“What did she say to him? And where the hell is she?”
“She’s gone. Leo made her leave. She said that they’ve been through a lot together. And that I must be something special to catch the attention of her two favorite men in Vegas. She also added some pretty degrading things towards him that I’m not going to repeat.”
“So what was Leo’s response to all of that?”
I bit my lip. “He told me he’d tell me everything tonight after work. At his place.”
A muscle worked in his jaw. “And what was your response to that?” he asked.
I lowered my head. “I agreed to meet with him.”
“In his home?”
I nodded. “Yep.”
“And where exactly is that?” he asked. “After all these years, I’ve never been able to figure out where that man hangs his hat.”
I looked away. “I can’t tell you.”
“You can’t tell me? Or you won’t?”
I looked him square in the eye. “I won’t. Leo trusts me. I’m not going to violate that.”
He scoffed. “And w
hat’s stopping me from following you?”
I put my hand over his and squeezed his fingers. “Because I trust you. And I know that you would not compromise my trust. Understood?”
He stood up and turned away from me. “I understand, Karli. But that doesn’t mean I have to like it.” He walked out the door without looking back.
*****
I let myself in the back door of the club into a hallway lit by a dim red bulb. I immediately had to press my body into the wall to avoid running into the middle of a couple going at it. Things like this used to shock me. It kinda bothers me that I’ve become so desensitized to it. I spotted Leo’s office up on the right and managed to work my way over.
I knocked on the door. “Leo, it’s Karli. Are you in there?”
He opened the door a half second later. “My love, thank you for coming.” He stepped aside. “Please come in.”
Leo’s office was exceptionally masculine and sophisticated, much like its occupant. It was decorated in black, white, and crimson with a huge mahogany desk in the center. Two plush black leather guest chairs sat on one side of the desk, with a high back office chair on the other. Six flat-paneled security monitors were hung on the wall, streaming live footage from the club. Since this was an anything goes sex club, provided it was consensual, odds were pretty solid that each monitor would display a live sex act of some kind during business hours.
Curiosity got the best of me again as I found myself staring into the third monitor on the left. It was focused on the room that Vance and I had once occupied, triggering a flashback to a major moment of indiscretion on my part. We had come here while he was investigating a murder. The environment combined with a little too much vodka and a side of sexy detective had taken control of my body as if I were possessed. I very nearly had sex in public that night. Not my finest hour by any means.
Leo must have noticed me looking because he cleared his throat and brought me back into the present with his question, “How was the rest of your shift, my love?”
“Uh, fine,” I replied. I took in his ensemble that I had somehow missed earlier during all the Maria drama. Leo dressed differently when he was at Voyeur-Gasm. I suppose it was to fit in better with his patrons but it always threw me off. Normally he wore all designer apparel looking every bit the successful businessman. Tonight, he was dressed in vinyl pants with a blood red shirt that was unbuttoned, revealing his magnificent chest and olive skin. I was suddenly incredibly aware that this was the first time we’d been alone together in months and I became more than a little anxious. “Leo, you know why I’m here so maybe we should go somewhere so we can talk?” I suggested, hoping dearly I could keep my hormones in check.
He nodded. “Of course.” He picked up his phone and dialed an extension. “Yes, Sonia, my dear. I’ll be unavailable for the rest of the evening. Will you please make sure everything is shut down properly?” He listened while his head bartender responded. “Yes, thank you.” He hung up the phone and came around the desk to lock his office door. He took my hand and guided me behind the desk. He bent down, lifting a small area rug beneath his chair, revealing a hatch door. He pulled a lever and lifted the hatch, revealing a wooden staircase.
I stared at it incredulously. “Really? The entrance to your super-secret lair is under your desk? Aren’t you afraid someone will discover the hatch? Like say, oh, I don’t know, the cleaning crew?”
He chuckled. “Not at all. As far as anyone who might happen upon this entrance is concerned, it is simply the staircase to my private wine cellar.” He gestured for me to step in. “Please, after you.”
I hesitantly took his hand as he guided me towards the stairs. I walked down about a dozen creaking steps and found myself standing in a room about twelve feet wide and twenty feet deep, lined with red brick and cedar wine racks. The shelves were filled to capacity. Curious, I inspected the labels on a few bottles. Most people would probably not understand the value in this room, but I was well aware that the bottle I was currently holding was valued at well over three thousand dollars. The occasional high roller asked for one to impress the bimbo on his arm.
“Wow, this is some stash you have here.”
He circled me and eyed me inquisitively. “What made you select that particular bottle?” he asked.