Page 11 of Bourbon Kingdom
Touchy!
Wanting to break his dishes right then and there, I refrained, and followed after Rex to his garage, where he held the passenger-side door to one of his cars open for me. At least his temper hadn’t made him lose his chivalry.
Once Rex was inside the car himself, he strapped his seat belt on and started the engine. Before he pulled out of the garage, he turned to me with a gentle look on his face and said, “I’m sorry about losing my temper back there, Kitten. I’m a little sensitive right now. We were supposed to hear about a property we are bidding on today, but because there were so many bids put on the table, the city will be evaluating every proposal and conducting interviews.”
He had to be talking about Lot 17, which meant Jett was most likely punching every wall he came across at the news. I knew he was hoping to hear about the property soon, but of course, in true city fashion, the decision was pushed further back.
“I’m sorry to hear that. But an interview seems like it might be a good opportunity to talk about your plans. It looks like your business venture would bring a lot of jobs to the city.”
Everything directed toward Rex that came out of my mouth was a lie, but I felt it was necessary to boost the man’s ego every chance I got. The more I showed him I was Team Rex, the better.
He nodded and pulled out of the garage. “That’s a very valid point, Kitten.”
“Are you going to tell them about the club?” I asked, curious what their plans were.
“No, that won’t be a part of the proposal. The city officials who are interested in the club know about our plans, but that is more of an idea that stays behind closed doors.”
“I can understand that,” I answered, while Rex drove through the streets of New Orleans. “Where is your club now? I didn’t know there were so many gentleman’s clubs in New Orleans. How does one choose?”
“We own a building off Canal Street that is covering as an apartment building, but really it’s the club inside. You’ll see.”
“So, then why move the club if you already have the space?”
“We would like to have more playrooms in the club; right now we only have four. We would also like to have a bigger floor show and hotel rooms for those who would like to take one of the girls for the night. Plus, we would like to have space to house the girls. Right now, they are going in and out of the building, and it’s starting to look suspicious.”
So, the man really didn’t have any original ideas whatsoever. Everything he was saying was an exact replica of the Lafayette Club, just skankier.
Jett had rules and limitations for a reason, that was because the Lafayette Club was all about the girls and bettering their lives, while taking advantage of the rich and filthy. Masquerade wasn’t for the benefit of the employees. No, it was for the benefit of the owners, at least that’s what I could surmise from what Rex had already told me.
With each passing moment I spent with Rex, I was starting to see what a self-centered man he actually was. I was just glad I met Jett before Rex made his offer for me to be with him, because given the state of my life back then, I would have said yes to him, and who knows where I would be right now? Especially after the conversation I’d overheard last night.
They wanted to make me the main attraction? What the hell did that mean? Was it like Diego’s club, where the girls performed stunts and had sex with someone on stage? That wouldn’t fly with me.
We rode in silence for the rest of the ride, only speaking occasionally about the weather. To say the man was a bore was an understatement. Why did I used to like this guy so much?
Rex pulled up in front of an old-looking building made of brick that actually looked kind of creepy. There was one door in the front, and it was black with no windows. Yeah, I could see how scantily clad women walking in and out of this door would look suspicious. Jesus, I was even smart enough to know that you had to change the façade of the building to make it look less skeezy.
“See why we want a new building?” Rex stated, as he got out of his car and buttoned up his suit jacket. He walked around to my side, and handed the keys to a valet who had popped out of nowhere. Rex opened my door and held out his hand for me. Reluctantly, I took it in mine and let him lead me inside.
“How do the members get inside the building? Do they walk through this door? It doesn’t look very nice.”
“No, there’s a back entrance they use. We wouldn’t ask the members to walk through the front. We try to keep things as discreet as possible.”
“So, why don’t you have the girls walk in the back as well?”
“Because, they are employees; they’re not allowed to intermingle with the members unless granted permission. The building really is too small for the operation we’re trying to run.”
“I can see that,” I replied, as I walked through the front door with Rex. The hallway to the front was dingy, with torn black walls and filthy floors; it really surprised me how disgusting the place was, especially since Rex and Leo were running it. Not that I had met Leo, but if he was anything like Jett, he would require things to look immaculate at all times. Right now, their club, Masquerade, looked more like a crack whore’s den than a club for the elite of New Orleans.
“As you can see, the front entrance needs a little work, but we’re trying to avoid making any more improvements, since we’re trying to grant the club a new location. The interior is much more presentable, I promise.”
At the end of the hallway, we came to a dark door that looked like it was almost metal. To the side was a scanning mechanism that threw my whole life off. Were we entering some kind of secret underground storage space for the FBI where they kept the aliens and Elvis Presley?
With precision, Rex entered a code into the keypad, which lifted the door of the scanner thing, and he bent forward to have his eyes scanned.
He could not be serious. For a club? Get real, buddy.
“We have the most advanced security system money can buy. We don’t let just anyone in here.”
