Chapter 32
Thirty-Two
LULU
“Did you miss me?”
I’ve just passed a glass of champagne to a pretty blonde when the voice comes from my right, and my back is immediately up.
The mayor.
I turn to him and offer a polite smile. “Good evening. What can I get for you?”
“Oh, come on. Don’t pretend we aren’t friends. You’ll hurt my feelings.” He sticks his lower lip out in what I’m sure he thinks is an adorable pout when, in reality, he looks like an idiot.
The mayor is young, likely in his late thirties, and he’s handsome. Strawberry-blond hair and ocean-blue eyes with a little scruff on his chin. He’s trim and fit, and frankly, I don’t understand why he thinks he has to be smarmy. I’m sure plenty of women here would happily fuck him.
But that girl isn’t me. Even if I didn’t have Rome, the hottest man to ever live, I wouldn’t want the mayor.
I don’t answer. I simply tilt my head to the side, waiting for his order.
We’ve been busy tonight. The lounge has been full, every seat at the bar and each table around the room spoken for all evening, and I’ve enjoyed the vibe.
The energy has been up. The people have been friendly and happy to be here. There’s been no inappropriate flirting.
Until now.
This guy is such a creep.
“Would you like a whiskey neat?” I ask, remembering what he ordered last time, and his eyes gleam with predatory satisfaction.
Fuck. I should not have said that.
“See? I knew it. Yes, that sounds great. Pour yourself one and come sit with me at my table.”
I turn to grab the whiskey, but I reach wrong with my left arm, and the bottle almost drops out of my grasp.
“You okay?” Max asks with a frown.
“The mayor is here,” I mutter, and his face clears. He glances over my shoulder and nods.
“I can take it.”
“I’ve got this,” I assure him as I pour the drink. “But don’t go far, okay?”
“I got you, babe.” He winks and resumes filling his own drink order when I turn to deliver the mayor’s request.
He takes a sip, eyeing me, then smacks his thin lips together. “You make one hell of a drink, Lulu.”
“I literally did nothing,” I remind him. “It’s straight from the bottle. But I’ll give Macallan your well wishes.”
I turn to give another customer my attention, but the mayor’s hand is suddenly around my wrist, holding me in place against the top of the bar.
“You’re going to want to remove your hand,” I tell him coldly.
“Or what?” He smirks and leans closer to me. “Do you know who I am, little girl?”
“Yes. I do. And I don’t care.”
His eyes go ice cold, and I know without a doubt that if we were alone, he’d backhand me. I know that look well.
Asshole.
“Take an hour off and come with me to a privacy room.”
“Not today or any other day, Mayor Pierce.”
Suddenly, a large knife is plunged into the wood of the bar, less than a quarter of an inch from where the mayor holds me, and he jerks back, releasing me.
Julian.
Julian’s dark gaze is on mine, and I give him a small nod, confirming that the man was touching me without my consent.
At least, I think that’s what he was silently asking me. I don’t know these guys well enough to read their minds yet, but I’m grateful he’s here.
“There’s a rule at this club,” Julian says in a hard, tight voice, leaning closer to the mayor and making the man break out in a thin sheen of sweat. It’s actually fascinating to watch the man go from feeling powerful to being afraid. “No touching unless a person has consented to it.”
“You got it all wrong,” the mayor says, forcing out a laugh. “Lulu and I always flirt. It’s our thing. Tell him, baby.”
“I’m not your baby,” I reply as I take a step back and find both Rita and Max there.
“I’ve told you before,” Rita tells him. “Lulu isn’t going to a room with you. Ever. And from now on, you won’t order drinks from her either.”
“Oh, come on. You’re all being ridiculous. It was just harmless flirting. She’s a beautiful woman. What’s the problem?”
“The problem is I told you no,” I reply, and Julian nods at me, making me want to smile at the praise.
But it only lasts a moment.
“Jesus, try to be nice to the hired help, and they lose their shit. I paid to be here, and you work here. As far as I’m concerned, I’m entitled to fuck whoever I want.”
“And you’re done.” Julian signals to two of the security guys, and when they join us, he says, “Escort Mr. Pierce out. He’s not welcome to return.”
