Watermelon Jolly Rancher.
Nico.
That motherfucker!
“You look tense. First time?” he murmurs against my ear.
Rage bubbles in my veins and my hand twitches at my side, aching to twist around and smack the shit out of him. But as much as I’d wanted to surprise him and rekindle our connection, I’m fighting the urge to pummel the crap out of him for trying to hit on me right now. A stranger, as far as he knows! My chest tightens. Is this his game? And Max? My rat ass brother must know what Nico has been up to, and yet he never said a goddamn word. Sonofabitch. They’re both dead to me.
I give a quick nod since I don’t want Nico to hear my voice. Yet. I am such an idiot! I swallow hard to find a golf ball-sized lump lodged in my throat. How could he? Jesus Christ, I knew there was some seedy shit that went on here, but I never imagined he’d be unfaithful.
I’m so fucking naïve!
He still hasn’t seen my face, but his grip tightens around my waist. “Come with me. I have a private room. Let me relax you.”
My eyes sting with tears, and I have to bite my lip to keep the expletives from exploding out of my mouth. I blink fast, staring up at the ceiling. If this is how he plays, better that I find out now before I’m too devastated by his betrayal.
Images of Nico in his elusive private room screwing random women with fake boobs and killer bodies rapidly wallpaper my mind as the seconds pass. The threads of my heart have already begun to unravel. Oh, crap. Who am I trying to kid? I’m already beyond devastation.
Christ, how much more pathetic can I be?
I spin around and peel his hand off my waist. “You are fucking disgusting!” I hiss, pushing past him and the rest of the onlookers who are much more interested in the threesome that has just become a full-on gang bang.
He grabs my wrist before I can navigate this damn carpet in these heels and flips me around so my back is against the wall. Electronica pounds with such force that I can barely make out his next words. “You want to make me work for it?” he growls at me. His hand reaches under my dress, sliding against my lace thong. “This pussy is dripping for me. I know you want it.”
I’d love to say I didn’t hear what he said. But I did. And I can’t unhear it.
I wiggle in his grasp, gritting my teeth. “Let me go, you scumbag!”
“Why are you struggling?” Nico’s lips curl into a sexy smirk as he leans farther into me. “Is that the kind of game you want to play tonight, Shaye? You missed my cock so much that you came here to find it?”
I gasp. “H-how did you know it was me?”
He runs a hand down the front of my dress, his breath hot against my skin. “You think I wouldn’t recognize this body?” His head dips lower, lips scorching a path down toward my breasts as his voice nuzzles my skin. “This neck, these hips, this ass…you think you could ever fool me? You really thought a wig would throw me off?”
I let out a deep sigh and throw my head back, giving him full access. He can peel me out of this dress right here and now, and I’d be just fine with it.
“I thought you were trying to hit on me,” I mumble.
“I was. Did it work?”
I narrow my eyes. “Maybe. Do you make appearances at all of the shows down here, or just the really sick and twisted ones?”
He leans forward, his lips grazing mine. “I think the more pressing question is why haven’t I seen that dress before?”
“Well, I was saving it for you. But since we never spend the night together anymore, I figured if I wanted you to see it, I needed to bring it to you at your ‘home away from home.’”
Nico pulls away, a conflicted expression shadowing his face. Even the strobe lights can’t eclipse that look. It’s the same look I’d seen that night he killed Cappodamo, the same look I see every now and then when he thinks I’m not paying attention.
But I am. Always.
“Come with me.” He pulls me out into the hallway of harems, sidestepping the crowd of gaping voyeurs and their entertainment. I try to keep up with his pace, but the heels make it impossible. Luckily, he turns a corner and pulls out a key from his pocket. He glances around, sticks the key into the door, and pushes it open.
A few candles are scattered around the room, so I can make out some key shapes, the most impressive being the large bed in the center of the space. But Nico doesn’t pull me over to it. He rests his hands on my shoulders and leans his forehead against mine.
“Why did you come here tonight, Shaye? It’s dangerous for you to be here. I told you to stay away.”
I shake my head. “I couldn’t,” I mutter. “Not anymore. Everything that’s happened…it’s taken a toll on you. On us. I just wanted…” I run my fingers through my hair. “Look, I need you, Nico. I want things to be the way they were before. I feel like I’m losing you, and I thought if I came here, we could…” I shrug and avert my eyes. “I don’t know. Find ourselves again? I know that probably sounds stupid, but I—”