Page 35 of Bite Marks

His doors opened, and more noise poured in along with Ginger. The customers were going wild for the dancers … like, crazy wild.I’ll have to find out who we have on stage to make sure we get the other girls some pointers on how to get the crowd amped.

Ginger’s eyes were wide in dismay. “Nunzio, I did what you said, but she’s gone absolutely bonkers!”

“What are you talking about?” Nunzio rose from his chair, not sure what his next move needed to be, but the urge to be on his feet pushed too much to stay seated. He grabbed his coat and slowly slid it on, his eyes never leaving Ginger’s.

Ginger’s mouth moved, but he couldn’t get words out. He groaned and smacked his head before shouting. “She’s on stage!”

“Who?” Nunzio moved to the door, not sure what the fuck Ginger was going on about. He was talking about Vanessa a second ago, wasn’t he?

When No Neck texted him that Vanessa had gotten past him, Nunzio told Ginger to get rid of her. So, that was what he meant when he said he’d done as Nunzio had told him. Right? And the ‘she’s gone absolutely bonkers’ comment was also about Vanessa.So, who the fuck is he talking about being on stage?He slipped out the doors, and his eyes nearly jumped from their sockets.

Every man in the club had their eyes on Vanessa in her sexy bra and panties, her nylons running up her shapely legs that looked so good in her high heels. She’s just parading around on stage …and she’s unclipping her bra!

“No!” Nunzio jumped from the balcony down to the first floor. He landed and rolled before launching into a run. The room elongated, stretching out to keep him from reaching his woman. And the people, there were suddenly so many people to get through.Isn’t this a fucking fire hazard?As he dashed through the guests, he pulled his jacket free.

Vanessa slipped out of her bra, still clutching the cups to her chest. She turned her back to the men losing their shit for her, desperate to see her how Nunzio had seen her.

They’ll never see her like I see her. They don’t deserve to look at her! She’s too good for these idiots. She’s too good for me!He leapt on stage as she turned around, tossing her bra off to the side, but he wrapped her in his jacket and in his arms.

Her emerald eyes locked on his as the song hit its ethereal fallout. Vanessa reached a hand up to his jaw as her eyes begged him for something.

What? Anything, Vanessa. Anything.

The magnetic pull of her lips called to him, and he started to lean in, but a chorus of boos drowned out that million-dollar sound system.

Nunzio pulled Vanessa against his chest hard to make sure the coat clung to her as he rounded on the men. “Fuck you! I will kill each and every one of you mooks. You’ll regret being born!” He turned Vanessa around and guided her down the catwalk.

Getting another chance to see her ass, the men whistled and cheered before Nunzio covered her ass with his hand.

These mother fuckers are going to pay!The urge to shift and rip a few throats out surged, but he kept the beast at bay. He shoved her through the curtain and then back to the dressing room where some of the other dancers were. “Get out!”

The women grew wide-eyed at his outburst. Nunzio didn’t take shit from his staff, but he was a good boss and rarely had to raise his voice. They grabbed a few things like purses or tops and hurried out.

He stared at her, sick to his stomach and his blood on fire. “What the fuck was that?”

“What the fuck was that?” she asked back in Italian. “What the fuck was that? That was what I had to do to get your attention. I’ve been trying to talk to you for days, and you won’t talk. What the hell do I have to do? I call, I text, I come down here, into a place I don’t want to be and …”

“You sure as hell looked like you wanted to be up on that stage.” Nunzio paced back and forth. His fury for those men eyeing her like she was just another dancer mixed with his fury for her dancing for them. She wasn’t just another dancer. She was Nessa, damn it! His butterfly! “You should have waited. I would have called.” That wasn’t true. He would have never called or even checked the texts, which he now knew probably said things like,‘Please talk to me,’and‘Nunzio, don’t shut me out.’

Vanessa’s face scrunched with seething anger. “Bullshit! You were never going to call me. You could have texted me. ‘Hey, I’m busy. Let’s talk in a few days.’ Boom! Done! But you didn’t do that.” She turned from him.

Someone knocked on the door, and Nunzio roared. “Not now!”

There was a pause before a meek voice called back. “I have her clothes.”

Gloria …The shyest, most timid girl on his whole fucking roster.Damn it.“Yeah. Fine!” He yanked open the door, and the hinges ripped from the frame.Of course! Of course, they would! Why is everything going wrong?

The urge to smash the door into little pieces nearly overtook him, but he pushed it down. It took everything in him, but he managed.

Gloria handed Vanessa her clothes, which were neatly folded. “You were amazing up there. All the guys were eating out of your hand.”

“Gloria.” Nunzio tried keeping the malevolent hate he had for this situation out of his voice. It wasn’t Gloria’s fault. Even still, his voice rumbled like a growing storm. “You need to go.”

“What?” Gloria’s mousy blond hair shook as she stood there, glaring at Nunzio.

“He said you need to leave,” Vanessa said in English.

God! I’m so mad I don’t even know what fucking language I’m speaking.

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