Anyway, I really couldn’t have been any better prepared to strip down.
But I didn’t do stuff like this. I was sweet, innocent Ashley Cooper. I was the girl who had saved myself for marriage and never drank at parties until I was 21. Except I wasn’t her. Because an hour ago, I’d put on my black wig and transformed into Raven Black. And Raven Black was fearless.
“Of course I’m wearing underwear,” I said as I pulled my dress over my head and tossed it at Cole’s face. “See?” I put my hand on my hip for some added sass.Take that.
Chastity looked like she was about to faint. She had definitely not been expecting me to strip down.
That’s right, bitch! I said yes!Raven Black was the kind of woman who got down on her knees and blew fancy paintings in museums. She could definitely strip down to her lingerie at a sex club. #SexClubReady. I’d also gotten surprisingly good at hashtags in my free time this summer. Tanner was missing out on so much. Loser.
Cole’s eyes feasted on my half-naked body. “I stand corrected.”
Chastity handed me her gigantic purse and then slid out of her dress. Her striptease was way more graceful than mine, but it didn’t matter. Cole’s eyes stayed glued on me.
“Give me one moment please,” said Cole. He ran our dresses over to the dress check. Since apparently that was a thing at Club Onyx.
“Cole is so hot!” whispered Chastity. “And he’s totally into you. I think he’s the one.”
“The one?” I asked.
“Yeah. The one you’re gonna sleep with to get over Tanner.”
“I’m not gonna do that.”Right?I gulped. Thiswasa sex club. And I was supposed to be saying yes to everything…
“I dunno, he got you out of the dress pretty easily. I wonder how long it’ll take him to get you naked.”
“I’m not…” I stopped mid-sentence, all my confidence vanishing when I remembered that I was wearing a thong. A thong! I turned to prevent a nearby group of men from being able to see my bare ass.Oh my God. Why did I take off my dress?!I’d been working out a lot, but still. My ass wasn’t ready for public viewing, and it never would be. “We should go. This was a mistake.”
“You really want to walk home in your underwear?” asked Chastity.
I glared at her. Of course I didn’t want to walk home in my underwear!
“Your tickets, ladies,” said Cole. He’d snuck up behind us. Which meant he’d just seen my ass.Fuck my life.
I reached for my ticket, but Chastity snagged both hers and mine and put them in her purse. I was officially stuck here at her mercy.
“Now that you’re properly attired, we can begin orientation. Please follow me.” Cole stuck out an arm for each of us. I reluctantly looped my arm through his as we walked up the grand staircase. I was already half naked - I didn’t want to further embarrass myself with a tumble down the stairs. It had nothing to do with wanting to feel his arms.I think.But God was he strong. I held on to him a little tighter.
The velvety red carpet on the grand staircase muffled the noise of my heels, but I was more focused on the group of models passing us. They were all ridiculously tall and skinny and tan. Them strutting around in lingerie just made sense. I expected Cole to stare at them, but when I looked up at him, he was staring at me. My boobs, to be precise. Which did kind of look amazing in my push-up bra.
The door at the top of the stairs opened right into the heart of the club. Just like the foyer, everything was gold and leather and wood. The whole place oozed class. And the men…damn.I had never seen so many fine men in one place. Maybe it was a trick of the dim lights, but every guy was well-groomed, well-built, and handsome AF. I thought for sure they’d all be acting like assholes and staring at every girl who passed, but they were actually quite respectful.
“Care for a drink?” asked Cole.
“Yes please.”God yes.I desperately needed a drink. Or ten.
“What can I get for you?”
“Tequila shots,” said Chastity.
Cole nodded approvingly. “Tequila shots it is. While I get those, please turn your attention to our wall of fame.” He gestured to a wall of paintings. Each one was a hand-painted portrait of a couple. “Those are all of the happy couples that the Society has brought together.”
I crinkled my nose. “Ew. They paint you every time you bang someone?”
Cole laughed. “No. These are couples that have gotten married. The Society is quite good at creating lasting relationships.”
“Aw,” said Chastity. “That’s so cute! Maybe my picture will be up there soon.”
Give me a break.Was Chastity actually buying this nonsense? At one point Tanner had almost convinced me that the Society was about love. But then I’d told him I loved him, and he’d responded by faking an elaborate kidnapping just to get away from me. There was no way this place was about true love. If it was, they wouldn’t have had us parading around in lingerie.
