Chapter Twenty-Six Caterina
While I sat in the VIP booth at Bandia, I’d never felt more out of my element in all my life. What I thought would be a fun evening was anything but. I didn’t like the fake smiles and small talk of the club goers. Those who came by to congratulate Callum barely acknowledged me. No one seemed interested in trying to get to know me. I suppose to them I appeared as the epitome of a trophy wife. Just some vapid social climber who had latched onto Callum because of his money and standing.
“What’s wrong, Sister Sassy?” Dare asked.
I smiled at him. “What happened to your admirers?”
He waved a hand dismissively. “I banged them in my office and sent them on their way.”
My eyes widened at his admission. “T-Them?” I sputtered.
“Don’t tell me you want the details?” he teased.
Heat rose on my cheeks as I stared down at my whiskey glass. “No. I don’t.”
“I answered your question, so now you can answer mine.” His index finger touched my chin before raising my gaze to his. “What’s wrong?”
With a shrug, I replied, “It’s nothing really.”
“Out with it,” he ordered.
“Everyone is just so…fake.”
“Yeah, the sheer amount of fake tits and bad BBLs I’ve seen tonight is astounding.”
Laughing, I replied, “That’s not the fake I was talking about.”
He grinned. “I imagined as much.”
“Don’t tell Callum, but I really wish I hadn’t come.”
Dare shook his head. “No, no. We can’t have you feeling that way. You need another whiskey to loosen you up.”
Nibbling my lip, I replied, “I don’t know.”
“Trust me.” He waved the waiter over again.
“I still haven’t finished this one,” I protested.
“Then do it.”
Just as I brought the drink to my lips, a commotion drew my attention over to the edge of the VIP area. A buxom blonde in a slinky dress had her arms wrapped around Callum. “Oh my God, Cal, it’s been forever. You don’t know how much I’ve missed you.”
Instead of untangling himself from the woman and telling her to get lost since he was a married man, Callum merely smiled. “It’s good to see you again, too, Jocelyn.”
Desiring some liquid courage, I threw back the remainder of the whiskey just at the moment Jocelyn’s hand slid down Callum’s chest to rest on his dick. “I’ve missed this even more,” she practically purred.
The alcohol spewed from my lips as a red rage crisscrossed my vision. Although Callum had shoved Jocelyn”s hand away, I couldn’t believe he’d allowed her to touch him to start with.
“Caterina, don’t,” Dare warned.
“She’s molesting my husband,” I shot back.
“Her father is a city councilman. Callum is just playing the game.”
“That doesn’t mean I have to go along with it.” Shooting out of my chair, I stalked over to them.
“Oh fuck, this is about to get ugly,” Dare muttered as he fell in step behind me.
Without even thinking, I knocked Callum away from Jocelyn. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” I demanded.
While Callum had the nerve to smirk at me, Jocelyn got into my face. Her blue eyes narrowed to fury filled slits. “I don’t know what your problem is, bitch.”
“Bitch?” I questioned incredulously.
“That’s what I said. I don’t know who you think you are coming over and interrupting me and my man like that.”
“Your man?” I flashed my ring in her face. “Last time I checked, he was my husband.”
While Jocelyn’s eyes popped wide at my declaration, I turned my fury on Callum who had the audacity to be staring at me with a grin. “And you can go fuck yourself!” I shouted before I whirled around and fled from the VIP section.
Tears blurred my eyes as I pushed and shoved my way through the crowd. I didn’t make it too far until a pair of strong arms slithered around my waist and jerked me back against a hard body. “Let me go!” I shouted before smacking at the arms around me.
Alcohol laced breath scorched against my ear. “You’re not going anywhere until I get a piece of your sweet ass.”
“Stop it!” I shrieked.
“Mmm, I’m going to love hearing you scream my name tonight.” His hand slid up my ribcage to cup my breast. “Say it, bitch. Say Blake is going to rock my world.”
I kept fighting against him to no avail while trying to fight my rising panic. He had to be in the military because he knew to block each of my self-defense moves. Surely one of the bouncers had to be around, not to mention Quinn and Kellan were supposed to be working the main floor.
Blake’s grip suddenly jerked free, sending me staggering to regain my footing. When I whirled around to see what had happened, Callum had the man by the throat. Pure menace was written over his expression.
“How dare you put your fucking hands on something that belongs to me.”
Blake shook his head furiously back and forth as his face turned crimson. “Don’t you dare fucking lie to me when I saw it with my own fucking eyes!” Callum blared.
As Callum’s grip on Blake’s neck tightened, Blake sank to his knees. The lethally cruel expression on Callum’s face would give me nightmares in the nights to come. I didn’t like seeing him this way. I didn’t like believing he could be that violent. That deadly.
“Callum, stop!” I cried, as I tried pulling his hand off the man’s throat.
“Stay out of this,” he snarled.
