9
“Where have you been?”
Cambri barged through my dressing room door, heels stabbing the tiled floor as if she intended to crack the foundation. I met her wild eyes in the mirror while I wiped away my makeup and glitter.
“I’ve been right here. What are you so worked up about?”
“Luca was escorted off the property by our own security.”
I froze mid-wipe and turned to my friend, who was now leaning against the vanity, red wig in hand and waiting for my reaction to the news that our temporary boss had been kicked out of his late father’s club. While I loved her to death, she had this annoying fascination with being unnecessarily suspenseful when it came to story-telling. Luca being gone would be the highlight of my night—he was crude, an absolute dick, and so far up his own ass, I was surprised he could see straight. Every day, I’d come to work and wonder if it would be the one where he would end up with my blade protruding from his face.
“Are you going to tell me what happened, or do I need to beat it out of you?”
She laughed and shoulder-checked me. “Apparently, the mysterious co-owner of Illusion finally showed up. He and Luca got into it, and next thing I know, Blaise and Ash tossed his ass.”
Cambri pulled a cigarette from her bralette and pinched it to the corner of her mouth as she spoke. “It was glorious. ’Bout time someone put that bastard in his place. And good God is he delicious.”
The memory of a handsome and unfamiliar man stitched in my thoughts. While we had our regulars, remembering every patron was impossible…but even through the shadows and blinding lights, forgetting a face like that would be downright tragic. We’d locked eyes from across the room just long enough to know he wasn’t simply another horny client hiding his wedding ring and spending a small fortune on ass and tits. Call it intuition or paranoia, but I felt his presence here tonight meant something. And clearly, I’d been spot on.
But I stopped caring about men long ago; otherwise, I might have stuck around for some extra cash. Today’s shift was lucrative. A hot shower, warm bed, and a good book were all I needed tonight.
“What’s that look for?” I asked, eyeing her sly grin.
“When that man saw you on stage, he damn near tossed me across the bar, Amara. He was fucking mesmerized.”
Rolling my eyes, I swiped the last specks of glitter from my cheek and got to my feet.
“You know that means nothing to me. He’s just another swinging dick getting hard to a half-naked woman putting on a show.”
Cambri trailed behind me as I slung my bag and headed for the door.
“I know, girl. But getting good with the boss has its perks. You know that better than anyone. Lorenzo spoiled you, even gave you this private dressing room, while the rest of us peasants still fight for a corner of the mirror.”
“Cambri, you know you’re welcome to share with me,” I said, laughing at her theatrics and throwing my arm around her shoulder .
She leaned into me. “Fine. I’ll move my stuff over tonight.”
“Perfect.”
“Can I have this fabulous vanity, though?”
“Don’t push it…” I trailed off when I tugged open the door and found myself face-to-face with our new boss.
Maybe the glare had been entirely too bright from where I was standing on stage because, while it was apparent he was handsome from a distance, I wasn’t anticipating his caliber of looks. Strangely, a twinge of something churned in my belly. It wasn’t butterflies or any of that shit women feel when they see an attractive man.
It was… sadness .
I was unsure what exactly it was about him that triggered memories of my brothers, but the room was suddenly suffocating, and I needed air.
Taking a step back, I nodded, intending to maneuver around him, and he responded by making himself bigger and blocking my path.
I sucked in a breath and clenched my fingers, nails digging into my palms to suppress the urge to reach for my knife.
“You must be Amara,” he said, extending his hand. His accent reminded me of Lorenzo’s.
“I am,” I replied and ignored his gesture.
The man’s dark eyes lingered on mine before they shifted behind me. “And you and I already met. Cambri, was it?”
“Yes, sir,” she replied enthusiastically, reaching for the hand he’d yet to offer and shook it with vigor, nonetheless.
He chuckled. “Call me Santino.”
While his ask was in response to Cambri, his eyes were back on me.
“Santino Leone. I’m taking over now that my uncle, Lorenzo, is no longer with us. And Luca is on a permanent leave.”
“Welcome.”
I caught the twitch in his eye at my indifference. If he thought I was one of those women impressed by angled jawlines, a pretty face, and status, he’d soon learn how far from the truth that assumption was. Santino, our new boss, was Lorenzo Leone’s nephew. I surveyed his towering figure and crisp, tailored suit, then back to his face, just in time to catch the way he wet his lips.
And maybe, just maybe, the action caused me to swallow a little harder than I intended.
I put another step between us.
“Thank you.”
“Amara, I’ll grab my stuff and meet you outside!” Cambri slipped through the gap between our bodies. “It was great to meet you, sir—Santino,” she added before disappearing down the corridor.
I made a mental note to murder her in her sleep.
