Finding Home: A Club Dark Novel Read online

  We walk into her room and it looks much the same as mine. Four poster king bed, only her sheets and comforter are black. She’s got a chest of drawers, and a nightstand beside her bed. There are no other decorations in here. She walks into her closet and walks out with the most gorgeous little black dress and black stilettos I have ever seen. I’m not sure I can fit into this dress, let alone look remotely good in it.

  “Wow! Amber, I don’t think…”

  She cuts me off, “Sure you can, and you’ll look amazing.” I stand in the middle of her room speechless when I hear her say, “I’ll leave you to it then.” And then she’s gone.

  Well, here goes nothing. Sliding this perfect little dress over my curvy body is no easy feat, but I manage. I’m surprised it actually fits. It’s beautiful. And seeing it on my body, I almost don’t recognize myself. I actually look really good in it and not like a slut, which is what I was expecting. As I’m buckling the black heels she handed me, I hear Amber walk into the room. For the first time, I notice her outfit; one little bend and her ass will be hanging out of her shorts, and don’t get me started on her shirt— if you can even call it that— it barely covers her boobs. Strangely enough, though, she looks good. I’m even more curious about this club if this is acceptable attire for their employees.

  “You look HOT!” she says, looking me up and down. “I don’t think you even need makeup. Well, maybe just a little blush. You’re looking a little pale there.” she says with that smirk of hers I’m starting to get used to. It’s like this woman doesn’t have a serious bone in her body.

  Standing up, I feel a little awkward and unsteady. I’m not used to wearing heels, especially not a pair that adds three inches to my height. “Do you by chance have anything with a shorter heel?” I ask her, hopeful.

  “Are you kidding? You look great, kid. The height looks good on you. I do have a pair of flats, but they wouldn’t look right with that dress.” Well great! There goes that idea. “So? Are you ready?” she asks.

  Not really, is what I’m thinking, but instead I say, “As ready as I’m going to be.” My answer brings a big smile to her face.

  “Would you like to ride over with me?”

  Normally, I would decline this offer. I like the independence of driving my own vehicle. But in light of trying to write this new chapter in my life, I take her up on it. “Sure, that would be great.”

  If I didn’t know any better, I’d say her expression changed just a little when I agreed. Her signature smirk is back. But this one feels different, almost evil. Surely I’m mistaken. My nerves must be playing tricks on me.

  As we make our way to her car, I’m not surprised when I find that she’s driving a Corvette. And boy, is this one impressive.

  “Wow! This is your car?”

  “Yep. Got it as a birthday gift from my parents’. They may be hard to deal with at times, but they never fail to deliver when it comes to gifts. This here is a 2015 Z06. I wanted fast and sleek.”

  Awesome, now I get to fear my life while riding shotgun in what appears to be a pretty powerful piece of machinery.

  “Why did you choose all black?” I ask, just trying to make conversation.

  “Easy, I like to think I can disappear while speeding down the highway at night,” she says as she climbs inside. Maybe I should just drive my own car. “Are you get-ting in or what? I’m going to be late as it is.” Against my better judgment, I get inside.

  We may spend ten minutes in the car. She wasn’t kidding about disappearing with the night. This girl is driving speeds I’ve never dreamed of attempting. My hands are gripped in a fist so tight that I’m surprised there’s not a trail of blood running down them. I’m pretty positive I’ve left marks on the palm of my hands.

  Amber just looks over with a smile saying, “Relax, sweetie, and live a little.” Yea, I’ll relax when you stop this car.

  Finally, we arrive at some kind of parking deck and she drives down to the lower level marked Employees Only. She pulls in a space and we get out of the car.

  “We have to take the elevators to the first floor then walk across the street to the club. It’s still about an hour before opening, so we should be able to get you a good tour before the door opens.”

  Walking across the street, we’re heading for a building that’s unremarkable. It appears to be an old abandoned warehouse. There’s a set of steel double doors on the side. Amber knocks three times on it and then drops her hand. We wait a brief moment before the doors open, and standing in the doorway is who I’m gonna assume is one of the security guards. The guy is huge and appears to have a military background. At least his hair mimics that of a freshly shaved high and tight. He’s roughly six feet tall and all muscle. I mean it ripples from head to toe. He’s not bad on the eyes either.

