Chapter 3 Gun
THREE
GUN
Non-alcoholic drink. Guarded smile. Eyes that are a dark mystery but twinkle with keen vigilance and perception.
She’s not here to get drunk or be seen.
She’s here on a mission. Which makes two of us.
I knew as soon as our eyes met that she was the best kind of trouble. Good thing I’ve always had a habit of making bad decisions.
Joon went over only to strike out in thirty seconds. Now it’s my turn to show him how it’s done.
I pop the lid of my medication bottle and toss back yet another pill for good measure. The throbbing in my skull has gone nowhere and the booming music damn sure hasn’t helped.
But if I’m going to go on the hunt and domesticate this beautiful and mysterious feline, then I need to be on my A game.
She’s all claws and defiance now, but every wild thing softens eventually—with the right touch.
I set off in their direction, my stride casual but confident. I walk like I own this fucking club, and as a Yongsa, I might as well.
Club Eclipse, like many establishments in Itaewon, is under Cheongryong control.
We give them protection and help them turn massive profits, so in turn, we’re treated like kings. We have privileges most can only dream of, from VIP suites to bottle service.
Several club goers take notice of me. The regulars anyway; the tourists are too tipsy and clueless to know the real goings on at a club like this.
My path is cleared as I come up from behind on Joon and the beautiful stranger.
I clamp a hand onto his shoulder and cut him off midsentence. Joon’s been so hopeful and locked in on the feline that he didn’t even hear me coming.
He glances over in surprise while she looks right at me a second time—this time with a subtle flicker of curiosity.
I play it cool, a grin tugging at the corner of my mouth. “Joon, why don’t you leave the beautiful lady to her drink? I’m not sure she wants to be bothered.”
Joon lets out a brash laugh, scratching the back of his neck. “You’re right. I think my chakras talk put her off. But you know where to find me, cutie.”
He gives her one last wink with his signature finger gun—a gesture I’ve told him a hundred times to stop doing since most women find it cheesy—and then he’s off to find his next victim. He chooses the redhead he’d noticed earlier.
But Joon’s no concern of mine.
I came over here with one purpose and one purpose only.
Tame the gorgeous, mysterious feline who has caught my eye tonight.
“Your first time here?” I ask.
Her long lashes flutter, the blink she gives demure. “How did you know?”
“I know everything that happens in this club—and in Seoul. Which makes me wonder how you thought you’d get by.”
She blinks again, those long lashes framing her deep, dark eyes.
Interesting. A tell perhaps?
Then she adds on a polite smile. “Get by with what?”
“Get by without telling me who you really are,” I say, easing closer.
The neon-lit club is a chaotic blend of loud throbbing music and people gyrating around us.
Yet as I step into her personal space and hold her gaze, it’s like we’ve carved out a private corner for ourselves.
My grin vanishes as I lean toward her and ask, “Did you really think I wouldn’t know? ”
Her reaction is so subtle, most people would miss it.
Her lashes flutter in yet another blink, she stirs the melting drink she’s been nursing, and her right brow tics up half an inch.
All small things most wouldn’t notice.
I’m not most people. I’ve always been good at reading others. But something tells me so is she.
“And who am I?” she asks in a silky tone.
It’s sexy. It’s seductive.
It makes some of the hairs on the back of my neck rise. Sill holding her gaze, I say, “A woman who’s either here to seduce someone… or kill them. And I can’t decide which one is more dangerous.”
She laughs, the sound like a graceful melody. “Only one? You underestimate me.”
“Trust me, I never underestimate what I want.”
“And that’s me?”
“Are you surprised?” I ask. “Look around you. Every man in this club has noticed you.”
“They should prepare to be disappointed. I’m not interested.”
“That’s good news for me. Narrows the competition,” I answer cockily. I hold up two fingers to signal the bartender. “Batendeo. Du jan.”
He recognizes me at once and stops mid-pour of the drink he’s serving another customer.
“Same drink as usual, sir?” he asks in Hangul, bowing his head.
“Lady decides,” I answer in English now. “She’ll have a…”
The beautiful feline looks torn between amusement and irritation. She pauses for only half a second as if deciding if she wants to play along, then replies, “Black plum tonic. Virgin.”
“Two,” I add.
The bartender gives another bow and then scurries off to make our drink order happen.
“Not many come to Eclipse to stay sober,” I say observantly.
“Not many buy someone a drink without even asking their name.”
“Figured I’d earn it first. Besides, I doubt a beautiful woman like you doesn’t get drinks bought for her all the time—regardless if you give a name.”
“Is that all you care about?” she asks, her lashes fluttering in another long blink. “My beauty?”
“Actually, you caught my attention for the opposite reason. Beauty is nice to look at. But it doesn’t keep my attention more than a few seconds. You, however, are different. You have more going on.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because something tells me you came here tonight with a purpose. You sat alone intentionally. You’ve chosen to only drink a tonic and spend the night people-watching.”
“What if I’m just new to the city and a little shy?” she asks.
That fucking silky tone of hers.
I’m grinning on the outside while being wrecked on the inside—at the sound, my chest tightens. Carnal hunger pulls at me, warning that I must be fed soon.
