Page 22 of Red My Lips

“Fuck,” Warner groans beside me, stepping back and craning his neck to check out Jill’s gorgeous ass. “The big girl is sexy. Might take her home tonight and split her fat ass open with my dick.”

Darkness swells inside of me, and I have the urge to rip his eyeballs from his skull and ram them down his throat.

I tip my head back and drain the contents of my glass before slamming it on the bar to get his attention. I shake my head slowly.

“No.” I pull up the hem of my t-shirt and wipe my mouth, flashing him the handgun I have tucked into the waist of my jeans—one that now has a full clip with his name on it. “No, you’re not.”

Warner’s eyes clock the weapon, and the way his arrogant smirk instantly disappears feeds the potent animosity brewing inside me. Letting my shirt fall back into place, I lean my elbows back against the counter to take a casual stance. Cocking my head to one side, I slide my gaze to him—expression as calm as still water.

His face pales considerably, his shoulders stiffening as he gulps his drink. His eyes dart around briefly, searching for anyone who might’ve seen it too, someone to come to his rescue. But there’s no escaping this. “Hey, I—I uh,” he stammers. “I didn’t realize she was—”

“Mine.”

My tone offers the word, but my eyes state it. He nods quickly before lowering his eyes to the glass in his hand.

“I’m just gonna go back over there,” he mumbles, tipping his head towards the table with the other partiers.

“You do that.”

I watch as he scurries away like the little cockroach he is, satisfied when he doesn’t even glance in Jill’s direction as he rejoins his idiot friends.

Chapter Ten

Jill

Everyone is gone, and yet here I am playing barback.

Again.

The private party didn’t end until three in the morning when the drunken guests were ushered into their waiting cars, and two of the bottle girls climbed into the back seat to continue the party at their hotel. All of the other girls left an hour ago, leaving me to clean up the wreck the party left behind.

Gage sat on the sofa watching me clean, collect glasses from around the lounge, and pick up empty bottles. When I moved to the bar to clean the counter and wash the glasses, he followed me like a shadow. He’s currently standing just over my shoulder while I work, so close I can feel the heat radiating from his chest on my back.

“Shit.” The remnants of a champagne glass spill onto the hand towel I’m reaching for, covering it in sticky liquid.

“Here.” A tattooed hand enters my line of sight with a clean rag. I snatch the cloth and spin to face him.

“Don’t you have anything better to do right now?”

“Nothing’s better than this.”

Huffing out a deep breath, I force myself to accept there’s no getting out of this. And it sucks, but things could be a lot worse. I could be stuck with one of Jonas’ gross old clients instead of this devastating man who makes my imagination run wild with every glance. I don’t have to like it, but there are definitely things I can use to my advantage.

“You’re a tattoo artist,” I say, picking up a glass to polish.

“One of the best.” Gage states, inching closer.

“If you own a tattoo shop, what are you doing with Inferno?”

I take a step back, my shoulder bumping into the doorway to the stairwell.

“Jonas got cocky and lost, he couldn’t hold onto this place. But I won’t make the same brainless mistake. That’s the thing about power; you have to know your limits. I only take what I can keep.”

“So you take people’s misfortune and twist them around their necks until they hang in a noose of their own making. That’s pathetic.” My tone is sharp, hoping to cause lasting damage. I place the now-spotless glass on the counter, tossing the rag down next to it.

Gage’s chuckle speaks to his security, completely unfazed. The deep tone resonates through my bones as he raises his arms to lean over me in the doorway. My eyes catch on the way his biceps stretch the material of his T-shirt. “Nice try, little devil. I quite like having you tied to my strings.”

“If you think you have any real hold on me, you’re dumber than I thought you were,”

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