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I think I might have poked the beast and made him roar.

“Is this Dad’s club?”

Silence spreads in the limo and his brothers find other things to do.

“How many times have you been here?” Callahan asks softly.

“I haven’t. I just know about it.”

He slides an arm around me. “The virgin has secrets,” he whispers in my ear. “I can’t wait to uncover them.”

Callahan holds my hand as we go in, and curious eyes watch. There’s nothing about the place that screams sex club, but a lot of the people carry bags or are dressed in impossibly sexy outfits, some borderline scandalous. The girlbehind the small standing podium, whose breasts are almost out of her top, almost simpers when she sees the four hot men I’m with.

The look I get is jealous and scathing, and then as she drops her gaze to my hand in Callahan’s, it suddenly turns respectful.

I look around at the nondescript entrance, dark and almost club-like but not, like there’s something unsavory beyond the blackened doors.

Callahan nods discreetly at Torin who goes over to her and they talk.

“Shoulda been me, Cal,” Declan laments. “Those tits…”

“Gobshite.” Seamus gives him a small shove. “Really?”

“Shut up, both of you.” He squeezes my hand, which makes my heart sing in this seedy foyer.

One of the bouncers leads a tall woman over to us. She holds a hand out to Callahan and he releases me to shake it. Then his hand is back in mine, like he needs the connection the same way I do.

It grounds me, his touch, in this place.

“I’m Fran. Mr. de Rosa said you were coming by,” the woman says and we follow her through a door that bypasses the main floor. We’re led up to the second floor, where some offices are. “This is the brain center of the operation. Can I be blunt and ask if you are shutting us down?”

“There might be an overhaul,” Callahan says, once more glancing at me, “but I won’t be changing staff. If you don’t mind, Torin will go over the books and the other two will look around.”

Fran nods, breathing out like a weight’s been lifted. “Of course. Live sex shows are on the basement level, and up here are rooms for couples to have sex, do their thing.”

“And security?”

“We don’t want private sessions. But there’s a viewingroom where you can enjoy what goes on, as well as keep an eye on things. Igor”—she snaps her fingers—“will show you where all that is.”

“Thanks, Fran. I’ll see you soon.” Then Callahan leans close to me. “Come on, let’s find yourjoy, Lucie Joy.”

He takes me out onto the main floor. That’s where the mountain named Igor leads us. He points out the bar but says that I might like it more in the viewing rooms.

A girl walks us there. She has black hair the color of kohl and is gorgeous, with big breasts, a tiny waist, and legs that are a million miles long. She’s also wearing almost nothing, pussy on full display, pierced in such a way that I can’t stop staring at it. She’s got rings running along her labia on both sides and two in her clit with a silver chain that runs through them all, and then the chain’s clasped around her waist.

I know all this because she offers both me and Callahan the flirtiest smile, then she turns, bends over, and flashes everything.

She starts to reach around to pull everything open and put it on display, but Callahan stops her. “Thanks, love, very pretty, but my wife and I just need a good old-fashioned guide to the rooms.”

“Oh.” She straightens, shrugs, and leads the way.

“Eyes off that cunt, Lucie. I’m possessive no matter what experiments you might have in mind, and while I might find it exciting to see your fingers deep in another pussy, I’ll probably have to kill the woman, and my mam wouldn’t like that. She doesn’t approve of killing women. Besides, Jingle Bells here seems nice. Even if she’s a show-off.”

A laugh jumps into my throat but I gulp it down.

Callahan takes me into a large room. It’s decorated with chairs, a coffee table, and a big, round leather sofa with a high center that looks large enough for a group of people to lie on.

But there are alsothings.