J. Margot Critch - Sweet As Sin

“Really? What brought that on? The rooms at Di Terrestres aren’t enough anymore?” Rebecca asked of the exclusive, erotic club the group owned.

“After the recent exposure given to Di Terrestres when that tape of Rafael and Jessica leaked, membership applications have tripled.”

Rafael rolled his eyes. “Glad we could help,” he said, wrapping his arm around Jessica’s shoulders and pulling her closer. Their “help” had come in the form of a sex tape that had leaked of them in Rafael’s private suite. The club where they’d been secretly recorded belonged to the entire group and allowed their high-end clientele to explore their desires in a safe, discreet environment. They’d thought that the leak would spell doom for the club, but instead, it had had the opposite effect. It had garnered a ton of interest and been more profitable than they could have imagined.

Alana laughed. “We don’t have the capacity to accept everyone, even after the extreme vetting process we have. So we’re expanding. A couple of weeks ago, Alex and I brainstormed over a whiteboard and a bottle of whiskey. And we came up with Hedo.”

“Hedo?” Gabe asked.

“We want to take the erotically charged theme of the club and create a full-service hotel. The first adults-only playground in Las Vegas, right here on the Strip. Hedo will be a place where our guests can indulge in their fantasies. Each floor will have a distinct theme, and people can choose, depending on what they like. Unlike Di Terrestres, people won’t have to be members. Anyone can come and partake. It’ll draw people from all over the world, looking for some good, safe debauchery. You know, what they come to expect from the City of Sin. We’re thinking hip, but seductive, sexy overtones. Something completely new to Las Vegas. Like a luxurious adult playground. Only the finest offerings, the most beautiful people, luxurious, handpicked tapestries and decor, the hottest DJs, everything that one would come to expect from a nightclub experience before they head up to their rooms.”

Gabe nodded, a smile turning his lips upward. “I like it. Why all the secrecy?”

“You know nothing gets done in this city without everyone hearing about it. Alana and I want to keep it on the down-low for as long as possible. In case anyone else gets a similar idea. We’ve even got a property picked out to buy and develop.” He leaned in closer, and lowered his voice, not wanting anyone else to hear the next part of their plan. “And that’s just the first step in our plan to buy up, redevelop and revitalize the north end of the Strip.”

“Lofty goals.” Rafael nodded. “I’m on board. This is big.”

“We’re on track for The Brotherhood to be the next big name on the Strip. If we all focus on this one goal in the next several years, we can be bigger, better, richer than anyone who’s ever had a piece of Las Vegas Boulevard. We’re going to make everyone at this table a lot of money.”

“Put me down for some of that.” Gabe chuckled and extended his glass in cheers. “Let me know if you need anything.”

Maria couldn’t help but stare at Alex as he dived into talking about their new project. His passion and fire for his new hotel was infectious, and it spread around the table. She leaned closer. There was nothing sexier to her than a passionate man who could hold a group in the palm of his hand.

“And you should see the designs we came up with,” Alana said. “Hedo’s going to be amazing. Kind of a throwback to the hedonism of ancient Greece, and in keeping with the themes of our other businesses.”

“Clothing optional,” Alex added, cocking an eyebrow. “It’s going to be large, but intimate. Very sexy. Especially since the increase we’ve seen in membership at Di Terrestres, we need more space and more services.” He smiled at Rafael and Jessica. “And again, you guys, we can’t thank you enough.”

Rafael and Jessica shared a wry look, but they both laughed. While Maria had felt bad for Rafael and Jessica, having their privacy invaded by a local reporter, it had been refreshing seeing her older brother as something other than the serious and infallible golden child.

“But speaking about that,” Rafael said, turning to Gabe. “I’m going to need that blind trust set up again. With the Senate run coming up, I need to be kept as clean as possible, which means not associating with you known degenerates.”

“I don’t know, Rafa,” Maria interrupted. “Of the group, you’re the only one with the leaked sex tape.”

The rest of The Brotherhood laughed, and Maria heated when she heard Alex’s chuckle over the others.

“Maria, I love you, but kindly shut up,” Rafael said, pulling her close and dropping a fraternal kiss on the top of her head. He sobered. “Anyway, I’ve got to keep myself out of the headlines, so I’ll still work with the businesses, but publicly, it needs to look like I’m taking a back seat.” He turned to Alex and said, “Especially with that new hotel on the horizon.”

“Don’t worry about it. We’ve got it covered. And we’ll help you out with your campaign in any way we can,” Alex said. Maria could feel the bond between Alex and Rafael; it had always been there. Their eyes connected briefly, before he looked down and grasped his glass in his hand, bringing it to his lips and downing the drink.

Maria briefly let her mind wander as she thought about him. The illicit thoughts took over, and her fantasies ran rampant. She remembered the way his lips had whispered against hers, how his strong hands felt on her body. His hard thigh, as he guided her over it... Reality then made way to fantasy, as she imagined his naked body hovering over hers as he entered her—

“How are you, Maria? I haven’t seen you in a while,” Brett said from across the table, pulling her attention from Alex, and all of the dirty things she wanted to do to him and have him do to her.

She shook free mentally and quickly recovered. “I’m great,” she told him. “I’m working at one of the community centers downtown. We’re running breakfast, after-school and recreation programs. It’s fun and fulfilling, but I still need to look for something that pays a little more.” She looked around the table at some of the top earners in the city—hell, the country . She wondered how long it had been since any of them had worried about paying rent. Even though Rafael had offered to help her out financially, there was no way she would accept it.

“How’s the job hunt going?” Alana asked.

“Tiresome. There aren’t a lot of paying positions in community health. Lots of volunteer job and internships. Because heaven forbid people get paid for working. But I’m looking, pounding the pavement. I’ll find something.”

“I wanted her to come work for me,” Rafael explained.

“But I refuse to because politics isn’t my thing. And if I think he’s overbearing now, I can’t imagine him signing my paychecks.”

“Payroll is all done electronically these days,” he assured her, his voice wry. “I wouldn’t have to sign anything.”

“Why don’t you come work for us at Collins/Fischer?” Brett asked casually.

Maria’s eyes widened and whipped to Alex’s. He played it cool, didn’t react, even though she did. “What?”

“With the hotel project coming up, we’ve got a lot going on,” Brett explained. “We’ll need another assistant.”

“But—” Alex tried to interrupt.

“Man, we talked about this earlier. I don’t think we should stretch ourselves too thin,” Brett said to Alex. “It would be great to have an assistant. We take on too much as it is.” He turned back to her. “So how about it? You could start next week.”

Maria glanced quickly at Alex, whose eyes burned, looking at her with the same intensity that they had the night before, but she wasn’t sure which emotion was at play behind them. He gave nothing away, and Maria would have given anything to know what he was thinking.