  “Who’s this?” he asks in a deep, rustic voice.

  “Oh, this is my new roommate. Lacey, this tough guy here is our head of security, Alex.” There’s a very subtle flirt in her tone that I’m sure this Alex guy hears but chooses to ignore.

  Alex looks me up and down causing nervous butterflies to erupt in my stomach. “Does the boss know she’s here?” he asks, raising his eyebrows at Amber and giving her a look like he already knows the answer.

  “Not exactly. But she’s harmless. Just wanna show her the ropes seeing as she’s new to town.” Amber’s voice is sultry, and she trails her fingers down Alex’s arm.

  “You know Mr. Lewis does not like surprises,” he says as he removes Amber’s hand from his bicep.

  “He’ll get over it.” Amber shrugs and pushes her way past Alex. I follow after her because I’d rather not be left behind with Mister Serious, thank you. It’s bad enough that I can feel him staring daggers at the back of my head.

  “Are you sure I should be here?” I suddenly have a very bad feeling.

  “Of course! You’re gonna have so much fun! You’ll see.”

  Walking out into the main area, I’m instantly impressed. You definitely wouldn’t be prepared for this by looking at the outside. There’s two bars set up on either side of the room and they appear to be identical in style, and fully stocked with all the liquor and beer you could ever want. In the center of the room between the two bars is a huge u-shaped couch. The oversized couch seems to be the focal point of the room which I find a bit odd. There is a hallway off each bar. At a glance, I’d say there are many doors down those hallways. There’s definitely not a dance floor here, that’s for sure.

  I’m starting to feel out of place. What sort of club is this? Amber walks toward one of the bars, and I follow. “This is typically where you can find me. I serve the drinks and keep up conversation. I guess you could say I’m eye candy, only I never leave the bar.” She’s so nonchalant as she says this and keeps walking while I follow behind her.

  “So, what kind of bar is this exactly? Clearly, it’s not a dance club!” I may sound a bit rude, but I have that lied to feeling going on here. Only, she really hasn’t lied to me.

  “We are a type of gentlemen’s club, for lack of a better term.” A very deep voice answers from behind me.

  I spin around so quick that if he didn’t put his hands around me to steady me, I would’ve found myself on the floor. The feel of a large warm hand on my arms causes goose bumps to form on my body which is odd considering I haven’t even looked at him yet. When I do finally turn around to get a glimpse of him, I am met with a wall of chest. I’m stunned in place.

  “And who is this?” Oh. My. God. That voice. Which is nothing compared to the incredible face I see when I finally bring my eyes up to meet his. Is this guy even real? I’ve never seen someone so good looking before, at least not up close anyway. If ever I was the type to have rebound sex, I definitely wouldn’t be opposed to this guy. Hell, a rebound might be just what I need right now. Something tells me I might get in a little trouble with this one, though.

  He has this dangerous appeal to him. Like you just know he’s not a good man, like he makes a livin
g off of doing bad things. He’s huge. He has at least six inches on me, despite the fact that I’m in heels. This man is all bulging muscle, taut and firm with his movements even though he’s in a suit. His face is clean-shaven, and his hair is trimmed. I can’t seem to stop staring especially into his dark eyes.

  I’m mesmerized, and I don’t even know it. Not until Amber clears her throat. “Mr. Lewis, this is my new roommate, Lacey, the girl I was telling you about. She’s new to town so I figured I’d give her a tour.”

  He stares at me a breath too long, and I feel my heart start to race and my palms begin to sweat. This has never happened to me before. For the first time, I have butterflies for a stranger. Suddenly, he releases his hold on my arms, and I feel the connection between us break. It’s almost like I can breathe again, like when his hands were touching me, my entire body froze.

  “Nice to meet you, Lacey.” The way he says my name... I just know I’m in trouble, I need to stay as far away from this guy as I can. As good as revenge sex sounds with him, I’m just not sure I’m ready for that right now. “Tonight’s a big night, so make sure she’s not in the way.” He gives Amber a stern look. I give him a look of my own that says, asshole.

