Behind The Mask Ch 01

All characters are at least 18 years old.

------

"Are you sure you want me to put it in?" Jordan asked.

"I'm sure," I mumbled, nodding a bit too emphatically.

"We could get in a lot of trouble for this," he warned.

I pulled his shoulders closer in response, and his breathing quickened. He looked down at where we were about to become one. It looked intimidating, but I had to swallow any doubt. I wanted this. Not even my rational side was going to talk me out of it.

"I should be wearing a condom," he said suddenly.

For some reason, a spike of panic lanced through my heart. "You keep making excuses," I whispered, and his eyes widened. "Do you... not want to?"

"That's totally not what I'm saying. Come on, you know that." His voice was reassuring, and I wanted to believe him. He rested on his elbows so he could reach for me and tilt my chin up. "If you could even question how much I love you, then I must be doing something wrong."

I couldn't help but smile. I knew he loved me. Maybe he was hesitating

because

he loved me. He seemed to ask for permission with his gaze, and I nodded at him. Slowly, he pushed forward, and I gasped as he entered me.

A flash of pain radiated through my groin, dissipating slowly as he stilled. He'd groaned when he penetrated, and his body was quivering as we held steady. It was both our first times, and I'd heard that such a situation usually proved disastrous. However I felt that, all things considered, it was going magically. A modern fairytale.

I pulled him close for a kiss, and it seemed to seal the deal of making this the best day of my life. We were finally together. He looked at me adoringly, then said my four favorite words.

"I love you, Lexi."

—

The car behind me honked, snapping me out of my daydream. God damn it, it was just getting good. I grumbled and began driving. I'd been sat at the red light, letting my mind wander as the last rays of daylight faded over the horizon. Lost in fantasy, again. Frankly, I'd spent most of my life in fantasy. It was more fun. It was more exciting. And... it let you live out your What Ifs. Sometimes, though, that wasn't a good thing. Sometimes it left you hurting even more.

And speaking of fantasy, I thought, I was about to drive past a place that made it reality. Just a bit further down the road, in purple and magenta neon, shone the word "Taboo." On the facade of a squat and unassuming building, nothing else hinted at what one would find inside. To the uninitiated, it would only be the source of rumination; the building nobody knew about, but everybody wondered on.

Taboo was, without a doubt, the most exclusive nightclub in the city. Granted, it was a small town, nothing compared to the hustle and bustle of the metropolis only an hour's drive away. However, its fame and notoriety were kept as low as possible. Laymen would question how, in this case, exclusivity and discretion could go hand in hand. I grinned. I knew the secret. Of course I would.

The light turned green, and I drove past Taboo and turned around the block, parking my car in front of a butcher shop. Its sterile white fluorescent lights were just bordering unpleasant, and it didn't get many customers, but it was mine all the same. Still, I was rethinking the idea of the store. Was it odd to have a twenty-four-hour butcher shop?

"Hey Tony," I said as I entered.

The rotund and gruff fifty-year-old Italian behind the counter tipped his chin up at me. "Evening, Miss R. What'll it be?"

"Four racks of lamb, with mint on the side," I announced, and he nodded as I passed him by and went directly to the walk-in freezer in the back. Stepping past the large metal door, I descended down a long flight of stairs, the walls lit with dim red bulbs. At the base of the stairs were two armed guards in the classic suit-and-sunglasses getup you see in the movies. I smirked to myself. Yes, they really did exist, as cliché as it was.

"Evening, Miss R," one said, and they held the dark oak double doors open for me. I nodded to them and proceeded down the hallway. All along the way, employees in professional attire greeted me, and I had to admit that it was an enjoyable part of the job. How many nineteen-year-olds could claim they ran a successful business?

I finally made it to the viewing deck, where more staff watched screens of the goings-on of the establishment. We had a lovely view of the large area below, and sometimes I just liked to stand up here and watch all the bodies moving together, the couples ever thankful for the haven that I had provided. My world of fantasy.

Taboo.

"

Bonsoir, mademoiselle,

" said a well-groomed gentleman, bowing as I entered. He was in his late forties, with a neatly trimmed mustache and hairstyle.

"

Bonsoir,

Alain," I replied, striding past him to survey the turnout. Sunday night was usually a mixed bag for other places, but we always did well. "How are we looking for this evening?"

"Excellent, as always,

mademoiselle.

" The Frenchman maintained an eloquent expression, but the proud glint in his eye never escaped me. Alain had been with me since the beginning, helping me get a grip on the industry's ins and outs. There were actually a couple of times I offered shared proprietorship of the club, but he always refused. The graceful bastard.

"Have the twins arrived?" I asked.

"

Oui, mademoiselle.

