Page 10 of Billion Dollar Lie

Her lips are quivering when our eyes meet, my face so close to hers that I can feel the heat of her breath on my skin. There’s as little as an inch between us, our lips dangerously close to touching—but she doesn’t move away.

“I like booknerds,” I say, further reducing the distance between us. “Especially pretty ones like yourself.”

Her eyes widen in disbelief, before they flit to the side, checking if anybody might be watching us.

I know I’m overstepping. She’d haveeveryright to push me away and remind me of the rules in this place. It’s what sheshoulddo, if she needs this job as much as I think she does.

But she doesn’t move an inch, nor does she voice protest against my intrusion. Her lips part as if to speak, but no words break the silence between us. The white lace around her body is meant to protect her from physical advances, but the temptation offorbidden fruit only adds to her appeal.

She releases a faint sigh when I let go of her chin and place my hand at her neck, providing a gentle push until our lips meet for an illicit kiss. There’s no objection from her side, no hesitation, not even a single sign of caution—nothing but sweet surrender as she welcomes my tongue with hers. Her lips are warm and incredibly soft, so youthful and almost innocent, if it weren’t for the subtle sting of vodka that blends with her natural taste.

My grip on her neck tightens and the moan that escapes her in response only fuels my need for her. Fuck, she’s driving me crazy. This isn’t enough. I must have her, everything of her. I must…

The sound of an explosion cuts into my thoughts and brings a violent end to our kiss. We jolt away from each other as another eruption follows, then another, and another, seemingly coming from everywhere at once—before the lights go out a moment later. The entire club is dipped in darkness, with justafew decorative candles providing a hint of warm light.

“What the—”

She jumps up from her seat, visibly unsettled—just like everyone else in the room.

“What’s going on?” I can’t stop myself from asking, even though I know she probably knows as little as me.

“I don’t know,” she responds without looking at me, hergazescurryingacrossthe room as if the answer was written somewhere on the walls. “I’ll be right back.”

And before I can stop her, she disappears into the dark.

Chapter 5

Logan

She has only been gone for a few moments when I notice the smoke. It seems to be coming from everywhere, filling the entire venue with alarming speed.

I jump up from my seat and my drink is just one of many that fall to the floor as people start panicking. Swallowed in thick smoke and darkness, I hear them scatter around like wild animals, women screaming, men yelling to get out, the sound of heels and suit shoes hurrying across the wooden floors.

I, however, remain still, locked in place while I try to find my bearings. I can’t see shit and my ears are ringing with turmoil that erupts around me.

Where the fuck did she go?

Extending my arms to replace my useless eyes, I slowly begin to move, cautious and hyper aware of my chaotic surroundings.

“FIRE!”someone yells to my right. “Out! Everybody out!”

I shake my head as I continue to meander forward, hoping that I’m moving toward the bar—and thus the main exit.

No, this is not a fire. There’s a lot of smoke, but it’s too dense and expanding too quickly to be caused by a fire. Besides, it would smell differently if this was a fire. The stench of sulfur that penetrates my nose can only be caused by fireworks—or smoke grenades.

And as of right now, my guess would be on the latter.

Did something go wrong when they were preparing the infamous midnight show? They love to incorporate smoke machines and colored smoke grenades for these shows—at least they did in Boston.

But this smoke is colorless, blinding us with its unappealing dark grey veil. And it’s too much, way too much.

People are bumping into me left and right, half-naked women and men in pricey suits, some of them drenched in spilled drinks and sweat. I almost fall over when I reach the little step that separates the bar from the main area, barely catching myself before yet another elbow hits me from the side.

I turn around—only to findherright next to me. And even in the middle of the ongoing turmoil around us, I notice that she’s a lot shorter than before, her angst-ridden eyes staring up at me before they flash with recognition.

“Get out!”she yells at me, nodding her head to the side. I want to reach for her hand to take her with me, but realize that she’s carrying a small fire extinguisher in her arms, ready to fight a fire that doesn’t exist.

“You’re coming with me!” I command. “And let go of that thing!”

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