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She’d see for herself what was behind that red door.
Brendan wouldn’t even know she was there.
She’d slip inside. Blend in. Have a glass of champagne—or two.
Katie giggled to herself.
Maybe, if she was feeling really adventurous and extremely brave, she’d throw caution to the wind. She’d walk right up to him and kiss him, just like that night in the park. Would he know it was her then? Would he recognize how her lips felt on his? Would he be angry and send her home like a naughty child or would he whisk her away and claim what he said was his?
Butterflies stirred inside her just thinking about it.
She was going to do it.
She was going to the ball.
Because butterflies don’t lie…do they?
Happy Halloween!
At first he thought he was seeing things, so he rubbed the sleep from his eyes and read it again. Three fucking weeks. It’d been three weeks since Kyan and Linnea’s wedding, and that was the last time Brendan had gotten a response from her. No more of this text message bullshit. Time’s up. He’d given her plenty. Tomorrow, he was going to walk his ass right into Beanie’s to get some coffee—and his sweet girl.
Trick or treat, baby?
He grinned.
Whipping the covers off his naked body, Brendan swung out of bed with a burst of exhilaration that he hadn’t felt in a very long time—maybe ever. He was pumped with a renewed sense of energy. Vigor. Of hope. An undeniable purpose. And that purpose was Katelyn.
Brendan glanced around his mammoth bedroom with its adjacent sitting room, envisioning her in it with him. It was decidedly dark and masculine, black being the predominant color, like most of the house. Ebony wood floors. Leather. He’d always found it too big for just himself, but now as he looked at the overstuffed sofas and chairs, the plush velvet hammock suspended from the ceiling, he thought it perfect.
In stark contrast to his dark bedroom, Brendan stepped into his en suite. Even though the space was twice its original size after the remodel, he’d managed to preserve the vintage aesthetic. The original white subway tiles and hexagon mosaic floor remained. Everything that was old looked new again, and everything that was new looked as if it had always been there—like it belonged. And that was exactly the way he wanted it.
Now to do the same with the rest of his life.
And it would all start tomorrow. The only thing that prevented him from going to her today was the masquerade ball tonight. Even though it was only late morning, Brendan was already behind schedule. Special events at the club required him to be there earlier than usual to deal with handling caterers and hired performers. At least Linnea and Chloe helped him with some of that now, but still, he had to be there and it was going to be a long night. Brendan wanted his focus to be solely on Katelyn when he saw her. So tomorrow.
Brendan got into the shower and as the hot water soaked his skin he laughed out loud to the tile walls. He might go to hell for this, but he didn’t fucking care. Katelyn wasn’t even old enough to step one foot inside his club, but she was old enough to get inside his head and his heart. His bed. And that’s exactly where he wanted her to be.
By the time he made it to the Red Door it was already going on four. The guests would begin to arrive at seven and by ten the playrooms would come alive. There would be no demos tonight. Just as he’d arranged for their previous balls, they would be entertained with wicked exhibitions and erotic performances favorited by those members with more extreme preferences. Fear play. Sadism. Blood play. Electro-stimulation. Wax. The Halloween Ball was the one night of the year when the dungeon came upstairs. Though much of it was specially staged for tonight’s event, like a horror movie, it probably wasn’t for the squeamish or faint of heart.
It wasn’t his thing, but it did make his dick hard to watch.
Linnea was upstairs in the VIP space directing staff who were stocking the private bars, setting up food stations, and draping gossamer webs on chandeliers. The club had been transformed into a haunted playground. She was so talented and any event she planned was incredible. Brendan strode right over to Linnea and wrapped her in his arms.
“Happy Halloween, sweetheart. You’re fucking amazing.” He kissed her cheek. “Everything looks fantastic—especially you.”
She blushed as she often did. “Thanks, Bren.”
He’d loved this girl from the start, knew they were meant to be her family from the moment he met her. Linnea was inherently beautiful and sweet and good. It was easy to understand why everyone loved her so much, but what was inconceivable to Brendan was how anyone could have ever hurt her as she had been. Both Linnea and her brother had suffered unspeakable cruelty by those who were supposed to love them the most. Knowing that brought out a driving need in all of them to keep her safe and protect her from anything bad and evil.
Her father.
Salena.
Brendan held her tiny frame to him even tighter and kissed her brow before he finally let go. “Where’s Chloe?”
“Jesse called and she had to go.” She shrugged. “She told me to tell you they’d be here before seven and something about not catching any butterflies…not sure what she meant by that.”
He grinned.