  “Sure thing, Mr. Lewis,” Amber says as Mr. Lewis walks away. “That is Mr. Co-rey Lewis! He owns this place, and it’s best to stay on his good side. He may be nice to look at but he also has a temper, and it’s not pretty.” Lovely. Just what I don’t need in my life right now.

  “Will I be in the way being here? Your boss did say it’s a big night.” I ask her, secretly hoping she says yes so I can leave.

  “So long as you stay here at the bar you should be fine.” Amber gives my shoulder a light nudge and turns around.

  “What’s down those halls?” My curiosity is getting the best of me and I couldn’t hold back asking any longer. She doesn’t answer immediately which has me a bit worried.

  “You know how Cory, Mr. Lewis, says this is a gentlemen’s club? That’s just a front for legal purposes.” What the hell did I walk into and why would Amber bring me here without telling me all of this to begin with? “When you walk through those doors, you’ll see the usual; it looks like any other gentlemen’s club. We have strippers who cater to those who are just looking for a fun night and a good show.” Okay, I can handle that, it’s just like a strip club.

  “But Mr. Lewis also runs a more lucrative business that makes us a little more exclusive. You have to pay big money to go down those halls, and you can imagine what lies beyond those doors.” I was fine until she continued, now I really do just want to go home.

  “So basically this is a sex club?” I ask, looking at her with complete shock on my face.

  “Exactly!” she says with a huge smile on her face.

  “And what role do you play here?” I’m really not meaning to come across so judgmental, honest!

  Luckily she doesn’t seem at all fazed by my question; she just plays it cool yet again. “Really I’m just a bartender. A lot of the clients who come here really are just looking for a show and not interested in touching. Some of the guys have wives and don’t want to completely betray them.” I get that and don’t have a problem with guys that want to enjoy a stripper every now and then. “My role is to just keep them happy, which usually just means getting them drunk. Some of them are content with that. Others end up converting to platinum members which gets them access to the halls.”

  Wow, my head is spinning with all this information. What I’m gathering is, to outsiders, this is an upscale gentlemen’s club, but to members, it’s an illegal sex club.

  I wonder why Amber would trust me with this information, why she thinks I won’t report this place? She doesn’t know me well enough to know if she can trust me with this information or not. I’m still trying to figure her out to get a sense of what kind of person she is. What I do know is I keep feeling the hairs on the back of my neck stand up which leads me to believe someone has their eyes on me. I have a pretty good idea who that someone is too.

  It’s about 11pm, and the club is starting to fill up. I’m sitting here at the bar watching Amber just to see what she does for a living. I have to admit that she’s pretty talented. Not only does she put on a great show twirling and filling the glasses, but she is also very fast about getting each of the drinks put out. There are at least twelve men seated at her side of the bar, and she hasn’t left a single one of them wanting. It’s getting to be pretty packed in here, and I honestly don’t know what to do with myself. I feel really out of place seeing as they clearly cater to mostly men here. All of the leering looks I keep getting is making me uncomfortable. I feel like they are all looking at me like I am one of the dancers and they are waiting for me to start removing my clothes or something.

  I start to get that hair-raising sensation again right before I feel a firm hand on the small of my back, and my body instantly freezes. Goose bumps break out along my back as I feel a warm breath trail across my neck and a whisper in my ear. “Enjoying yourself, Ms. Carter?” Funny, I don’t remember giving him my last name.

  “Yes, I am, Mr. Lewis,” I reply on a shaky exhale.

  “Well, it seems you have the attention of over half the men in my club.” I turn my head back and forth looking around the room and sure enough there are over a dozen pair of eyes on me. “In any other place, I’d say that attention is good…” As he speaks in my ear, I feel his hand moving slowly up my back, creating a tingle in its wake, “but here in my club, I’m afraid you might not like their kind of attention.” At this, he disappears, and I’m left with my heart lodged in my throat. What the hell was that? What makes him think he can just put his hands on me?

