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God bless my mother. I don’t know how I’ll cope without her.
Chapter 14
Romano
It’s been nearly a week since I dropped Rory off at her apartment and I think she’s avoiding me. I was hoping she might have come around after I admitted I wanted more than one night. But she’s determined to pretend she’s not interested in me, which fucks me right off.
Not that I have had much time to think about it. The last few days have been a complete shit-show. My brother’s girl was taken, and he completely lost his shit. Luckily, we found her before it was too late and cleaned up the mess, aka Dimitri and his crew. That asshole is now buried under several tons of concrete. RIP. Not.
I met Cara at Salvo’s wedding and she’s cute, but not exactly like the usual kind of woman he goes for. Not that he’s talked to me much about her; he seems to be keeping his cards close to hischest for once. Cara left the hospital yesterday and he’s been in a foul fucking mood ever since, so I assume things are not going well. The only bit of information I got out of him was that she’s gone to stay with some aunt and then he nearly bit my head off when I asked if she was coming back. I’ve left him alone since then. I have enough of my own shit going on, although I can relate to the whole ‘I don’t understand women’ vibe he’s giving off.
Kat is still getting on my last nerve. I walked into my office last night to find her naked on my desk. I wish the stupid bitch would get the fucking message. How many times do I need to tell her, for fuck’s sake?
I need a fucking drink. Like yesterday. The bottle I keep in my desk drawer is empty, so I take a walk to the bar for another one. Gio hands over a new bottle of Scotch and tilts his head toward the stage.
“New girl is popular,” he comments.
I follow his line of sight and every muscle in my body tenses. It’s relatively early and the club is quiet, but all the assholes in here are watching her. She’s mesmerizing. The girl can dance for sure, but it’s obvious she’s dancing for her own enjoyment rather than to titillate her audience. Yes, some of the moves are sexual, but it’s more that she has a natural grace many of the other girls just don’t possess.
The song ends and she drops to the stage, her milky white skin gleaming with sweat. That vibrant red hair of hers drapes in thick waves over her perky breasts and I imagine how it feltcoiled around my fist as I drove into her with my cock. Then she looks up and catches my eye. The hum of background noise fades and it’s just the two of us. Her tongue flicks out to moisten her lips. Dollar bills are tossed on the stage, but she ignores them.
My cock is hard as stone in my pants. Fuck, I want her so badly. Just as I’m about to step forward, a hand slides around my bicep, and the moment is broken. Rory turns away and starts collecting her tips while Kat says something I don’t bother listening to. She could be reciting a fucking purchase order for all I care.
“Was there something you needed?” I snap, extricating her fingers from my arm.
She scowls at me, her red lips pursed together like a cat’s asshole. I can smell the menthol cigarettes she likes with an undertone of musky perfume, and it turns my stomach. Rory smells fresh, like vanilla and cherries. So damned lickable.
“The new girl is causing problems,” Kat snipes.
“What kind of problems?” Kat is stirring shit. She’s jealous and she wants Rory out. Well tough fucking shit.
“She refuses to interact with the customers.”
“We don’t pay her to do lap dances, Kat. She isn’t obligated to talk to anyone if she doesn’t want to.” I walk away but Kat tags along like an irritating fucking mosquito.
“Well, she’s also bitchy with the other girls. It’s causing bad blood.”
“And this is my problem because?”Give me fucking strength.
“I thought you’d want to know,” Kat huffs indignantly.
I stride into my office, just managing to resist the urge to slam the door in her face.
“I’m not interested in squabbles between the dancers, Kat, but know this: the bar take is up on the nights she dances, so she isn’t going anywhere. I don’t give a fuck if you’re jealous. Get the fuck over it or find somewhere else to work. Are we clear?”
“I’m not jealous!”
I snort.
Then I lean forward. She crossed a line, and she knows it. Her throat bobs as she swallows hard, fear blooming in her eyes. “We fucked twice, Kat. It wasn’t exactly memorable, and I won’t be making the same mistake again. Now get the fuck out of my office!”
Not bothering with the glass, I take a deep gulp of whiskey, enjoying the smooth peaty flavor. Some of the tension eases away and I settle back in my leather chair. I doubt Kat will bother me again this evening, so I may as well get started on Rory’s background check. I always do a check when we hire new staff, to make sure they’re not FBI informants or affiliated with other criminal organizations hoping to get a man - or woman - on the inside. It’s standard protocol.
If I’d known her actual name six months ago, I would have found her after she ghosted me but now that I do have it, I can find out what she’s hiding. Because there has to be something. I don’tbelieve she’d be so determined to deny this thing between us if she wasn’t hiding something.
Chapter 15
Rory
