Despite Skull’s warning—keep your hands to yourself—I launch forward in these goddamn heels and throw my arms around Jai’s neck, drawing gasps and whispers from all around us. I press my mouth to his, kissing his full lips like they’re the key to immortality, and I melt into him as peace washes over me. He can’t hold me, but he rubs his fingers back and forth against my thigh, letting me know he wants to.
“What are you looking at?” Joel snaps, his chains clashing as he tugs on them. “Mind your own damn business.”
I break the kiss and rest my forehead against Jai’s.
“I don’t have an engagement ring on me obviously,” he admits, “but I’ll get you one and it’ll be the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen.”
I glance away from his intense dark blue eyes as a warm blush spreads into my cheeks. “I don’t need a ring. Your word is enough.”
“Look at me.” He touches his lips to mine, a tender kiss I barely feel. I lock eyes with him. “We’re gonna get out of here. I promise you won’t spend another night in his bed.”
I frown. How can he promise that? I gasp, startling and tightening my grip on Jai’s neck as heavy hands grab my waist. I make a tight noise in my throat and I’m tugged away from him, an ugly, cold space separating us from each other. My future husband. Being away from him, even a foot, fills me with the greatest sorrow I’ve ever felt.
“Good to see you two are enjoying the party,” Skull snaps, squeezing me against his side with a fixed hand on my hip.
“We were,” Jai sneers, the unpleasant expression somehow stunning on his face. “Until you interrupted.”
“It’s a good thing I did. You two were creating quite the scene.” He snatches a small flute of champagne from a passing tray and tips it back with a loud gulp before tossing the empty glass over his shoulder. “This is a classy revelry, didn’t you know?”
His Australian accent slips through in his words and I hate it. Smirking, Skull angles his body toward me, pressing his palm to my intricate, silver bodice.
“Classy?” Joel simpers. “I guess that was lost in translation—if you touch me again, I’ll take your fucking fingers off!” He barks at the same woman who touched him earlier.
Didn’t she know better?
“Careful, Joel,” Skull simpers. “Don’t make me muzzle you. You remember how much you hated it last time, don’t you?”
Joel ignores him, and I notice he’s more agitated than usual. It’s not completely unwarranted given the fact he’s detained like an animal, and is being paraded around like a trophy. His attention flickers across the room to Monique and a sad, needy look flashes over his face. If he misses her as much as I miss Jai, then I truly feel sorry for him. It’s an emptiness I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. I peer at Skull. I don’t have to wish it on him. He already feels it and that emptiness is what made him who he is today. I wonder if he’d have gone down a different path if his wife were alive? If he had his child who’d depend only on him?
“Did our Kitten tell you about later?”
My tummy rolls as Jai’s eyes turn stormy, his jaw tightening. “She’s not ours.”
“Well, no. Not yet.” Skull grabs a flute of glittering champagne as another tray passes. This time, he hands it to me. I take it and swallow it quickly. “Tonight, I’ll allow you one last taste and then she’s mine. I’ve set some ground rules. You can’t kiss her on the mouth nor can you lick her pussy. Those are reserved strictly for me. Everything else is fair game.”
I choke on air and quickly cover my mouth as I flick my attention to Jai. He seethes, his perfect teeth bared. “Over my dead body.”
Skull chuckles and I cringe at how delighted he is by Jai’s heartbreaking anguish. Every time he opens his mouth to speak about me, Jai’s features fill with pain and I crumble just a little bit more.
“If you’re dead, it wouldn’t be much of a threesome, would it?” Skull inches closer to Jai and the tension is heavy enough to suffocate the entire room. “If you’re not interested, maybe Joel will step up to the plate.”
“Stop it,” Joel scowls, throwing himself into the conversation, his voice low and gruff, filled with anger. “You’ve tormented him enough, Damien. Leave him alone.”
Skull’s smirk turns sinister, downright evil. “Don’t act like we didn’t share women when you worked for me, Stone. You did, and you fucking loved it.”
“I also loved cocaine,” he grouses, stepping forward. “Clearly I was in a bad place.”