“You’re going to kill him if you don’t stop.”
“That’s what happens when you disrespect me in my club.”
Glancing around, miraculously no one had their eyes on us. They remained dancing and talking. Considering how dark it was, you would’ve had to be right beside us to truly see what was transpiring. Of course, a dead body on the ground would be harder to conceal. “But everyone will see.”
As my words started to break through to him, Quinn and Kellan appeared. It was only their combined strength that pulled Callum off of Blake. A guttural gasping noise came from Blake’s lips before he collapsed to the ground. Quinn and Kellan snapped into action by getting him to his feet. With him pressed between the two brothers, it looked like the three were dancing.
To distract anyone from Callum’s rage, I slid my arms around his’s neck and dragged his forehead down to rest against mine. His hands reached out to grip my waist before molding me against him. His broad chest heaved against me as he worked to get his fury under control.
Although I was still frightened of his behavior, I couldn’t abandon him when he needed me. “Look at me,” I commanded.
His blue eyes locked with mine. “Just breathe,” I murmured.
The murderous gleam in his expression began to fade. When he finally regarded me without brutality, I sighed. The remorse that glittered in his eyes broke my heart. “I’m sorry you had to see me like that, Kitten.”
“I won’t lie that you scared the shit out of me.”
He smirked. “Apparently so since it made you curse.”
I shook my head. “I’m serious, Callum.”
Regret flooded his face. “I know. And I’m sorry.” He brushed his knuckles along my chin. “I wouldn’t have you fear me for anything in the world.”
“Deep down I know that’s who you are, but I don’t like seeing it. Just like I know it’s who my brothers are.
He stared intently at me. “I’ve never lost my mind like that over any other woman,” he admitted.
“You haven’t?”
“Besides the fact he was molesting you, no one is to ever touch you.”
I rolled my eyes. “Quit acting like a neanderthal.”
“You’re mine, Kitten.”
Jerking my chin up, I countered, “I belong to no man.”
Callum’s hand came to grip my chin under my neck. “You. Are. Mine.”
When his expression turned over to smoldering lust, it sent a pulsing ache between my legs. Heat flared over my body under his scrutiny. While we stared into each other’s eyes, Callum’s hands slid from my waist down to cup my ass.
At my gasp, he slammed his lips against mine. When he thrust his tongue into mouth, I moaned. As he continued his assault on my mouth, his hands pushed my center against the growing hardness in his pants. Gripping his shoulders, I held on for dear life.
As his lips left my mouth, my eyes remained closed as he kissed a trail over my jawline. When he got my ear, he sucked my earlobe causing me to shudder. At the graze of his teeth, my eyes popped open just as he bit the sensitive flesh. Pleasure shot through me as he continued to bite and lick down my neck.
Taking one of my legs, Callum hooked it over his hip. My dress was so short that it caused the hem to ride up almost to expose my panties. The new angle pressed his erection against my core. As he continued thrusting against me, my nipples peaked at the feeling while my thong grew damper by the minute.
In that heady, passionate moment, I wanted nothing more than for him to take me. Even though we were in a club surrounded by people, I wanted him to make me his. I wanted to feel the length of him within me.
I wanted to truly be his.
When Callum started to pull away from me, I gripped the front of his shirt. “Don’t stop,” I moaned into his mouth.
A chuckle rumbled through his chest. “Trust me, Kitten. The last thing on this fucking earth I want to do it is stop.”
When my eyes popped open, I glanced past us to see Quinn staring down at the floor. As I fought to catch my breath, Callum eased my leg down. I quickly pushed the hemline of the dress back down my thighs.
Callum’s warm breath tickled against my earlobe. “I have to go handle some business bullshit.” When I nodded, he said, “Quinn’s going to escort you to the VIP section.”
“Okay.”
When he pulled back to look at me, a sexy smirk curved on his lips. “I hope we can finish what we started later.
A shiver ran through me at his words. “Maybe.”
He groaned. “You’re killing me, Kitten.”
I merely grinned back at him. After Callum turned and made his way through the crowd, Quinn finally brought his eyes to meet mine. I couldn’t help the mortification that warmed my cheeks considering what he saw me and Callum doing. Even though we were married, embarrassment still flooded me.
“Come on, lass. I need a drink.” A teasing glint flashed in his eyes. “And from the looks of it, you do, too.”
At my sharp intake of breath, Quinn chuckled before tucking me to his side. When I reached the VIP section, I thankfully found Jocelyn was gone. At the sight of me, Dare’s eyes popped comically wide. “Sister Sassy, were you and my brother bumping uglies on the dance floor?”
Instead of recoiling in horror, a laugh burst from my lips at Dare’s absurd reference. “No comment.”
While I might not have been blushing, Kellan was. Dare handed him and myself a drink. Waggling his brows, he said, “I think it’s time we did some shots!”