Club Himeros Read Online Free Page B

of steep that was commonplace in older buildings—especially the ones that were built out right to the sidewalk, as there was very little real estate for more gradual rises.  There was also no railing, so she was risking a broken ankle in her unfamiliar heels. 
    Elijah’s taxi pulled away from the curb before she even made it to the door.  Either he was no longer curious enough to see what happened next or her butt wasn’t interesting enough to stick around for, or possibly both.  She couldn’t imagine knowing as much as he already did and never knowing more.  It must have been maddening.
    The door was heavy oak and had a huge knocker in the middle of it that reminded her of every black-and-white horror movie door ever.  There was also a doorbell, though, in the frame next to the gothic door, and she went with that instead.
    After a pause, the door was opened by a man in a white mask.
    “Ah, Ms. Burgundy,” he said, in a deep, accent-free voice, “I’m glad you could come.  Please.  Mind the step.”  He held the door and gestured for her to enter.
    There was a step up from the front stoop in order to get inside, which temporarily hid the fact that her host was surprisingly tall, much taller than anyone she’d ever met before.  Mask or not, he was clearly not someone she knew outside of this moment. 
    His clothing was formal and somewhat antiquated: a tuxedo with tails, the kind of thing one only ever saw in period dramas or classical music concerts.  Like her, he had on gloves, the same white as his mask. 
    She took the hand he was extending for her and stepped over the threshold.  He guided her the rest of the way in and closed the door. 
    They were standing in a small room, dimly lit by an elegant chandelier.  Directly before her was a staircase, and to one side two chairs and a round table.  The furniture had a distinctive old money look to it.
    “Can I take your coat and purse?” the man asked.  When she looked uncertain, he added, “They won’t go far, only to this small room back here behind the stairs.  We keep all the personal belongings there and can retrieve them the minute you wish to leave.  I can show you if you like.”
    He pointed to a door next to the stairs that she hadn’t noticed before.  She had also missed the sliding doors to the left and right of the room they were in.  All were closed.
    “No, that’s all right.”
    “Then allow me.”  He stepped behind Lindy and helped her out of the jacket with a practiced expertise.  Once that was accomplished he held out his hand until she had placed her clutch in it.  “Take a chair, I’ll be back in a moment.”
    She sat.  The chair was old enough that she could feel the individual springs tense, which had the strange effect of reminding her how little she was wearing under the dress, and that got her thinking about how insane this all was.  Nobody knew she was there except Elijah, who didn’t appear to even know her name.  She was probably about to be murdered and eaten by a tall man in a white mask.
    Elijah said he saw people come here more than once , she reminded herself.  That made murder less likely.  Unless the cab driver was in on it.
    The man didn’t come right back.  It might have seemed that way to him, but to her it was an interminable delay, made longer because she realized she’d just handed him her cell phone, wallet and house keys. 
    There wasn’t any actual proof of a party.  She strained to hear something from upstairs—surely that was where everyone was, provided (again) she wasn’t about to be murdered.  But she couldn’t hear anything.  At one point she swore the chandelier moved.  That could have been due to whatever was happening on the second floor, unless it was from a passing truck.
    After the eternity passed, the man returned and made no attempt to kill her.  He took the other seat at the table. 
    “You must forgive me,” he said. “I’ve forgotten to make a proper