I slowly walk forward, forcing her to stagger backward until she clumsily bumps into the counter. She peers up at me from under those long lashes, a mixture of excitement and fear pulsating through her.
Slowly reaching behind her, I snare the vodka off the counter and bring the bottle to my lips. The burn is exactly what I need, so I savor every drop. Tiger watches me, chest rising and falling, gripping the counter behind her.
Once I’ve drunk the bottle dry, I place it back onto the counter. Wiping my lips with the back of my hand, I nod. “Thanks for the drink.”
“No worries,” she replies, clearing her throat.
The unspoken tension hanging between us leaves me restless as shit. I don’t know whether to fight her or fuck her. “Be careful. Or not,” I quickly backtrack with a shrug. “Or whatever. Do what you want.”
Tiger’s lips lift into a slanted smile, surprising me. Standing tall, she replies, “You better be careful…you wouldn’t want anyone to think you actually care.”
Her and that smart mouth.
Gripping her chin between my thumb and finger, I tip her face toward me and glower. In response, she giggles. Fucking giggles. “Why do you constantly challenge me?”
“Because it’s too easy not to.” I don’t have a chance to reply because she presses her lips to mine, swallowing my words.
Threading my fingers through her soft hair, I kiss the smartness from her lips, hating how much I need this. How much I need her. She wraps her arms around my nape, moaning into my mouth when our tongues fight to be alpha. However, it’s not a fucking competition. She knows this. I know this. But she challenges me nonetheless because apparently, it’s too easy not to.
“Maybe I should make it hard for you then,” I say from around her lips. “Maybe I should tie you up? Teach you a lesson by punishing that hot ass of yours? Does that sound easy?”
In response, a tremor rocks her body, spurring me on.
“Make you beg on your knees?” I bite her bottom lip…hard. “Blinded. And bound. Don’t ever mistake me for anything but the depraved animal that I am.” When I taste the sharp metallic sting, I hum in pleasure.
And so does Tiger.
“Never forget…nothing is ever easy with me.” Cupping her ass, I lift her and slam her onto the counter. Kissing her fiercely, she finally surrenders, whimpering into my touch.
She opens her legs, welcoming me close, and I take what she offers because I want it so bad. We kiss without apology, the softness and warmth of her mouth making me forget everything but this. Gripping the top of her thighs, I drag her forward, so she is pressed against my chest.
Giving into sudden temptation, I slowly cup her cheek with an untrained touch, angling her into a position where I can dominate her, but something is almost…intimate about this. Kissing Tiger has always been hot, but this kiss is filled with something else.
The feral hunger is heavy with possession, and the need to claim her suffocates me. I’ve never felt this way about anyone before, and something happens…my heart, the deadened mass, begins to beat faster. It beats with a passion it hasn’t beat with before.
Severing our kiss, Tiger slowly opens her fevered eyes. The flush to her skin hints what I always knew was true—we’re in so much fucking trouble. This was inevitable. Now the problem I face is, what the fuck am I supposed to do?
“Don’t let your guard down. Ever.”
She nods quickly. “I won’t.”
She seems to weigh over something and reveals what when she reservedly asks, “What was prison like?”
“Easy, compared to being out here.” And it’s the god honest truth.
With nothing else to say, I run my thumb across her pouty bottom lip before placing it into my mouth. Her bubblegum kisses will be the death of me.
“I spoke to Stevie. Next Saturday, it’s happening.” Lotus rocks back and forth in her seat, making me nauseous with all her jerky movements.
Nodding casually, I fold my arms across my chest. “I’ll take care of it.”
She stops rocking—thank fuck—and looks at me as if I’ve just spoken to her in Swahili. “What do you mean? You can’t be here because—”
But I cut her off. “Let me worry about it. You take the night off. Actually, even better. Go away for the weekend. Just don’t tell your friend that I’m here.” If she lets on that I work here, it will fuck everything up.
“Bull, I can’t let you do that. It’s too big of a risk for you.” There is nothing but gratitude in her tone, which cements what I have to do. There is no way I’m letting that asshole, Stevie, fuck her over. We do this my way.
“You took a chance on me when you shouldn’t have. Way I see it, I owe you.”
“You owe me nothing,” she amends, shaking her head. “You’re a good person. I knew that from the moment I met you.”
I really wish people would stop saying that to me. If she knew what I intended to do once the place cleared, she wouldn’t be so quick to shower me with compliments.
“I have it, all right? Just don’t worry about the place. Once you come back, it’ll be like nothing happened.” And I mean it. It’ll be like Kong never existed.
She runs a hand down her exhausted face and nods. “Okay. As long as you’re sure. It does give me peace of mind knowing you’re here.”
“Don’t sweat it.” I go to leave, but she stops me.
“Bull…don’t be like me. Forty and living with regret. I never married or had a baby because I always thought there was time. But trust me, there will never be enough time. Whatever you’re thinking…don’t hesitate. Do it.”
If she realized what she was giving me permission to do, I don’t think she’d be so quick with the pep talk. But I appreciate the thought, nonetheless.
“Don’t let anyone stand in the way of what you want, Lotus,” I say, before walking out of her office, giving her my own pep talk.
It’s still early, but I decide to start my shift and go over my plans. I need to make sure I incapacitate Kong quickly, so he can’t make a run for it. I’m going to lure him in with free booze and women. There will be neither.
Once he lets his guard down, I will strike and be one step closer to avenging my brother.
I spend the next few hours scoping out any possible escape routes as I need to make sure my plan is airtight. Kong looks like a screamer, so I’ll have to gag him right away.
Ricky announces a new dancer, interrupting my murderous thoughts. I haven’t seen her before. Looking at the clock behind the bar, I see that Tawny is supposed to be up. I make eye contact with Ricky, who shrugs.
Last I saw, she was with some old creeper who wanted a lap dance. But that was over an hour ago.
Making my way through the club, I walk down the corridor, going straight for the room Tawny likes to use for her private dances. I don’t bother knocking and barge through the door, and what I see has me seeing red—literally.
Tawny lies in the middle of the floor, covered in blood. She is groaning, her broken body trembling with winded whimpers. She’s alive. Sprinting to where she is, I drop to my knees and look at the damage inflicted on her. Her face is swollen, beaten without mercy.