"

I scanned the dance floor, searching the mass of patrons gyrating against their illicit partners, and finally spotted them. My best friend had her arms wrapped around her twin brother's neck, and they were gazing adoringly into each other's eyes. Very corny, but she assured me all the stupid love songs made sense once you were in love. It was quite the exaggeration, but I was still glad she'd finally found happiness. Fingers crossed that it lasted, I thought darkly, before quickly dismissing it. No need to be so morose; sometimes happy endings did come to pass.

"

Mademoiselle,

the senators 'ave just arrived," Alain declared, and I turned my attention to one of the screens. We couldn't well have our esteemed benefactors come in through the front door, so we had a special entrance for VIPs.

"Have them seated," I instructed. Alain handed me a tablet to review my facts before my meeting with them. "Nothing new to add?"

"Not for the moment,

mademoiselle.

"

"Then it's about time I said hello." Before I headed out, I spotted a petite redhead teen with an older man in one of our private rooms. She was straddling him on the bed, and looked about ready to tear his shirt off. "What did I say about those two? Cameras off for them."

"Of course.

Bonne chance.

"

I nodded and headed back into the staff hallway, then made my way down to the dance floor. By now, the two senators were seated in one of the booths off to the side, offering what privacy we needed. One was tanned and had a woman on his arm, nestled against his chest while she watched the dancing patrons longingly. The other was pretty, a man worthy of a modeling career.

Game face on.

I sauntered up to them, and the pretty man glanced up at me. "Good evening, gentlemen," I said sweetly.

"We don't need any girls," he grunted before his companion could stop him. The tanned man jumped to his feet, but I held a hand up.

"If you weren't aware, sir, this isn't that kind of club." I grinned as he looked up at me skeptically, and finally his companion spoke up.

"Miss Rochester! So nice to see you again," he gushed, and I beamed. The pretty man glanced up at him in confusion.

"Senator Moore, a delight as always." I seated myself across from the pretty man, eyebrows quirking in amusement. "And this must be Senator Barnes. Pleased to make your acquaintance. My name is Lexi Rochester."

"The proprietress, I presume," Barnes said slowly, glancing at Moore before taking me in. "I must say, I didn't expect the owner of this place to be so... young." As he said this, his eyes panned down my body, taking in my form wreathed in a deep violet slip dress. Creep. I took solace in knowing that his true vice was of a different nature, and I grinned devilishly.

"Well, we come in all shapes and sizes, as does our clientele. But at Taboo, you leave your identities at the door." He almost snorted. Looked like the corny amateur marketing schtick was working. "I believe you've shown interest in becoming an esteemed benefactor of our humble establishment."

"I came here to look around," he said sharply. "Curtis only had good things to say about this place, but I personally like to read the bad reviews first. Sounded too good to be true."

"Well I'm sorry to disappoint, but as far as venues go, we aren't particularly outstanding." I leaned forward as I lowered my voice, and his eyes wandered to my cleavage. God, these types were so easy. "What sets us apart, and the reason you're here at all, is the fact that our discretion is second to none."

"And how is it you know why I'm here?" He narrowed his eyes, and I gave him a honeyed smile.

"Senator Barnes, there's only one reason anybody comes here." I leaned back and crossed my legs, watching his expression.

He took a deep breath before continuing, avoiding eye contact by casting his gaze around at the dancers. "Alright, so how does this work?"

"You come here during our opening hours, beginning at eight in the evening, and enjoy any of our amenities, including but not limited to private rooms, hot tubs, and video equipment. We're still expanding, so feel free to suggest any additions you'd like to add. But naturally, what's attractive about Taboo isn't what is in here, but who is in here. At Taboo, discretion is king." As I spoke, he'd occasionally glance at Senator Moore.

"And what's the catch?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at me.

"Very astute, Senator," I praised with a smirk. Needed to give a couple strokes of his ego to keep him balanced. "Before you even came here, we had you sign an NDA to not disclose anything you see while you're here. All of our patrons must likewise sign one when they join. But maintaining this collective secret is... a team effort." Barnes scowled, knowing where I was going with this. "Everybody contributes what they can, and seeing as you're a United States senator, I'm afraid it's no small sum in order for you to join."

"How much do you want?" he growled.

"Half," I said calmly. His expression turned quizzical.

"Half of what?"

"Half of the money your corrupt lobbyists are contributing toward your campaign for governor."

He clenched his teeth. "And if I refuse? If I decide you're just a bunch of degenerates and report your sick club to the authorities?" Next to him, Moore stiffened.

