Page 51 of Tainted Princess
But standing there, outside a night club for the first time in my life, surrounded by women who made a career out of looking like runway models and the men who made it their business to try and attract them, I had never been more uncomfortable in my entire life.
Lexi, on the other hand, was in her glory.
“Oh my God, yes!” she practically squealed, linking her arm through mine and hauling me up to the front of the line. We received glares and grumbles, but none of that seemed to deter Lexi in her quest to get us inside. She marched right up to the large man guarding the door, the smile on her face one of pure seduction. “Monty! My man! How are you tonight?”
The man turned to us, his gaze roving over Lexi from head to toe and back again. Not that I blamed him. My friend looked stunning in tight gold pants and a black leather halter top that laced up the front. Her shoes were insanely high, and she had teased her incredible blue hair into a messy masterpiece that fell down her shoulders like an ocean wave.
She was stunning, and I could see that Monty agreed.
“Well, if it isn’t my little snack pack. What brings you out tonight, girl? You don’t usually slum it with us until the weekend.”
When we reached the podium where Monty was standing, Lexi dropped my arm and wrapped him in a tight hug, pressing a kiss to his cheek that spoke of more than platonic friendship.
“I am here on official business tonight, man. My girl here is new in town, and I promised to show her a good time. I figured there was no better place to start.”
Monty looked at me for the first time, his gaze just as assessing as it had been with Lexi, and I wrapped my jacket tighter around myself under his scrutiny.
“Well, any friend of Lexi’s is a friend of mine,” he said, licking his lip salaciously. Turning back to Lexi, he asked, “You looking for a third later, you let me know, yeah? It’s been a while since we played together.”
Lexi giggled, a low, throaty sound that I hadn’t heard from her before. “Monty, you know you are my favorite tag team partner.” She ran her finger down his chest, biting her lower lip. “But unfortunately for me, Francesca here only plays for one team, and it’s not mine.”
Monty looked at me again, this time with even more interest. “I’m down for a solo run, if that’s the offer. I can take you separate or together, Lex, you know I’m good for it.”
Lexi looked at me, laughing when she saw my mouth open in shock. “Sorry, Monty, but this little lady is taken, so this is a fully hands off night.”
He frowned good naturedly. “Damn, that’s oh for two tonight. I haven’t struck out this bad since before I grew pubes. Listen,” he said, looking back at me, “you ever decide you wanna ditch your man and take a ride with me, you let me know.”
Lexi burst out laughing. “Monty, baby, I wish you knew just how dangerous a line you are actually walking, but for now, we are heading inside.” She leaned up and planted another kiss on his cheek. “Oh,” she added, hooking her thumb over her shoulder at Vincent, who had been quietly standing at our backs the entire time, “the big guy’s with us, too.”
Monty stepped back and allowed us to pass, his smile at Lexi an indulgent one. As we moved through the doorway, my eyes took in the chaotic scene around me.
It was like nothing I had ever seen before. Everywhere I looked there were bodies, all shapes and sizes and styles. People were moving to the music, both on and off the dance floor, and as I gazed over the club, the movement reminded me of the way the water flowed against the sand at the beach; a constant, steady roll as each individual body moved to the rhythm of whatever overly processed song was playing. The lights flashed from every corner, and the whole thing was just more than I could process.
Lucky for me, Lexi knew exactly where she was headed, and she gripped my arm, towing me to the bar in the back, Vincent my constant shadow.
As we stood by the bar, sipping the mid-range whiskey that Lex had ordered for me, I let myself look around again. Now that I had gotten over my initial reaction, I was able to view the club with a little less shock and a little more scrutiny.
It was just like any other business, and my father had taught me well. I could see how this could be a cash cow for the owner. There were more people here than I could count, and the bartenders and waitresses were going full tilt, delivering drinks at a pace that made me weep for their poor feet. By offering a product that everyone wanted, then establishing exclusivity for said product when you stopped people at the door and only let in a select few, you increased the demand, and as a result, your patronage soared, which in turn drove up profits.
I watched as club goers downed drink after drink—each one making their movements look a little less like dancing and a little more like sex—but my eye was caught by one man standing at the corner of the bar, not dancing or enjoying himself like everyone else, but glancing around, his eyes constantly moving. He was tall, like Vincent, but thin and wiry, with a simple outfit of jeans and a dark button down. He looked like every other college aged kid in here, though his eastern European roots were obvious. His blonde hair was cut short, almost buzzed, but his small eyes squinted as he looked around the club. I could tell a fellow criminal from a mile away, and this guy was up to no good.
While Lexi ordered a second drink for herself, I kept my eye on the guy at the end of the bar, his one hand holding a beer bottle which he never drank from and the other shoved deep into his jeans pocket. His face was closed off, looking like a frown was the only expression it ever wore, and that didn’t even change when a woman approached him. He scowled down at her, tipping his head closer to hear what she said as she laid a hand on his arm while she spoke.
After a second, he nodded, his gaze searching the crowd again, and I dropped my eyes to my drink before he busted me staring. When I looked back, he had his hand out of his pocket and was flipping through a stack of whatever it was he had been hiding. Finding what he was looking for, he held it up between two fingers for the woman to inspect, and the smile on her face grew.
Holding up a folded bill, she slid it across the table and snatched the item from him. As it traded hands, I could see that it was a small baggie containing a few pills.
Immediately, I was reminded of the conversation I overheard in the car the other day, the one where Enzo mentioned the Russians. Clearly, this was what he was talking about. This must be a club in Russian territory then, considering what I’d just witnessed.
I was still watching the dealer when I heard Lexi beside me mutter, “Oh, shit. This isn’t good.” I turned to see if she had witnessed the same deal I just had, but she wasn’t looking that way at all. She was looking behind me, her eyes wide, her face startlingly pale. “Francesca,” she said, leaning toward me so that I could hear her words, her eyes full of apology, “I didn’t expect him to be here tonight.”
Before I could ask who she was talking about, a deep, whiskey voice sounded from right behind me.
“What the fuck are you doin’ here?”
