Page 46 of Gilded Gods

I enter the back hallway, slinging a bag over my shoulder. “Do you think Alexander told Ophelia about the fight after we left?”

He shakes his head. “Nah. He’s hiding that from her. Did you see how cagey he got when she asked if he was getting into sports betting?”

“Yeah, I guess. But if he fucks up our plans…”

“He won’t,” Atlas says with confidence. “He doesn’t want his niece to hate him. And Ophelia will if she finds out what he’s doing to you. You’ve already got her wrapped around your finger.”

I glance at him. “I do, don’t I? Pretty soon, she’ll be ours.”

He grins at that.

Fighters stroll down the dimly lit hallway, wearing boxing trunks. I wave to two men I recognize. Atlas bobs his head, and we keep going without a word to them.

Everyone at Akropolis knows better than to speak to me on a fight night. I demand complete silence to focus on my technique and allow myself to get into the zone.

I push on the door to the changing room and step inside. “If Ophelia finds out about the fight, maybe I’ll get a pity fuck.”

He punches my arm lightly. “You’re a cheat.”

“You want her?” I open the locker and look for my gloves. “She’s yours, too. No one is stopping you.”

I chuck the tape and gauze at Atlas and sit in front of him in a chair, leaning forward for him to wrap my hands. He’s been doing this for me since high school. Atlas is my good luck charm. I’m superstitious as fuck, and this is one of many rituals.

“Wrap my hands, and let’s get this over with.”

My words say one thing, but I feel like I’m dying on the inside. I’m losing a piece of myself by throwing this fight because of the Drakos family.

My new family.

Fuck them.

ChapterTwenty-Five

OPHELIA

I never meantto show Apollo my special place. The plan was to leave him in the office upstairs, get acquainted with the finances, and then disappear into The O Club. But I wanted to see how he would react.

He’s excited.

Intrigued.

His head pops into each room to get a better look. Apollo is like a little boy in a toy store, except this one is more fun. I wonder if he’ll ask to fuck one of the girls and if he’ll want the family discount to become a member.

He likes it here.

What man wouldn’t?

We stroll down the dark hallway with Annabelle between us. She’s a tiny thing with a heart-shaped face, a Southern drawl, and small, pink nipples.

Our members will like her.

My dad made the right decision by offering me a quarter share of the club. Without me, this place would fall apart. The last moron who managed The O Club was picking hookers up on corners and giving them jobs.

That shit doesn’t fly with me.

My girls are the prettiest and sexiest women I could find. They come from all over the country. Some we even recruited overseas from webcam sites. The women of The O Club are like caviar.

And worth the money.

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