Page 18 of Power

“So, what are you ladies up to tonight?” Rob asked as he leaned in closer toward Nat.

“Not much. Just catching up with a little girl talk,” Nat flirted back.

“I love when girlstalk,especially in bed,” Josh chimed in.Jesus, he’s cheesy.

Sensing our girls’ night was officially over, I was ready to go home. I had had too much to drink already and didn’t want to sit around and make awkward small talk with horny guys. I stood up from my stool and threw some money onto the bar to close my tab. “Actually, I was just about to head home.”

“How about I escort you, then?” Josh stood up too.

“Awww, Mel. Come on. Stay a little longer!” Nat pressed. Rob whispered something into her ear, and she giggled. They were soon lost in a conversation of their own.

“No, really. I’ll be fine. I live nearby,” I said hastily, hoping it would convince him not to follow me. I didn’t like the idea of a stranger walking me home.

“It’s okay. I don’t mind. I’d love to get to know you better,” Josh said as he placed his hand on the small of my back. I didn’t like how it felt. It wasn’t like when Shyam touched me. I only wanted his hands on me.

I stepped away from Josh’s touch. “I need to use the restroom,” I blurted out, then turned on my heel and walked quickly away.

In my periphery, I saw a couple of large and beefy men sitting at a table in the back of the room. They wore short-sleeved shirts and had tattoos covering the exposed skin on their arms and necks. This bar was usually frequented by millennials who worked at one of the office jobs around the area. These men looked out of place because they seemed a lot older and were dressed like bouncers at a club.

One of the men followed me with his gaze as I continued walking. I felt my heartrate speed up. Maybe I was just being paranoid because I was drunk. The alcohol was surely altering my mind.

I pulled my phone from my pocket and lowered my eyes to the screen to avoid his stare. I brought up the number I wanted to dial.

I stopped in front of the bathrooms and rested my back against the wall. My finger hovered over the phone icon on my screen. Inhaling a deep breath, I pressed it.

Chapter XIV

Shyam

Isat back in my chair with my scotch in hand. Jai sat across from me on a loveseat with a girl on his lap de él. She rolled her hips to the beat of the music. Her large tits de ella were out de ella, bouncing in her face de ella as she moved and gyrated. Jai pulled the side of her G-string de ella away de ella and slipped a hundred-dollar bill close to her skin de ella, then let go of the fabric, causing it to snap against her hip de ella and eliciting an excited squeal from her. Our men scattered around the private suite chuckled, which invited more topless women to dance their way over to them.

Jai noticed my indifference. “What’s up with you? Got somewhere else to be?” he said over the shoulder of his girl.

I ignored his smart-ass mouth and swirled the amber liquid in my glass. He liked to provoke me, just like any typical younger brother.

“Thinking about your redhead?” he kept jabbing.

“Don’t you have your hands full right now?” I asked, nodding toward his hands gripping his girl’s ass cheeks as she stroked her hips back and forth on his lap. “Shut your mouth, or I’ll break your jaw.” I meant it.

“Ouch. Someone’s protective over his new toy.” He had a stupid mocking grin plastered onto his face. “By the way, since when do we secretly hire new executives and give them huge-ass offices without consulting each other? Because I’m thinking of hiring Lucy here to be our new VP of Research and Development and giving her the office right next to mine.” He slapped her ass cheeks hard as she cackled loudly.

“It was necessary to hire Amelia. She is advantageous to tracking down what we need.” I was careful not to mention Tarun’s name, just in case he tried to bribe any of the girls for information.

“I’m not complaining. She’s a hot piece of ass that I don’t mind seeing around the office.” He tilted his head back and closed his eyes, as if replaying images of her in his mind.

I clenched my fist, ready to punch him in the face to get him to stop daydreaming of her.

“Now that I think of it, I haven’t seen her around all week. Why is that?” he asked, opening his eyes and raising an eyebrow at me.

“She is reconsidering what I asked of her. She does not want to get caught up in anything…immoral,” I replied.

I hadn’t heard from her yet, so I wasn’t sure of her decision. She was sweet and innocent. I understood why she hadn’t taken the information I had shared with her well. I had offered her the opportunity to help us or walk away from the company. Walking away would probably be best for her. She had signed an NDA, so I knew she wouldn’t share any of the information that she had learned. Still, I couldn’t help feeling agitated whenever I considered the idea of her leaving.

“Let her go. We’ll just have one of our guys take over the new feature,” Jai said.

“She knows it best. It would be in our best interest to have her on board.” If she didn’t call me soon, I’d have to pay a visit to her apartment to convince her otherwise. Perhaps it would be more fun if she didn’t call me.

“Forget about her for tonight,” he told me. “Tara, my brother needs to loosen up,” he said to one of the girls dancing near me.

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