Page 16 of Wicked Attraction

At least I had a few grand in my pocket for a serious retail therapy session in the morning.

CHAPTERSEVEN

Jasper

I should’ve been happy that Lucky Lopez was doing so well. Not only was it Sadie’s pet project, but a legit successful enterprise meant it would be a hell of a lot easier to clean the dirty cash without raising suspicion from the law. And I was happy about that, but the club was at capacity, which made me nervous. Anything could happen, and with a mixed crowd like this one, some shit was guaranteed to go down.

I preferred the peace and relative quiet of Midnight Mass. For the most part, it was the same crowd every night of the week, and the worst thing I had to worry about was a fight over a football game.

Or a Lamborghini exploding in the fucking parking lot.

“Damn, bro, at least look like you’re in a building filled with tits and ass.”

Terry appeared beside me with a smile, laughing when I glared at him. “Put that look away. You know it doesn’t work on me.”

That only made me glare harder at him. “Aren’t you supposed to be handling business security?” I growled the question at him but kept my gaze focused on every person who went from the main room to the smaller dance floors.

“Newsflash, Jasper. You are the business, and your security is my top priority. Everything else is taken care of. I promise.”

I nodded because there was no fucking question that Terry was on top of his assigned tasks. He was always loyal and reliable, and now that he was family, it all mattered even more to him.

“I know,” I growled at him. “Just don’t enjoy the tits and ass too much.”

Terry laughed. “Kat told me to take it all in because she promised to wait up for me tonight.”

“Goddammit, Terry.”

“You asked for that,” he shot back. “I’ll be close, but not too close.”

I nodded and made my way to the red bar, which was just a smaller room with a red light and nothing but top-shelf booze.

Bikers, old-timers, and serious drinkers preferred the distant thud of the music, probably because it made them feel like they were a part of things without actually having to be a part of the younger party atmosphere.

My lips curled into a smile when I found Addison Beck sitting at the corner of the bar, a double shot in front of her, a cool mug of beer just behind it. I strolled over to where she was bent over her drink, shoulders slumped in disappointment. “Spying on me or drinking on the job?”

She gasped and looked up as if surprised to see me. “This is a bar, and I’m doing what people do at a bar. I’m enjoying a beer.”

“Looks more like you’re drowning your sorrows.”

“Like you give a damn,” she scoffed and picked up the shot glass, knocking it back with the proficiency of a sorority girl. “Your mind games won’t work on me, Jasper.”

I took the seat beside her and ordered a glass of Velvet Fire. “Mind games? I’m a concerned proprietor, ensuring my customers don’t drink past their limit.”

Beck let out a loud bark of laughter. “Suddenly, you’re just the regular neighborhood businessman?”

“There’s nothing regular about me, Addison.” I leaned in and smiled at her, and my smile grew as her blue eyes glazed over with heat.

“Addison? That’s Agent Beck to you.”

“You’re off duty, remember?” I turned to the bartender and pointed at Beck’s empty glass. “Another shot for my friend here.”

“Friends,” she snorted and turned on the barstool to face me. “Is that what we are, friends? And I thought we were adversaries.”

“You’re a cop, Addison. That’s your default position. Friends or enemies. Black or white. Up or down.” I took a sip of whiskey and focused on Addison, really taking her in, not just as a person or a federal agent, but as a woman.

She was pretty in a plain, girl-next-door sort of way. Even off-duty, she wore those ugly-ass boxy suits, but if I looked closer, I could see a nice set of tits under the plain white shirt, fit legs under the ill-fitting black slacks. She wasn’t my type, but she could be if it helped me achieve my goals.

“The world I live in isn’t so binary.”

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