Page 7 of My Hunger, Your Soul

IVAN

“You better not fuck him up, Ivan,” Lev says to me from across the table, as we sit and watch the show at Desire. The girls here do nothing for me, but I can appreciate their gorgeous bodies and the show they put on. I turn to look at Lev. He watches everyone in the club, keeping an eye on his empire while suckling his Cuban cigar. I decide to play dumb.

“Who?”

That causes him to fix his stare on me. It doesn’t take a lot to bring out his impatient side, it’s what I like about him the most. Lev should come with a warning that says ‘highly flammable.’ It’s entertaining as fuck.

“You know who I’m talking about. The architect,” he says before he inhales another lungful of nicotine.

“Since when did you care about other people?”

“I don’t care. But I don’t want Dima sulking around like a fucking child because he has to find someone new. I don’t want the headache.”

“Fair enough. Speaking of headaches, where is Aaron?”

“He’s on his way over here with Simon. They had to drop off Dima at Starlight.”

As much as Lev tries to show indifference to Aaron, I can tell how much he obsesses over him. He’s checked his watch and phone at least five times since I joined him. Not that he’ll ever admit it.

I settle back into my seat and watch the girls on stage. I zone out as the music vibrates through me, the only image in my mind is Tyler. I did a little research earlier to find out where the company he works for is located and any social media accounts he may have. Unfortunately, he has no socials. The only information I could find was on his company website with his credentials. I’m itching to know more about him. What he likes, what he doesn’t like. His fears. His fantasies. What he looks like naked.

“Gentlemen,” a rich deep voice says, pulling me out of my Tyler thoughts. Next to our table stands Carlos, the brothers' distributor and kind of friend. He’s gorgeous, a sexy Brazilian with stunning olive skin, black hair, and sexy brown eyes. He would have my interest if it weren’t for Tyler, although I doubt that would matter as Carlos has his sights set on Simon, even if Simon hates him with every part of himself. This should be fun when Si turns up with Aaron.

“Carlos,” Lev greets with little interest.

“Hey, Carlos,” I say with a nod. His two bodyguards stand a couple of feet away.

“May I join you? I would like to discuss some business.”

“Business? Now I’m intrigued. Take a seat,” Lev says and stubs out his cigar in the glass ashtray in the center of the table. Our focus is now off the stage and wholly on Carlos, who leans his forearms on the table and clasps his palms. He’s wearing his signature look, a half-open black shirt with black pants and a fitted black jacket. He wears a simple chain that glistens in the light against his honey-toned skin. All smooth. Fuck he’s delicious.

“As you know, since you helped me find out who had stolen from me, I’ve encountered new problems with my brother. Two members of my crew have gone rogue, one of them is the one that you questioned on my behalf. The warning did not work. I need to bring them in and locate my brother, as my father has been in touch. I need your help, if possible, with a couple of your boys bringing them in. They won’t see it coming. I’m not sure who to trust in my crew, and want to keep this hush,” he says.

“You know, after seeing how easily you were able to help us dispose of those bastards who hurt Kai, I've been thinking about who you really are, Carlos. To have access to other crews in different states, buildings to use, cleanups, you're not just a distributor, are you?”

“It’s complicated.”

“No shit. I tell you what, if you tell me who the hell you and that family of yoursreallyare, then I’ll help you out. A discounted fee for friends,” Lev says just as I notice movement to the side of the room where Simon and Aaron appear. Simon briefly stops when he sees Carlos sitting at our table. His nostril flare is impressive. I admire him for trying to compose himself as he approaches us, but his facial expressions give him away too easily. Simon is pissed off most of the time, but multiply it by one hundred when Carlos is around.

Aaron pushes past Simon and heads straight to Lev’s lap, not giving a shit that we were in the middle of talking or who is watching. He straddles Lev’s thighs and mauls his mouth. Ownership claimed of Lev for all to see. Lev breaks the kiss with a slight hint of smile.

“Doe, we’re talking business. You need to sit and be quiet or go get yourself a drink while I talk to Carlos.”

“Wow, you need to work on your greeting, baby,” Aaron says with that creepy grin on his face, eyes honed in on Lev who is clenching his jaw in annoyance.

“What did I say about calling me that?”

“I don't give a fuck as long as I have your attention. I’m gonna get a drink and talk to the girls,” he says as he stands and bounces off to the bar. Lev’s eyes stay focused on him, and I know that he wants to chase after him. Aaron knows what he’s doing as he looks over his shoulder like the cat that got the cream. Such an attention whore.

“Should I come back at another time?” Carlos says, trying to hold in the laughter of watching the big bad Lev being manipulated by his doe.

“No. Like I said, I want details before I agree to anything. I’m unsure if I’m annoyed that you’ve kept who you are a secret.”

“My past life is nothing relevant to you or any threat. I agree to tell you, but it has to stay between us.”

“These guys won’t say anything.”

“I’m a vault. You got no worries here,” I say.

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