CHAPTER 16
WINDY
Tonight is step one.
I’m going to put myself in their sights and hope that they see things differently than they did a week ago at Tesoro.
Saturday nights at Luscious are supposed to be loud, reckless, and full of bad decisions softened by good liquor. That’s what everyone else comes here for.
Not me.
Not tonight.
I’m here with a purpose that sits heavy on my chest and pulses with every beat of the bass.
The moment I step inside the nightclub, the heat and sound swallow me whole.
Lights strobe, bodies move in waves, the air is thick with sweat, pheromones, perfume, and something electric buzzing.
I weave through the crowd, heading straight for the bar.
I need something in my hand, something to make me look like I belong here instead of on the prowl for the mates that refuse to acknowledge me.
I don’t know where all of them work; otherwise, I’d have been visiting them all week while I wasn’t working.
I don’t know their schedules or their habits, either.
But I will. I’ll know them with absolute certainty within the next few weeks.
Wolf, I know, owns Luscious. And Wolf is the one whose scent hit me like a punch the other night that I was here with a client.
Cinnamon candy and danger wrapped in a perfectly tailored suit.
So, I know exactly who I’m looking for.
I know the curves of their faces and the depth of their aura. There’s nowhere they could go without me knowing exactly where they are the moment I get within proximity of them.
I order a drink, barely tasting it as I lift it to my lips.
My eyes are doing all the work—sweeping the dancefloor, the VIP booths, the shadows near the back where deals are made, and secrets traded.
The music thrums through my bones, causing me to sway from side to side.
I run my hand down my side, smoothing out my tight dress.
It hugs my body like a second skin, contouring to my curves with perfection.
Then I see him.
Them.
Wolf. Amos. Finian.
They’re impossible to miss, especially Wolf.
He has broad shoulders, light hair, and a presence like gravity.
But what really gets me is the sight of him with his head thrown back, laughing.
Actually laughing. Not being a dick for once.
The sound doesn’t reach me over the music, but the expression does.
It hits like a spark to wood. Irritation begins slithering through my body.
Because he looks relaxed.
Happy.
Completely unbothered over the fact that a week ago, he completely obliterated my entire world.
Meanwhile, I’m here with my nerves stretched thin and my mission burning a hole in my chest.
Amos and Finian flank him on either side, both of them grinning like idiots with drinks in their hands. All three of them are watching the dance floor, trading comments, and enjoying themselves without a care in the world. All the while, my entire life is blowing up around me.
My jaw tightens.
Of course, they’re all together.
Of course, they’re having the time of their lives while I’m over here trying to figure out how to drag them into the conversation that could potentially change everything.
Of course, they appear completely unaffected by rejecting me at Tesoro.
I take another sip of my drink, eyes locked on them, irritation simmering hotter with every passing second.
The longer I stand here and watch them, the longer it pisses me off.
Women flock to them. Wolf actually pulls a woman onto his lap, wrapping his arm around her and pulling her back against him.
She laughs, but it quickly cuts off when he slides his hand up the side of her body.
He comes precariously close to her breast and it has me grinding my teeth.
He doesn’t want me, but he wants a slut who doesn’t carry herself with poise and class. The fuck?
The next second, my eyes flick over, and I see Amos staring straight at me.
Without allowing my irritation to show, I look back at Wolf before bringing my eyes back to Amos.
He glances over at Wolf, and I see the wince he tries to cover up.
He looks back down here at me, and I swear there’s a pleading in his eyes, like he’s asking me to understand what they’re doing and where they’re coming from.
I harden my eyes. I watch as the pleading drains out of him; he turns and says something to both Finian and Wolf before all three of them look down at me.
I expect Wolf to push her away, to at least give me that, but he doesn’t.
He pulls her more flush against him and puts his hands dangerously close to her pussy.
His hand may be at the bottom of her stomach, but it’s much too close for my comfort.
Wolf touching her at all hits a part of me deep inside that hurts.
The only omega he’s supposed to be touching is me, not some other bitch.
