Page 30 of Reckless Desire

He cupped her face, keeping his eyes on hers. “Hey, look at me. Nothing’s going to happen. I’m here.”

“He’s going to start some shit. I know because he’s a dick. Can we just go, My King?”

Vincent signaled for Josh and Nico to follow Chasity and Shavonne out of the room, making sure Dominique was on his other side, away from Xander. After he nodded to his brothers, Vincent caught Nevaeh’s eye and gestured for her to move. She immediately started pulling on Joey, indicating it was time to leave.

“Leaving already?” Xander smirked.

“Yeah, but only ‘cause my brother here is always a party pooper.” Joey rolled his eyes and pointed at Vincent.

Xander tilted his head in Vincent’s direction. He flashed him a sneering smile. “I thought when you walked in with my princess that you looked familiar.”

“The fuck you say?” Vincent snarled.

“Dom and I go way back, don’t we, princess?” Xander sneered, his gaze sweeping over Dominique in a way that made Vincent’s blood boil. He could practically feel the disgust radiating off her, but she remained silent.

“Your past with her doesn’t concern me,” Vincent said tersely, trying to maintain his composure. “And yeah, we are leaving.”

“Ooh, touchy,” Xander remarked, leaning in close to Vincent. “Is it because I know what Dom likes? The things we used to do together?”

Dominique slipped her hand into his. “Please, My King, let’s go.”

“King? Hold up. So, when you were coming outta his office … wow! Now it makes sense.” Xander let out a low chuckle. “You know I taught her everything. I bet you can’t keep up with her.”

“Fuck off, Xander!” Dominique snapped, finally breaking her silence.

With a wave of his hand, Xander dismissed her and addressed Vincent. “How are you, her Dom? She’s opening her mouth like this.” He didn’t bother waiting for Vincent to respond. Xander twisted his head back in Dominique’s direction and retorted. “Did he say you could speak? See, that was your problem, too. You wanted to run the show. I guess you think you’re doing something now that you out here doing that Domme shit with these dudes. And what would you want with a white dude who thinks he’s black? You hear this shit, cuz? How sway? Is this your King? Huh? Is this your King? Hell nah! ‘Cause you know damn well I’m still your King, girl.”

Xander and his cousin erupted into laughter.

“Never interrupt your opponent when he is making a mistake,” Vincent cautioned, locking onto Xander’s taunting smirk. He could feel the heat rising in his chest, igniting a fire within him that threatened to consume everything in its path.

“Please, My King,” Dominique whispered, her voice barely audible over the pounding bass. She tugged at his arm in an attempt to pull him back from the edge. But Vincent couldn’t hear her—all he could focus on was Xander’s mocking laughter.

Xander smirked at her. “Careful, Dom. You wouldn’t want to upset your King, now, would you?”

“My Queen, you know what another rule in chess is: move in silence, only speak when it’s time to say, checkmate.”

Xander goaded, stepping closer, invading Vincent’s personal space. “Go ahead,My King. Show your submissive what kind of man you really are.”

That was it. The final straw. No more warnings. In that instant, Vincent’s restraint shattered like fragile glass, replaced by a primal need to protect the woman he’d come to care for so deeply.

“Checkmate!” In one swift movement, his fist connected with Xander’s jaw. The impact sent a jolt of pain up Vincent’s arm, but it paled in comparison to the satisfaction that surged through him as Xander crumpled to the floor, unconscious.

It was as if time had stopped. The part of VIP they were in fell into momentary silence, the once-vibrant atmosphere now eerily still. All eyes were on Vincent and the fallen form of Xander. Whispers spread like wildfire, a mixture of shock and awe rippling through the crowd.

“Shit,” Vincent muttered under his breath, his hand throbbing and his mind racing. What had he done? As much as Xander deserved it, he knew resorting to violence in a public setting gained more attention, especially with bloggers. With Joey’s situation looming, he didn’t need to be another reason Moretti & Valentino were in the news. But he refused to let them see him falter—he was a Moretti, after all, and he would deal with whatever fallout came his way, just as he always had.

Vincent caught a glimpse of Josh and Nico holding back Xander’s cousin while security and bouncers closed in. They released the cousin and rushed over to create a protective wall around him and Dominique while Xander slowly regained consciousness. Vincent wasn’t worried. None of these men could hope to compete with him and his brothers, given their towering heights and physical capabilities. They had all received formal training in mixed martial arts and boxing.

“Assault, Moretti?” Xander spat as he staggered to his feet, blood oozing from the corner of his mouth. His dark eyes gleamed with malice. “I’m filing assault charges against you, and then I’m suing your precious firm for every penny it’s worth.”

“Threatening me when you know I could have CPD up in here to shut this shit down in a matter of minutes. Don’t do it to yourself, Bishop.” Vincent retorted.

“Nah, you don’t wanna do that. Not when your girl is in on this, too.” Xander’s intense gaze never wavered as he asserted, “I own you, Dom. You’ll always be mine.” Xander snorted. “Your name is still on this property. So, if I go down, Moretti, Dominique goes down, too.”

Vincent saw the shock on Dominique’s face upon hearing Xander’s words and their implications.

“And you think your daddy’s firm can protect that rapist, brother of yours?” Xander sneered. “His stupid ass was in here snorting that booger sugar fucking with the wrong girl. Malaysia’s, my cousin. Yeah, I’m gon’ see all y’all crumble before I’m through.”

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