16. Devin
One Year Earlier
Lounged back in our private booth, sipping on a whiskey, I casually search the crowd for our target. This one’s been on our radar for a while, from a tip that Tony received from an anonymous source on the dark web.
The club is packed tonight, its popularity only grows every week with all the whispers of the Underground. Tasha has worked her ass off to build it up, making a safe space for the taboo. We’re not only reaping the financial benefits, but we’re seeing an uptick in attendance of some of the elite and powerful from the other side of the river. I’m a little jealous that I didn’t think of it myself.
These people like the anonymity with our mask requirement, and I especially like the whisper network that Tasha’s girls have created to keep us in the know of everything that happens outside of this building. Even with the upped security from Tony, these fuckers will sing like canaries just to impress a woman as she sucks him off. And who am I to deny them of such a service?
I watch the people as they move about, making note of the targets on my personal list. My skin itches as the monster lurking underneath pushes against me, attempting to rear its head and sink its teeth into those who need to be dealt with. I swirl my whiskey and take a tentative sip as I soothe the beast, reminding it that it will have its chance to feed, all in good time.
Out of the corner of my eye, I catch a small group approaching one of the large booths off to the side. They are not even attempting to disguise their identities with the masks that barely surround their eyes. Even from here, these men in their high-end suits with women hanging on their arms are more than familiar to me than I’d like to admit. My eyes search each face until one stands out from the rest and I hone in on him. Bingo .
Leaning forward, I rest my elbows on the tabletop, keeping an air of casualness about me as I watch them file into the booth. I make an effort to scan the room for any of their own security who have been planted elsewhere in the club. They’re everywhere, but it’s obvious who they are with their dead eyes and their placid expressions as they nonchalantly scan the room for any dangers that they might have to take on. Too bad they don’t have a clue about me.
This group is laughing and making a show of themselves, clearly wanting to be seen and heard by the rest of the people in this private area. It’s how they trick unsuspecting people into their little cult, making them seem like the life of the party, when in reality, they’re monsters in disguise.
One monster can usually sniff the other one out in no time and good thing I have a keen sense of smell.
I watch as my main target pulls one of the girls down on his lap, which I can tell is not a normal thing for him to do by her body language. She’s rigid, even as she settles onto his lap, her hands unsure of where to land. I look over every curve, and my God, she’s a thing of beauty, even with a lace mask covering half of her face. Her amber eyes seem to glow in the disco lights, with her long, brown hair flowing around her, and she looks phenomenal in that black dress. Her long legs come out from the short skirt that rides up just enough, while her full breasts show just enough cleavage for wandering eyes to linger a little too long.
She looks older than the normal barely-of-legal-age women these men bring into the club. If I had to guess, I would say she’s right around thirty, just by the way she’s carrying herself and most of the other women even acknowledge her. In their eyes, she’s probably aged out of being brought into the club with them, but to me, she seems absolutely perfect. While I am a man who can admire a beautiful person, I prefer my partners to be a little more seasoned in life—one just like her.
I clock other sets of eyes that hold their gazes on her a little too long, and I have this feral urge to pluck all of their eyes out for just simply looking at her like she’s nothing more than a piece of ass.
I keep my eyes on her, shifting to other members of the group as she stands. She sidesteps around them and heads to the bar. She approaches it and leans over the counter, where the bartender immediately flocks to her.
I can’t decide if I should take him to the basement and kill him for looking at her like she’s a meal that he wishes to devour or give him an extra tip for noticing a woman like her.
A good bartender like him is hard to come by, so tip it is.
I’m lost in my thoughts when someone steps into my view, blocking her from my sight. “Dev,” a feminine voice says in a warning tone. My eyes flick up, and I’m met with the judgmental eyes of Tasha. She stands at the edge of the table, her arms crossed with a very pissed expression on her face. “Quit eye fucking the patrons and do your fucking job.”
Leaning over the table, her palms flat against the top, she narrows her eyes at me. I can feel the heat from the eyes around us burning into her as she puts her body on display. I let my lips pull into a smirk. Like they could ever handle a woman like her, one who was trained to eat men like them as a bedtime snack.
