Page 42 of Sweet Venom

"Deal."

* * *

Ellis stayed by my side for about the first thirty minutes of the event before I pulled him aside and insisted he let me go so he could mingle. This is his anniversary party. He needs to talk to his employees and show face. He's actually a really great boss. I have no doubt that's why he now has three clubs in the US and another four in Europe.

"Hey girl, how have you been?" Lana steps up next to me at the bar as I wait for my Bloody Mary. It's not my go-to drink, but I'm hungry, and the V8 juice will help until I catch one of those appetizer trays.

"I'm good. One more week until Blush opens. It's why I've been MIA at the club. I'd like to pop in more often and say hi. Hell, I've been meaning to stop by and say thanks for the other day, but…"

"Girl," she laughs, "It's funny you should say that. I asked Ellis on Monday after everything went down if you were still alive." The bartender interrupts to ask for her drink order. "Oh, yes, I'll take a Manhattan," she says with a wink. Ellis apparently thought the girls would enjoy hot men tonight because I swear all the wait staff could double as fucking underwear models.

"You give me no credit, Lana. I'm disappointed."

"No, no, no," she retorts, waving her hand. "I knew you could hold your own. I had no doubt you weren't going down without a fight, but it's the Lykos brothers we're talking about here, not some college-bred suit who doesn't know his ass from a hole in the ground. They are just as ruthless and cunning as you are." Finally, our drinks are delivered, and she adds, "Oh, to have been a fly on the wall when you delivered that blow."

"Yeah, you missed something all right," I say as I take a drink of my Bloody Mary and briefly glance at the backyard. Ellis clearly had no limit on the party planning budget. I've never been to his Seacliff home. The house is stunning, sitting on a bluff overlooking the ocean, but the yard looks like something straight out of a magazine.

White couches are placed strategically around the yard with gas fire pits in the middle. Overflowing pots of white roses and moss line the high-traffic walkways. The pool has been covered with an acrylic floor that doubles as a dance floor and holds high-top tables for drinking and congregating, while white lights zig-zag overhead, creating this cocoon effect in an otherwise wide-open area. It's incredibly whimsical. There are even private cabanas with huge white beds covered in white pillows nestled around the perimeter.

The dress he had sent to my office for the evening now makes sense. He put me in a white lace mini-dress. It's sleeveless and hugs me tight around my breasts and through my torso and barely covers my ass, but the lace layer continues down until about mid-thigh. The dress is gorgeous, and I match the décor.

"So, where has Sebastian been, anyway? Maybe I asked the wrong question when Ellis returned on Monday," Lana says on a snort.

"I'm not sure. I haven't seen himself," but just as the words leave my mouth and I turn my attention back to Lana and away from the enchanting yard, my eyes land on Sebastian Lykos wrapped around another girl at the end of the bar. Damn it. Why does that hurt? I quickly pull my eyes away before he catches me looking and say, "Hey, I'm going to run inside and use the restroom. I'll be right back."

"Yeah, sure. Look for me at one of those cabanas when you come out."

Let's get one thing clear: I'm not running from Sebastian. The man doesn't scare me in the least, but I'm not prepared to deal with the feelings seeing him with another woman brings. Somewhere over the past two weeks, I let myself believe that man didn't use me to break up Ellis and me. I convinced myself that even though his words dripped with hate and his actions reeked of venom, he wanted me as much as I wanted him. I now know I was wrong, and I need a minute to collect my thoughts, maybe do a shot or two, but just as I'm about to ascend the wide staircase leading up to the house, a couple in a cabana catches my eye. I can't see her face, only her long blonde hair, but there is no mistaking who the man is. Tatum Carroway has his arm draped over her shoulder as he leans in to whisper in her ear.

Before I can break my gaze away from the sight, I feel a cold presence at my back right before Sebastian steps up and says, "Let me guess, you didn't know your sidepiece had a girlfriend?"

My heart rate slowly starts to spike. I didn't expect to see Tatum here, of all places, and with another woman. For one, he's not an employee, but two, everything we shared the other day felt extremely raw and authentic. He gave me something I know he doesn't give everyone, so yes, I'm a little confused. When I thin my lips to bite back my words, he adds, "Oh, how the tables have turned. The little slut doesn't like to share."

