Page 59 of Casino King

It’s a tease back and forth between us. I’m seducing him while he’s trying to resist, but ultimately can’t.

Even as the drums and guitar beat loudly at my system, I can still feel the rage rolling off of Alec from his place in front of the stage. I refuse to look out to him or any of the other people around us. I’m not supposed to anyway. It’s supposed to be just me and Jeremy in our own little bubble.

On the next chorus, this complete sense of freedom comes over me, and I use the rage being directed at me to fuel the passion I’m meant to embody – my body moving that much more alluringly.

When the song ends, I’m down in a split at the feet of Jeremy facing the crowd, keeping my eyes up at him while he holds my hands.

But just before the lights fade out, I bring myself to look down in front of me, and my eyes lock with a pair that are cold and distant.

I’m in trouble.

Chapter 19

Alec

Red.

Black.

All I see is both of those colors as my vision blurs and clears in and out of consciousness.

What the fuck was Tessa thinking?

I’m going to kill that fucker who had his hands all over her. Slowly. Taking him apart piece by piece until he’s begging me to end it. But I won’t. Not until he thoroughly regrets ever touching what’s mine and then spends an eternity reliving the nightmare of his almost death as further punishment.

“You need to calm down, Alec. This is not the time or place.” Leo grips my arm, holding me back from shattering this whole fucking glass dome to end this party. “Not here. We’re leaving.” He says something to our guards, and the next thing I know, I’m being dragged away from my spot in front of the stage with everyone parting for us like the red sea.

Red. Blood. I need to see that motherfucker bleed.

“No. We’re not leaving.” I pull myself from his grip and stand my ground. “If you think I’m leaving her here with the people that are in this room, then you’re fucking crazy.”

“I’m not the crazy one here, Alec,” Leo says calmly as he fixes his tie, trying not to draw any more attention to us than I’ve already done.

“No, that would be Tessa for thinking she could do that shit without me knowing.” Sliding my hand down my sleeve where Leo grabbed me, I order another whiskey from the bar and toss it back in a single swig. Slamming the glass down, the bartender quickly pours me another.

When I toss that one back too, Leo just shakes his head, not bothering to say anything else. He knows I’m beyond the point of listening to reason.

“Fuck,” I growl, the images of her straddling that half-naked motherfucker as he gripped her ass –my ass– with his hands touching her everywhere. It was like sex with clothes on. Barely any clothes on.

Feeling my control snap, I turn back towards the stage and push my way through the perverted assholes who have their eyes glued to the stage, and my anger boils over.

Leo calls out behind me, but I escape the grip of him this time, and my men know better than to ever touch me or stop me, so I make it around the DJ’s booth and through the black curtains before Leo can stop me.

Eyes swing to me as I search around the makeshift dressing area until I find her.

I know she can sense me before seeing me because her back stiffens and her hands shake at her sides. Taking a breath, she slowly turns to face me. Her eyes are full of fear, anger, and defiance, but it’s the first one I’m going to use to my advantage so she remembers who I am and who she got involved with. She can’t act like that and think I won’t one, find out, and two, let it go quietly.

I keep my eyes on her as I take slow and deliberate steps forward, her eyes growing more fearful with every stride.

Tessa opens her mouth to say something, but then quickly closes it when I tilt my head to the side.

Blinking, she looks around the room and then past me where her eyes widen, no doubt at seeing Leo and the four bodyguards flanking me. But they’re not who she should be worried about. They’re here to make sure I don’t do something as crazy as actually kill someone in front of so many witnesses.

When my eyes slide to the man Tessa was dancing with who’s standing a few feet behind her, my nostrils flare as I suck in a deep breath and resist every urge I have to take my guard’s gun and blow his fucking pretty-boy head off. He at least has the decency to look afraid of me.

“Get your things. We’re leaving,” I direct at Tessa, and she flinches, my voice cutting her. She recovers quickly though, and pulls her shoulders back, leveling me with a look I’m sure is meant to show me she’s not going to come willingly. But all it does is make my lips curl up in a sardonic smile.

“You going to challenge me here?” I ask, and her chest starts to rise and fall in heated breaths. “Let’s go.” My voice drops even lower, and I can feel the fear of everyone in the room ricochet, filling me with a twisted sense of happiness.

---