Page 39 of Dangerous Attraction

“I should have made her come with me now. I miss her.” I kissed her knuckles. “I think you’ll love her. She doesn’t take my crap and keeps me on my toes.”

“She loves you?”

“I hope so, but I sense she’s afraid. We’ve only known each other for a few days. Something is holding her back, but I will get her to open up to me. She’s mine.”

“That’s my good boy.” She patted my cheek. “Now, let’s go see Antonio. I worry about him.”

“Me, too, Nonna. Me, too.”

twenty-five

MADISON

I tuggedat the hem of my dress, worried I was showing too much skin. Now that Massimo and I were… well, I didn’t know what we were. I worried my dress was going to be an issue tonight. Thursday was usually a busy night at Discoteca. I guess people needed to blow off midweek steam, and this was the spot to do that. Tonight, however, was weirdly slow.

“Madison,” Carlisle called out to me. “Can you do me a favor?”

“Sure.” I set my tray down on the bar.

“Can you take this bottle of champagne up to the second floor? A customer up there has asked for it, but it seems they’re out.”

“Sure, I don’t mind.” I’d already signed the non-disclosure but hadn’t been inside, other than being walked through blindfolded. Massimo had promised to give me a tour when he returned.

“Just drop it off in the main room where the bar is.”

“Alright, give it to me.” I held out my hand.

Carlisle handed over the four-thousand-dollar bottle of champagne and waved me off. I walked to the elevators and keyed in the code to take me to the second floor. Stepping inside the metal box, I took a deep breath. I didn’t know why I was so nervous. It wasn’t like I was going to be partaking in the activities up there… even if I was curious. The doors opened, revealing the sleek interior. There were rows of leather couches, with a long bar situated off to the side.

A hallway off the opposite end led to the various kink rooms. I spotted Darcie at the bar. She wasn’t the typical girl you’d see in Discoteca. She had the most colorful hair and piercings in her ears and nose. Branson, one of the club’s security guys, stood behind her, leaning against the wall.

“Darcie.” I smiled. “Carlisle asked me to bring this to you.”

I thrust the bottle toward her, trying not to stare at the half-naked man sitting on a stool. He was shirtless and although he had on pants, they were unzipped, with a woman’s face buried in his crotch. I wasn’t naïve—I knew she was sucking him off. That was the benefit of this place. People could fuck wherever they please in Fantasia and took full advantage of that privilege.

“Actually…” she handed a patron a drink. “Can you give it to Krissy? She knows who it’s for.”

“Ah…” I glanced around. “Where is she?”

Darcie tilted her head at me. “She probably went back to the first room on the left since that’s who asked for the bottle.”

“Oh… okay.”

I turned and headed toward the hallway. It was hard not to blush with all the moans and sounds of sex filling the room. Stopping just outside the door of room four, I leaned in and listened. Not hearing anything from inside, I knocked, then paused to listen for a reply. When I didn’t get one, I wrapped my hand around the doorknob, took a deep breath, and opened the door. No one was inside, so I stepped into the empty room. As I approached the couch, I spotted Krissy’s legs poking out from the backside.

“Krissy?” I called out to her, my feet moving forward on their own. I instantly knew something was wrong. Krissy was lying on her back on the floor, blood seeping from beneath her. Her head was turned at an odd angle, and her expressionless eyes stared back at me. Blood coated the floor beneath her broken body, and her dress was torn open, exposing her chest. Someone had carved an S into her skin just beneath her breasts.

At that moment, I was a nine-year-old girl staring at her dead mother—except this time, it was me staring back. Krissy and I favored each other in looks, so it was like looking at myself on the floor. She was shorter and thinner than me, but we had the same color of hair.

Covering my mouth, I let go of the bottle I was clutching. The four-thousand-dollar bottle of champagne hit the floor with a loud crash, shattering into a thousand tiny pieces. I didn’t realize I was moving backward until my body connected with the wall.

Finally, I found my voice and let out a shrill scream, unable to move. People appeared from rooms, curious about what had caused my reaction. I couldn’t take my eyes off her. The only other dead body I’d seen had been my mother’s.

Hands guided me to the main area, urging me to sit down. I could hear voices, but couldn’t make them out. Bruno was kneeling in front of me, asking me something, but my brain couldn’t comprehend what he was saying. The image of Krissy’s disfigured body was burned into my retinas, and all I could think about was the blood.

Carlisle was suddenly there, along with more men. People were gathering around, asking what happened, but I couldn’t speak, lost in shock. Tears dripped down my face uncontrollably.

“Shit.” Donny kneeled in front of me. “She’s in shock. Carlisle.” He motioned to him. “Take her out of here. She doesn’t need to see anymore.” I had no clue how Donny had arrived so fast, but it didn’t matter. Krissy was still dead.

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