He’s doing this to piss me off and make me accept defeat.
Well, he clearly has no idea how vindictive I can become.
Time to move.
I tip back the rest of my drink in one long swallow.
The liquor burns sliding down my throat and settles warm in my stomach.
It’s the exact courage I need—something to steady my nerves and sharpen my resolve.
I set the empty glass on the bar and push away from it, allowing the music to pull me toward the dance floor.
The bass thrums through my body as I step into the crush of bodies.
Lights flash across my skin, painting it in various colors of the rainbow.
I let my hips start to sway, slow at first, then deeper, looser, until the rhythm completely takes me over.
I left my hands above my head, fingers brushing the air, and I let myself get lost in the movement.
My body rolls, turning, and giving into the beat of the music.
I close my eyes.
For a moment, it’s just me and the music. The world arrows to the heat of the room and the pulse under my skin.
Then I feel it.
The familiar tug on my hips.
A pair of hands settles against me. They’re large. Confident. Unmistakably alpha. The energy behind me is wrong and unfamiliar, though. Not one of mine. My instincts flare up, sharp and immediate. It tells me to twist away, to shove him off, and claim my space.
But I don’t let my feelings override my needs.
Not yet.
Instead, I let myself lean back into this alpha, just enough to make a point. He takes that as approval to grow closer. His arms slide around me, wrapping me up in his strong grip as if he thinks he has the right to. I force a smile onto my lips as I open my eyes.
And I look straight up at the VIP section.
Wolf. Amos. Finian.
All three of them are watching me.
Amos looks like he’s two seconds away from exploding. He looks like he’s getting ready to leap over the railing to tear someone’s throat out. His jaw is clenching so tight I can see the muscle twitching from here.
Finian’s expression is colder. It’s calculated and dangerous in a completely different way. He looks like he’s already mapping out exactly how to remove the man behind me from existence.
And Wolf …
Whew. Wolf’s eyes are dark, sharp, and predatory. There’s a stillness in him that’s far more threatening than rage. A warning. A promise.
A thrill curls through me, wicked and satisfying.
I smile wider and reach up, looping my arms around the stranger’s neck like I’m inviting him closer.
He takes the bait, lowering his head, his breath brushing against the skin of my neck.
When he presses a kiss to my neck, revulsion shivers through me so hard I almost step away.
But I swallow it down, keeping my movements fluid, my expression soft, even as my stomach twists violently.
I keep dancing with him, letting the music mask the tension in my body, letting the three men above watch every second.
Let them feel what I feel. Let them see what I see.
Let them know without words that I’m here to play hardball, and nothing will stop me from getting what I want. Through any means necessary.
If I have to use their jealousy against them, I will.
I’ll use it all day, every single day. They need to know I’m not going to back down.
While seeing that woman in Wolf’s lap did make my heart twinge, I know why he was doing it.
He was showing me that he didn’t need me, that they didn’t need me; they could find another omega.
But I’m not stupid. I’ve played this game before.
I was the winner then, and I’ll be the winner now.
Shifting my hips, I sway from side to side with this unnamed alpha at my back.
Each brush of his front makes me cringe.
I can feel his excitement against my ass in the form of a hard cock.
If I were to reach behind me and grab him, I know for a fact that he’d be ready to go, and I’d feel that infamous knot at the base of his cock ready to lock him inside of me.
I keep my back toward him, forcing my face to remain passive as he runs his hands up and down my body. He cups my breasts in his hands, squeezing them tightly. I force myself to slacken my face and open my mouth as if his touch is the greatest thing I’ve ever felt in my life.
Even if I don’t want to, I need to put on a show for the three alphas up there, to make them act instead of sitting back and pretending they don’t want me. They can pretend all they want, but I know they want me. There’s no faking that shit.
I let this alpha run his hands all over me. I keep my body loose, pliant, and pretend I’m still in the moment even though my mind is already moving on. I open my eyes again, gaze snapping back up to the VIP section. I stop short, ignoring the alpha trying to keep me moving.
Empty.
They’re gone.