Then he went in for the kill. Squeezing me above my knee, he winked and said, “Plus…you’re hot. It would be wrong to deprive these poor souls.”
Rolling my eyes, I laughed and pushed his hand off my leg. “Fine, maybe I’ll go check it out.”
“Good,” Brayden said, hopping to his feet and pulling me up with him. “Strip.”
I could feel people watching, and looking around only confirmed I was right. I wasn’t drunk enough for this. “Everyone’s watching,” I whispered.
“Told you, my man. You’re hot.”
There was no way I was putting on a strip show, no way in hell. “Tell you what. You go ahead. I’m just gonna change in the bathroom.”
“You are not. You’re totally gonna pussy out on me.”
“I swear I won’t. I just need another five shots and to change, and then I’ll come down. Really.” I have lost my mind. Don’t think too much about it. As a matter of fact, try not thinking at all.
Brayden gave me a dubious look, but when I held up my pinkie finger, he began to laugh. “Yeah, yeah, okay,” he said. “See you down there.”
“See you.”
He walked over to the stairwell, following behind the couple who had already stripped down to their underwear, and when he glanced over his shoulder back at me, I shooed him off with my hand.
After they disappeared from view, I stopped a cocktail waitress passing by and did a couple of purple shots—something strong and fruity—in quick succession, and before I could grab my wallet, she was gone.
Wait…my wallet. I couldn’t pay her anyway, because I’d left all my belongings in that lockbox. Meaning the drinks were free and you couldn’t tip down here. I would’ve said it was a good deal if I hadn’t seen how much Brayden had paid to get in.
All the more reason to cut loose, I thought, steeling myself for the next couple of hours. As I headed across the room to change, I passed King, who was still regarding me, and I must’ve gotten brave in the last few minutes, because I paused in front of him and said, “Don’t even think about following me,” before heading straight to the bathroom.