Total pages in book: 104
Estimated words: 102184 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 511(@200wpm)___ 409(@250wpm)___ 341(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102184 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 511(@200wpm)___ 409(@250wpm)___ 341(@300wpm)
It’s still early, so there aren’t many patrons present, just a few men sitting at the tables, sipping drinks. I glance over at the bartender, who is whispering with several cocktail servers. Once they spot Adele, they separate and busy themselves.
Anticipation zaps my chest at the thought of being able to do some actual detective work once I get hired and can chat with the girls to find out what they know.
“This way,” Adele says, turning toward the staircase.
I hurry to keep up with her long confident strides across the glossy black floor, memorizing everything I can in case I don’t get the job and this is the only look I’ll get of the interior.
Once we reach the top of the staircase, she guides me into a large reception area which has a loft feel to it and allows me to still see the bottom floor.
“You’ll interview with Mr. Huxley, if he’s available,” she clips as we move past a desk with another beautiful brunette behind it.
I’m about to meet the potentially dangerous man I’ve studied, and my insides coil tight with something I can’t quite grasp. Anticipation? Nerves? Excitement?
“He’s busy,” the girl tells Adele as we approach a closed door.
Adele stops in her tracks. “Doing what?”
“The Thorne twins are in there with him.”
At first I assume she’s referring to women, but my mind slingshots back to the packet of information I studied on Huxley. Roman and Ledger Thorne are Devereaux’s best friends. Roman and Ledger don’t have jobs, because they don’t need one. According to their file, they’re living their best life off of the billions they earned from stellar investments. Must be nice to be so rich. They grew up with Devereaux, and even though these men are not mafia related, I’m sure they have tons of associates in organized crime.
It’s also rumored the Chekov brothers frequent this club.
Dimitri and Vlad Chekov are the sons of mob boss Yuri Chekov, one of the most notorious men in this century. Yuri bows to no one and has given his spoiled sons the keys to his kingdom. I make a mental note to look further into their recent activities as Adele knocks on the door, opens it, and leans her head in.
“We have a girl here for an interview.”
I barely get a peek, but what I glimpse unsettles me. Three men, one more powerful than the others, occupy the office. Devereaux sits with his hands steepled and his elbows resting on an imposing oak desk. The other two men stand nearby, as if hanging on his every word.
“Adele, come in,” Roman says with a wicked glint in his eye.
I recognize Roman Thorne from his file picture. Nicknamed Romeo, according to the background information, because he has a way with the ladies. And looking at him right now, I can see why. Tall, dark hair, with dazzling blue eyes and a body of steel. He’s incredibly handsome.
His fraternal twin brother, Ledger, is just as pleasing to the eye in an unfair-to-other-men kind of way. He’s covered in tattoos, and his jaw looks like it’s been set in stone. His brown eyes rake over my body as I enter the office with Adele.
Heat flows through my veins. I’m well aware the warmth I’m now experiencing relates to the way his eyes land on me.
The killer.
Devereaux Huxley’s whiskey-colored orbs devour me, leaving nothing but my shaky bones in their wake.
“She’s here to interview for a position,” Adele says. “I think she’ll do.”
Devereaux nods at his friends and they walk toward the door, licking up the space with each large stride.
Adele follows them out, shutting the door behind her, leaving me alone with Devereaux. Not what I expected to happen.
But it’s showtime.
Chapter 2
Devereaux
* * *
Adele has lost her fucking mind. This girl cannot work at Club Greed. If innocence had a face, it would be the one before me. Her blonde hair shimmers like spun silk beneath the fluorescent lighting, falling past her slim shoulders to caress bountiful breasts hidden beneath a tight white shirt.
I’ll give her credit though. The demure outfit she chose stresses her assets just as much as if she’d come in half-naked like most girls who want to be a Greedy Girl.
Her emerald eyes stay focused on mine with commendable bravado, but I can nearly smell the fear coming off her petite frame.
Good. She should fear me.
“I don’t hire blondes.”
She opens her pretty mouth to speak, but nothing comes out.
I perch on my desk in front of her. “Do you even know what Club Greed is?”
“Well, I’d have to live under a rock not to know.” The lilt of her voice punches me in the gut. “I mean, you named it Greed—an intense or selfish desire for something—so I know it’s not your average club.”
“It’s definitely not average.” And neither is she, and she just cannot work here. “I don’t think you’re a good fit for my club.”