The car came to a halt at the bottom of the staircase and with a deep breath of trepidation, Lacey stepped out into the cold, night air. She ran up the steps and the guard bowed to her and opened the front door.

If she’d been impressed by the mansion’s exterior, the interior was even more impressive. She found herself in a white marble hallway that felt like the entrance to a royal mausoleum. A glass chandelier hung above her. The walls, ceiling and floor were all made of the same marbled rock. A wine red carpet led to the end of the hall. Lacey walked quickly along it to the end of the hall.

Once through the second set of frosted glass doors she found herself inside the house proper. It was enormous. To one side was a grand, oaken staircase that curled up to the second floor. The ceiling was of inlaid wood with oriental motifs and the floor was of parquet, polished to a high sheen.

A slight man with dark hair and rather severe features was waiting for her in the middle of the hallway. Lacey wondered if he’d been standing there like that since Benny had said she was coming.

“Lacey Gardner?” the man said. He spoke with a distinctly French accent.

“Yes,” Lacey said, a little uncertainly.

“Please follow me,” the man said formally.

Lacey followed him into an enormous drawing room with the same parquet flooring and brocaded upholstery she’d seen in the grand hall. Bookshelves lined one wall and high, curtained windows lined the other. The ceiling was so high that there was a walkway, like a balcony, half way up the bookshelves. The room was long and at the far end was a bar with glasses hanging above it. The feeling in the room was distinctly masculine, with a globe, leather-bound books, and a billiards table set among the leather and brocaded furniture. Ashtrays were spread around the room and Lacey could smell the distinct, acrid smell of cigar smoke in the air.

Apart from herself and the man who’d led her there, the room was empty.

“My name is Nicolas Rétif,” the man said. “I’m the concierge of The Club here and am responsible for many of the comings and goings.”

“I see,” Lacey said.

“Allow me to take your coat.”

Lacey took off the soft, white fur coat and handed it to Nicolas.

“I’ll take the rest of your clothing too. If you don’t mind.”

The formality of the way he spoke belied the fact that he had just asked her to strip naked in front of him. The room was warm and comfortable. Soft light, almost like candle light, gave it a warmth that was both alluring and inviting. And of course, Lacey had been well aware that she would be getting naked for these men. That was was what she was there for, after all.

Even still, Nicolas’s request caught her off guard. She’d imagined that she would be stripping in a bedroom with a man who’d been flirting with her all night, perhaps after a few glasses of fine wine. She hadn’t thought she’d be asked to strip naked as soon as she arrived at the house.

She smiled thinly at Nicolas as she unclasped the back of her dress and let it fall to the ground. She had nothing else on apart from the shoes she’d been wearing and she didn’t offer to remove those.

She looked at Nicolas as he stooped down to pick up her delicate dress. It was by her ankles and he was down at her feet. She stepped out of the dress to allow him to pick it up but he didn’t. He just held it and remained down by her feet where he was. She noticed him raise his eyes and look at her. He looked at her feet in the black pumps, her slim ankles, long calfs, and firmly toned thighs. Then he looked at her bare, shaved, pink vagina. His face was just inches from it.