“Boykov is my name, Mistress,” he shared with a hint of a smile. “But if you wanted to call me Ralph, I’d be fine with that. As for your question, it wasn’t just tonight. I went to Master Ryker and asked him to assign me as lead of your personal security.”
“Now, why would you go and do a thing like that? Do you have any idea how big of a pain in the ass I am to deal with?” I blurted, shocked at his choice.
Boykov shrugged and gave me a real smile. “I’ve been working for your family for ten years, and it’s been rather boring. The boss doesn’t go out much anymore and has many other men on his team so I get stuck with door duty fairly often. Figured I could use a little entertainment in my life.”
I burst out laughing at that and slapped him on the arm. “Be careful what you wish for, Ralph. I’ll give you a week before you’re begging to be back watching who enters and leaves a room.”
“Challenge accepted,” Boykov answered. “Now I believe your male friend you pulled out of line is getting nervous. Might want to go catch him before he bolts.”
“I think you and I might actually become good friends,” I commented, then headed back to Nick. “You ready, or have I freaked you out?”
“Why do you have bodyguards?” Nick asked, looking back over my shoulder.
I let out a heavy sigh and wrapped my arm around his. “That would be because I have a father who’s far too overprotective, and I tend to get myself in trouble. Nothing I can’t get out of myself, but Daddy likes to make sure his only daughter is looked after.”
Nick didn’t say anything, just nodded and let me lead him toward the entrance. “Hey, guys, we have an add-on. This is my friend, Nick, and he made me the best martini I’d ever had. I might have also caused a small scene at the bar, so I’m getting him in as an apology.”
The three men took in Nick but didn’t really seem all that pleased about the intrusion. Then again, the mafia was always a suspicious bunch, so I shouldn’t be surprised.
“What bar did this happen at?” Braxton asked.
“Oh, The Bandit,” I answered. “I had this jackass who made a move, and he was going to throw his drink at me, so I helped him decide that wasn’t his best life choice.”
The flash of concern that appeared on Braxton’s face gave me pause, but he quickly shook it off and smiled. “Think we better get you inside before you start a riot out here.”
“Better to be safe than sorry,” Jace muttered, leading the way.
When we approached the head of the line, the bouncers took one look at our group and flew into action. The rope was lifted, and all of them stood at attention, bowing their heads slightly as we passed. Braxton paused to speak to one of them as the rest of us continued into the club. When we entered the actual club, there was a long hallway with neon lights twisting and turning to make it seem like you were walking through a portal of some sort. You could hear the music from the DJ, and the lights moved in time with the beat.
It was becoming clear why this place was called Club Illusion. Everything you saw made you look twice to see if it really looked like that or if your mind was playing tricks. The end of the hall had strings of glittering beads you had to enter through that landed you in the bar area. Two enormous horseshoe bars were on either side of the space, helping to ease the load of the massive number of people lined up three deep trying to get drinks. The bartenders worked fast, but I’m not sure it would matter with how busy the place was, people were going to have to wait.
Nick started to direct me to a spot that opened up when Luca held out a hand and stopped him. He shook his head and motioned for us to follow him. Off to one side, there was another set of stairs going up with two guards posted. They recognized Jace and Luca then their gaze landed on me. One of them actually gawked at me, mouth hanging open and everything.
As we passed, I used a finger to close it for him. “Careful, wouldn’t want people to think you’ve never seen a woman before.” His jaw snapped shut so hard I could hear his teeth clink. I gave his cheek a soft pat. “That’s much better.”
At the top of the stairs, I could see the main dance floor which was breathtaking. The floor was made out of something like shattered glass, letting the laser lights reflect off it, shattering the beam into a million pieces. The stage was at the back of the room with a massive projector screen with whatever graphic or movie the DJ wanted to pair with his music. The place was amazing all the way around, and I was beyond impressed with Braxton’s skills.
The upper floor was clearly for VIPs and had its own bar which was where we were headed. There was another staircase that went right down to the dance floor, meaning when I was ready, I didn’t need to fight through the other room to get my groove on.
“What can I getcha?” the bartender asked, looking at me first.
“This place have a signature drink?” I inquired.
“Sure does, and it’s pretty awesome. Some clubs try too hard to make something overly complicated or flashy but not this place. They picked good liquor to work with and solid mixers we can use,” he gushed.
“Then make me the best drink this place has to offer,” I announced. He nodded and checked in with the others who gave their order.
“Astin,” Nick called, drawing my attention. “You’ve got to be honest with me, who are you?”
I reached out and fixed his shirt collar, leaning in so he could hear me better. “I’m not going to tell you that tonight. We’re going to have fun, live it up, and if you still want to know or feel it matters, then before we leave, I’ll give you the answer you’re looking for.”
Nick looked confused but nodded as the bartender passed out drinks. I picked up mine and took a sip, grinning at how good it was. I felt a hand rest on my lower back, making me tense until I heard him speak. “So what do you think?” Braxton asked.
Glancing over my shoulder, I grinned. “It’s amazing. I’m totally impressed.”
“Thank fuck for that. It was my first solo job without having to check things over with the boss. To hear you say that means I did all right for myself,” Braxton shared. “Come on, we’ve got an area reserved for when we come to visit the club. We can enjoy our drink then head down to the dance floor. I didn’t really get to see the other night, but you can dance, right?”
Laughing, I shoved him back. “Dick, yes, I can dance. I might have been raised differently, but I made sure I learned what really matters in the world.”