Edge of Deception

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Tanya was so flustered she didn't know what to reply. Nervously, she drained her glass. It irked her that Ilario was sitting there cool as cucumber, as if they were talking about the weather or maybe just work. The scandalous talk didn't affect him at all.

The why should it affect me?

She was just gathering enough courage to show she was cool too, when Ilario's head turned sharply towards the front stage. Tanya followed his gaze.

A line of nubile women were being led by a dapper man dressed like a peacock in a dark purple velvet suit. The girls were dressed in glittery dresses with feathers trailing above their heads and legs. They all came to a halt and stood in a line in various provocative poses. The music died down and people stopped grinding against each other.

The voice of the man boomed in the microphone which suddenly appeared from above. "Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to Paradiso Nero!"

There was hoarse shout from the crowd. The voice boomed again.

"You have been enjoying yourself a lot, I can see." The banter was suggestive yet delivered in a baby-ish voice, a combination which Tanya found sleazy. She glanced at Ilario whose attention was focused on the stage with a narrowed gaze. Frowning, she turned her own attention back to the stage where the man was still talking, most of which sailed past her understanding as it was becoming increasingly difficult for her to translate the colloquial Italian verbiage into her native language.

But then, there was boom which resonated throughout the huge cavernous space and a drumroll started mixed with DJ beats.

"And now, the moment you've all been waiting for." The man said slowly, dramatically. "The true power of Paradiso Nero is unleashed."

The club went dark and another collective shout rang through the space. And the lights were back just as suddenly, but this time they were neon laser lights in which only the girls on the stage were illuminated. Spotlights opened up around the huge space. The girls gracefully cat walked off the stage to take up their respective positions under the spotlights. Magically, the round space on the floor where the beam reflected soared up and suddenly there were floating platforms all around them with a girl on top of each of the platform. The music, a deep rumble which shook the very core of human body started playing.

What happened next stunned Tanya.

As one, the girls all jerked their arms in a fluid motion and the next second they were all naked. Just plain naked, with not even a hint of a lingerie.

"What is this place?" Tanya exclaimed, beyond shocked at the sudden turn of events. She couldn't believe what she was seeing.

It's a sex club!

Ilario De Russo brought me to a sex club!

The girls were all dancing now, swaying to the beat of the music. The crowd was going wild, even noisier than before. Despite the muted light, she could make out couples starting to make out in full view of the others right there on the floor.

The man in the velvet suit was speaking again. Tanya could vaguely understand that he was encouraging the patrons to take advantage of their alcoves and their special services for the stags.

Clutching her fingers tightly in his, Ilario at last, stood up and led her back into the crowd. Her back was pressed to his front as he shielded her with his body around her so no one could so much as come near her.

In a daze, Tanya was led outside through the exit and into the car. She was still in shock when Ilario put the car in motion and they tore out of the parking lot.