Depths of Depravity by Rhea Wilde

said it was slow and almost sensual. I could feel his breath upon my ear, the warmth sending an odd sensation through my body. There was a tingling feeling of excitement on my skin. Maybe it was just because of how close he was to me but I suddenly found myself distracted. The friendly banter we had just moments ago was gone. He had flipped the switch on the mood so suddenly that I was having trouble reacting.
    What ’s wrong with me? Why am I letting this get to me?
    As Luther slowly pulled his face a way from me, I was half-breathless and unable to respond. From the corner of my eye, I could see Luther staring at me. He was exuding some kind of intensity that was resonating from his body. I was worried that if I turned and looked at him I would lose control. Thankfully, I was able to gather myself and maintain my composure.
    “ Good,” I replied. “Everybody gets what they want in Platinum. All you have to do is pay the price.”
    “ And what price is that, Harley?”
    “ I don’t think you can afford it.”
    “ I know how things work here. You have to pay a five-hundred dollar fee for every night before you start making a profit.”
    “ You’re in the ballpark.”
    “ I’ll give you two week’s worth.”
    “ That’s seven grand, Luther.”
    “ Hmm… Good-looking and good at math. What a combination.”
    I finally turned my attention to him. Not only was he offering to pay for my time here at the club but he was making me more suspicious as to who or what he really was. My story was right here in front of me. It seemed too convenient. But there was no way I could refuse his offer.
    “ Deal. Are we going to Paradise or Limbo?”
    “ We’ll start with Paradise for now.”
    “ As you wish, Luther.”
    I turned around and waited for him to follow me. When I realized he wasn ’t behind, I stopped myself and turned around. He was still standing in his familiar spot at the bar. He was looking around like he had lost something. I walked back up to him, confused as to what he was doing.
    “ What’s going on?” I asked.
    “ It’s not going to be just us,” he said. “I’m taking someone else with me. Ah, what’s your name?”
    He offered his hand out to a girl walking by him. She took his hand and giggled at him.
    “Hi,” she said, her voice with a little bit of a squeak. “I’m Jade.”
    “ Jade. Nice to meet you, Jade. I’m Luther. I’m heading to Paradise with Harley over here. I was wondering if you’d be interested in joining us. You’ll get the same seven grand she’s getting.”
    “ Seven—Really? Of course!”
    Jade did little to hide her enthusiasm. Luther smiled at me as he walked hand-in-hand with her toward the back of the club. I looked at him curiously, wondering what exactly he was up to.
    I followed the two of them into Paradise. The place looked like more of a spectacle than I remembered now that there were ac tually people back here. Men were sitting in their booths, some of them with the curtains down. They sat their stoically while the women writhed and slithered on top of them. I never pictured myself as someone who was quite as sexy or seductive as these women. It was too late to back out of it now. I had to try my best to see if I had what it took to at least fake it.
    They made their way toward a booth in the corner. Before Luther made himself comfortable, he grabbed a chair off to the side and placed it ju st in front of the booth. Then he took off his jacket and lounged in the chair.
    “ You,” he said, pointing at me. “Sit in the chair.”
    “ Okay…”
    I did as I was instructed, still confused as to what was going on. He then directed Jade to do what every other woma n in the room was doing.
    Jade was a petite girl. She was dressed in all black. Her body was tight and tiny. As she scrunched her body up on the couch and against Luther, she seemed even smaller. While the petite brunette did her best to get a rise out of L uther, I sat in the chair and