Page 5 of The Devil Can Be Kind

My last memory was walking into the smoking area at The Venetian Prince.

I lurched forward with a start.

It took me a solid minute to realize that I wasn’t at the club anymore, my mind struggling to keep up. I was, in fact, in a quiet room, on an enormous emperor sized bed… in a place completely unfamiliar to me.

The walls were painted a muted deep grey, interposed with chaotic abstract canvases. It held little in the way of furniture besides a modern leather chaise Léon and an eighty-inch flat screen facing the bed. It was cold and masculine...and unnerving.

Where the hell am I?

I threw myself out of the ridiculous bed, but my body was much less obliging than usual, and I ended up in a heap on the floor. My satin dress tore from the sudden movement.

“Ow! For Christ’s sake!” I muttered in outrage.

“You’re awake then.”

I jumped at the sound of a deep, unfamiliar voice.

Apparently, the room wasn’t as empty as I had thought.

Footsteps quickly rounded from the other side of the bed, revealing a six-foot-six man that resembled a dark-hairedAdonis. He was immaculately dressed in a black suit, and his hair was pulled back into a bun with expertly shaved sides. He was beautiful…and a complete stranger.Who in the actual fu?—

“My name is Jesse,” He greeted, flashing me a handsome smile.

I immediately tried to heave myself up off the floor in a vague attempt at preserving my dignity, but my throbbing head made black spots dance in front of my eyes with each movement.

“Let me help you up, Adalyn.” The man—Jesse—lifted me effortlessly from the floor and placed me in the center of the bed.

“H-how do you know my name? Wh-who are you?” I stammered.

He folded himself onto the nearby seat as he answered, “Lots of people know your name…and I already told you, my name is Jesse.”

“Well…Jesse, can you tell me where I am?” I asked, letting an edge of frustration seep into my tone.

“Ah, I can’t tell you that. That’s better off coming from the Boss.” He answered, unaffected.

“Boss? What boss?”

He immediately jumped up with his hands raised in the air as if he were speaking to a wild animal.

“Nope! I am not answering that question.”

With surprising grace, the man wandered over to a sideboard and opened it, revealing a mini fridge packed with an assortment of drinks. He pulled out a water bottle, grabbed something from a nearby drawer and handed it to me.

“For your head.” He said after I didn’t take the box he offered. “You probably feel like crap. You’ve been sleeping for over twenty-four hours.”

I gaped at him in shock.Twenty-four hours? Who the hellarethese people?

“Drink up. Over there, you will find a walk-in closet. Everything in there is yours. The other door is to the bathroom.” He gestured to the doors on the opposite side of the room, but my brain was stuck on the word ‘yours’.

“I’ll come get you in thirty. You look like shit, so probably a good idea to take a shower before you meet the Boss.”

I audibly gulped, and he laughed at my anxiety.

“Oh, don’t worry Adalyn. I’m your assigned bodyguard now, so I’ll protect you.” He winked and exited the room, locking it behind him.

As soon as the room stilled back into silence, questions raced across my groggy brain like a flame dancing on gasoline.

Boss? The club’s boss? What the hell did he mean by bodyguard? And who in the hell are these people?I threw myself back onto the bed and growled in frustration, finding absolutely no answers.

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