Chapter 4
Romeo's arm, warm and strong, circles my shoulder as we bypass the bouncer and enter the dimly lit second space of my club, music pulsating. This part of the club is still fully functional tonight, with lingerie-wearing dancers up on the stage shaking their asses and men and women throwing back expensive liquor as they watch. We have a couple of VIP events with a stag party and a large group of businessmen who booked out half my private rooms for the night. The strippers earn every cent they have tossed their way; they deserve it. I overinflate the booze prices, helping me keep this section lucrative—something Syd was never willing to do. He made his staff work for practically nothing, reaping the rewards and watching as they suffered. It was disgusting, but he was a repugnant kind of man.
“You want a lap dance?” I wiggle my eyebrows, a playful smirk crossing my lips. “My girls are the best around.”
He dips his head, his eyes meeting mine, a spark igniting in their depths. “The only girl I want shaking her ass on my crotch is you.”
I laugh nervously. Why his words send an excited thrill through me, I don’t understand, but I get an image of the two of us together. Me skimpily dressed and him just waiting for me to blow his mind. “Persistent.” I smirk back at him, not giving in just yet. If he really wants me, he can wait like a good boy. “You into watching people fuck? I have a couple in room seven who love to be viewed by others as they get it on. It’s my one-way-glass room, they wouldn’t even know we were there.”
He considers me, his eyes running down my body. “Is that what you’re into, Sloane?”
I shrug, thinking it could be. It could also buy me a little time to get to know him better, but I can tell from the cynical look on his handsome face he doesn’t look keen. “How about another drink?” I ask, hoping to ease the crazy tension now swirling through the air between us.
“If you’re going to continue to play hard to get.” He gives a curt nod in the direction of the bar, but his voice holds an amused edge like he’s trying to work me out.
“I’m not playing anything. You say you always get what you want, Romeo, well, so do I, and right now I don’t know enough about you to show you the last part of my tour. So, you either stay and have another drink with me or you run along. I’m easy either way.” Fuck, I’m not, but I’m calling his bluff and just hoping it works out for me.
He leans in close, his breath warm on my ear as he shifts my hair over my shoulder, his lips brushing my earlobe. “You’re sexy as fuck when you get all bossy. I’ll have that drink. You can ask me whatever it is you need to, I’m an open book. Then you will show me what’s back there.” He motions with his eyes to my private rooms. He knows exactly what’s back there, his cunning smile says as much.
Down the far side of the room stands this space’s bar, a gleaming black stone countertop with silver trim that stretches the length of the wall, its polished surface reflecting the soft light of the chandeliers hanging above. Approaching it, I gesture to Erica, our bartender, for two drinks before guiding Romeo to a quieter table. This table is nearly always vacant as the view of the dancers isn’t great from here, but it’s a personal favorite of mine. The lighting is low, and in a world where I feel like I’m always stuck in the spotlight, I can escape for a moment and catch my breath here. I move into the red velvet booth, and instead of sitting opposite me, Romeo moves in beside me, the fabric of his suit brushing against my exposed leg because he’s so close.
Our drinks are placed in front of us, and I smile at Erica and offer her a thanks. She nods and leaves us alone, but not before giving me a look, one that says I hope you know what you’re doing, boss .
Collecting my glass, I glance his way as I think on what he just said. He’s an open book. We will see about that. “Alright. You want to go back there with me, I want to know what you’re really doing in my club tonight. It’s pretty clear you have no interest in getting to know anyone other than me. I’m going to ask you ten questions, and if I think you have answered them honestly, I will finish my tour.”
“If you don’t?” He raises a brow.
I purse my lips, thinking on it. “It will be time for you to leave my club.”
He nods. “That sounds fair.” He picks up his tumbler and takes a large swig. “Shoot.”
“Are you a cop?” I ask quickly, waiting for his reaction.
He nearly chokes on his second mouthful of whiskey. “Fuck no. Do I look like a fucking cop?” He looks insulted.
I shrug, a silly smirk painting my face. “I guess not. But it was fun to see your reaction when I asked you.”
“Do you get cops sniffing around this place?” he asks more seriously, his eyes scanning the room.
“Not really. Things have been a little different since the new squad came in from New York, but it’s nothing my brothers and I can’t handle. ”
He doesn’t look convinced, but what does he care? I guess all of his family hate the cops just like mine. “What’s your second question, doll face?”
“Why are you calling me that?” I can feel the blush on my cheeks as I question him. It’s not what I was going to ask, but I’m intrigued.