Santino leaned against the door frame, one hand strategically rubbing the perfectly trimmed facial hair along his chin. It was all it took not to roll my eyes. Sure, he looked smooth and better than any man had a right to at 2 a.m. Meanwhile, I’d wiped the makeup off my face, swirled my hair into a bun, and changed into bike shorts and an oversized T-shirt. If I gave a damn, I’d probably feel self-conscious, but the part of me that cared about a man’s opinion had died a long time ago.
“You were great out there.”
This time, the eye roll was inevitable. “I’m sure I was,” I said with a cynical laugh, walking past him and into the hallway.
Santino followed—of course—falling in step with me.
“No, I didn’t mean it like that. I meant that it was a great performance. I can see why this place is such a success.”
“I don’t carry this club on my own, Santino . All the dancers here keep a loyal roster of Miami’s wealthiest clientèle.”
“Gorgeous and humble. Impressive.”
I came to an abrupt stop. It took him two steps before he noticed and backtracked.
“Look, I’m not the one. You may be Lorenzo’s nephew and the owner, but don’t think because I’m a dancer here that I’m just going to drop to my knees and suck your cock because of your last name.”
Fuck. Forgot my filter. Not exactly the most innovative way to start this working relationship .
I was half-expecting him to lash out and fire me until the most aggravating and unexpected grin crawled across his face.
“Noted.”
Santino’s voice was velvet, and his stare so intense that I felt the need to look away, but my pride kept me focused on him until we found ourselves in a strange sort of staring contest.
I would have apologized, but that’s not something I did anymore.
“So you kicked out your own cousin, huh?” I finally said, attempting to break the ice, but instantly regretted initiating more small talk. The last thing I wanted was to give this man the wrong impression and the illusion of an invitation that I was somehow someone he could befriend. That couldn’t have been further from the truth.
“Irreconcilable differences.”
I continued toward the exit, and he followed. Didn’t surprise me.
“I can see that.”
“You think he’ll be missed?”
“I guess it depends on who you ask.”
He caught the crook of my elbow, and although his touch was gentle, it was enough to tug me to a stop. Glaring at where we were joined, I lifted my eyes to meet the audacity on his face, but his focus was on the silk band around my wrist.
“I’m asking you,” he rasped.
Taking back my arm, I kept moving through the parking lot. “I preferred Lorenzo, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“Good to know. And I hope to take his place soon enough.”
I stopped abruptly a second time. “Mr. Leone, did you ask all the girls the same question?”
“Only you.”
Maybe that pretty grin and his alluring dark eyes worked on other women, but I wasn’t them. I knew men like him. Powerful, handsome men who viewed me as either an easy fuck or a shiny new toy to conquer.
I sighed, ready to put him in his place and hoping not to get fired, but I was willing to take that chance .
“Listen—”
“Your eyes, they’re gorgeous. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like them.”
My whole life, strangers complimented or insulted my heterochromia. I was immune to both. But I couldn’t deny the genuine admiration in his tone. A feather-light tickle pricked somewhere in the pit of my stomach.
“ Bastardo! Ti ucciderò! ” Luca stormed through the lot, a gun pointed at Santino. “I open my doors to you, and you humiliate me in front of my patrons.”
Santino stepped between us, shielding me from my former boss’s line of fire.
“You were dismissed and caused a scene. I put an end to it.”
“You just want to fuck me over because you think you’re the better man. Come sempre. ”
I wasn’t sure how to feel. On the one hand, I was in the middle of a familial dispute I had no interest in, and second, this man I met less than fifteen minutes ago put himself between me and his cousin’s eager trigger finger. The men I was used to viewed me as less than. A whore.
There went another whisper of a flutter.
“I don’t think this is the time or place,” I said, peering around Santino’s broad chest, intent on stepping out of his shadow. But he swiveled his back on the threat and held me in place.
“Amara, get back inside where it’s safe. I’ll handle Luca.”
“You’re either incredibly brave or foolish. What’s stopping him from shooting you in the back?”
“My cousin knows better,” he said with a chuckle, completely unfazed.
“Definitely option two.”
Santino’s eyes lit with amusement, but before another word was exchanged, Blaise and Ash cocked their weapons and a third man disarmed Luca.
“ Cuginetto ,” he said, turning around as he lit a cigar. “I’m going to overlook what happened here tonight because I know you’re upset. But I won’t forget. If you ever come by here again, I promise you’ll regret it.”
Luca’s teeth clenched when Santino clapped his jaw.
By the time he was escorted back to his car, I’d walked halfway to mine.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Amara.”
I didn’t turn around, mostly because I was aggravated by the stupid grin on my face.