Page 68 of Renascence

“You’ve done it before?” I ask in a barely audible voice, surprised yet fascinated.

“Why are you whispering?”

“I don’t know. With who?”

“Does it matter, Em?”

“I guess not. The second one, then,” I answer before I can change my mind. “No one can know, though. I mean, public but no audience.”

“You got it, darlin’.”

He goes back to getting dressed, like we just decided on having chicken instead of beef for dinner.O-kay then.

To keep my mind off what I agreed to, I grab my toiletry bag from my purse, trying to figure out what I’m going to do with my hair. Thankfully I have some makeup with me. Since I’ve been here every night, my little bag has been my lifesaver.

“You can leave that here, you know.”

“What?” I turn to face Venom.

“Your bag. No use in taking it back and forth.”

“Are you sure?”

“It’s just deodorant and shit, darlin’.” He chuckles.

“It’s just…. Okay. Thanks.”

“No prob.”

After putting the final touches on my makeup, I find him watching me from the bathroom door. Our eyes meet in the mirror and his approval shows in his smile.

“You look gorgeous, Em.” He saunters over, wrapping his arms around me from behind and dropping a kiss on my neck. “Smell good, too.”

He’s wearing his customary T-shirt and jeans. His eyes seem to have a steely blue hue tonight, which goes perfectly with the long-sleeved blue shirt. His hair is down, beard trimmed, and if we’re talking about smelling good, he has that one in the bag.

“Thank you.”

“Listen.” At his sigh, I turn in his arms, disappointment washing over me because I know he’s about to cancel our plans. “There are a few things we need to go over.”

“Like what?”

“Like what to expect. The old ladies will be around, so things will be pretty tame, but you might still see some things that could”—my brows knit when his smirk transforms into a chuckle—“offend your delicate sensibilities.”

“My sensibilities are not delicate!” I exclaim, pouting.

“Try to keep an open mind. These men and women aren’t your regular crowd. Whatever you see or hear doesn’t leave the clubhouse. You come to me if you have any issues. Understand?”

“Keep my mouth shut. Got it.”

“Right. You need anything, you can talk to one of the women. I’ll introduce you when we get there.”

“Yes, sir!” I salute him, matching his smile with one of my own. “Anything else?”

“No, darlin’. Come on.”

I’ve never seen the clubhouse before. It’s quite secluded and looks like a fortress from the outside with the high gates. When Venom pulls up to them, they open and we enter. We could be in Narnia for all I know, because we drive into a whole new world. Bikes and cars are scattered around, music loud, voices louder. I take in the sights and scents, my senses on overload. There are women wearing much less than me; I wonder how they’re standing around like it’s the middle of summer. Inside the building is no different. Venom’s hand tightens around mine as we weave through the crowd. It’s the ultimate man cave with a pool table, video poker, pinball machine, and several flat-screen TVs mounted on the walls.

“Over there.” Venom points to the bar. “Those are the old ladies.”