I pull up out front and valet the vehicle, handing the keys over to the attendant on duty. “Sir, it’s good to see you again.”
I offer him the keys and a twenty, and the young man hands me a ticket for the valet. Not that I need it. Everyone who works here knows who I am. While Dante owns the club, I’ve helped manage it, handle the hires, and deal with the problems that arise from time to time.
Paige raises an inquisitive eyebrow and leans into me. Her body grazes against mine as she leans in to whisper into my ear. “I can’t believe you let them valet your car.”
“Dante’s car,” I correct her with a sly grin.
“Sir,” the bouncer gives the nod and opens the door of us.
I wrap my arm around Paige’s waist as I lead her inside, past the bouncer, claiming her as my own. If he so much as looks at her the wrong way, he’s dead.
The bouncer doesn’t ask for either of our identifications. We look well past twenty-one, and he’s also not going to bother me if he wants to keep his precious job.
Her eyes rake over the inside of the club. Pulse-pounding music reverberates against the walls as I lead her back toward the VIP lounge.
“Fancy,” she says as I push back the plush cranberry velvet curtain.
I secure the curtain back so that we can aren’t hidden away. There aren’t too many guests tonight, and I didn’t bring her here to fuck her. If I’d have wanted to do that, we could have done so in her bedroom.
There’s a long sofa and a glass table situated low on the ground. I sit down and Paige sits beside me but leaves ample space between us.
I should have let her sit down first so I could scoot closer. I’ll rectify that mistake before the night is over.
Hell, before she’s finished her first drink for the night.
The newest hire, Ashlee, who barely looks twenty-one, saunters over toward us. “Can I get you both drinks?”
“Long Island Iced Tea,” Paige says.
“I’ll have my usual,” I say.
Ashlee gives a brief nod and a smile and hurries out of the VIP lounge. She’s short and blonde, cute, but not my type. Ashlee is too young. I prefer a woman with more life experience than straight out of high school and eager to please any man she can get her claws into.
I shift on the sofa, turning to face Paige, and rest my arm on the back of the chair. I can easily caress her neck if I let my fingers wander, but I don’t.
Not yet.
It’s tempting, but she’s not mine.
At least not yet.
I want to make her mine and hear her beg for me to bring her pleasure.
“Let’s talk,” I say as I stare into Paige’s mesmerizing gaze. “You met a mother at the park.”
Let her think I’m trying to make small talk.
Ashlee is quick to return with our drinks and places them on the glass table. I lean forward to grab my coke and in the process, scoot closer toward Paige.
“Is this why you brought me out? To liquor me up so that I’d talk to you about Ariella?” She reaches for her drink and brings the glass to her lips.
I quirk a sideways grin. “You’ve figured me out.”
What I want to know is what that brat Ariella told Paige about my family.
I don’t let on that I intend on staying completely sober, and while I have no intention of physically taking advantage of her, I will get her to tell me everything.
“Yeah, well, it wasn’t that hard,” Paige says. She sips her drink before placing the glass back on the table. “And yes, I met a mom at the playground. Not a surprise. Although I do have a few questions for you.”
“I would expect nothing less,” I say. How much did she tell Paige about the Ricci family?
I don’t know much about Ariella, but I am blatantly aware that she’s married to one of those Eagle Tactical fellows, a real pain in my ass.
This means Paige’s new friend needs to be kept away from the compound for her own good. I’d hate to have to ruin an innocent friendship with a bullet.