Page 58 of Bitter Desire
“It’s my job, princess.”
She hummed and then took a slight step back from me. “Are we going in there?” she asked, eyes moving over my shoulder to the door.
I nodded and kissed her forehead, turning to the door. “Remember you are safe here. You are always safe when you’re with me.”
“I know, Daddy.”
“Good girl.” I reached out and opened the door, pushing it open with a shove of my hand. The stark light of the room was like a bucket of water, waking us from a dream. The hush and dimness of the hallway fell away the second we crossed the threshold of the room. I felt Honey stumble beside me and moved to wrap an arm around her, holding her up while she adjusted to the new light.
“Oh wow,” she whispered, raising a hand to cover her eyes.
“I’ve got you.”
“Really doesn’t give you much time to adjust from the hallway, now does it?” Connie’s voice rang out and Honey jumped. I smoothed a hand over her hair and gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. She was nervous and scared. I fucking hated seeing my girl like that. I especially hated it when I was beside her.
“Told ya that before,” I said, glancing in Connie’s direction. She was exactly where I thought she’d be. Seated behind a glass desk, the nearly invisible lines of it only visible in the way her dress shifted and refracted over her body. She was seated on a polished gold chair—high backed in a way that made you think of thrones and equally pompous shit meant to intimidate.
As it was, I didn’t give a fuck for thrones. I bowed to no one. I came forward with Honey keeping pace. She’d found her footing again and her footsteps were sure. I knew she was looking as regal as Connie without even looking her way.Good fucking girl.We had a game to play tonight, and she was doing her part to give us a winning edge.
Connie lifted a shoulder in a shrug. She looked tired here in the harsh light and as she turned her head to the side, shadows showed themselves like delicate bruises on her flesh. The pomp of the gold throne wasn’t working its magic right now, and I made a note to keep an eye on Connie. I’d never seen her this worn down looking. Something was definitely fucking going on.
“I’ve got a long list of preferences for a lot of people, Law.” She looked back at me and I saw the spark in her eyes that made Connie irresistible. She had beautiful eyes, dark and framed with lovely thick lashes that made you want to look and get closer. Doe eyes were what I’d call them. At odds with the sharp angles of the woman I knew had claws and teeth designed to bring a man to his knees. “But for you I might make an exception and bump your wants to the top of the list.” She leaned forward, elbows to the glass top of the desk, her chin resting in her hands and smiled at Honey.
“It’s good to see you again, my dear.”
“You too. I, ah, I didn’t think we’d be back so soon.”
“It’s been a month. I’d say that’s plenty of time for a visit, although with the way you two are, it is quite soon.” She sighed and sat back, clapping her hands as she did so. “I’m pleased to see you both! You make a beautiful couple but I’m sure you already know that, hmm?”
I nodded in response while Honey gave a quick, “thank you.”
“I booked you the best suite in the house. Nothing but the best for you both.” Connie rose from the desk and held out a hand, a black key on a crimson cord dropping from her hand. In all the years I’d been visiting the club, I’d never seen this key before, which was saying something. She wiggled the key at us. “Go on and take it, Law.”
I reached out, fingers closing around the dark steel of the key and nodded at her. “Thank you, Connie.”
“Oh, don’t thank me just yet,” she said, moving away from the desk and to the door behind her. “You have to pay for that, you know. Nothing’s free.”
‘What’s the cost?” I asked, making sure I was in front of Honey as we entered another hallway. This one was just like the first which made me feel slightly off kilter, like some kind of fucking Willy Wonka fever dream. Dark, light, dark, all of it mashing up against each other in jagged edges that were meant to fuck with perception. I hated using the back entrance, but it had been necessary.
I’d wanted Zeus to know when we’d be coming. To see us coming.
If he did then we’d seem docile. No threat at all. It’d make it easier for us to get closer but even still, coming this way was doing a number on my ass. I knew my girl had to be feeling it too when she bumped into my shoulder.
“Sorry,” she whispered.
“You’re fine,” I said, turning to look at her. I gave her a reassuring smile, but I could see the worry starting to creep back into Honey’s eyes. She swallowed hard and gave me a nod, her eyes moving from me to Connie when the other woman started to speak again.
“A visit with Zeus,” she said.
“Come again?” I asked, not believing her words. This was exactly what I’d wanted, and it was being given nearly immediately. We hadn’t even set foot in our room and he was pulling us already?
This was not fucking good. Goddammit.
Chapter Twenty-Three
HONEY
“You’re to give Zeus an audience,” Connie said. She was a step ahead of us, walking and talking. She didn’t even bother to glance back at us as she dropped that bomb on our heads. I was glad she didn’t because she would have seen me nearly trip and fall at her little announcement.