He takes my hand in his and kisses the back of my fingers. “Your exquisite features are flawless, your skin like porcelain. Don’t tell me it’s the first time anyone has noticed.”
I can’t help but smirk back at him; he’s just too charming. “That was a wasted question.”
“Eight left, better make the most of them,” he says, and I know he agrees with me.
I raise a challenging brow, knowing he’s not going to enjoy the rest of my quiz as much. “What is your intention in spending time with me tonight? You don’t strike me as someone who does anything without a good reason.”
With a lingering touch, his hand moves from mine, sliding down my leg and then delicately caressing my thigh, right where the hem of my dress sits. My skin tingles with anticipation where his fingers trailed. A strange intensity in his gaze makes my breath catch and a nervous flutter ignite in my chest. He knows what he’s doing to me, turning me the hell on. “You’re right, I came here tonight for you.” He grins devilishly.
“Why?” I splutter out, my heart kicking up a beat at the possessiveness in his honesty.
“Is that question four?” He smirks, a sly glint in his eyes.
Shit! “It wasn’t, but it is now,” I demand, needing to know the answer.
His grin twists, and I know this is half his game, to make me so flustered I can’t think straight. “I wanted to meet the fierce biker chick they all talk about. You have to know your name is whispered in awe and fear, even back home where I’m from. I heard what you did to Valentina Moretti. Maybe I was curious, maybe it was more than that.” The way his eyes meet with mine and look straight into my soul as he responds makes me feel all warm inside. He wants to know the real me. No one wants to know the real me, most people are too afraid to get close to me.
My teeth sink into my bottom lip, nibbling as I try to work out what to ask him next. He’s so damn smooth, and I’m running out of questions. “I’m not all bad.” I sigh heavily, feeling the weight of my life’s choices bearing down on my shoulders.
“I’m sure.” His hand slips a little higher up my leg, causing a scattering of goosebumps to cover me like a blanket.
I suck in a deep breath, trying to get my racing heart under control so I can think straight around him. Dear God, save me, Romeo’s touch has such a crazy effect on me I’m already giddy.
The way he watches me, he knows his power. He’s enjoying watching me squirm way too much. “Wouldn’t matter to me if you were. I’m no saint myself, sweetheart.”
“That surprises me.” I chuckle sarcastically. It’s damn obvious he’s on the wrong side of the law. They all are around here. My question is, would he fuck me over if he had the chance? But if I ask it like that, I’m the one who will come off like a bitch. I run my eyes over him, checking out every little detail. From his expensive suit to the Rolex on his wrist, he exudes wealth, but that is just a facade. I want to know what really makes him tick. “You’ve got this whole ‘dark and mysterious’ thing down. Does it work on every girl, or just the ones you’re trying to manipulate into bed?” I bat my lashes playfully, knowing that question could really sting if his intentions are dodgy .
A dark chuckle rumbles out of him, and I think he’s impressed. “I’m not trying to manipulate you, doll face. We both know from the second our eyes locked I was going to make you mine, and I have been very forward at making my intentions clear.” His hand slips a little higher, this time parting my legs, as he runs a hand over my silky thong, touching me right there. Right where I want him to. “Maybe it’s you who is trying to seduce me with your sexy-as-fuck little body and pretty face. I could ask you that same question. What do you want from me?” His gaze is heated in a way that intensifies the electricity already bouncing between us.
I shake my head, suddenly lost for words. I want only one thing, but I can’t ask him for it. How would that even go? I need you to rid me of my virginity so I don’t have to go on being a fraud anymore.
“You want me, Sloane. Your needy cunt is begging for me to take you. Your panties are drenched.” His fingers slide between my legs again, feeling over my wetness. And damn, I know he’s right. I’m almost desperate for him to really touch me there.
“We still have five questions,” I whisper, getting stuck in his dark eyes.
“If you’re not satisfied yet.” His finger slips under my panties, teasing me as it runs over my clit before sinking deep inside of me, and I already know this man wrote the book on how to turn women on.
Oh, dear Lord. My eyes roll back in my head. I have imagined what it would feel like to have another person’s finger inside of my pussy every damn time I got myself off, but I never could have pictured how it would make my whole body come alive.
From the corner of my eyes, I think I see movement, and it snaps me back to reality. Onyx is here watching me. I can’t see him, but I feel his presence. There is no way he would have let me come into this part of the club without him. I should feel guilty for letting some other dude touch me, but I don’t. If anything, knowing he’s here only makes me want to hook up with Romeo more. Show Onyx what he’s missing out on. I lean back into the booth seat, my eyes closing as Romeo’s lips meet with mine and he kisses me savagely as he leisurely pumps his finger in and out of me, under the privacy of the table.