“I’m doing my fucking job, Tash.” I raise my glass of whiskey to her. “And you’re blocking my view of my target. So, either sit and watch with me or go pester someone else.”
She slides into the booth, giving me a sidelong glance as she makes note of the very rowdy booth that I have my eyes on. She keeps her voice low, shifting her body as if she’s making a move on me as she says, “I’ve been keeping an eye on them, too.” She throws her long ponytail over her shoulder in a flirtatious gesture, nodding her toward the bar. “That must be his actual girl with him tonight because she doesn’t fit the bill for the other ones he brings in here on a regular basis.”
I scan the crowd for her, because she hasn’t come back from the bar yet and the crowd has shifted around her. “He must be putting on a front for her because that isn’t his usual posse, either. They’re far too rowdy.”
Tasha scoffs. “Obviously trying to keep up with a double life. I mean, the one woman with the short, dark hair has been straddling that guy all night, shoving her tongue down his throat and throwing back shots between breaths. Definitely not his usual crowd.”
I hum in agreement, taking a long sip from my glass, enjoying the burn of the whiskey down my throat. “I could really use a fucking cigarette,” I say over the lip of the glass.
“Just go get fucking laid to take the edge off. You know you could have any woman in this room right now.” Too bad the one I now have my sights set on is off fucking limits, but I don’t bother to interject as she goes on. “You know that shit’s bad for you, anyway. Besides, if Tony can quit, so can your ass.” She looks around the room, her green eyes dancing in the lights as she runs her hand down my chest, keeping up her facade.
“ Pssh. He vapes and I consider that fucking cheating,” I tease, taking another sip and letting the liquid sit on my tongue.
Rolling her eyes, she plucks my glass from my hand, taking a delicate sip of the amber liquid. “It’s not our fault that you chose to go cold turkey.” She slides the glass back toward me on the table. “I can have one of the girls come up and give you something to do with your mouth and hands, and just like that,” she snaps her fingers, “you’ll forget all about your nicotine addiction. Nothing a little pussy can’t fix.”
I chuckle as she gives me a knowing smile, her fingers playing with my hair as her eyes move through the room. She’s right—I need something to take my mind off things, but I’ve been too focused on work and keeping my eyes on the people here and one of my favorite flavors isn’t currently available. And the last thing I need is a fucking turf war between all these power-hungry assholes and possibly taking the club down with them. Nate, our jet-setting owner, would have my balls if I let that happen.
Tasha pats her hand on my chest. “Let me know if you want to take me up on my offer. I have a few who have been drooling after you and would take the edge off while throwing you over it.” She winks and starts sliding out of the booth. Tasha keeps her side of the business clean in a literal sense, and while she employs beautiful girls who get checked every week, I’m not interested when I seem to have my sights set on another woman in the room.
“We’ll see, Tash,” I say as she leans over, giving me a kiss on the forehead before standing up. She looks over her shoulder and clocks the mystery woman, just as I did. She gives her a once-over, her attention turning back to me.
“Hm, well, just let me know if I need to send anyone your way tonight, before you try to stick your dick into something that doesn’t belong to you.” She doesn’t give me time to respond before she turns and disappears into the crowd.
Pulling out my phone, I shoot Tony a text detailing our target and the current situation of their booth, along with the order to keep our people tight around their booth tonight. I want as many eyes and ears on them, because while I doubt that they know much, people as reckless as them are bound to slip up about something. Knowledge is power and I’m here to make sure that we stay at the top of the food chain.
But I highly doubt we'll learn anything new if he’s being rowdy with this atypical group while having his alleged girlfriend here. Men like this know exactly how to play a double life and keep people at arm’s length but make them feel like they're the only ones hanging around. If my suspicions are correct, and they usually are, this woman doesn’t have a clue what this fucker has been up to around here. And if I’m wrong, then she’s just hanging around for the money, because I can’t imagine this guy has much else to offer her.
