Page 29 of Crime Lord’s Captive

Gavin finally caught sight of the brunette and looked her up and down. He hung up the phone and looked over the dance floor. Lyla whirled Carmen in the opposite direction. When Lyla looked back, Gavin and the brunette were talking. Even while something sharp sliced through her stomach, Lyla was grimly satisfied. Ricardo would report that back to Manny. That was easy.

Lyla danced until her feet ached and her dress was soaked with sweat from the press of bodies.

“Drink?” she shouted at Carmen who nodded.

Lyla made her way through the crowd to the bar and found herself face to pecs with a shirtless bartender. He grinned at her and made the muscles in his chest dance.

“What can I get for you, gorgeous?” he asked with a very white smile.

Lyla pointed to some interesting looking drinks. “We’ll try those!”

It wasn’t until he was making the drinks that she realized she didn’t have any money. She turned to see if she could get Carmen’s attention, but that was going to be an impossible feat.

“I can get this for you.”

Lyla glanced at the man beside her. He had strange, angular features. He was the same height as her and had extremely narrow shoulders. The shirt tucked into his slacks brought attention to his tiny waist.

“Um, no, that’s okay,” Lyla said uneasily.

“I insist.”

Before she could say anything, he held out a fifty dollar bill to the bartender. The bartender ignored him and took drink orders from two scantily clad women. The man beside her flushed and Lyla felt a flicker of sympathy for him.

"Thanks," she said. "What's your name?"

There was a flicker of surprise in his eyes before he lowered his arm and said quietly, "Steven."

She held out a hand. "I'm Lyla."

He took her hand. She tried to hide her grimace since his palms were damp with sweat. He quickly withdrew his hand, wiped it on his trouser and then grasped her hand again to give it a vigorous, awkward shake. Lyla stared at him for a moment before she burst into laughter. She put a hand on his arm when he tried to slink away.

"It's okay," she said, taking pity on him.

"I don't know how to talk to women," he muttered.

"I don't either," she said, deadpan.

Steven's thin lips twitched as if he wanted to smile, but he didn't have much practice. He opened his mouth to speak, but was rudely elbowed out of the way by another man who gave her a cocky grin. The newcomer was lean, muscled and well put together in a button up shirt instead of thin cotton like most of the men in the club. He was clean shaven, attractive and looking straight into her eyes.

"Here you go," the bartender said, setting two smoking drinks on the bar.

Before Steven could extend his money, the newcomer handed a one hundred dollar bill to the bartender without moving his gaze from her.

Lyla raised a brow. "I know the club is called Lux, but I think you're paying too much for my drinks."

He shrugged. "Money is no object and I expect to be buying you drinks all night long. I’m Rafael.“

Lyla gave him a wide-eyed look. "Oh, really?" The alcohol and environment were giving her confidence.

Rafael winked at her. "Yes. You're gorgeous. Is my brother bothering you?”

“Your brother?” Lyla asked without comprehension before Steven stepped sideways to stand beside the much larger man.

There was no resemblance between the two men in looks or build.

“Steven makes people uneasy,” the brother said with a careless wave at Steven who wore a blank expression. “He isn’t wearing heels or his shoulder pads, so you might have mistaken him for a child.”

“Um, no,” Lyla said and shot a look at Steven who didn’t react to his brother’s barbs. Was he transgender?

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