My city is at peace, the war between the bosses put to rest. I’m on top, but I still have to keep my eyes open for trouble. Trouble comes in the form of a runaway who takes a job dancing at my club. Thing is, she isn’t meant for the stage. Diamond is meant just for me. She’s got curves I want to sink my teeth into, and she’s as innocent as she is sexy.
I love that about her, but I hate the men in her life who told her she wasn’t beautiful, who told her she wasn’t the right size or the right shape. Everything about my Diamond is perfect, and I’ll spend the rest of my life proving it to her.
When I find out who she really is, that’s when things get even more dangerous. But it doesn’t matter, because Diamond is all mine. I’ll go to war for her, and I’ll happily destroy anyone who tries to take her from me—even her own father.
MINK's Note: Get in your feels and hug your furry friend tight for this tale of a curvy heroine and the man who loves her unconditionally.
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
1
Devlin
Music pumps through the club, reaching all the way to the back where I sit and sip my drink.
“Boss, we’ve got three more girls who want to dance.”
“Don’t we have a full roster?” I ask.
“We do, but they’re desperate for work.” Malone taps his fingers on the door frame. “And you’re the only game in town that offers full insurance and decent pay, despite all my complaining.”
“You know why I do it.”
“Yeah.” He sighs. “I’m not going down that road again.”
“Good.” The first time he decided to barrel down it, it ended with a bruised fist for me and a black eye for him. First time and last time.
“Let them dance.”
“I already have two new girls taking the stage tonight. What am I going to do with three more?”
“Just put them to work wherever. Hire them on at the usual rate. Give them the rules. No drugs. No prostitution. Got it?”
“Got it.” He ducks out of the room as a new song starts to play, a new girl taking the stage. I don’t watch them perform, haven’t since I was a kid. When you’re about ten years old and your mom is a dancer, you quickly discover that watching the stage too closely can be a big mistake. Just the memory makes me cringe a little, but Mom had a good laugh about it.
My club is a classy joint, as these sorts of places go, anyway. No one touches the girls, and no one makes trouble. If they do, I have plenty of muscle on hand. Though I have to admit, I rather enjoy taking out the trash myself.
“Mr. Harrigan?” A woman’s voice. Brenda, the longest-serving employee on my payroll after Malone, walks up with a tray full of drinks and a long-suffering look on her face.
“What’s up?” I turn toward her.
“I have your drink.”
“Thanks.” I take it from her. “We’ve got some new girls in the back. You need any more servers out here?”
“I don’t think so.” She jerks her chin at the dark, busy club. “Everyone’s carrying their weight. If it changes, I’ll let you know.”
“Good.”
She hustles off, her stilettos steady on the carpeted floor. I don’t know how she does it. She’s in her fifties but can still work a full night on her feet and do it all over again the next day.
I have plenty of other clubs in this city and others, but I tend to gravitate toward this one. It’s the glitziest, and it’s where my business associates prefer to meet. I don’t mind. I’d rather be here than in my lonely mansion or at the top of my glittering high rise. Not that I mind being alone that much—I live a solitary life. A dangerous one. When you’re on top, everyone wants to take your head, then take your place.
“Bad news.” Malone hurries up.
“What?”
“Alonzo and his crew just rolled in.”
I glance toward the door. Alonzo is there, a smirk on his face as he tries to flirt with the first waitress he sees. Fuck, I want to punch him already.
“Boss, we just made peace.” Malone must sense my aggression, because he takes an uncharacteristically cautious tone. “Maybe they’re here to party, and that’s all.”
“That better be fucking all.” I crack my knuckles and stand.
One of the waitresses—a thin blonde—walking past us notices and does a double-take, staring at me with interest in her eyes.
I wave her away.
She stumbles a little but then rights herself and struts to the bar, giving me a look over her shoulder as she goes.
“All you have to do is stand up.” Malone shakes his head. “This is bullshit. I’ve been trying to ball that chick for a week.”
I shrug. It doesn’t matter. I’m not interested in preying on the women who work for me. That’s not who I am. “Don’t fuck the staff.” I give Malone a glare.
“I’m not. She keeps turning me down.” He grins.
I don’t have time for his bullshit, not when Alonzo is striding straight for the stage. He telegraphs trouble loud and clear. This isn’t some conciliatory visit. He wants to start shit, even though all the families just called a truce a week ago. I wasn’t heavily involved in the last war, but I chose a side. Olivia Langetti, a longtime friend of my mother’s, has had my allegiance for almost a decade, and I’ll always fight at her side. Alonzo chose the wrong side, so here we are. A truce where his family has to pay extra for their poor showing in the war and their bad judgment in starting it.
“Keep eyes on him. If he starts anything, I’ll finish it.” I grab my drink and down it, then cross my arms over my chest.
The dancer leaves the stage, and a new song starts. Some fluffy, cute song about fireworks and kittens.