Page 63 of Bite Marks

Without her very welcome distraction, I returned to work. When things slowed down enough for me to look at the stage, Peaches and Magenta were halfway through their doubles routine.

Peaches twisted her body up into a beautiful curve from her position on the floor as Mags twirled over her on the pole. It was enthralling, the way their bodies came so close to touching without ever meeting. Peaches’s ass pressed against the wooden stage, hiding the tattoo that gave her that nickname—a peach complete with stem and leaf on her right butt cheek.

Mags’s lips twisted into a sultry smile as she lowered herself further, letting go of the pole and crawling between Peaches’slegs. Her dark skin complemented Peaches’s to form a seductive contrast, the two the picture of ecstasy as they made a show of stripping off each other’s clothes.

“How much for a taste of you, sugar?” The acrid smell of drink dragged my attention away from the stage. A vampire, at least a foot taller than me and twice as wide, was leaning across the counter as far as he could to get into my space, his voice rough like he’d been smoking for several centuries.

Or, like he’d gotten into the wrong girl’s bubble, and she’d punched him in the throat. I was already debating it myself, my internal danger meter kicking up at the surprising ease with which he crossed the unwritten boundary between guest and bartender. Everyone knows you donotlean over the bar.

He lacked the dangerousI’ve been alive for too many lifetimesvibe Sel had. More like a douchey finance major, complete with spiked hair and a single diamond stud earring.Gag.

I planted my feet and met his dull amber eyes with a coy smile painted onto my face like my cherry red lipstick.

“Not for sale. But I’m sure I could mix something to your taste.”

I tucked a piece of my hair behind my ear, emboldened by Ren’s proximity and watchful eyes throughout the night.A little flirting with Mr. Fangtastic and I’d earn myself another fat tip.Even if it would require more acting than a Netflix Christmas movie.

He scoffed, the easy smile from before transformed into a look of incredulity. “No? Aren’t all of you treats here for sale?”

“Not me,” I said flatly, glancing up to look for Ren and finding myself alone behind the bar.

Discomfort flared to life in my chest.

Where did she go? She was always so careful to make sure that?—

I stepped back just as the vampire reached across the polished wood to grip my wrist, tugging me forward. My ribs hit the edge of the counter hard enough that I was sure it would bruise, an involuntary squeak of surprise escaping me.

“Let go,” I snapped, jerking my arm to try and break his grip.Not that it would do me any good—if a vampire wanted to hold on to a human, there was nothing they could do to stop them.

The music was so loud I had to strain to hear his snarl over it and the din of many voices. My eyes moved behind him, hopefully searching… For Dana? She was back in her office. Fuck. Juniper? Steadily busy with the VIP.

I was going to have to deal with this myself.

“Just a taste,” he demanded, rubbing his stubbled cheek up my arm.

I didn’t bother to fight my full-body shudder, customer service voice flatly out the window.

“Get the fuck off me.”

It felt like there was no blood left in my brain, or maybe too much of it all at once. Until now, it’d been easy to forget that we used stage names for our protection. That the sometimes annoying patrons of O were actually more dangerous than your average rich dickhead.

That monsters could be lurking under all the money and charm.

My thoughts swirled nonsensically as I tried to pull my arm away, the buzz of anxiety itchy in my veins.

He chuckled, his smile anything but friendly as he used the leverage of my arm to force me half over the counter. My toes were barely meeting the rubberized mat as he captured my face in his free hand with a grip that was sure to leave marks.

My heart thrashed as I struggled to push him off, clawing and scratching in my desperate bid for freedom—accomplishingnothing more than tiring myself out and wrinkling his expensive suit.

He was too strong for me to pull away, and the bar between us stopped me from throwing my knee into his crotch.

I cast another look behind me only to have hope splinter to dust.

No Ren.

No Cole.

I was out of options. I opened my mouth to scream, any concern about causing a scene gone.

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