Right about now, she wished she was a nun, locked in a convent far away from temptation. Sin. She had a feeling indulging in sinful activities with Nate would feel oh, so good.
A giant man held one of the double doors open for them, his eyes shielded by dark sunglasses. “New here?”
Nate nodded, his face a blank mask. “Trent told me about this place.”
“Good deal.” The man smiled at Janelle, revealing blinding white teeth. “Enjoy your evening.”
Sweet smelling smoke from an invisible fog machine surrounded them as they entered the building and Janelle coughed, waving her hand in front of her face. The place was packed, the crush of bodies making the room stifling hot and she longed to tug the scratchy wig off.
“Let’s go find a booth.”
Nate grabbed her hand and led her through the throng of people. She had no choice but to follow him, enjoying the sensation of his big hand engulfing hers. Electricity seemed to flow from his palm into hers, making her shiver.
“Would you care to be seated?” A tiny woman appeared before them, her delicate face covered in a red sequin mask, big blue eyes blinking up at them.
“Please.” Nate’s voice was gruff, his gaze meeting Janelle’s for a quick second before he looked away.
She wondered if he was uncomfortable with the blatant sexuality that surrounded them. The woman who led them to their table was scantily clad, wearing a black satin and lace corset, frilly drawers and a black garter belt with sheer black stockings. Her firm butt cheeks shook with her every step and Janelle had to admit she was sexy.
What did the straight laced detective think? Not that she knew for sure if he was straight laced but still. He acted like he had a stick up his ass most the time.
“Here you are.”
The woman turned and swept her arm toward the empty booth. It was small, intimate, a single candle glowing on the round wooden table and the seats appeared to be covered in moss green colored velvet. “I hope you enjoy the show. It begins in fifteen minutes.”
Janelle slid into the booth first, surprised and delighted by the plush softness. Nate joined her, dangerously close since the booth was so small. His thigh pressed against hers and she jerked away from him, tugging on the hem of her dress to cover herself as much as possible.
“Care for something to drink?”
Their hostess smiled, her ample breasts pushed so high in the tight corset Janelle swore if the woman made one wrong move, she’d see nipple.
“Ice water,” Nate answered.
Humph, figured. Did the guy know how to loosen up? “Do you have a martini menu?”
The hostess nodded, tucking a strand of dark blonde hair behind her ear. “We do. May I recommend the chocolate martini? It’s our bartender’s specialty.”
“I’ll take one.” Janelle smiled and the woman smiled in return, licking her lips suggestively.
“Perfect,” she purred before she sauntered away, her hips swaying provocatively.
“I think she was flirting with you,” Nate said, a stunned expression on his face.
“I think so, too.” Janelle glanced around, staring at the gigantic round stage that dominated the room. Green velvet curtains hung closed in the back, a single spotlight shone on the center of the stage and she wondered what kind of show was scheduled for tonight.
Would Ginger be performing? Was she even here?
&nb
sp; “This place is nothing like Billy D’s,” she said.
Nate sat up straight, tugging on the snug collar of his shirt. “That’s because it’s, uh, a fetish club.”
Janelle blinked. “What?”
“Yeah, it’s a fetish club. They have theme nights, sometimes they have BDSM performances, burlesque troupes, all kinds of stuff.”
“How do you know this? Have you been here before?”