“By now, you of all people should know there are worse places to be than between the thighs of a willing woman.”
“Not when it’s the wrong woman.”
I glance around, looking for another tray stacked with champagne. If I’m going to get through tonight, I’ll need something to take the edge off. As I turn to the left, a woman in formal black and white attire approaches. Oh, thank God. I place my empty glass on the tray and take two full ones, downing them just as quickly as the last.
“I suppose you have a point,” Skulls says on exhale and I arch an eyebrow to look at him. “In my case, Monique is the wrong woman.”
Joel frowns. “What the hell are you talking about?”
“I have to get it from somewhere since this one,” he gestures to me, “doesn’t put out.”
Joel’s features darken, his eyes turning black, and panic bubbles in my chest. What are the chances of escape if Skull shuts down the party and locks me back in the room? I need him to be happy and remain happy for the remainder of the night. I need him topped up on booze and feeling giddy, not sober and moody.
“He’s lying,” I tell Joel, surprised how calm and bored my tone is. “Monique sleeps beside me every night. I’d know if she left.” I place my hand on Skull’s elbow, eager to get him away from Joel. “Can we go, please?”
Skull’s lips pull wide as he grins down at me. “She does sleep beside you, but when your exhaustion finally takes you over and you succumb to sleep, Monique comes out to play. I’m surprised her moans don’t wake you up.”
He’s lying. She wouldn’t touch him. She wouldn’t let him touch her, not willingly, not when she has Joel, the supposed love of her life. I grimace, pulling away from him.
“She hates you.”
He lifts his shoulders a little. “That may be true, but we have history. I took her virginity, didn’t you know? And she loves my c—”
Joel’s roar catches me off guard, and the sheer rage in it sends my heart into my throat. Skull releases me with a shove to the side and I stumble, bracing myself to fall in these tall heels, but Jai snatches my dress in his hand and tugs me back, securing me against him. I drop my champagne glasses in the fray as Joel launches at Skull. His heavy body crashes against Skull’s, knocking them both to the ground. Bystanders squeal and gasp, quickly moving out of the way so they don’t get caught in the crossfire.
Jai curses in my ear. “And he told me not to do anything stupid.”
It doesn’t take Skull long to get the upper hand on Joel since he’s not cuffed. In the background, somewhere behind the crowd, I hear Monique scream and shout as Skull straddles Joel’s hips and cocks his arm back. Gritting his teeth, he punches Joel in the face. I flinch, my hands flying to my mouth to stop my heart from flying out as blood splatters Joel’s handsome face.
Jai starts forward, but I whirl on my heel, placing my small hands against the large expanse of his warm chest. Under my palms, I feel the tightness of his muscles, the way they’re coiled, ready to fight.
“Don’t,” I plead, my eyes wide. “You’re cuffed. You’ll only get hurt.”
Jai’s stormy blue eyes flick between me and Joel. Quickly, they fill with turmoil, with defeat, and he looks away, staring to the right side of the room, avoiding Skull and Joel all together.
I lower my hands to Jai’s and I swipe my thumbs over the back of them, caressing him, while Skull ruthlessly dishes out his punishment. After three punches, Skull pulls himself off Joel and straightens his jacket,
tsking at the tiny splatters of blood on the golden trimmings of his crisp, black suit. Security is on Joel in a second and he’s limp, defeated, as they drag him through the crowd and out into the foyer.
Rubbing his hands and rolling his wrists, Skull turns his volcanic glare on me. I press a little harder against Jai, wishing he could protect me from this haunting villain. “Come here.”
Swallowing, I step forward, only to be stopped by Jai’s grip at the back of my dress.
Skull shoots daggers so intense over my shoulder, I’m surprised the look alone doesn’t cut Jai’s skin. “Unless you want to end up like your brother, I suggest you let her go.”
I don’t look back at Jai. I keep my attention on Skull, praying Jai does the right thing and releases me. Three long, painful seconds pass before I feel my dress slacken. Exhaling in relief, I thread my fingers together and step forward until I settle against Skull’s side. It’s colder here than it was over there, and despair begins to trickle in, like icy winter air seeping through the cracks in the floorboards of an otherwise warm, wooden cabin. Surrounding us, the partygoers return to their conversations and the celebration is back in full swing, as if nothing happened. How can they party so freely in this prison, knowing there are people held captive here against their will?
