Killing Time by SE Chardou Read Free Book Online

of the apartment and Rory proceeded to lock it before he returned the key in the lock box attached to the elegant door knob.
    I waited until he caught up before we strode to the elevator together.
    “I think it also goes without saying that you are not allowed to bring any cameras or mobile phones in the club either. Many of my members are high profile in certain industries including finance, law, medicine and politics. They have no wish to be recorded while they are acting out their fantasies and darkest desires. I hope you understand,” he explained in that same sexy dark chocolate-caramel voice.
    “Yes, of course. I assume these items are collected by the coat check personnel?”
    “Along with other personal effects and your coat, if you choose to bring one. You can assure along with our exclusivity comes discretion and your reputation as a hot-shit, cutting edge journalist will not be harmed in any way.”
    The rest of the time with him was a blur and I had never been happier to see Grayson in all my life.
    It wasn’t much of a trek for his driver and in fact, I could have walked it since we lived just four blocks from his old apartment building.
    Grayson set the box in the bedroom and immediately opened the floor safe where it and the key were deposited together. He reminded me of Robert DeNiro’s character from the film, Casino . He wore a paisley robe except his was in red and black and a matching pair of boxers and house slippers. He hated the cold marble floors and though there were plenty of Persian rugs throughout the apartment, he insisted on having house shoes for every Paisley robe and boxer short set he owned.
    I changed into a pale pink silk short-sleeved nightgown that almost came to mid-calf and slipped on a matching silk robe. Although not necessarily a nudist, I was comfortable with my body and in my own skin. However, everything about Grayson, his family and his life were all so very staunch and uptight. One did not walk around the apartment in just pajamas, one had to have a matching robe for said pajamas.
    Bare feet were considered uncouth and bootie-socks were considered distasteful and “middle-class.” One wore a pair of house slippers at all times when not in regular shoes.
    However, due to Grayson’s obsession with cleanliness, shoes came off in the foyer and were carried to our prospective shoe closets. Slippers were the only type of shoe item permitted past the foyer.
    We sat on the bed, each on our own sides and drank expensive imported French cognac. I did enjoy this ritual because there was nothing better than a Xanax and cognac to put me to sleep. Tonight, I’d added a Vicodin to the mix and wasn’t feeling any pain.
    “So, now you’ve met the notorious and mysterious Rory Krieger, what did you think of him?” Gray inquired as he stretched his long legs.
    He did have a wonderful lean body with hidden muscles and skin the color of burnished peaches and cream. He wasn’t deeply tanned but his legs weren’t a sickening pale color either. He would never admit it but I knew he had a hidden tanning bed, which he used twice a month to maintain his perfect complexion.
    I sipped from my cognac though I could have easily downed it and poured myself another. “What do you mean, exactly? I barely spent enough time with him for an impression to be made at all if I’m perfectly honest.”
    “Stop being evasive, honey. Once you left with him, I called Jason but he was very tight-lipped about the whole Krieger family. Apparently Rory has a brother, Severin, although his nickname is Seven, like the film,” Gray informed me before he swigged from his cognac.
    “I don’t get it.”
    “What don’t you get?”
    “The nickname? Why is he known as Seven?”
    “It’s complicated. Severin is known for being an extreme and rather proud sadist. If Rory has sadistic tendencies, he is also very kind and gentle but Seven is just a complete and fucking animal. He firmly believes in the whole