Den of Desire by Shauna Hart Read Free Book Online Page A

could see everything that happened in the club. The television screens were covertly hidden behind a sliding panel. The fact that he didn't hide them tonight, that he was opening up his world to her, had to be a sign.
    She watched as one by one the lights began to blink out in each of the rooms.
    All but one.
    Her eyes narrowed. She knew the room. It held a large circular bed with a red velvet spread. She liked to think of it as the roses room, because it was as close to romance as she was going to get in a club like this.
    But it wasn't the room that caught her attention. She got to her feet to walk over to the screen, straining to get a better look. She stood directly in front of the monitor, her mouth falling open.
    It couldn't be.
    A woman lay across the bed wearing a white lace dress. A white silk scarf was draped across her neck. Her black hair was spread out on the bed. Her mouth hung open, her eyes glazed.
    Mara's heart began to pound. It had to be a member. But Joe said that he was going to lock up. She glanced at the other screens. All of the other rooms were dark.
    If it was a member, what was she still doing here?
    And why did she look ... dead?
    Her pulse was racing. The other screens reflected her shocked expression back to her. It was just a coincidence. Three years ago, she had written about a woman wearing a similar outfit. But in her book, the woman was killed.
    She searched the screen, waiting for someone else to enter the room. The sound of a door slamming behind her jolted her around. The door to Joe's office was still slightly ajar. She walked over to it, pulling it open to peek out into the hallway. The corridor was completely dark, despite the blue lighting that lined the floor.
    “Joe?”
    No response came.
    She took a deep breath before stepping out into the hallway. The club was a maze of back corridors that regular members never had the opportunity to see. From the couple times she had been back here with Joe, she knew from experience how easy it would be to get lost in them. She ventured a couple of steps forward, her hand reaching for the wall.
    “Mara.” She heard a strange whisper call out to her from up ahead.
    “Joe? Hello? Is someone there?” she replied.
    She took another step forward, her pulse quickening. With each step she took, fear crept up her spine.
    “Come closer,” the voice urged.
    “Damn it, Joe! This isn't funny!” she yelled.
    Suddenly, a hand grabbed her from behind. She screamed.
    “Whoa! What's wrong?” Joe asked, his hands sliding up her arms.
    She sagged against him for a minute, dragging in a deep, steadying breath. His hand came up to cup her cheek.
    “Mara, what's wrong?” he repeated.
    “I heard a voice,” she explained, her hands clutching his forearms.
    He frowned. “A voice? Mara, the club's closed. Everyone already went home,” he reasoned.
    She shook her head. “But I saw someone on the monitor. A woman. In a white dress.”
    He tensed beneath her hands, his eyebrows drawing together in a furrow. “Are you sure?”
    She nodded. “It was in the roses room.”
    A puzzled look marred his forehead. “The roses room?” he queried.
    “The room with the round bed and the red velvet spread.”
    His gaze traveled over her head as he looked down the hallway. He reached into his pocket to pull out a remote control. With a punch of a button, all of the lights came on. She blinked as her eyes struggled to adjust to the brightness. He took her arm, pulling her behind him.
    “Stay behind me. One of the members must have slipped by security,” he instructed, already heading down the hall.
    Finally, they reached the room. With a wave of his hand, he motioned for her to stand back. She watched as he moved forward, his gaze traveling back and forth. After a minute, he turned back to face her.
    “There's no one here, Mara,” he stated, his eyes narrowed.
    Her eyes widened, and she hurried over to his side. Just as he said, the room was empty. She rushed into