Total pages in book: 108
Estimated words: 99285 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 496(@200wpm)___ 397(@250wpm)___ 331(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 99285 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 496(@200wpm)___ 397(@250wpm)___ 331(@300wpm)
The building itself was an older industrial style, with metal beams going across the massive ceiling, and the interior was just one giant open floor plan.
The bar was at the far end of the room and lining an entire wall. The rainbow neon lights behind the bar were the only splash of actual “color” amid all the black and deep-red color scheme Sinner had going on.
The black floors, ceiling, and walls made the interior seem never ending, like a bottomless abyss that would swallow you whole. The chairs and booths were bloodred and tucked along the sides of the walls. Small table lamps were situated right in the center of the tables and gave off a low illumination that barely reached past the surface.
I glanced around the interior at the gyrating bodies as we made our way around the central dance floor area.
We were at the bar before I realized it, and I was surprised Salvatore took the lead and pushed a few people out of the way so we could lean against the gleaming, smooth black countertop.
I ran my fingertips over the polished stone. Although the decor of this place was pretty low-key in the grand scheme of things, I didn’t miss how lavish everything was. I’d never seen stone counters in a nightclub. And I was pretty sure the booths were real leather, the light fixtures glass and chrome. In other words, the owners hadn’t spared any expense, even if things were a little “bare.”
The music was loud, the beat moving deep into my bones. I could smell an array of scents, perfumes and colognes, sweat and lust. The latter was something I’d smelled before at these types of establishments, what with people grinding together, pheromones and arousal so high it touched the sky.
I turned my back toward the bar and faced the dancing crowd, the women scantily dressed, the men pressed tightly against them, hands roaming over every limb, every erogenous zone, before dipping beneath articles of clothing and disappearing. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply, letting the scents and sounds, the oppressive heat and humidity that seemed to surround me settle in and ease me.
I wasn’t alone, but I felt that familiar tingle of intimacy—not the sexual kind, but the kind I was eager for when I came to these places, when I went to disconnect, disassociate with who and what I was, the image of what everyone saw.
And the longer I stood there and let all of that seep into me, the more I felt my skin tightening, this tingling on the back of my neck taking root that was almost unpleasant as much as it was awakening.
I slowly opened my eyes and waited until my vision cleared. I looked around, because I knew someone was watching me. I could’ve pushed it away with the fact that I was in a nightclub and somebody was bound to look in my direction.
But that’s not what this was. This was the heavy sense of a possessive, unyielding gaze locked on me.
I looked up to my left and noticed a line of windows high above the dance floor, the glass too dark to see through, the reflection almost like an onyx mirror. And although I couldn’t see who was on the other side, I felt them watching me. I couldn’t tear my gaze away if my life depended on it, if my sanity was hanging on by a thread.
I felt something cool and wet touch the back of my arm, and it was the only thing that snapped me out of my haze. I turned and faced Sasha and Salvatore, seeing a glass with condensation in his hand as he held it out to me. I didn’t know what it was, but it was colorful with a little umbrella shoved inside.
I brought the glass to my lips and took a long drink, letting the cool, powerful alcohol slide down my throat. It burned on its descent, settling in my belly before causing a slow burn to consume me from the inside out.
“I was going to say bottoms up,” Sasha said loudly beside my ear, and I couldn't help but smile broadly. “But it looks like you’re ready to unwind.” I finished off my drink, and Sasha took it out of my hand before shoving it toward Salvatore’s chest.
He gave me a wink and turned toward the bar, and within a few moments he produced two more fresh cocktails for us.
“Down the hatches,” Sasha said loudly, and as I downed my drink, feeling the alcohol work its magic through my bloodstream, I already felt the stress of life start to fade into the background.
Once our second drinks were consumed, Sasha took my hand and led me to the dance floor, and I couldn’t help but laugh, feeling how light my head started to become as the haziness of the liquor moved through my veins.