“Help me!” I suddenly exclaim, grabbing both his hands in mine while giving him my best puppy eyes. “Go to Red Tape with me.”
“The club?” Realization hits him. “Oh no. No, no, no.”
“Yes! Yes, yes, yes. I just need thirty minutes.” One hour tops. I have to check some documents Aurora left in the office for me.
He shakes his head. “Are you mad? They’ll catch us!”
“Not if I find a hookup fast. Like that’s hard for me.”
“Luca will blow a fuse. And Marco?”
“Think about the hours of angry sex. Ah, I envy you so much, you lucky bastard.” I really do.
“Fuck! You’re a bad influence,” he mutters.
“Again, you are the one marrying a mobster.” I pull him off the sofa.
He frowns at me. “Is this actually a plan for you to run away?”
“No. I had my phone, I could have run from the very beginning.”
“Why didn’t you?”
I shrug. “Multiple reasons. Boredom, curiosity, the impending wedding, Luca is hot.” My half-brother.
“Are you really going to marry Coretti’s daughter?”
I hesitate but nod in the end, before pulling on his hand. “Look at this as my bachelor party! Come on, I want to wear the garter belt you brought for me and the new body chain.”
We are walking toward the bedroom when Fly suddenly digs in his heels. I turn around to look at him.
“I missed you, Art. I miss this.” His eyes are watery again.
“Me, too.” I look up at the ceiling, trying to stop the waterworks.
“Promise me you won’t leave me ever again.”
Can I really do that?
“Promise me!” he insists.
“Alright.” I look straight into his eyes, lift our tangled hands in the air, and kiss them. “I promise.”
He nods. After a few sniffs, we finally reach the bedroom.
“How are we going to bypass the bodyguards?” he asks as I open the closet.
I grab a Snickers bar from the nightstand and give it a long sniff. The smell of chocolate always makes the neurons inside my brain operate more efficiently. Ding. The light bulb turns on.
“We won’t.”
The burning sunset has swallowed the whole town. Sometimes I wish it would swallow me as well.
Not tonight, though. Because I’m about to have some well-deserved fun. With Nacho under my arm and my cute clutch in the other, I enter the club, thanking Sam, the bouncer, who recognizes me. The crowd is decent inside. It’s way too early now, but in a couple of hours, it’s going to be packed.
I’ve loved this club from the first time I saw it. It blends functional spaces with immersive atmospheres, emphasizing energy and sound. The lighting is subdued and warm to encourage intimacy. The dance floor is the epicenter, with dark, reflective surfaces. It is surrounded by synchronized laser and LED lighting rigs. The DJ booth is positioned on the left, opposite the bar area, which is lined with metallic and stone finishes and strategically placed on the periphery of the room to maintain flow. The VIP loungeis elevated, offering a bottle service and a slightly secluded view of the main floor action while customers relax on the plush, velvet seating. The pounding music and dim atmosphere make me feel free. This is my escape from life.
I stop to talk to the manager for a few minutes after telling Fly to go with Santo toward the VIP lounge, where a table is waiting for us. Carlo stays back, standing a few feet from me.