Beneath This Man

‘Excuse me?’ I cough. Is he joking?

I feel Jesse tense beneath me. I panic. If I don’t hold him down on this stool, Chris here will be slayed in two seconds flat. I place my hand on his leg and squeeze slightly. The heat is pouring from him and his heart is stabbing my back. I would love to set him on this cheeky swine, but I also want to see the night through without having to put an ice pack on Jesse’s abused fist.

He lifts from the stool slightly and pulls me to his chest. ‘I suggest you f**k off now.’ he snarls maliciously.

I push back against him and throw Chris a f**k-off-if-you-know-what’s-good-for-you look. He backs away vigilantly, and I doubt very much that he’ll be back any time soon.

I crane my head around and give Jesse an inquiring look. ‘Murderous?’ I ask.

I get my very own scowl followed by a smothered face. ‘Deadly.’

‘Are all the women fair game?’ This is news.

He shrugs. ‘You don’t join The Manor if you aren’t sexually adventurous.’

Oh, lovely. I look around the bar, which has thinned out since the band started and the upstairs opened. The people I’m sharing company with look like any other people, but they are all here for one reason and that has nothing to do with the posh sports facilities that The Manor boasts. One thing is certain, judging by all of the prestigious cars that are often parked outside – they are all very rich people.

‘How much is the membership?’ I ask. My curiosity is getting the better of me.

He works his face right into my neck. ‘Why, do you want to join?’

‘I might.’ I say flippantly.

He bites my neck. ‘Sarcasm doesn’t suit you, lady.’ He pulls me up further onto his lap. ‘Forty five.’

‘A month?’ That’s not bad.

He laughs. ‘No, grand a year.’

WHAT? ‘Shit!’

He clamps his teeth on my ear and then rolls his hips into my bum. ‘Mouth.’

I moan a little at his evident hard state. Forty five thousand a year is ridiculous money. These people must all be stupid or desperate, but as I look around, there are no particularly ugly men and women. They all look like they could get some if they wanted to.

‘Hey, does Kate pay that?’ I know she’s not short of a few quid, but she is very shrewd with her cash.

‘What do you think?’ he asks on a little laugh. I don’t know? Did Jesse waiver the membership fee because she’s my friend? Would he do that?

Oh! ‘Sam,’ I say in realisation. ‘Sam paid.’

‘At mates rates, of course.’

He applies mates’ rates for membership to his sex haven? I’m on another planet at the moment. This sort of thing is way past my comprehension and here I am, dining and drinking with these people and dating the owner. Who would have thought?

‘I wish you had refused.’ I grumble. Kate might be laidback, but I can’t help thinking that she is coasting towards complete disaster.

‘Ava, what Sam and Kate do is their business.’

I scowl to myself. ‘How many members are there?’ I really am very interested in the workings of The Manor and the lifestyle these people choose to lead.

He brings his palm up to my forehead and pushes back until the back of my head rests on his shoulder. ‘Someone is very nosey, considering they hate the place.’ He kisses my cheek.

I shrug casually in a gesture that suggests I couldn’t care less whether he told me or not, but I’m surprisingly interested. It’s made him a very rich man, even if it is thanks to Uncle Carmichael. ‘I’m not nosey.’

He laughs lightly. ‘At the last count, I think Sarah said fifteen hundred-ish, but they’re not all active at the moment. Some we don’t see from one month to the next, some of them meet people and start a relationship and others take a break from the whole scene.’

Holy shit!

I do a quick mental calculation in my head and come up with a whole lot of millions. ‘Is the restaurant and bar included?’

‘No!’ he says shocked. I don’t know why. For forty five thousand pounds a year I would want more than an open invitation to have sex with anyone and everyone. ‘The bar and restaurant are a separate entity. Some members eat breakfast, lunch and dinner here four or five times a week. I wouldn’t be making much money if I included all meals and drinks in with their memberships. They have accounts they settle on a monthly basis. Turn around, I need to see you.’ He nudges me to get up and positions me between his thighs. He brushes my hair over my shoulder and straightens my diamond before taking my hands in his. ‘Would you like to see upstairs?’ he asks, and then commences chomping his lip.

I withdraw slightly. I know he doesn’t mean the suites, I’ve seen them, or I’ve seen one of them. He means the communal room and I’ve seen that too, but it was empty and being cleaned when I stumbled across it. Do I want to see it?

Fucking hell!

I bloody do as well. I don’t know if it’s Mario’s Most Marvelous giving me a bit of spunk, or if it is just pure curiosity, but I really want to be in the know. ‘Okay.’ I utter the word quietly before I talk my way out of it, and he nods ever so slightly, almost thoughtfully.

He stands and I let him lead me into the entrance hall and to the bottom of the stairs. I gaze up to the massive gallery landing, hearing the comings and goings of people in and out of rooms. I let Jesse slowly tug me up the stairs. I know he’s taking it leisurely to give me time to retract my decision, and I want to tell him to hurry up before I do. We reach the top and start circling the landing until we arrive at the stain glass window. There are people milling around everywhere, all fully dressed, some outside rooms, some just chatting. It’s bizarre.