I raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “Are you suggesting what I think you’re suggesting?”
Nat smirked. “A little wine, a little relaxation, and perhaps . . . a touch of the risqué? It could be an entirely new way of approaching wellness.”
I chuckled. “You always did have an adventurous spirit. But I love the idea. A unique blend of sophistication, relaxation, and exploration. It’s bold.”
“I’d want to work with you, though. To make it happen.” Natalia turned to face me, her eyes serious.
“Nat, I’m just a cocktail waitress, so you’re going to need to talk to Dom and Max about that move.” I took a small sip of wine, the warm red liquid coating my tongue.
“You and I both know that’s not true. I mean, come on, look at what you did with this whole event. You always knew how to take a theme and run with it.” Nat smiled.
“I’d have to talk to the guys. And I don’t know the first thing about finding a place and all the logistics about opening a club like this and?—”
“Leave those details to me.” Nat put a hand on my shoulder. “Just tell me you’ll help with the overall vibe and theme of the place. And of course, getting him,” she cocked her head over to Max, “to come on board. Something tells me we’d get a lot of new clientele just from having the promise of Max and wine.”
I chuckled. “This is crazy, Nat, you know that, right?”
“And what about it?” Nat tilted her wineglass up, draining it, before making her rounds around the room.
I didn’t want to encroach on my brother’s entire business model, but the concept of helping Nat create something like this was exciting. And I couldn’t help but think it’d be a lot easier to try out the spicy side of the club if my brother wasn’t roaming the halls.
It was impossible to not daydream about the activities going on upstairs as Max and I worked the lounge downstairs. But this was my brother’s space and the last thing I wanted to do was cross some unspoken boundary. But if Nat led her own space . . . now that would definitely let down some walls for me.
Not that I had anyone to take upstairs. But that was kind of the point, right? Sexual exploration for the sake of exploration is what the club promised.
“What are you daydreaming about over here?” Max’s voice cut through my thoughts and my cheeks warmed instantly. I hadn’t been thinking about spending time behind one of those oxblood doors with a stranger just now. I’d been thinking about what that would be like with Max.
“Uh, nothing, just, uh, about to get started cleaning up,” I stammered out my response, unable to make eye contact with him. Guests were filing out now, heading downstairs.
Max chuckled at my nervousness. “Well, I just wanted to say thank you. Truly. For everything tonight. And everything you did to prepare for it.”
I regained my composure enough to say, “Of course. You’re welcome. It was a lot of fun.”
“You know, if you ever get tired of working with me in the lounge, you should definitely go into event planning,” Max said. “You really crushed it tonight, Isabella.”
I chuckled. “You know there’s been a lot of career opportunities talked about tonight. I guess we’ll just have to see.”
I cleared my head while I started cleaning up the space, tossing wine bottles in the recycling bin and shaking off tablecloths. I should most definitely not be daydreaming about my boss-slash-younger brother’s friend.
Even if the opportunity with Nat turned into something real, there was no promise that Max would want to work there. I couldn’t let myself get distracted by how easy it felt to be around him. Or how his stupid smile made a tiny little flutter in my ribs.
THIRTEEN
MAX
You know how they always say it just takes one connection to change the rest of your life? Well, the saying goes something like that. But it’s true. The domino effect of happenings following the wine-tasting event still made my head spin.
My private event calendar was filling up. I had known Isabella was being particular about whom we invited to the tasting, and now I knew why. So far, I had been requested for a girls’ night in the penthouse suite of 432 Park Avenue, an anniversary dinner in a private room at Per Se, and an intimate company retreat at the Soho House.
I’d also caught wind of a potential new club Isabella’s friend Natalia wanted to talk about running, and rumor had it she wanted me to be a big part of it. The idea of juggling all of that, plus shifts at the Prism Society and finishing my last bit of studying before my exam date in just a couple of short weeks, stressed me the hell out.
While the idea of all of these opportunities excited me, I definitely felt like I was in the grind. The beginning stages of creating my career and life. I didn’t know if Isabella was the kind of person to stick around through all of that. She had her own name that opened doors; she certainly didn’t need to wait around while I built mine. But when she let me take charge the other night, something had eased in me.
Something I hadn’t experienced with Ana. Whenever I was with Ana, even intimately, I got the impression I had to constantly prove myself. That I had should feel honored she was even giving me her attention even as I slid inside her. But not with Isabella. The absolute need I saw reflected back in her eyes drove me wild. I’d do anything to see it again.
This morning, Dominic had texted me to come in earlier than normal today to chat about upcoming projects. I couldn’t help but cross my fingers that things were moving forward with Natalia’s idea. Even though I already had a thousand things on my plate, getting to lead the opening of a new club excited me. I just hoped I could juggle it all.
As soon as I walked through the velvet curtains of the club, I headed upstairs to the third floor. Seeing the atrium open and empty again after seeing it become such a magical space a few short nights ago was odd. Natalia, Isabella, and I had stayed behind to tear down the event and decompress with our own bottle or two.