Eventually he slowly pulls back from me and my eyes flutter open, staring directly into his in a way that makes my heart flutter. “What’s your next question?” He pushes in a second digit.
I whimper out a small cry. It feels so damn good, but his fingers are so much larger than mine, and even though it’s only two, I feel the burn of him stretching me.
He slows his movement, his eyes running over my face, watching me. “Next question,” he breathes, and I get the impression his patience is wavering.
“If I asked you point blank about your work, would you be honest?” I get out even though my mind is anywhere but here caring what his profession is. He could tell me he was a lion tamer at this point, and I would believe him.
“You’re a smart girl, Sloane, you know if I told you what I did for a living I would have to kill you.” His words are light and playful, but I hear his warning.
I take hold of the booth seat, trying to get a little space. I’m overheating, my head spinning a little from the way he makes me feel. He’s so intense, and the way his fingers are bringing me undone is all too much and not enough at the same time.
“Satisfied yet?”
“Four more,” I get out, trying to regain my composure. I’m a woman of my word, and right now I might want him to carry me over his shoulder caveman style to one of my rooms, but I won’t do it until I have finished my line of questioning. “Tell me, what’s the most interesting thing about you?”
He raises a brow. “I know how to make people feel safe—even if I’m the last person they should trust.” He stares me down, and I’m not exactly sure if I like that answer. It’s like he’s testing me, asking me if I’m willing to trust him, and I’m not sure I should. “Do you feel safe with me, Sloane?”
My heart races a little faster. “Right now? Right now, your fingers are inside me, and I can’t think at all,” I admit, being far more honest with him than I want to.
He does this delicious twisting thing, and I moan on cue. Fuck, it’s like he already knows my weak spots and how to use them to his advantage. He leans in closer. “You should trust me tonight, Sloane, I will give you a night you will never forget.”
Heat flares within me, and I stare up at him, hoping to God it’s true. “You’ve got this look like you know all my secrets. It scares the shit out of me.”
“I do know all your secrets, sweetheart. I can feel the weight of them pressing down on you. But that shouldn’t scare you. I’m here to take care of you, Sloane, you just have to let me.” His thumb rubs over my clit, back and forth, making my pussy clench.
I stare back at him, this moment way more intimate than I was prepared for. “Oh fuck,” I murmur as my body shudders. My last two questions gone from my mind. I don’t even care about this game anymore. He holds me close, so damn close as his fingers toy with me till I’m a quivering mess in his big strong arms. I bury my head in his shoulder and cry out my release as my pussy convulses and tightens around his two thick fingers. I’m a panting mess, struggling to get enough air, my body alive for what feels like the first time ever.
I run a hand through my hair, trying to get my pulse under control. “No man has ever…” The words leave my lips before I can stop them. I jump back from him in a rush, my heart racing in fear this time. I said too much. He made me weak and I just nearly told him something I can never admit out loud.
He pulls his fingers free, staring back at me with an intensity that sends fear flooding through my veins.
“You need to go,” I snap, needing distance before I really do something stupid.
He closes the gap between us. “I’m not going anywhere until you finish what you were about to say.” There is a warning in his voice that tells me not to mess with him.
“I can’t,” I whisper, dropping my head so his eyes can’t meet with mine. My face thrums with the beat of the music, a burning heat coming off it.
One of his hands rests on my leg, stopping me from taking off like I want to, the other he brings to his lips, sucking my juices from the two fingers that were just inside of me. My eyes go wide. Oh fuck, what is he doing. “No man has ever touched you before, has he?” Romeo asks, as if he can tell by just tasting me.
My heart races like crazy. I don’t know what to say, I can’t admit the truth to him. He’s probably some sex god, and me being a twenty-four-year-old virgin is all kinds of embarrassing.
The hand pressing into my thigh digs in a little harder. “Answer me. I played your game and responded to all eight of the questions you asked honestly. You want two more, go for it. I want only one answer. Am I the first man to touch your sweet little cunt?”
The words get caught in my throat but something in his eyes tells me it’s safe to tell him the truth. He’s not going to use it against me. “Yes,” I whisper .
For a second his eyes close, and he inhales deeply like he’s trying to get control. “You’re so damn perfect. How does the owner of a sex club remain a virgin?”
“Keep your fucking voice down,” I snap back at him, even though his voice was hushed. “I run the place; I don’t work here,” I respond like it’s obvious the two things are not the same.
