Pretty good on paper, Olivia’s real worth became clear when I saw her on the job. It didn’t take long for me to realize that she’d work out even better than Kate had. And unlike with my previous assistants, I began to want to know more about this woman who seemed all business but who’d caught the eye of not only one but two players in my club.
I didn’t want to let Stefan know how interested I was in Olivia, but his comments about her and Jake Richfield led me to believe she was just friends with him. As for my brother, I didn’t have to wonder what he thought about the woman I spent my days with. Every leer and nasty remark about how he wanted to get into her pants told me loud and clear. He bordered on sexual harassment on most days, but with her, I couldn’t decide whether she should sue us or crack him across the face.
Or if I should.
At nine-thirty I found her behind her desk taking care of last minute details for the party. Stefan had received the guest list and Kane had the list of who wanted what fantasies that night. She’d handled everything with aplomb, so barring any drunken madness by the Godiva women, the night would be a good opportunity for Olivia to see the inner workings of Club X.
Still in her work clothes, she stood from her seat and straightened her black suit coat and skirt. Compared to the rest of that night’s partygoers, she and I would look like the adult chaperones at a junior high school dance. We weren’t there for fun, though. Tonight was as much work as anything we did during the day.
“Remember what I told you about these women? Just keep that in mind and you’ll be fine.”
“Cash, I’m not a nun. I swear I must be giving off the wrong vibe. First my friends are sure I’m the most boring person they’ve ever met, and now you’re worried that some ladies getting freaky might make me faint. Trust me. I may not look it, but I’m actually capable of having fun.”
There weren’t more than a handful of people who could talk to me like that and get away with it, but Olivia had a way about her that made me overlook things I wouldn’t in other people. “I was just trying to prepare you. You’ve never been here at night. Club X looks entirely different in the dark.”
With a sly grin, she said, “Well, this sheltered girl who doesn’t get out enough, according to everyone who knows me, is looking forward to seeing this place when the lights go down.”
For a moment I studied her, seeing for the first time a sexiness I liked. “Okay. Let’s go then.”
I led her out onto the floor and checked with Stefan to see if all the Lady Godivas had arrived. “Are the ladies all here?”
“All good.” Looking at Olivia, he smiled his best frat boy grin. “Hey you! It’s about time you joined us out here. Ready to experience the hottest club in town?”
“I am,” she answered with a chuckle. “I can’t wait to see these women. We aren’t talking naked women in long blonde wigs on horseback, are we?”
“No animals tonight, as far as I know. Kane would have mentioned a Catherine the Great,” Stefan joked with a wink.
I hated how easily he drew out her fun side. With almost no effort, he had her giggling and joking around. I’d spent hours with her each day, and not once had I seen the smile she gave him or the sparkle in her eye she got when he spoke to her.
It went against every principle I believed in, but after only a few days, I wanted to see her like she was with Stefan when only I was around. I wanted to bring out her playful sexy side.
“You two planning on hanging out down here, or are you going to head up to the top floors and catch the action?”
“I think we’ll walk around down here for a while and then head upstairs. I want Olivia to get the full experience.”
“Oooh, the full experience? Brace yourself, Olivia. My brother rarely spends any time out here once the action starts, so if he wants to show off the full experience, he must have something in mind.”
Stefan was as subtle as a Sherman tank, and I looked over at Olivia to see her cheeks blush that cute pink color that was only more accentuated by her red hair. What I had in mind was showing off the club that took up my days and nights. If anything else occurred, though, I couldn’t say I’d be unhappy.
I slid my arm around her and gently pressed my hand against the small of her back to guide her away from Stefan before he announced his opinion on what he thought were my favorite sex positions or how nice we looked together. His act may work for him, but I preferred a smoother style when I wanted a woman’s attention.
“We’ll see you later, baby brother.”
Olivia turned toward me and with a smile said, “I thought there’d be music. Not that it’s quiet in here with people coming in, but I just thought it would be more like clubs I’ve been to.”
“It will be. The music starts later. Stefan likes to get our customers a little drunk before he lets them loose on the dance floor. Plus, people tend to have a better time if they can talk first. Then they get relaxed, get drunk, and tend to spend more money.”
I led her to a lounge across from the bar beside the dance floor, still nearly dark for now. She sat down next to me on a red couch and angled her body toward me, and in the dim light of the wall sconce above our heads I saw a look of anticipation in her eyes.
“Cash, I thought the rooms upstairs were booked months in advance.”
“They are.”
“Then how do people spend more money here? You don’t serve food, so the only items to buy are drinks and the fantasy rooms.”
“Ah, I see your confusion. People hear about the rooms and other members’ experiences and after a few drinks, they want to pay to have one of those experiences for themselves. The rooms may be booked solid, but at that moment when they’re drunk and having a good time, they’ll pay to reserve a room months later.”
“Clever. You March brothers are quite the businessmen.”
A few people passed by and sat down nearby on another sofa. Leaning in so they couldn’t hear our conversation, I revealed the truth of my family’s past. “Only Stefan and I are Marchs. Kane is our half-brother. We have the same fathers but different mothers.”
“You and Kane seem close in age. I’m guessing it wasn’t a case of a child by a second marriage since Stefan is younger than you two.”
She hadn’t said anything wrong, but I was surprised for a moment by her deduction. My hesitation in confirming her guess came across as being offended, and she quickly reached her hand out to touch my arm in a sympathetic gesture.