Page 109 of All Your Firsts

“It’ll be fine. You can dance and enjoy yourself, take a night off from your thoughts. My men will watch over you to make sure you’re okay.” At my reluctance, he adds, “I also remember a certain girl loving the holiday back in the day. You can’t let your younger self down.”

The bastard has me there. I’ve always loved dressing up for Halloween.

As I take in Gage’s Halloween costume, I can’t help but scrunch my nose. It’s eerily similar to the one Marco wore at that college party.

The one Vic showed up to but didn’t say—no, I’m not doing this to myself. Take him out of your mind for the night, Rosie.

I opted for a burlesque costume with a Gatsby flair, much to my brother’s dismay. The silver corset is wrapped tightly around my midsection, giving me exceptional lift and cleavage. Sequins, rhinestone, and tassel embellishments hang from the skirt, and a headpiece sits atop the crown of my head and drapes over my skull. I paired it with a smoky eye and dark maroon lipstick. I feel confident and beautiful tonight. A drastic change from how I’ve felt all week.

“You look pretty, Ro.”

“Thanks. I’m glad you talked me into going out.”

“Everything will work out. I promise you.”

“Yeah, well, I don’t know if getting my heart stomped on was supposed to happen, but I’ll take your word for it.”

“Not everything is as it seems. Just give it time.”

I swear he thinks he’s helping, but he talks in riddles that only he understands. I feel like I’m always missing pieces of the story, and I probably am. He may be the same as I remember in some aspects, but in others, he holds a completely different identity, full of secrecy and deceit.

It’s a short drive to his infamous club. After using my internet searching skills and taking a trip down a rabbit hole on the dark web, I discovered Gage owns a high-end, ultra-secret sex club.

The establishment accommodates various forms of debauchery, including entirely new and intriguing ones, while I have no intention of ever exploring others. My face was on fire as I googled all the different kinks the other night. Talk about diving into an alternate universe.

We walk through the back and enter his office, filled with sleek black leather and glass decor. I sit at one of his couches off to the side as he speaks to a couple of bouncers who are all decked out in black attire and creepy carnival masks. Black, red, and white are the dominant colors of the masks, and each has intricate designs.

I’m just glad none of them are in ski masks. Those will forever be a source of terror for me.

As my brother meticulously goes over their game plan for the night, a sudden warmth spreads across the side of my face, making me uneasy, as though someone is intensely watching me.

As I turn my head, I catch sight of one of the masked men staring directly at me, his head tilted in curiosity. Sending a wave of embarrassment through me, I give a tight smile before turning my head.

Now that was fucking creepy.

“Ro,” Gage calls to me, and I make my way over to him, noticing the creepy one remains while the others have already left.

“This will be your security for the night. Act as if he doesn’t even exist,” Gage says while sending a huge smile toward the guy.

I can feel the weight of the guy’s gaze behind the mask as he observes me without saying a word.

I give him another tight smile before looking at my brother. “Can I go enjoy my night now? The dance floor and a drink are calling my name.”

“Stay in the bar area and take it easy on the alcohol.”

“I will,” I say, feeling my face turn red with embarrassment. The conversation about my findings of his club is still pending with Gage. Probably forever. “But last I checked, you’re not Papa, andI can drink what I want, when I want.” With that, I storm out of the room without a second glance.

I stop in the hallway and look left, then right, then left again. Shit, I don’t know where the bar is.

I feel a presence behind me as a hand finds my lower back and sends a chill up my spine. My new babysitter doesn’t say a word as he guides me to the right.

It makes me think of Vic and how much I still miss him. My eyes roll in exasperation, a futile attempt to shake off the lingering belief he might actually care even though his silence speaks volumes.

We continue to walk in silence as we make our way through a series of doors. I can feel him staring at me, but I don’t dare glance up at him.

I hope my brother screened him because he’s giving me the heebie-jeebies.

We head through one last door and into a large room covered in orange lighting and sparkly marble floors. The orange lighting that moves with the bass hits the disco balls at the bar, creating what looks almost like fire embers all over the place.

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