“Hey! This isn’t your business,” he says, practically spitting on Julian, who simply glares at him.
If it were me, I wouldn’t want Julian glaring at me.
“Should I call Rome?” I ask Julian.
“He’s conducting some business right now,” Julian replies with a quick shake of his head as security takes the mayor by the arms and escorts him out. “But he’ll be filled in right away.”
Rita pats my shoulder, and I glance down into her concerned face.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper.
“You didn’t do anything wrong, honey,” she replies with a nod. “He crossed the line. He’ll pay the consequences, even if he’s the fucking mayor. Rome will see to it.”
A chill runs down my spine.
Does that mean he’ll kill the mayor?
I turn my attention to Julian, and the question must be written all over my face because the smile he gives me in return isn’t reassuring.
It’s menacing.
“Don’t worry about it,” he says in a low voice. “Do you need anything?”
“I’m fine.” I clear my throat, then turn to another customer and get back to filling orders.
Nothing the mayor did rattled me too badly until he touched me.
When he grabbed my arm, I just froze. It’s the same arm my father would grab, and I was waiting for the white-hot pain that always came with it.
I should have shaken him off, and I would have if Julian hadn’t stepped in.
But for a heartbeat, my body froze, and I didn’t like that.
A few things have become clear to me in the past couple of days. First of all, I really need to seek out some physical therapy for my shoulder. I’m fairly sure that with some exercise and help, I can get the strength and mobility back.
The other is that I’d like to take some self-defense classes.
I believe Rome when he says that he’ll never let anyone hurt me again, but I shouldn’t freeze up every time a man touches me in a way I don’t like.
I want my fight reaction to kick in, even if it’s just to pull myself away and look for someone in security.
I need to build my self-confidence, and I think classes will help with that. Maybe Scarlett will take one with me. I wonder if there’s a class in the gym here on-site? It’s worth asking.
A couple of hours pass by without incident, and I’m feeling better. Julian only stayed at the bar for maybe thirty minutes, and then he was on his way.
Things have mellowed out considerably as members have drifted into the playroom or privacy rooms, and I really want to find Rome.
I need a moment. A hug.
I’ve been able to stay focused on making drinks and ensuring our guests are happy, but the mayor’s anger, so familiar and horrifying, has also shown me that deep down there are many other scars and bruises than the eye can see. And I hate my father even more.
It’s Rome’s arms I want wrapped around me, making me feel … safe.
Does that make me a needy girlfriend? Maybe, but he owns the place, and it’s only for a few minutes.
“Rita, do you mind if I go find Rome for just a minute?”
She smiles over at me. “Not at all. We’re good here. Go take an hour if you want it.”
“I don’t know if I’ll need that long, but thanks.”
I untie my apron, fold it up, and stow it in a drawer for when I return, then head over to the elevators.
But when I get to his office, Rome isn’t around, and no one’s guarding his door.
I sigh and feel my shoulders slump, then pull my phone out of the pocket of my black dress and decide to send him a text.
If he didn’t want me to contact him, he wouldn’t have given me a phone, right?
Me: Hey! I have a quick break and was looking for you. Nothing urgent. Are you in the building somewhere?
It says that the message is delivered, but after thirty seconds of staring at the screen, there’s no sign that he’s replying, so I shove the phone back in my pocket and ride back down to the lounge level.
Before I return to the bar, I turn to the extravagant doors that lead to the playroom. Maybe he’s inside, checking on things, and can’t hear his phone?
With a deep breath of courage, I open the door and step inside, and I’m immediately met with music and lots of people.
My eyes skim the area, but I don’t see Rome. I do see Julian sitting on a couch with a woman kneeling in front of him, giving him one hell of an enthusiastic blow job. His hands are fisted in her hair, guiding her up and down his shaft, and I look away.
I don’t really want to watch Rome’s friends have sex.
Instinctively, I make my way over to where that same man from the other night is working with his ropes again, but this time on a different woman.
Shibari.
Even the name is sexy.
The man offers me a small smile, then turns all of his attention back to his partner. I cross my arms over my chest and watch.