Page 119 of Dance of Madness

“Hey, my friend over there…” I nod toward the puddle of Leo. “Those are virgin Arnold Palmers, right?”

Her look says it all as she shakes her head. “No, I’ve just been bringing what he ordered at the bar before you joined him. Vodka, lemonade, splash of iced tea.”

Motherfucker.

“Is there a problem?”

Not at all, because I’m leaving.

“All good,” I smile at her. “Can I settle up my part of the tab, though?”

“Of course, hon.”

After I pay, I head back to the table. Ishouldjust leave, but even if Leo’s secretly getting shitfaced, andis notsober these days after all, I’m still representing the Kalishnik family. And Ididcome here on business.

The bar is more crowded now, with a mob of finance-bros in identical suits and four-hundred-dollar haircuts drinking shitty beer and jostling each other near our table.

Leo grins at me when I slide back into my seat.

“Theeereshe is.”

“Yep, here I am,” I reply dryly. “Look, Leo, I actually need to take off?—”

“Awww, what?” he groans loudly. “You just got here!”

“I know,” I smile politely. “But, you know, time flies!”

Or…whatever.

“So, yes, we should definitely talk again about maybe working something out between my father and yours?—”

I jolt as a hand lands heavily on my knee.

Leo's, under the table.

My smile drops like a stone as I shake his hand off.

“Don’t do that.”

“You know,” he grins, “I always thought we could have had so muchfunin the Hamptons that time.”

I start to stand. Instantly, his hand grips my knee again.

He’s a lot stronger than you’d think to look at him. And he’s grabbing merighton a pretty fresh bruise from the other night, courtesy of Nero. So when he touches me I wince, and my leg gives out.

I drop back into the seat, gasping as his hand runs up my leg under my skirt.

“LEO, STOP!” I yell.

But the bar’s loud, and there’s a wall of finance bros with their backs to us.

I kick my leg, but the hand stays where it is.

“Leo!” I scream. “Take your fucking hand off?—”

“Orwhat.”

One second, he’s gripping my thigh, sending chills up my spine. The next, his hand is shoving all the way up my skirt.

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