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“Huh?”
Jesse imagined she must look confused under the mask by the tilt of her head, but he couldn’t say for sure. He kissed the tip of her nose. “Happy Halloween, Riosin.”
“Oh.” She smiled. “Happy Halloween.”
The town car pulled up to the club. Jesse exited first and offered his hand to Chloe. She stood and Taylor got out right behind her, his hands on her shoulders. The wind had picked up and they huddled close together, their arms instinctively crisscrossed behind Chloe, holding her close between them. They bypassed the velvet rope just as a camera flashed, and scurried inside the Red Door.
Jesse exchanged a glance with Taylor. He shrugged. It was a common enough occurrence for Taylor when he was at a public event, but Jesse left that tedious shit behind, along with the NFL, years ago. First time a camera ever flashed outside the club, though. They were strictly forbidden here. He was glad that at least they’d had Chloe between them and a mask concealed her face.
“Take Chloe to check her coat.” Jesse handed her off to Taylor. Axel casually stood by member check-in, surveying the greeting area with a practiced eye. “I’ll be right there.”
Dressed in all black, the club’s head of security blended in with most of the guests. Except that he didn’t. An ex-marine, he was a big dude. Almost as tall as Jesse, but beefier—like a defensive lineman. They paid him a hefty salary to make sure members were safe and followed club rules. Axel, if that was even his real name, and his team were top notch and worth every penny.
“Hey, Axel.”
The man never looked his way. His gaze remained fixated on the guests mingling throughout the cavernous lobby. A brief nod. “Jesse.”
“There was a photographer outside.” He had to raise his voice when Marilyn Manson started pumping through the sound system.
Axel gave him a thumb-up and spoke into his headset. “Nick. You see a pap out there?” He paused and looked at Jesse. “We’ll handle it. Bren and the guys are on the main floor.”
“Thanks, man.”
Jesse rejoined Taylor and Chloe just as they finished checking her coat. “C’mon, babe.” He linked his arm with hers and in turn Chloe linked hers with Taylor.
Chloe’s eyes were darting all over the place, like she didn’t know where to look first, as Jesse led them across the main floor to their usual booth where Brendan and Venery already sat. She was muttering under her breath but he couldn’t hear her over the music. He was so used to the sights to be had inside the club that he rarely paid attention to it anymore. He reminded himself that this was still new for Chloe. It was only her second time here.
Brendan stood and scooped Chloe up in a giant bear hug. She squealed. It was obvious his cousin had a soft spot for her just as he did for Linnea. He pecked her on the lips and set her back down. “And look what the pretty kitty-cat dragged in,” he said with a chuckle.
“Clever, mate.” Taylor took Chloe by the hand and they slid into the booth.
Jesse smirked with a shrug. “I thought it was kinda funny.” He patted Brendan on the shoulder and sat down beside Chloe.
An erotic theatrical troupe was preforming on the platform and displayed on the giant screen overhead. A masked server appeared and without a glance or a word set up their bottle service. Taylor poured Chloe a glass of champagne. Jesse poured the whiskey.
“Hey, pussycat.” Bo waved to Chloe.
She rolled her eyes and giggled. “Hey, Bo.”
Taylor hooked his arm around her shoulders, clutching Chloe against him. Jesse sipped his whiskey and with his hand on her thigh, he smiled. Who’d have thought Taylor would turn out to be so protective of his woman? Not that Chloe needed protecting. She was a tigress in her own right and this was Bo after all.
Jesse watched as Chloe’s gaze fell on the entertainment. A young man stood at the center of the platform. Two nubile blondes knelt at his feet. All three wore masks. None of them wore clothes.
Chloe swung her head in his direction, nutmeg hair flying. She lifted the mask off her face and let it rest on top of her head. “Is he supposed to be a bull or something?” She pointed to the stage.
Or something.
The man wore a mask that looked like a bull’s head. Two long horns. A gold ring through its nose.
“A minotaur, sweetheart,” Brendan answered. “Half man, half bull.”
Chloe broke out in a fit of giggles. “What happened to Whipping 101, Bren?”
“No demos tonight.” Brendan leaned across him to reach Chloe, and murmured, “But I can arrange a private one just for you if you’d like.”
“She would not like.” Taylor gripped her shoulder tighter and pulled her even closer to his side.
Brendan chuckled and sat back. He nudged Jesse. “You know I was just teasing, right?”