Right as I turn around to give him a piece of my mind, a fist comes flying past my face out of nowhere, hitting Sebastian square in the jaw. I step back to avoid getting knocked over and see that his attacker is Ellis. Setting my drink down on one of the tables, I move to step in and pull Ellis back and stop the fighting, but before I can take another step, a hand catches mine, pulling me back. "Vi, come with me."

My head snaps up to meet Tate's panicked gaze, but I'm not his concern. "Let me go, Tate. I saw you. It's fine. Your secret is safe with me. Just go back to your date."

He pulls me back harder this time, and I have to brace myself against his chest to keep from tripping in my four-inch heels. "Let me explain, and if you still feel the same after, I'll let you go."

I pull in a stuttered breath as I search his face for a tell and find none. Finally, when I don't say anything, he leads me away from the fight and the party. We follow one of the lighted paths until he veers off and pulls me through the grass and behind one of the cabanas. When we hit the tree line, he stops and says, "The girl you saw me with is Chelsea." Relief instantly floods my body, knowing that I didn't misjudge him or us, and he starts, "Vi, look, I have something—"

But I cut him off, crushing my mouth to his and stealing his words as he falls back into the tree. I don't care what he has to say. He's repeatedly told me that he wants me, and I want him. It only takes him a second to grant me entrance, and as my tongue slides against his, he groans deep, only confirming I was right in my heart. He does want me. He wants us.

My hands slowly glide up his toned chest, his defined muscles clenching under my touch. I didn't realize how much I needed this moment until I was in it. Our last conversation and how we left things had me hanging on to my last shred of sanity by a thread, as my mind ran through every worst-case scenario that could have occurred and kept him from me. I feel his hard length pressed against my stomach, and I slowly begin to unbutton his shirt. I only open three buttons before he grabs my hands and pulls out of my kiss. "Fuck, Vi. You know I want this, but not here."

I kiss the exposed part of his chest before saying, "I'll be quick." My eyes flick up to his, and I add, "I missed you. Let me have this."

Those words end up being the right ones, because he releases my hands, and I immediately drop to my knees before he can stop me. 'I missed you' is the best I can do when it comes to words. Giving him this means more. It says everything I'm still too scared to admit out loud. Sure, he's said we are happening, that he's not giving up the girlfriend title, but I haven't given in to him, not like I am now.

It only takes me seconds to unleash his rock-hard cock, the evidence of his arousal already dripping from the tip. Instantly, I grip him around the base and lick his slit. "Fuck babe," he hisses as his hand finds the back of my head, and his fingers run through my hair, only spurring me on. I love that he's enjoying this. Wrapping my lips around his swollen head, I adjust my hold so that I can take him down my throat to his base, and just as I feel him slide down deep, he says, "Fuck Vi, get up. We have company."

Chapter 18

The Shadow

The past two days have been torture. It's the longest I've kept myself away from Vivian Fiori since I laid eyes on her, aside from her two-month trip back home. I would have followed her there, were it not for the job. The job is the reason I stayed away. Running into Monica Sweet and sharing about Chelsea and my twisted experiences in that house of horrors were not part of the plan. Yes, I consciously drove us by that house. I had to share that part of me, but I hadn't thought it through—not entirely, anyway. Nowhere in my conscious thought had I planned on sharing that level of detail, and the fact that I did was telling. Vi is filling this void I didn't know existed. I could tell she genuinely cared, and I haven't had that in so long. It's why I stayed away.

It seems only fitting that she would show up to tonight's event. Fate is a fickle bitch. I knew there was a good chance she would be here for the simple fact she's Ellis's girlfriend. However, I also knew she had the crew working overtime this weekend to ensure everything gets done on budget and on time. Mark told her Monday that the crew was behind by two days, and before he could even fill her in on details, she went into full-on boss bitch mode and took over. But all of that aside, I knew coming here tonight was a risk. She just wasn't the one I thought I'd be taking.

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