Chapter Five-Maria
CHAPTER FIVE-MARIA
I follow Luc down the darkened hall to where his office lies. It’s a winding sort of path to his door.
I’ve only been there once. To drop off employee paperwork I filled out when I applied.
I didn’t even go inside, I just slid it beneath the door.
Something about him was just so intimidating.
And not because I think he’ll hurt me, just because he feels so, so big .
I shiver as I wait for him to scan his hand on the biometric lock and I’m not sure if it’s because of the water soaking my outfit, or if it’s just the company.
I’m gonna go with the latter.
Luc’s office is in a separate hall than Nico’s and Angel’s. Still, we have to go down a flight of winding, narrow stairs, but I guess it makes sense.
Nico and his cousin are so big. Their presence I mean. But Luc has an understated elegance.
He’s always so focused. Unassuming. But like he just proved, he is as scary as the rest of them.
Silent.
Deadly.
Fast.
The layout of the Vipers’ Den is nothing like other bars or clubs I’ve worked at. From the outside, it’s unassuming.
Just your average hole in the wall bar you expect to find in any city. Another of the many brick buildings lining the streets.
But inside, it really is a den.
There are hallways hidden in plain sight. Sort of like tunnels running through the entire building.
It’s a multilevel space, though the upstairs is VIP, and belowground are the Vipers’ quarters.
The real deal.
Not the wannabes.
We get plenty of those. The Vipers’ Den is the kind of place that draws certain elements.
Dangerous elements.
Hot shots come in occasionally. People who want to rub elbows with the criminal underworld.
Those guys are just playing dress up, though. The Vipers are real. Every bit as tough as the Sanchez cartel. And the Den is the perfect example of their power.
What other not so lawful organization has their headquarters so publicly known?
And why shouldn’t they? Who the fuck is going to take them on headfirst?
The Vipers are everywhere. They’re reach is far.
I know because I researched them. It’s why I came here with my heart full of secrets and my mouth full of lies.
They don’t know who I am or what trouble is stalking me.
The Den is roughly masculine.
Edgy and raw.
The ceilings have been ripped open. Everything is steel, cement, glass.
The ambient lighting is trendy. The bar is backlit, and we change the color depending on whatever.
There’s an energy inside the Den.
It’s like danger meets sex appeal.
It’s the same energy I feel when I’m around Luc.
Whatever plans I had when I first came there to check out the king of the Vipers, they’re all so far out of my head now.
Luc opens the door for me and ushers me inside his office. I go willingly.
His office holds richly masculine furniture. There’s an enormous waterfall desk with an epoxy river running through it and my mouth drops open.
I’m constantly watching reels and videos online with people making these things, and I am fascinated by the whole process.
But I’ve never seen one like this. The wood is black.
It looks burned or charred. And the epoxy, well, it’s not teal or blue glitter frozen within. It’s silver and gold, and it is magnificent.
Like starlight swimming in a sea of black.
The entire thing is highly polished. It looks like magic.
I shiver again.
Even though it is dark inside his office, I can make out the silver and gold glittering swirls.
Only the glow from several monitors he has mounted to the wall on long metal arms lights the space. I’ve never seen a setup like that.
It looks like he can swing the monitors around when he wants to view them and push them out of the way when he’s done.
Anyway, the glow of the monitors is enough to make that treasure of a desk gleam and sparkle.
I move to touch it, but suddenly a bundle of white terrycloth is blocking the way.
“Here,” Luc says, handing me a towel from a closet hidden behind a panel.
I gasp.
I didn’t see or hear him move, that’s how quiet and fast he is.
“Easy, Baby Girl. I’m not gonna hurt you,” he says in a voice that’s much softer than the one he used earlier.
I nod stupidly.
I know he’s not gonna hurt me.
Wait.
Does he think I am afraid of him?
“Thanks, Luc,” I say, forcing the words out.
I have so many questions. So many things I want to say.
But first, I want him to know I am not scared of him.
“You’re bleeding,” he says suddenly, frowning as he moves to hold the towel to my neck.
I suck in a breath. He’s so close now.
So close and still so damn far.
I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I know I should be scared and upset over that whole mess inside, but instead, I’m shivering like a virgin inside a lothario’s bedroom.
I am a virgin. But that’s another story.
My one great flirtation ended with a dead man, his creepy brother, and me having to flee my home. So, no, I wasn’t exactly in a rush to pop my cherry.
But standing here, this close to Luc, I’m wondering if my stance about that whole thing has changed.
“Shit, I see glass in the wound.”
“Is it big?” I ask, blushing at my words.
“What?”
“The cut and the glass,” I whisper.
“No. Do you trust me?” he asks.
I pause, watching him as he goes completely still.
Then I nod.
Yeah, I do trust him.