“Baby, I’d fall gracefully, of course. Hey, maybe we can get Indigo and meet back at your place for evening cocktails sometime?”
The first step in getting information was mingling and getting people comfortable with you, which led to a couple of all-nighters and a bottle of tequila a time or two with her ‘new best friends’. She hated to think of herself as using Maya or Indigo, but it was what it was and she could only hope, when it was all over, they would understand. She didn’t hold out much hope though.
“Sounds good. I’m sure I’ll run into her tonight at some point. She likes to sneak down for a quick drink with her boyfriend while Volkov is on the floor with guests.”
“Speaking of, I wasn’t joking. I’ve watched him watch you lately. What’s up with that? You’re such a bad girl. Come on. You can tell me. Are you doing the boss? Bosses? Oh, wait. That reminds me.” Maya slid a single piece of folded paper tucked between her breasts and held it out to Rhia before she had a chance to deny anything. The woman flitted from thought to thought faster than Rhia could keep up.
“What’s this?” Rhia arched her brow and slowly slid the paper from Maya’s fingers, opening it. “Last time you handed me a piece of paper it had a Russian’s cellphone number on it with a time and address to the side and he was fucking Bratva!” Not how she saw her first week at the place going.
“Mmm.” Maya tapped her lips with her long fingernail, her smile as wicked as the glint in her eyes. “I remember. You would have loved popping your cherry with a man like him. Too bad they killed him the next week.”
“Uhh…yeah. Too bad.” Rhia side-eyed her friend. “It didn’t look too good that I had his number and his address on me when the police went around questioning the staff about his time here.”
Maya giggled and waved a hand at her worries as though they were nothing. “Okay, okay. This isn’t anything like that.” Maya tapped the piece of paper. “It’s just the number of an elite client with unique pleasures. Darker tastes. Ones Indigo likes. She asked me to hook her up.”
Elite as in filthy rich, powerful, and in a position to make any desire come true as twisted or fucked up as it might be. She knew the lingo.
“I would text her but I lost my phone yesterday. Since you’ll see Indigo before I do it’s easier if you pass it along. Tell her the gentleman wants to meet.” Maya pointed at the paper. “That’s his private number.” A wicked glint flashed in her friend’s eyes. “Who knows, maybe we can kink you up a bit and pop that submissive cherry of yours and get you in bed with someone that can break you in. Maybe he’s into threesomes.”
Rhia shook her head in a negative motion. “Nope. We’re so not having that conversation again, Maya. Words like dark tastes make me shiver and not in a sexy way.” Rhia turned on her heel but caught Maya sticking out her lower lip in a big pout.
“You’re no fun, you know that, right?”
She wasn’t here for fun. Chicago was home for only a short time until she found out what she needed. No man with cuffs, floggers, or whatever the hell they used needed. Besides, after she did what she had to do, she doubted anyone would want anything to do with her.
Since day one Indigo had taken a liking to Rhia and showed her the ropes with Maya’s help. The three had become fast friends, as Rhia designed it. Being the youngest of four and the only girl, she was a quick study on how to get what she wanted. Her father liked to point out none of them had a chance when she set her mind to wanting something.
A pang of guilt shot through her. Her brothers would do anything for her—all she had to do was ask. But she also knew none of them would agree to her walking into the lion’s den dressed like a leather-clad lamb.