Page 8 of Casualties

“Ew, Cass, that’s not funny.They're like brother and sister.”Morgan looks mildly offended at the thought of Ace and I thrown into themore than friendscategory.Cassie rolls her eyes at him.

“It’s not gross, because theyaren’tbrother and sister.”She wiggles her brows, trying to joke it off, but he brushes past her.My best friend then looks at me with an “I tried” look.I wave her off because what is she getting at?I have never told Cassie about my infatuation with Ace.

The only person I have confided in is Jordan.To put it mildly, she isn’t a huge Ace fan.

“Alright boys, while this has been a blast, we have unpacking to do to get ready for tonight,” Cassie says as she flips her hair off one shoulder.

“What’s tonight?”the three of us say in unison, I’m assuming because none of us had any plans.

Cassie stares at Morgan and Ace.“Ugh, if you must know, AC and I are going to our first college party.Start of school mixer, if you will.”She is attempting nonchalance while using the nickname she gave me when we were kids.In Cassie’s words, all best friends should have nicknames for each other.

She should know this isn't going to go over well with them.To my surprise, the first to speak isn’t my brother, it’s Ace.

“Like hell you’re going to a party!”Our jaws drop as I notice the fiery hue creep up his cheeks.I stare at him incredulously.Who the fuck does he think he is?

“Ace, lay off, man.She should go to the party.My sister's in college and we need to allow her to spread her wings or whatever shit my mom said.”I roll my eyes at Morgan’s attempt to calm Ace.

“Thanks, brother.Not sure I need your okay, but appreciate the sentiment…or some shit,” I say, throwing his words back in his face.Since when does Morgan come to my rescue, putting Ace in check?

“Fuck, Morgan!You can’t seriously be okay with—” Morgan holds his hand up, cutting Ace off mid-sentence.

“That is, she can spread her wings—with us keeping an eye on her.”The smirk he gives me causes my blood to boil.

Cassie chimes in, “That works for me.I could use my people there with my hot barista date I’m meeting.”I'm not sure what guy she's talking about, or how she met someone only being here a day.I shouldn't be surprised; my best friend is gorgeous in all the ways.

Morgan snaps his head in Cassie’s direction.“What barista guy?"

“Um, if you must know, I met him at the coffee shop he works at down the street and we started talking.He mentioned a party, and invited me.He’s a student, so what’s the big deal?”Cass acts unconcerned, but I can tell she's surprised by the question.Normally, I’m the one on the receiving end of this line of questioning.

"You’re meeting him at a party after he made you a couple lattes?Real smart, Cass.”The look of annoyance is plastered all over Morgan’s face, and I'm curious as to why.Why does my brother care who Cassie hangs out with?

“Morgan, chill…She met a guy—big deal.And no, you don’t need to come to this party to supervise.We’re big girls!”The slap on the back I give him doesn’t help.

“Bummer, sis, Ace and I are going, and you won’t be changing my mind,” Morgan lets out with a huff.I know there is no convincing him otherwise.

“Fine, fine.What time are you picking us up?”I bring my hands to my hips, hoping to project major sass.It doesn’t seem to bother them, though.

“Nine.Ace and I have some work to do, so we are going to get out of here.See you later, sis.And Cass, I can’t wait to meet your little barista boy.”He rolls his eyes.Still, I have no idea what his attitude is about.We shove them out the door and start unpacking.In a few hours, I will be getting ready for my first party.Excited?Nervous?Scared?All of the above, but I'm ready to get the full college experience.

FOUR

ACE

Morgan and I hop in my Ford Bronco to head to the club for a meeting with our boss Denny.We started working for Denny Barone, the owner of a high-end nightclub downtown, last year.Club Sanctuary isn’t your typical nightclub, and Denny isn’t your typical dude.

We met him through our buddy Scott, a guy we met last year in class.Scott is Denny's nephew, who he lives with off-campus.Our schedules were almost identical, so we saw a lot of him.He was always alone, and kept to himself.It took a while for us to break him out of his shell, but once he got comfortable, he was attached at our hips.Scott's a good guy, just shy.

He approached us last year saying his uncle was looking for someone to help with IT and security issues at the nightclub he owns.Morgan and I both were planning to get part-time jobs for extra cash, so it was perfect.The job pays surprisingly well, and doing something we love comes easily to us.We'd never used our hacking skills for anything other than gaming...until Denny Barone hired us.

In the beginning, Morgan and I questioned why he didn't ask Scott to take the job.He told us his nephew has been through enough, and he doesn't want him anywhere near the club or the jobs he would be tasking us with.Eventually, we realized he wanted to protect him from what we learned was a not-so-legal job.

Downstairs, Club Sanctuary looks like most nightclubs: music, cocktails, and sweaty gyrating bodies on the dance floor.The public is welcome in the main club, if dressed in appropriate attire—men in dress pants and collared button ups, women in short cocktail dresses that leave little to the imagination.I tend to avoid the main club, because the real debauchery takes place upstairs.

Sanctuary Upstairs is Denny's sex club.It's members-only, with a private entrance away from the main club.I say members-only because this club is for the elite.It's an expensive buy-in with a hefty yearly fee.There are no "Average Joe" members.

After Denny explained the job to us, he told us working for him gave us access to Sanctuary Upstairs.

I always knew I had different tastes in sexual pleasures.I like being in control, exuding dominance over the women I fuck.I'm not a sadist by any means, and everything is consensual.But incorporating a little pain that heightens their pleasure is what does it for me.Fuck vanilla—my tastes surpass vanilla.I need the deep, rich sweetness with a kick of savory that melts on your tongue in the most appetizing way.What can I say?I have a complex flavor palate to fit my specific needs.I choose women with similar tastes to satisfy my hunger.

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