This beauty is too damn tempting, and it’s turning me on more than I like.
To the point I might lose my wits if I’m not careful.
The bartender returns with our plum tonics. She reaches for hers while I hold mine up for cheers.
“To shy newcomers and the trouble they pretend not to be.”
Her lips quirk again as if she’s tempted to give in to another laugh. Instead, she taps her glass against my own and takes a practiced sip from her tonic. My drink is longer, an attempt to quench the thirst she’s awakened in me.
“So,” I say after a couple seconds, “are you going to tell me your name, or will I have to think of you as the beautiful feline all night long?”
“Jamie,” she answers still with a hint of a smirk. “And yours?”
“Gun-woo. But Gun is what most call me. What brought you to Seoul, Jamie?”
“I’m here for work.”
“And what do you do for work? And play too, of course.”
“For work, I tie up loose ends.”
“And for play?” I prompt.
She sips more of the plum tonic, then looks me in the eye, hers twinkling. “For play? Depends how messy I’m feeling.”
“Funnily enough, that perfectly describes what I do. I think we have more in common than we realize, Jamie.”
“I think you’re right. Maybe it’s fate.”
I chuckle at the overt sarcasm.
In the time we’ve been chatting, the atmosphere in the club has only grown more electric. The music has turned darker and more seductive, the synth-driven beat throbbing like a pulse through the space.
If Jamie came to meet someone else, they’ve yet to show. If she wanted nothing to do with me, she’s yet to give any signals.
…if anything, the more we’ve talked, the more her body language has relaxed.
She’s no longer some watchful feline on the outskirts of the club, observing every small moment that happens.
She’s focused on me and me only as we trade quips and I shamelessly flirt with her.
“I can think of something else I like to do for play,” I say, abandoning my tonic. I’ve edged even closer to her now, crowding her in where she sits at the bar counter. Rather than ease back or avoid my advances, her eyes linger on mine, her full lips slightly parted.
In the neon lighting of the club, her dark eyes gleam so bright I can see my reflection in them. They’ve gone from being pure black to a violet tone, the shape reminding me more and more of a feline.
My imagination runs wild, thoughts quickly turning dirty.
What would it be like to see her on her knees, looking up at me with those bedroom eyes as she sucked my cock?
…with those fucking lips?
Something tells me her thoughts aren’t exactly pure either. Not by how she then leans toward me.
“Are you going to tell me what else you like to do for play?” she asks sultrily.
My broad grin returns. I scoop her hand up in mine. “You like to dance? C’mon.”
I don’t wait for her to answer; if my read on her is correct, she knows how to move that delicious body of hers and she’ll take me up on the offer.
More club goers stumble out of my way without even having to ask.
They see Yongsa Gun coming and know they better get the fuck out of the way.
As a captain, I command respect, regardless of how my father feels about me.
But you’d have to be foolish to want trouble with anybody from the Cheongryong. We’re the most powerful mafia in Korea for a reason.
Jamie lets me guide her onto the dance floor, the neon-purple lights adding a seductive element to the moment.
The song that’s playing is an infectious R they’re not the ones feeling the way her ass presses up against my groin.
My hand rests at the soft dip of her waist, then slides around to her stomach. She leans into the touch like she wants more.
The way she arches against me, the way her long braids sway as we move, even how she turns her head slightly as if glancing over her shoulder—all of it drives me crazy.
My lips brush her ear, and she takes in another sharp breath.
She spins back to face me, so close our noses almost touch.
The heat between us has reached a boiling point. We’re no longer holding back. We’re drawn to each other as my hands tighten on her waist and she parts her lips. I bow my head and hover my mouth over hers, our bodies grinding to the beat.
Adrenaline surges through me. It’s the thrill of what’s to come. The sense of triumph because I’ve lured the feline and now I’m about to go in for the kill.
I press my lips to hers as the music continues to pulse around us.
The moment our mouths connect, it’s like a match struck in gasoline—everything ignites at once. Her lips are impossibly warm and soft against mine. She tastes sweet and rich like the plums she was drinking, so fucking tasty and flavorful that I immediately crave more.
Jamie has abandoned any coy act. Her mouth opens against mine with a hunger that matches my own.
I introduce some tongue, playful even in our kiss, and she once again matches me. Her tongue brushes mine, and the warm, wet feeling ignites more fire inside me.
More intense hunger for her.
I’ve got to have this woman tonight.
Right now.
The kiss deepens as she fists my shirt and pulls me even firmer against her. We’ve become those people openly making out on the dance floor, and neither of us gives a fuck.
I plunder her mouth, drawing a soft moan from her. The sound is so real and honest it finally pushes me over the edge.
I pull away, lungs heaving for air and the rest of my body buzzing with wild, feral energy.
“I have a suite at the Dalbit Hotel. It’s the next street over. Would you like to join me?”
She peers up at me, just as hazy-eyed and heavy-lidded, like she’s drunk off the dance and kiss we’ve shared. She nibbles on her plump bottom lip for a second, then gives a nod.
“Lead the way.”