Skull extends his elbow and I take it, holding back the urge to dig my nails in and shove him away.
“You’re not happy with me,” he states, nodding at a man in an interesting purple three-piece suit as we pass him by. “We can talk later,” he says to him.
“You didn’t have to goad Joel,” I simply reply, looking away from his terrifying side profile. “It was an unfair fight.”
“You’re saying he would have beat me if not for the handcuffs?”
Yes. “No. I’m saying the fight would have been fair if he had use of his hands.”
The muscles in his forearms tense and I look at him, my breath whooshing from my lungs at the sight of his narrowed eyes and tight jaw. Did I say something wrong?
“You think so highly of them, don’t you?”
“They have good hearts.”
“Good hearts? I can tell you a thing or two about Joel.”
I shrug. “Okay, so Joel is a little bad, but Jai—”
“Jai!” he spits. “Fuck Jai.”
Skull surges forward, pulling me along beside him. I struggle to keep up, clenching my teeth against forming blisters on the back of my heels. He pulls me right up to the large glass bar and taps the surface. Within seconds, the gentleman behind the bar pours us a small amount of whiskey into two separate crystal tumblers. He downs his quickly and quirks a brow at mine. I push it toward him. I’ve already had three glasses of champagne. I need to keep my wits about me for the night to come. Pair that with the fact Skull doesn’t drink frequently and it’s enough to put me on edge.
I glance over my shoulder across the room to Jai, who watches Skull and I closely.
“You care for him that much?”
I startle, whipping my head to meet Skull’s awful, blood-chilling glare. He swallows my drink in one large mouthful and grits his teeth. Is it such a bad thing to care for Jai? Or to think so highly of him? Is it bad to think he’s strong, funny, loyal, and kind? That he’s the greatest man I’ve ever known? I wonder if I’ve ever told Skull just how attached I am to Jai?
“I love—”
“How could you?” Monique interrupts, Laura strolling up behind her. I inch away from Skull as she stands toe to toe with him, seething through clenched teeth, allowing her tears to run freely down her face and ruin her make up. “You didn’t give him a chance to defend himself.”
He laughs, banging his glass down on the bar. “And why would I?”
“You’re a coward. You and I both know he’d kill you if he wasn’t—”
“But he is,” Skull cuts in. “And he’ll be in those chains for the rest of his miserable life.” He steps forward. “You think me punching his pretty little face was unfair? You haven’t seen anything yet.” He peers over Monique’s shoulder to Laura. “There’s a post in the backyard. Get her out of my sight.”
I stand idly by as he orders another drink and tips it back without a grimace. As we stand at the bar, he overtly ignores me, watching the crowd invade his private space instead. I don’t know if he’s waiting on me to start a conversation, to push for some kind of resolve, but I make an attempt anyway.
“Damien—”
“Unless you’re going to ask me to fuck you on the surface of this bar in front of everyone, in front of your precious Jai Stone, I’d keep my mouth shut if I were you.”
I purse my lips.
“Unsurprising.” The corners of his mouth twitch with amusement and a little disgust. “Stay here. I’ll come back when I can stomach looking at you again.”
I pull my chin in, confused. What did I do?
Skull clicks at the bartender. “Keep an eye on her. If she steps so much as an inch away from the bar, call me.”
The gentle looking bartender with the short, red curls nods before turning his black, soulless gaze on me. The anger in the depths of his stare…the hate…maybe he’s not as harmless as I first thought.
Skull storms away, melting into the crowd, and I can breathe better. I pucker my lips and blow out an exhale. Tonight has just begun and already my stress levels are through the roof.
I lean against bar toward the bartender. “Can I have a glass of water, please?”
