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His lips spread in to a wide grin. “You need to relax, darlin’.”

Yes, I do.

“Let’s get a drink to calm you down.” He passed her and grabbed her wrist in a secure but painless hold. Unlike her, Gent moved through the crowd with complete ease. In fact, he didn’t have to push through the crowds. They moved for him.

He stopped at a pub table a few feet from the bar. It was occupied by three men and two women. Clearly, there wasn’t any room for them. But Gent wedged himself between the women and knocked on the table gaining their attention.

“This table is taken.” He jerked his head, and the three men immediately grabbed their drinks and walked away without question. He pulled on Imogene’s arm, and she bumped into his shoulder.

The women, however, made no move to leave. They smiled at Gent, eyeing him with a flirty gaze.

“Can we stay?”

Gent smirked. “No, you can get the fuck away from my table.”

The women lost their smiles and turned to Imogene. Her mouth fell open, and she darted her eyes between the women and Gent. This put her in an awkward position.

“They can stay if they want.”

Gent leaned closer, and his warm breath tickled her ear. “What they want is to suck my dick and have me eat them out. I got this little tongue trick thing I do. Had the blonde cumming all over my face two nights ago in record time.”

Did he just say that out loud?

Gent laughed, sliding his arm over her shoulder, and she immediately stiffened. “That’s all they’re after, so no darlin’, they can’t stay.” He paused, turning to the women and losing his smile. The air chilled. “And ’cause this is my house, when I tell someone to get the fuck out, they gotta go. I’m thinking these two don’t wanna leave the party just yet, so they’ll leave my table ’cause I told them to.” Gent slid his hand over her back, addressing the women. “As much as I know you both enjoy a spanking and some hair pulling, you ain’t gonna like my method of making you leave if I gotta tell you twice. But hey” —his gaze darkened, sending a shiver down Imogene’s spine— “you wanna test me?”

Oh shit.

The girls disappeared within seconds. Imogene was caught in a trance. Did that really just happen? In a surprise move, Gent pulled out her seat and gestured for her to sit. And she did.

Imogene shifted on her stool, replaying Gent’s speech on repeat. Who spoke like that to people? Imogene was all about honesty, but Gent took it to another level.

“You alright, darlin’?”

Imogene peeked up through her lashes.

“You know, they say kindness goes a long way.” He folded his arms and rested them on the table with his head angled toward her. His lips spread into a smile, and he scanned her face.

“Is that what they say?”

Imogene nodded.

“Yeah, that’s not really my thing.” He winked and lifted his hand, and a prospect showed up out of nowhere.

“Bring me a whiskey on ice.” He smiled at her. “What would you like, darlin’?”

It was insane how this man could change his demeanor in an instant. Charming one minute and threatening the next, and seconds later, he was being sweet. Gent was a walking red flag. And possibly, a serial killer. What have I gotten myself into? She swallowed the knot in her throat.

“Um, can I have a tequila with lime?”

“You can have anything you want.”

The prospect rushed toward the bar. She stiffened when Gent rested his arm on the back of her chair. He hadn’t touched her again, but his closeness put her on edge. She needed to lighten the intense mood. She blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

“So, what’s the tongue trick?”

Gent flattened his lips, seemingly holding back his amusement, but she read through it.

“Want me to show you?”