My heart rate kicked into high gear. It was too rare that I got to play my ace. This opportunity was quite hard to come by. "Then I suppose there would be a deluge of news covering the scandalous club harboring and fostering illicit relationships. Folks from all walks of life, enjoying the company of kin. Accountants, plumbers, teachers, celebrities... perhaps even some of your peers." As I said this, my eyes flickered to Moore, reminding Barnes that his friend was in on this too. "That would be very terrible indeed, for a great many people.

"But front page news will still be about you, Senator Barnes," I continued, and the hint of his smug attitude disappeared. "I'm sure everybody will be surprised that Senator William Barnes has a daughter that was unknown to the public."

His eyes widened in shock, and the three of us were silent as I waited for Barnes to respond. Moore's date looked between us, afraid of breaking the tension.

Finally, Barnes cleared his throat. "I don't have a daughter."

"Of course, I'm sorry," I laughed, acting sheepishly. "Must have confused her with your niece. The news is such a mess these days. I never even saw anything published about the father of your sister's daughter. Perhaps I missed it."

Barnes fumed, and I allowed myself a tiny smirk as he glared at me. He rounded on Moore. "Is this how she roped you into this? Did she blackmail you too?"

"I'm not blackmailing you, Senator. I'm protecting my patrons," I said, leaning forward as my smile waned. "Let's not forget that you just threatened the livelihood, reputation, and even freedom of every one of them. So please don't act like you only have two choices here. I'm not forcing you to pay up. You're free to simply walk away. You just forget about Taboo, and utter not a word about it to anybody. Besides, I still have your NDA. And if you violate it, I'm happy to settle... out of court."

He grit his teeth, then stared down at the table as he weighed his options. It was a seventy-thirty between him walking away, and him taking the deal. He had too much to lose if he took the path of exposing us. Moore slyly gave me a look to indicate he was impressed, and I dipped my head slightly in acknowledgement.

"Fine. Half," Barnes said. I extended my hand toward him, and we shook on it. He still looked dissatisfied, but at least we both knew where we stood. He still wanted what I was offering, he just wasn't happy about the price. "One more thing. Why were you looking into Krista?"

"Come now, Senator. You were a lawyer, you should understand," I chided. "To protect the client, you have to know all their dirty secrets first. And in my line of work, things get very dirty indeed."

Barnes studied me before finally breaking into a smile, nodding in agreement. I doubted it was because he was finally warming up to me. "I suppose so." He sighed and finished his drink, then stood. "Well, if you'll excuse me, I have an early start tomorrow. My people will be in touch, and we'll have payment sorted soon enough." He nodded a farewell to both me and Senator Moore, then left toward our VIP entrance.

"I think that went rather well," Moore commented. He raised his glass to me, and I smiled politely. "It still amazes me how accomplished you are, Miss Rochester. I was prepared to step in had the need arisen. But..." He spread his arms in illustration. "Expertly executed."

"Thank you for your help, Senator," I replied. "This might not have come together at all without you acting as an intermediary." He waved it off, just as I got a ping on my phone. It was from Alain, saying I had a guest.

I frowned. I didn't have anything else scheduled for tonight. As much as I acted like I enjoyed surprises, I had a feeling I was going to hate this one. Looking out at the dance floor, I could see a tall lean young man with his arms around a voluptuous older woman, swaying back and forth and staring hungrily into her eyes. I couldn't see how she looked from this angle, but if I knew anything about her, her eyes were probably glazed over with need as well. I smirked. The gang was all here.

"Well, I'm afraid I have other business to attend to, Senator," I said, giving him a small wave. "Have a wonderful evening."

"You too, Miss Rochester."

I made my way back toward the viewing deck, giving Alain a call. The suspense was killing me. I disliked when things didn't go according to plan, or worse yet, when something completely unexpected went against the plan altogether. "Alain, who's this guest you mentioned?"

There was a noticeable hesitation on his end before he replied, "'E is waiting for you in your office,

mademoiselle.

"

I hung up and cursed under my breath, making my way into my private office. It was darkly lit, how I liked it, furnished with expensive black leather and marble. A large window looked into an animal enclosure, complete with small trees and undergrowth.

A man was standing close to the glass, peering in with what looked like disdain. Though it was hard to tell; he always looked at everything with disdain, it seemed. He was approaching his fifties, and his hair had already begun to grey, and when mixed with his dark blond hair gave the effect of platinum blond instead. Clean-shaven. Always clean-shaven, and wearing an Italian suit. It was no exaggeration to say I'd never seen him in anything else.

He turned to me as I came in, and watched me walk over with the same disdain I knew. I couldn't help how tense my body was, and he could tell. I'd dealt with all kinds of people because of Taboo, but only he put me on edge like this.

"Alexandria," he uttered. Not even a fucking hello. Fine. I'd reply in kind.

"Father."