His eyes lock with mine, so dark and intense that they almost scare me. But it’s not because I’m afraid of him, more I’m afraid of what I will do when I’m around him. With just a look he seems to have some sort of control over me. My body is begging for more of what he has to offer, and that is dangerous. “Did I answer your questions to your liking? Or do you need the final two,” he asks.
I blink back at him. “I guess I’m done,” I murmur, not able to look away from him. I’m sucked into his magnetic vortex and everything about him is driving me crazy.
His lips curl into a subtle, wry twist. “We had a deal, Sloane, now you have to take me back there and finish the tour.”
I swallow hard. “You still want to come back there with me?” I ask, slightly baffled. Shouldn’t he be majorly turned off right now, wondering what the heck is wrong with me?
He grasps my hand, a reassuring pressure, helping me to my feet. My legs are shakier than I expect them to be, and I wobble a little on my extra-high heels, but he catches me. His arm snakes around my waist as he pulls me close, his intoxicating scent filling my senses. It’s all spice and whiskey, with a hint of danger.
As we walk closer to the third section of my club, the VIP rooms, I go all clammy and start to feel like I’m having an out-of-body experience. Am I really going to go through with this? I just let him finger-fuck me. But actually having sex with him is next level, and even though I’m glad my brothers have backed off for once, I’m not sure how to act because of it. I have never had this kind of freedom before. Am I making the right choice, or is my slightly inebriated brain just thinking with her needy pussy? I don’t have time to answer my question, because we arrive at the bouncer guarding my rooms. Leigh, a man I know well; he has been working for me for two years. He’s one of the best bouncers I have, which is why he mans this area of the club.
“Sloane. Who’s your friend?” he questions me, surveying the situation in front of him with sharp interest. I know how out of place this must look. I have never—and I mean never —even come close to doing something like this before.
“Romeo Moretti.”
He looks over him cautiously, a slight frown furrowing his brow as he takes in Romeo’s size. “Does he have clearance? I haven’t seen his face on the VIP list.”
I glance back to Romeo, hoping I’m not making the biggest mistake of my life. “He’s with me. We can trust him,” I respond with certainty.
Leigh gives a nod and opens the door for us with a flick of his security badge.
I suck in a deep breath, knowing there is no going back now. I’m going through with this. I move to a control panel on the wall and check over tonight’s bookings, trying to see what rooms are free. There is only one, room six. With a flutter of excitement, I type my name in and enter my security code, booking the room out for the rest of the night.
“Security is tight down this end,” Romeo comments, watching me with keen interest. I can see he’s the kind of man who notices every damn detail.
With butterflies dancing in my stomach, I move toward room six and enter the PIN code to let us in. The door pops open, the lights instantly turning on to reveal a moody room all in charcoal and golds. I turn back toward him, watching as he takes in the opulence of one of my beautiful rooms. “Has to be. People pay a lot of money to use this part of the club. I have to protect the men’s identities and the women’s safety.”
When he walks through the door after me, I press the keypad again, locking the door. I know Onyx will be out there fuming, but I don’t want him barging in and ruining this for me. He had his chance, and he fucked up. Now he gets to sit in his bad choice knowing exactly what me being in this room with another man means.
“You take your job very seriously.”
I watch Romeo taking off his jacket, placing it over a high-back chair before he wanders around the room a little, already looking comfortable in his new surroundings. I can’t take my eyes off him, studying his dark wavy hair hanging over his eyes just a little now, adding to that mysterious allure he has going on. Do I really trust him? Fuck no. But I trust he will make good on his promise to give me a night I won’t forget, and right now, that’s exactly what I need.
“What’s the point in doing a job half-assed? I hold lives in my hands, and I don’t take that lightly. The women who work for me are all important parts of my family. I would protect them with my life.” I take a step closer to him.
He watches me closely. “I believe it.”
I lock eyes with him, needing him to know how deadly serious I am right now. He knows my secret. “You should, Romeo. My reputation isn’t fictional, made up to instill fear in people. It’s fucking true, and if you screw me over, I will see to it you pay. Do you understand?”
He doesn’t shy away from my intensity; instead, he reaches out for me, pulling me in close. “I wouldn’t have it any other way, doll face.” His lips come to mine, and he devours me, shoving his tongue inside my mouth possessively. I should hate the dominance, fight it even, but I don’t. If anything, I’m craving it. I want this dark, mysterious, powerful man to claim me, to show me what it feels like to be a woman.