“I doubt you’d listen to me even if I said no.”
Aran’s so right. With my prize just downstairs, there’s no way I’ll sit still once I’ve closed the deal.
“Hello, gentlemen,” the owner says, sliding into the booth. “How have you been?”
We go through the mandatory small talk before we get down to business, my leg bouncing the entire time. I’m good at handling clients because it’s part of the job, and I usually don’t mind it. My charm and intimidation do half the hard lifting, but I’m a little out of it today, finding it difficult to keep my focus on the conversation when the man I can’t stop thinking about is here.
He’s moved on from the bar to the dance floor and is currently swaying his body to the rhythm of a j-pop song.His motions are fluid and I can’t help but imagine how it would feel to have him pressed against me.
“So, you want to increase the number of security personnel?” the club owner asks, pulling me out of my wandering thoughts.
I turn my attention to him and smile. “Yes. The Nebisu and Haikei Groups have been more active lately. We’re increasing security numbers across all the Akiyama establishments.”
“Oh? Are they targeting the Group’s assets?”
I smile, crossing my legs as I lean back into the plush couch. “I wouldn’t go as far. We merely wish to avoid any disruptions to the businesses in our care. Or unpleasant encounters.”
The club owner hums, batting glitter-infested eyelashes at me. “I expect to keep the same retainer.”
He’s ballsy, this one. But since my father didn’t order a higher rate, I’ve no reason to pressure him. For now, anyway. Honestly, it shouldn’t even have been me coming here tonight, but Murata, the lieutenant who oversees this area, was too busy roughing up the Star Hotel chain CEO. Something or other about the smartass trying to steal funds from our casino.
“Of course,” I say. “The rate will remain the same.”
“Splendid.” The owner claps, giving me a sultry smile as he picks up the contract I’ve left on the table. He gives it a quick scan and takes his name stamp out of his pocket. A further minute and the document is signed and back in my possession. “Pleasure doing business with you. Help yourself to anything from the bar. It’s on the house.”
I appreciate the offer, and I’d have taken advantage of it any other time. But getting wasted doesn’t interest me tonight. I’ve got way more exciting things in mind.
Once the owner has left, I turn to Aran and toss him the contract. “We’ll stick around for a bit. Try and chill. I’ll be downstairs.”
He knits his eyebrows and opens his mouth to say something, but just waves me off in the end. “Just don’t do anything stupid.”
I wink at him. “I’ll try.”
I slip out of the booth, opting for the stairs. They are partially glassed-off like the VIP floor, with light strips running along the side corners. Since they are situated behind the bar, they don’t offer a good vantage point, but I find a spot about halfway down that offers a decent view of the dance floor. Immediately, my eyes are drawn to Leo. I don’t even know how I manage to pick him out of the massive crowd of clubbers so fast, but I don’t dwell on it. He intrigues me and that’s enough of a reason for me.
Grinning, I trace his shape on the glass with my finger. He’s shown he has bite. That he’s not afraid to turn my offer down and oppose me. The question is whether he is ready to suffer the consequences of that and the interest he sparked in me.
Chapter 12
I’m having a greattime. The couple of drinks definitely helped. I’ve got a slight buzz going on, not enough to make tonight a blast yet, but I’m in no rush. It’s just after eleven, so we’ve got plenty of time to have even more fun.
“Hey, Naomi—” I spin around to where I remember last seeing her. She’s not there and neither is the chick with the badass mermaid make-up and glittery crop top.
I blink a few times as my brain works through that information. The music changes to a quicker song and Rob, the guy from Texas with the sports car addiction, shouts like a cowboy. The girl he’s dancing with cheers, attacking his mouth as he gropes her tits.
Shaking my head, I smile. I bet Naomi is up to no good, too. Restroom maybe? Or the alleyway out back?
A shiver crawls down my back at the thought of a dark, dingy back street. Pinpricks cover my skin. Suddenly, I feel like I’m being watched, like someone is about to bust into the club and start a fight with me because I beat up their gangster friends.
“Chill, Leo, no one’s coming for you,” I mutter to myself, heading to the bar for another drink. Or maybe to be near people I know so I can feel safer.
It proves harder to make my way there than it was to get to the dance floor. The club is now packed to the brim. Most of the people are too drunk to notice me even as I try to shoutsumimasenover the blasting music. The feeling that someone is here for me intensifies, making my stomach twist in like it does when I’m about to walk into something I’ll regret.
As I fight my way through college kids and tourists so I can get to the bar and drink the rest of my sobriety away, I scan my surroundings. The feeling just under my skin heightens even further, making me overly aware of my breathing and the cold sheen of sweat soaking my clothes.
I imagine this is what rabbits go through when they sense a predator nearby. I don’t see one though. It’s like something in my brain just clicked and decided I was in danger for no reason. Two minutes ago, I was having fun, and now I’m spooked like a kid about to do a dare at a graveyard.
Is it because I lost Naomi?
