“Never heard of it, which is a damn shame. They have some of the most beautiful waitresses there.”
I give him a tense smile and look to the girls. Izzy appears to be comfortable, but Sofia shares a similar look as mine. She’s not sure about this guy either.
“What brought you all the way out here to Brooklyn?” I say, changing the subject.
“I used to live out here. I still come for this club. Ivory’s honestly one of the best.”
“It is.” I look around the room as I answer him. I’m partial to Ivory. It’s a nice club that usually only attracts people from Brooklyn. It helps that it’s one of the safest clubs—even more so for me now with Sofia shacked up with Bash. I bet we have guards watching us right now.
“Do you want to dance?” Jeff asks, bringing my attention back to him.
“Yeah, go dance, Mia. We can watch your drink.”
Izzy gives me a knowing look, while Sofia looks as if she wants to stop me.
“Sure,” I hesitantly say.
We stand, but before I make it too far, Sofia grabs my arm. “Are you sure about this? This game you’re playing can be complicated. Is this truly the road you want to take, or is this the one you feel forced into?” she whispers to me.
I pull back and look at her. Sofia’s truly worried about me, and it touches my heart. Before Izzy and Sofia, I had been closed off. Cold. I didn’t have the normal warm and fuzzy childhood most had. Instead, I had a criminal father and a mother who answered his beck and call. I honestly think I was an accident. They say I wasn’t, but their lack of nurturing says different.
“I know what I’m doing, Sof, but I appreciate your concern.” My voice rings with conviction I wish I actually possessed. Honestly, I have a feeling this might blow up in my face, but I won’t know until I try.
Her face transforms as I watch a mask fall into place. “Have fun, babe.”
I look back and find Jeff a few steps ahead, waiting for me. “Sorry. Let’s dance.”
He leads me out onto the dance floor below and immediately pulls my back into his front. I feel uncomfortable with the closeness, but Izzy gives me an approving nod as I look up to the VIP section. I guess this is going the way she planned. Having his paws all over me isn’t exactly part of my plan.
I dance with him anyway. Every time his hands try to slip off my hips, I put them back. When he leans in to kiss me neck, I pull away, but his hands tighten on my hips almost painfully, holding me in place.
“Come on, baby. You know you like it.”
“I don’t. Let me go!”
I struggle a minute more before his weight behind me disappears. I turn around and find him being dragged away by a security guard.
“You okay?” someone whispers in my ear, and a chill rolls down my body.
I nod as I turn to face him.
Lorenzo.
I didn’t actually expect him to be here. I can’t help but wonder if he’s been here long or just showed up.
“Did he hurt you?”
“No. I could handle it myself.”
He lets out a humorless laugh. “Sure.”
I don’t miss the sarcastic his tone. I punch him in his chest. “You’re such a jerk.”
His hand reaches out and grabs my hip. “If you want to dance with a man who is going to run his hands all over your body, then pick someone of a higher class.”
I step into his embrace. Feeling bold, I run my hand down his chest. I don’t miss the change in his breathing. “Someone like who? You?”
He gulps. “No. Not me.”
