Mutually Exclusive

“It doesn’t frustrate me, it pisses me off. Who is she to sit in her damn ivory tower and judge me?” Irritation tinged his voice as he got up to pace while continuing his rant. His body was on fire, the anger burning within him, a living, breathing animal he could barely contain. Not just for the club, but for everyone who’d ever been made ashamed about having sex.

“Because people want to have sex and I provide a safe and reasonable place, somehow I’m the bad guy? That’s bullshit! Everyone who comes in here is a consenting adult, and she has no clue what these people would be doing if they weren’t in my club. They would still be having sex, but because they’re a bunch of pretentious assholes, I am the one made to feel like what I’m doing is wrong.”

“I feel like I missed something here, because you don’t normally get this worked up over something like a charity event.”

“It’s not just that.” Roman ran his fingers through his hair, black locks probably spiking in different directions, and collapsed in his chair, his entire body seeming to deflate. He was damn sick of fighting, had been doing it from the very begi

Like the string that’d finally had enough and broke in two, never becoming whole again. Something was going to have to give. He couldn’t figure out Alexandra’s place in the complicated, fucked-up puzzle that was becoming his life, where pieces were spread out on the table but wouldn’t fit together like they used to.

He stared at the televisions, at the couple in the upper-level bar who seemed to be talking in the corner. They would probably move downstairs at some point, or maybe not, because this club wasn’t just about sex, but no one wanted to acknowledge that fact. They were too busy trying to make him out to be a glorified pimp.

Qui

Roman ran through the incident with Janie and Ben from the other night, as well as the other business information with Qui

“I thought we weren’t adding any new members. And especially not Alexandra Kane, the lawyer who’s followed in her father’s footsteps?”

Roman held up his glass for more when Qui

Qui

Roman cleared his throat. “She’s not just any member. She’s here to see me. Exclusively.”

Qui

“No. I mean she’s becoming a member so I can sleep with her.”

Qui

Roman bristled at the thought. He was the damn owner and Qui

Qui

“It’s done. Nothing bad will happen. It’s mutual gratification. Nothing more, nothing less.” He left off their side deal. His brother had never understood his obsession with the house. Roman was determined to see his plan through if for nothing else than to destroy that crumbling place that held nothing but bad memories for him.

***

The bars shut with a resounding clank, ensuring there was no escape. Alexandra never got used to the sound, no matter how many times she heard it, thankful she got to walk out of them when she finished with her client. She sat at the table, ru

To: AK

From: Roman Valentine

Subject: Valentine

2:30 p.m.

Alexandra,

I received the information from your test results. I expect to see you tonight at 8 p.m.

Roman

Her leg bobbed up and down while she opened the folder and looked at the pathetic amount of information she’d been able to gather about the case. Mr. Corey Davis was arrested as a suspect in the robbery of a pizza parlor. He allegedly stole $750, all the money from the till, and shot the owner, seventy-five-year-old Mr. Leo Dominic. Mr. Dominic is going to make a sympathetic witness. She shook her head, reading about the positive identification from Mr. Dominic. Normally, eye witness testimony was worth nothing, but Mr. Davis was a frequent customer, so he had no reason to lie or mistake him.

Shit, she thought, glancing up when the bars opened and her client walked in. She stood up as he entered, assessing his likability with a jury as he was escorted by an officer, his face unsmiling and his arms littered with tattoos. Her heart sank when she read “Thug Life” on his neck, the skull and crossbones peeking out from the orange jumpsuit seeming to solidify the mantra he’d made public on his neck. Her lips tipped up at the corners, hoping to put him at ease so he’d talk to her. She didn’t flinch while his intelligent eyes assessed her.

“Have a seat, please.” She kept her voice soft but firm, wanting to be assertive but non-threatening. The officer, a ginger who resembled an Oompa Loompa, reached up to grab him by the shoulder and force him in the chair. Corey flinched but didn’t move.

“Let go of my client,” she demanded, moving forward until the officer let go. “I’ll let you know if I need your assistance, but right now, all I need is to be alone with my client.”

The officer scoffed. “You think you want to be alone with this one, lady? He’s been fighting since he got in here. Knows he’s facing serious time for shooting that poor defenseless Ii-talian who was only trying to provide for his family.”

Corey’s body was strung tight, his head jerking toward the guard before she could stop him. A quick temper would make him unsympathetic to the jury. “How about you let me worry about my client,” she said, cutting off whatever attitude Corey was about to give the guard. She crossed her arms over her chest, stepping forward so she was in the guard’s face. With her heels, she was almost eye to eye with him, resisting a smirk when she saw him back up. “If I need you, I’ll let you know, but right now, this is a private meeting and your services are no longer required.”