She looks too fucking good for him, anyways, and if I could, I would pull her into a private room and show her what being with a real man is like. While it’s unlikely to happen while she’s with that tool, it’s a fantasy I’m choosing to keep on replay.
Relaxing back into the booth, I cross my ankle over my knee and wave to one of the servers for a refill. I plan on watching them for the rest of the evening and will keep tabs on her every time he brings her back to the club. I would know her anywhere, even from behind her mask. I can already tell this is going to be a long night, and while they’re at the top of my list, it’s not the only thing I’m concerned about.
It’s been a while since I texted Tony, but he finally responds, giving me a thumbs up and letting me know he’s been aware of them this entire time. A smirk pulls up my lips because I wouldn’t have expected any other type of response from him. I invited him to come with me tonight because he rarely comes down unless it’s absolutely necessary, and apparently, he’d rather watch from the comfort of the penthouse. He has an eagle eye when it comes to our seedy clientele, and even though he’s a big guy, he has the keen ability to almost disappear in the shadows and not be seen until it’s too late for his target.
He prefers to work at his desk, and even though we have the club to watch, I have enrolled his help in my own investigation. He’s the only one who I trust with critical information, and he has allegedly been trained enough for the job because every time I question his abilities, he always shows me up.
And even though we’re getting roadblocked and hitting dead ends, he’s putting in the work to find the answers I’m looking for, and I just wait for the day that every one of my suspicions can be confirmed and I can take down every motherfucker on my list.
As the evening drags on, I’m getting fucking bored, which is never good for someone like me. People tend to get hurt when I’m bored, and tonight will be no different. Laying the phone face down, I signal for one of the girls to head to my booth. Serenity saunters my way, and thankfully, she’s one who knows better than to try and flirt with me while I try to give an assignment. Even though Tony and Tasha train every girl in this craft, they conveniently leave out that while I enjoy fucking, I don’t fuck my employees, no matter how attractive or good in bed they may be.
The music is loud enough tonight that I don’t have to worry about being overheard as I give her instructions to start working the table. Hopefully, she can lure one of these fuckers into a private room, and after she gets off, give us the signal and we’ll take over from there.
It’s one of my favorite things to bust in from our hidden doors while they’re in a vulnerable position. I find joy in their humiliation and pain, and while these men think they’re powerful because of their money and status, the true power is holding their lives in my hand and watching the light fade from their eyes as I snuff them out.
Serenity works the table, catching the attention of a few of the men who seem like total fucking dirtbags. It’s not lost on me how brave women like Serenity are for putting themselves in front of these dangerous people, but I also know that they love the thrill of the risky game we play and I love the reward of their dutiful efforts.
I scan the booth again and lock eyes with the only woman who has my true attention in this club. The man whose lap she’s on is too busy chatting with the man next to him to notice that he has a literal goddess sitting on his lap. If she were on mine, my attention would be on her and fuck all the other people in the room .
She flicks her gaze from mine and checks her phone as if she’s trying her hardest to keep her eyes off me. She leans forward, looking down the line of people in the booth, watching the one with the short, dark hair. I tap my fingers on the wood top in front of me, counting the seconds until she looks my way again.
I let my mind wander as I drink her in. I imagine what it would be like to wrap her long hair around my fist and fuck her mouth, tears spilling from her pretty amber eyes. She would look so fucking beautiful kneeling at my feet, my cock in her mouth, her pussy dripping with need. Our gazes lock again and her eyes widen as she watches me, and if I didn’t know any better, I’d say she was thinking the same thing.
What a dirty, dirty girl.
Movement at the other end of the booth catches my eye and I begrudgingly break eye contact with my newest fixation. Serenity is now leading one of the men from their party to the stairwell, taking him to a private room and out of their sight. Oh, she is really good. She throws a look over her shoulder, giving me a knowing smirk, and I know that’s her sign that this one must be noteworthy and to be ready for some fun.
I sit back, start the clock, and wait for her signal. Maybe this time, I’ll get some of the fucking answers I’m looking for. Until then, I’m going to watch my pretty little amber-eyed goddess squirm under my heated gaze and try to lure her further into my web and eat her alive.