“Don’t be fooled, he would love every minute of it,” I tell her simply. “That’s why he mans the door.”
When we enter the club, there’s techno music coming from the speaker above the front desk. For most people, they’d think they were entering a typical nightclub, only at this nightclub, most people are naked or close to it. And they’re also having sex. Swingers, kinksters, and everything in between; Afterglow hosts them all. Public rooms, private rooms, theme rooms, a dungeon, an orgy room, the three floors of Afterglow are a sexual playground.
I stop at the desk, smiling at Tammy, Afterglow’s second longest employee, who’s sitting behind a computer. “Good evening, Mr. O’Keefe, nice to see you.” Her bright blue eyes surrounded by thick dark lashes survey McKenna. “New membership, sir?”
I shake my head but turn to McKenna. “To enter you’ll need to sign a non-disclosure.”
“That’s fine.” She smiles.
I regard her, unsure if she’s as steady as she seems, or if she’s putting on a mask of bravery. It’s something I intend to find out, but for now, I stay on task and say to Tammy, “We’re here to talk with Trevor. Is he in tonight?”
“Yeah, he’s in his office now.” Tammy reaches into her filing cabinet and takes out a piece of paper. “Here’s the non-disclosure. It’s nothing complicated. No photography. No videotaping. No violence. Standard stuff.”
McKenna chuckles softly. Standard to those in this club. Not standard to her. Regardless, she grabs the pen off the desk and quickly reads each point then signs and dates the bottom.
Tammy takes the paper back. “If you change your mind and you’d like membership, just let me know.”
“Thank you, Tammy,” I tell her.
I return my hand to McKenna’s back, moving her into the hallway. Each door we walk past, she peers in.
Eventually she turns to me and frowns. “All right, where are the crops, the screaming, the orgasms?”
“For the most part,” I say with a grin, “what you’ll see will look no different than any other nightclub, because we’re on the first floor.” I point to the room on the left. “Bar.” Which was in full effect, most people sitting around the bar, with some at the tables and couches. “Quiet area.” I point to the right as we stride by.
McKenna nibbles her lip. “So . . . the good stuff . . . that’s all upstairs?”
I nod in the exact moment my name’s called.
Trevor Pilon, the man who heads up Afterglow, strides toward us. He’s the type of guy you want on your side. Tall and fit, he could stand his own against any threat. Yet his kind brown eyes soften him slightly. It’s a trick that I’ve seen him use many times over. When he needs to be soft, he can be. When he needs to be firm, he’s that, too. It makes him a talented businessman, and it’s why I pay him a ridiculous amount to handle running Afterglow when I decided to take more of a backseat role in the club’s inner dealings.
“An unexpected visit,” Trevor says with a smile, offering his hand when he reaches us. “Nevertheless, a good one.”
“I apologize for not calling first.” I return the handshake and gesture. “Trevor Pilon, this is McKenna Archer.”
Trevor takes her hand and kisses the top. “It’s certainly my pleasure to meet you, McKenna.”
I snort as Trevor’s never been a man not to admire a pretty lady, nor is he the type of guy that wouldn’t flirt with a lover of mine. Perhaps that’s why I like him so much, too. He’s my equal. “Do you know Evan Archer?” I ask him, bringing us back to task.
He gently lowers McKenna’s hand. “I take it this is a relative.”
She nods. “He’s my brother.”
Just like that, the warmth in Trevor is gone, replaced by hardness. “What does Evan Archer have to do with the club?”
“Exactly the question we need to answer.”
Trevor studies McKenna again, giving her a little more of an examination, and then nods. “The name does sound familiar. Come back to my office, I’ll need to look at the files there.”
We follow him down the hallway. With each room we pass, McKenna’s interest grows. Her cheeks are flushing, she’s eagerly licking her lips, and her pupils are dilated. It’s an interesting development I can’t ignore, and it’s piquing my interest to find out what she’s so curious about.
When we enter Trevor’s office, I find it much the same as my last visit. Simple furnishings, a cherrywood desk resting in the middle of the room with a black swivel chair in behind, and four filing cabinets against the wall. The only difference is the red chaise that hadn’t been there the last time I’d visited him. “Ah, I see my birthday gift to you arrived.”
Trevor chuckled and shut the door behind us. “It did. Again, thank you. I’ve enjoyed it, believe me.”
McKenna watches the exchange between us with a cute look, obviously trying to decipher what he’s saying. Her brows eventually shoot up, as she clearly put two and two together, and her cheeks flush crimson. She glances at me then and smiles, far too innocently for the place she’s in.
It’s in this moment that I can’t help but look at her and think that back in the day when I first opened this club she would’ve been my choice of lover. Innocent, but daring. Sexy, but sweet. Blood rushes to my cock, and I’m not sure if that’s caused by my reaction to being in this place with her, or if it’s her curiosity tempting me.