Grabbing a glass, the skinny man doesn’t break eye contact with me, even as he commandeers the thin hose to fill my cup. When he’s done, I take the chilled glass and quickly turn my back to him. Is everyone Skull employs so unnerving? Where does he find these people? I hardly imagine he puts an ad out in the paper. Crime lord seeking moody bartender for extravagant party. Experience is a must. The successful applicant will also have oil black eyes and an unpleasant stare. An immediate start.
I lift my glass and sip at the ice-cold water, watching the room as I do it. Thankfully, no one pays me any attention as I stand there. In fact, it’s almost as if they’re avoiding me on purpose. I don’t mind it.
When the crowd gets boring, I slip onto a stool to take pressure off my throbbing feet and lean against my elbows on the bar. Laura changed my shoes at the last second, opting for six-inch crystal stilettos instead of the comfortable silver and gold pumps I tried on earlier this morning. I guess this is how she gets her revenge on me. If only I knew how to be as petty as her.
I don’t know how long I sit on the stool. It feels like hours, but there’s no clock to confirm it. Eventually, I rest my head in my hands and close my eyes. The longer I do this, the heavier my head feels and the more prominent the throb in the back of my neck becomes. It’s safe to close my eyes for a split second, right? I try it only to feel a large hand smooth over my lower back and wrap around my waist. I stiffen, steeling my spine and lifting my head. Did I doze off?
“Relax, Em,” he whispers in my ear. “I just want to dance.”
Even hushed in a whisper, Skull’s voice still has sinister, evil tones. My lips pull into a disgusted sneer of their own accord. Em? Since when did I become Em?
“So go dance.”
My eyes are heavy with sleep and I grimace against a budding headache behind my eyes. The redheaded bartender is no longer, replaced by a cute blonde with a side-braid. She serves three gentlemen to my left, her bright blue eyes not flicking in my direction. Not even once.
“With you, Kitty-Cat. I want to dance with you.”
“No.”
He slides his palm from my waist to my back, delicately tracing my spine and the curve of my ass to grip the stool. He yanks it back and I squeak, gripping the bar for support. I turn my head to look at Skull over my shoulder. He glares down his tattooed nose at me, silently threatening me with his dark eyes. I swallow my pride.
“Okay.” I place my feet on the ground, wincing at the pain that feels like the seams of my shoes were made of mini razorblades.
“I’ll dance with you.”
He plants a hand on my shoulder, pushing me back on the stool. “Your feet hurt?”
I nod. “They’ve hurt all night.”
“And you didn’t say anything?”
“You don’t care.”
Flicking a frustrated tongue over his lip, he tugs on the knees of his black slacks and bends down. With quick hands he bunches up my dress and demands I hold it. I do as I’m told. Then, he pulls the hard, crystal torture devices off my feet and I all but moan as the cool air surrounds them, instantly reducing the swelling.
Tossing them to the side, he straightens himself, brushing his palms over his suit to flick away any creases.
“Thank you.”
Turning his head, he holds out his hand and I slip mine into it. The sheer, tight pantyhose that Laura insisted I wear makes my feet slippery against the polished marble floor, but Skull doesn’t rush me through the reduced crowd, so I’m able to keep myself from sliding around.
When I’m certain I’ve got the hang of walking, I lift my stare to the space Jai occupied prior to my nap and sadness sinks like a stone in my chest when I see it empty. Where’d he go?
I gasp as Skull snags my waist and pulls me against him. Swallowing hard, I keep my stare on his lapel and not his face as he moves us into position, my hand on his shoulder, his on the small of my back.
“I can be nice,” he utters, only for me to hear, as he threads our fingers together. “I can be like Jai too.”
You’re nothing like Jai. You will never be like him.
I lift my gaze to his face. There’s a heaviness to his eyelids, not tiredness or lust but…drunkenness? How much has he had to drink? Excitement brews in my blood, making it vibrate. It might be easier to destroy him tonight than I originally thought. Hell, I could probably do it myself if my original plan, the one that involves Jai, doesn’t work out the way I see it in my head.
“You don’t have to be like Jai,” I tell him, swallowing all my distaste for him deep down into the pit of my stomach. “I like you just the way you are.”
“I want to smack your mouth for lying to me, but you’re so pretty when you talk.”