Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 94527 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 473(@200wpm)___ 378(@250wpm)___ 315(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94527 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 473(@200wpm)___ 378(@250wpm)___ 315(@300wpm)
Evan guided me down a dark hallway until we reached the very end, and he explained that this was the whole draw. This was the moneymaker outside of the drug trade; these private rooms that people used to protect their identity.
“I’d never charge you, of course,” he was quick to add. “And no matter where we host events, I make sure the setup is the same.” He opened a door that revealed a small alcove or entryway. Actually, it was more of a closet, ’cause it closed on both sides. “As you can see, this is where you get in. Guests like these entryways because you’ll always have privacy—and darkness. You can hang your clothes here, operate the stereo…” That was good. Shannon didn’t wanna hear the guy he was seeing, so music was the easiest fix for that. “Then you just turn off the lights before you enter the room.” Evan demonstrated by flipping the switch and opening the other door.
The windows weren’t merely covered in drapes; they were boarded shut completely. Walls, ceiling, floor, all painted black.
“We sweep the place regularly, so you don’t have to worry about anything,” he said.
I scanned the room, and there wasn’t a whole lot to see. A big bed in the center of the area, then a red couch positioned with its back to the foot of the bed. One nightstand that held two bottles of something and a bowl of rubbers.
Romantic.
“The mattress and the couch are brand-new,” he said and clapped me on the shoulder. “No one will have access to this room but the keyholders. On my side, that’s just Trina. She cleans and changes the sheets after every session.”
I couldn’t help but stand a little taller. My name was finally getting me places. And things. Better service. The pristine white sheets were still creased from being folded in their packaging.
“If you ever have other needs, we’ve got rooms that are more suited for meetings, business transactions, and parties,” he said. “Same concept. Anonymity is a priority—you choose the level of privacy.” He walked back to the door and started dimming the single spotlight in the ceiling. “And…darkness doesn’t mean you gotta fumble.”
Hot damn. As the light faded, markings around the room became visible. Thin glow-in-the-dark lines framed the bed, same with the couch, and the items on the nightstand glowed too.
“Practical,” I noted. Clever, even the door handle had been marked. “Anything else I gotta know?”
He turned on the lights again. “Just one more thing.” He came to my side and dug a Ziploc bag out of his pocket. “Four wristbands, two keys.”
My mouth quirked up as I accepted the bag and thumbed through the contents. One pair of wristbands was red, the other blue. I assumed they glowed in the dark, too, and ensured it wouldn’t be difficult to find each other.
“All right, cheers. So what can I do for you, Evan?” I asked.
He chuckled. “Just…stop by for a drink sometime. Show your face.”
I’d figured that was what he’d request.
“No problem.”
Shannon was still asleep when I got home, and it was just as well. Things were beginning to sink in, and I needed a moment alone to get my shit together and work out the last details.
In the back of my closet, I had an impressive stack of burners, so I grabbed two boxes and sat down on the edge of my bed. As soon as I’d inserted the SIM cards, I set both phones to charge, and I added one phone’s number into the other, and vice versa.
The one I was gonna keep for myself went on silent right away. I couldn’t risk any sounds coming from it because chances were Shannon was going to text his mystery hookup at some point when I was in the vicinity.
I blew out a breath and ran a hand over my head, and I refused to let the anxiousness take over too much. It was better to stay active. Distracted. I still had shit to do. I had to create a cover and escape routes. There couldn’t be the slightest suspicion. I’d already bought a cologne, so a new scent was taken care of. I had shower products I hadn’t used before. But it wasn’t enough.
Psychologically, expectations were everything, and Shan wouldn’t expect me to be there. I had that working in my favor. But as soon as a person associated something with someone else, it was near impossible to reverse that. So I had to go more than one extra mile.
My safest bet would be to reserve a hotel room on the dates I saw Shan at the club. That way, I could shower before and after and make sure the wrong fragrance didn’t follow me home.
I needed a new wardrobe too. I was guessing he was gonna wanna leave first, at which point he’d see the clothes in the vestibule. And that was my best opportunity to build a character that would give him certain clues to who I might be as a person, AKA nothing like the actual me.