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I followed her out of the office, my mind still spinning from everything Gavin had shared. What was Sienna’s story? Why was she considered “off-limits”?
Suddenly, a blur of glitter and perfume crashed into me.
“Oh my god, I’m so sorry!” A sultry voice purred. I looked down to find myself face to face with a stunningly beautiful woman. She had curves for days, golden skin, and eyes that seemed to change color in the light.
“No harm done,” I managed, trying to regain my composure.
The woman’s full lips curved into a smile. “I’m Venus,” she said, extending a perfectly manicured hand.
I shook her hand, acutely aware of how soft her skin was. “Fury Gracen. Nice to meet you, Venus.”
Venus’s smile widened. “Oh, the pleasure is all mine, Mr. Gracen.”
I heard Sienna clear her throat loudly. “Venus, don’t you have a costume fitting?”
Venus pouted, but her eyes never left mine. “Always the taskmaster, Sienna. Fine, fine. But Fury?” She leaned in close, her breath hot on my ear. “If you ever want a private tour of the club, just let me know.”
As Venus sashayed away, I turned to find Sienna glaring at me. “What?” I asked, feeling defensive.
She shook her head, her expression unreadable. “Nothing. Come on, let’s get you out of here before you cause any more trouble.”
As we reached the exit, I couldn’t resist one last attempt at connecting. “You know, Sienna, I feel like we got off on the wrong foot. Maybe we could?—”
“Stop right there, Gracen,” she cut me off, her voice sharp. “Whatever you’re thinking, whatever you’re planning, just don’t. You’re here to do a job, nothing more. Got it?”
I held her gaze, feeling that same electric tension from earlier. “Got it,” I said finally.
Sienna nodded, then pushed open the door. “Good. See you around, Mr. Gracen.”
The condo Cory and I kept in Manhattan was fairly small, but it’d just been for us to stay in when we were in town on business. Now that I’d be living here for the foreseeable future, I wanted to get something of my own, something bigger.
Moving to New York City was my chance for a fresh start. I had family here, but this was the first time I’d really been this much on my own. After my parents had died, my brother and sister and I had gone straight to our Aunt Theresa and her new husband … and all of their kids. Being alone in the McCrae-Carideo-Gracen family wasn’t really possible. I went to college and Cory joined me. We started our business together. Yeah, we’d kept separate homes, but we spent a lot of time together as we built our empire.
And now I was here. Alone.
My phone buzzed, snapping me out of my reverie. A text from Cory:
“Landed safely? How’s the Big Apple treating you?”
I smirked, typing back: “Landed and survived my first NYC rainstorm. Met some... interesting people.”
The response was immediate: “Interesting, huh? Do tell!”
Before I could reply, my phone started ringing. Cory’s face popped up on the screen, grinning like an idiot.
“Alright, spill it,” he said as soon as I answered. “What’s this about ‘interesting people’? Did you meet the Kardashians or something?”
I chuckled, moving away from the window to collapse onto the leather sofa. “Not quite. But man, Cory, Club Privé, that place... it’s something else.”
“Club Privé? I looked it up after you told me about the meeting. Looks pretty swanky.”
“Swanky doesn’t begin to cover it,” I said, running a hand through my hair. “Remember that BDSM club we snuck into sophomore year?”
Cory snorted. “How could I forget? I couldn’t look at a pair of handcuffs for months without blushing.”
“Yeah, well, picture that, but make it a thousand times classier and add a few million dollars worth of crystal chandeliers.”
“Holy shit,” Cory breathed. “That’s impressive. So, aside from the club, how’s the city treating you? Met any cute New Yorkers yet?”
