Page 9 of Don't Lie To Me

“He’s also extremely dangerous, with heavy ties to the mafia.”

“News flash, big boy, most of the men in this place are. It’s kind of normal around here. I’m not worried.”

He steps in closer, so close I can feel the anger radiating off him. “Watch your mouth,” he snaps. “He’s not a man I want you messed up with.”

I take a step away from him, looking him over, confused. “You’re not my father, remember? Just my bodyguard. You don’t get to tell me what to do.” I don’t know why I say it, but something inside of me just snaps, and I can’t deal with the domineering shit anymore. Not tonight when I need an escape so badly.

Before I can walk away from him, he takes my hand in his, gripping it tightly. His eyes lock on mine, unwavering and intense.

“What is it, Onyx?” I almost plead with him. “For once in my life, I have a guy willing to ignore who my family are and actually pay me some attention. Please don’t ruin this for me. Just let me be normal for once. It’s my birthday.”

His eyes gleam, reflecting a sudden, sharp flash of emotion. Hurt? No, jealousy. Is the big dude bitter because I was kissing some other guy? No, he couldn’t be.

“Unless you want to have some fun with me instead?” I throw out there. I’m buzzed enough that now seems like as good a time as anyto just say what I really think. The darkness of his pupils seems to intensify even more.

“You’re playing with fire, trouble,” he spits back at me, before letting my hand go.

I shrug. “Better that than sitting alone in my office.” Onyx knows I’m spiraling. I have been for some time, and even though he’s never once said anything to me, I see the way he looks at me when I take my pills. He knows I’m not in a good place. This life is taking its toll.

Get your shit together, Sloane, I tell myself as I round the bar. The last thing I need is Romeo seeing how fragile I really am. I plaster a sexy-as-fuck smile on my lips and return to him. Onyx’s bossy attitude just gave me the balls to go through with this. Romeo has enjoyed most of his top-shelf whiskey while I have been busy and looks relaxed. I take his tie in my fingers and run the silky fabric through them, needing to get closer. “Now where were we?” I purr seductively. I have no idea what I’m doing, but I have seen this shit done around this place enough, I’m sure I can work it out. And the last thing I want is him to work out how inexperienced I am.

“I think you were about to take me somewhere a little more private, like your office,” he suggests playfully.

Now it’s my turn to laugh. “I must look stupid tonight. I don’t take strangers back there.”

In a flash, he swoops in, his lips brushing against mine a second time, a rush of warmth spreading through me. This time it’s a crazy toe-curling kiss. I melt into him, letting him take full control of my body as he plunges his tongue deep inside my mouth. When he pulls back from me this time, I’m a panting mess, my panties drenched and my knees ready to buckle. Oh, dear God, who is this man and thank you for sending him to me. This is what I need tonight, something tosnap me out of my funk and bring me back to life. This gorgeous man will certainly be able to do that for me.

“We’re no longer strangers when my tongue has been inside your mouth.” He smirks, before his lips drop down my neck and he places hurried kisses all down my neck, grabbing a handful of my ass as he goes. He’s going to do what he wants right here.

I moan out loud but catch myself. Get a grip, Sloane, he’s just kissing your neck. But my body is coiled so tight a slight kiss could literally make me combust. From across the bar, I catch Onyx’s line of sight. His eyes are fixed on me in a dark, scary, don’t-push-me kind of way. I tilt my head, giving Romeo better access.

“There is one thing you need to know about me, doll face. I always get what I want, and right now, I want you.”

My heart races a little faster as butterflies take flight throughout my body. “This party is for me, I can’t leave,” I whisper, not really wanting to fight him on it. I want him every bit as much as he wants me. More. Because unlike him who would have been fucking around since he was an adolescent, I have never had the chance, and I know if I leave with him there will be no question. He’s going to fuck my brains out, just like I want him to. I offer one more challenge to Onyx, raising my brow. Telling him he could have had me. He knows it. But like the stubborn ox he is, he doesn’t flinch; he’s not playing my game tonight. His loss, because I’m sick of waiting for him to actually notice me. Not for the girl he is paid to protect, but for the woman who is desperate for him to claim her. It’s never going to happen, and I need to get over it and move on.

I drop my gaze back to Romeo. His hungry eyes meet mine. “You’re new in town, right? So, you have never been in my club before?”

“Never.” His answer vibrates down my neck as his lips brush over my earlobe.

I find his hand with mine, lacing our fingers together. “Come have a look around with me.” I grin at him, ready for wherever this is about to go. I’m done with being me, the uptight business owner who always has to look over her shoulder and make smart moves. For tonight, my last night as a twenty-four-year-old, I want to be reckless and live a little.

Chapter 4

Romeo'sarm,warmandstrong, circles my shoulder as we bypass the bouncer and enter the dimly lit second space of my club, music pulsating. This part of the club is still fully functional tonight, with lingerie-wearing dancers up on the stage shaking their asses and men and women throwing back expensive liquor as they watch. We have a couple of VIP events with a stag party and a large group of businessmen who booked out half my private rooms for the night. The strippers earn every cent they have tossed their way; they deserve it. I overinflate the booze prices, helping me keep this section lucrative—something Syd was never willing to do. He made his staff work for practically nothing, reaping the rewards and watching as they suffered. It was disgusting, but he was a repugnant kind of man.

“You want a lap dance?” I wiggle my eyebrows, a playful smirk crossing my lips. “My girls are the best around.”

He dips his head, his eyes meeting mine, a spark igniting in their depths. “The only girl I want shaking her ass on my crotch is you.”

I laugh nervously. Why his words send an excited thrill through me, I don’t understand, but I get an image of the two of us together. Me skimpily dressed and him just waiting for me to blow his mind. “Persistent.” I smirk back at him, not giving in just yet. If he really wants me, he can wait like a good boy. “You into watching people fuck? I have a couple in room seven who love to be viewed by others asthey get it on. It’s my one-way-glass room, they wouldn’t even know we were there.”

He considers me, his eyes running down my body. “Is that what you’re into, Sloane?”

I shrug, thinking it could be. It could also buy me a little time to get to know him better, but I can tell from the cynical look on his handsome face he doesn’t look keen. “How about another drink?” I ask, hoping to ease the crazy tension now swirling through the air between us.

“If you’re going to continue to play hard to get.” He gives a curt nod in the direction of the bar, but his voice holds an amused edge like he’s trying to work me out.

“I’m not playing anything. You say you always get what you want, Romeo, well, so do I, and right now I don’t know enough about you to show you the last part of my tour. So, you either stay and have another drink with me or you run along. I’m easy either way.” Fuck, I’m not, but I’m calling his bluff and just hoping it works out for me.

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