  A few minutes go by before Amber walks over with a glass of clear liquid in her hand and places it on the counter before me. “Mr. Lewis gave me explicit orders to keep an eye on you.” As if I need this presumptuous asshole looking after me. “Also, all drinks are on the house. This is our house specialty; don’t ask what’s in it. If you don’t like it let me know, and I’ll get you something else.” Well, who am I to turn down free liquor?

  “Thank you.” I give her a friendly smile and grip the glass in my hand before bringing it to my mouth.

  “Try to relax some. No one will mess with you so long as you stay right here. Most of them have already seen Mr. Lewis with his hands on you, so if they value their lives, they’ll stay away.” How nice! Just what I don’t need is Mr. Domineering thinking I am some piece of property he now possesses.

  “Thank you, but I think I can handle myself,” I say, giving her more attitude than I intend.

  “If you say so,” is the only response I get from her as she walks away to go tend to the customers. These people are really starting to grate on my nerves. Maybe I need this drink after all.

  This is probably one of the best drinks I’ve ever had. It’s some kind of tropical concoction with just a hint of coconut. To me, that spells heaven. You can tell there’s alcohol in it but it’s very subtle which is both good and bad. Thankfully no one has bothered me, but I can still feel several pairs of eyes on me. I’m too scared to even look around, and I definitely don’t want to give any of these poor saps the wrong impression around here. Like I told Amber, I can handle myself. And I don’t usually scare easily. But I’m in a new place and all of my senses are on high alert. Once I’ve finished with the first drink, I signal for her to bring me another. I might as well enjoy myself.

  “You may want to slow yourself down there, hon, it may not taste like it but these are pretty powerful.” Amber nods toward my drink.

  “Are you kidding? I can’t even taste the alcohol or feel any of the effects,” I tell her as I hand her my glass.

  “Consider yourself warned!” And there’s that smirk of hers again.

  “Will do,” I say and down half of the glass she just placed right in front of me. She just walks away laughing and shaking her head.

  Three glasses down and I have to go pee. There is no way I ca
n hold it in any longer. Only I have no idea where to find a bathroom in a place like this? I guess there is no time like the present to find out. I go to stand but suddenly the world starts to spin. I don’t feel drunk, well not exactly. I feel extremely dizzy and like I’m about to be sick. I remember thinking what was in those drinks right before my entire world went black.

  Chapter 4

  Ah man. What the hell happened last night? I feel like shit, and I seriously have to pee. With my eyes still half closed I get out of bed. My head is spinning, but I really need to pee so I fight through the dizziness and head straight for the bathroom. I take a few steps and then stop; wait a minute… This place does not look or feel right. This bathroom is massive and painted a dark gray. There’s a single sink with a glass bowl and chrome spout sitting to the left of the room, an old-fashioned bear claw tub sitting to the right, and an all glass stand-up shower in the far corner. I begin to panic as the events from last night come crashing back. Oh no! I was drugged, that has to be it. But where the hell am I, and how did I get here. I immediately start checking my body for signs of… I can’t even think it.

  “Hello, Ms. Carter.” Startled, I nearly lose my footing. I know that voice. How did I end up here with him? Oh my God! He drugged me. I’m going to puke. I make a mad dash for the toilet. I hear the sound of feet hitting the tile floor, and I can feel his eyes on me. I just don’t understand.

  “What am I doing here, stay away from me?” My voice comes out much weaker than I mean it to.

  “Well, let’s see,” he says sounding completely cocky, “You did pass out on the floor of my club. Would you have preferred it if I left you just lying there on the dirty floor?”

  I swear it sounds like he’s taking pleasure in this situation. I would have preferred not to wake up in a stranger's bed. I would have preferred not to wake up disoriented and confused. I would have preferred to be anywhere but here in some guy’s house that I don’t even know, but I don’t say any of that out loud. Instead, I say, “And why did I pass out? I’m no expert in the liquor department, but I’m quite certain that I didn’t have enough for it to cause me to blackout.” I’m pretty sure I know what happened, I just want to see if he’ll admit it to me.