Getting up, I drained my martini, which was a crime, then I tossed two hundred dollars cash on the table. “I’m sorry about the mess, Nick. I’ll see myself out. Hopefully, the next time I stop by, it will be less eventful.”
“Ah yeah… bye, Astin,” Nick answered, stunned as he handed the idiot a wad of cocktail napkins.
Leaving the restaurant, I decided to walk down the street since it was full of bars, eateries, and music venues. It was late enough that all the business people were heading home and the lull between shifts in nightlife began. I pulled out a cigarette and lit it, taking a drag as I walked, enjoying the taste of the tobacco. I didn’t smoke often, but sometimes it settled your nerves after an irritating encounter like I’d just experienced.
There was no way I was giving up on my quest for the perfect night out. I knew it was going to get better when I spotted a little hole-in-the-wall Italian restaurant,Fatti a Mano. As part of my education, I learned Italian, French, and Spanish, along with a moderate skill in Mandarin. These were the common languages I’d need for dealing with international business. It also came in handy when you heard your waiter speaking to the chef in Italian.
I called out to them in Italian, asking for some recommendations on what to eat. Giuseppe, the owner and chef, told me he’d take care of it and was off to cook me a meal. Twenty minutes later, I was gorging myself on chicken alfredo and delightful white wine, chatting with Giuseppe. He immigrated from Italy thirty years ago and started this restaurant shortly after getting settled. Giuseppe was so pleased to be able to speak in his native language that I got a free dessert out of it.
He tried to tell me not to pay for any of it, but that wasn’t going to happen. I wanted this place to survive because it was about to become a favorite. Glancing at my watch, I knew the party Daddy set up was starting, but I wasn’t done having fun yet. I needed to find someplace to get at least one dance in and have another drink without morons bothering me.
“Giuseppe, where do the young people like to go around here to dance?” I asked since he told me he had kids around my age.
“There’s a place a few blocks down that all the young people talk about. They play music that’s just noise… I don’t know how they can stand it,” Giuseppe answered, shaking his head.
I had to hold back a chuckle since it sounded perfect to me. “Thank you for everything, the meal was amazing.” Kissing him on the cheek, I slipped him a hefty tip into his apron so he wouldn’t yell at me for doing it.
“Go on, have fun, and don’t go home with any strangers. You’re too nice of a girl to get into trouble like that,” he cautioned as I left, giving him a wave.
He hadn’t been lying when he said everyone liked to party at this place. There was already a line of people waiting outside the club. I didn’t bother waiting. Instead, I walked right up to the door with all the confidence that I’d be let in. The bouncer took one lecherous look at me, grinned, and opened the door, allowing me in.
The room was full of smoke so you could see the laser show they were doing throughout the place that moved to the beat of the music. My first stop was to get a drink, then I was going to dive into the mass of half-dressed sweaty people grinding on each other. Weaving my way through the crowd, I found the horseshoe-shaped bar. I leaned past a burly man in a fishnet shirt with massive gauges and amazing eyeliner to be seen by the bartender. The big guy noticed and stepped over, giving me a little more room.
“Thanks, man,” I yelled, then motioned to my eyes. “I like your eyeliner… that shit’s on point.”
He gave me a toothy grin and motioned to my outfit. “That combination is dope… love a confident woman in leather.”
Laughing, I slapped him on the arm. “You know what, I like you. You have good taste.”
The bartender finally came over and got my drink order. The club was sweltering with all the bodies, so I made a judgment call. When the bartender came back, I slipped her a substantial tip. “Can you keep my jacket back here, please? I came solo and have no place to put it where it will be safe.”
“Sure thing, babe, just don’t forget it, or I’m totally stealing it,” she answered with a wink.
“That’s fair,” I answered and took my drink, leaving the bar to let someone else in.
Over the years, I learned money might not bring you happiness, but it sure made things easier. Besides, I had plenty, so why not give back to those who deserve good things to happen to them. You treat me right, and I’ll do the same in return. Cross me, and you’ll see an incredibly different side of this bitch.
Once I finished the drink, I slipped into the undulating sea of people, letting them pull me in and surround me. I drifted until I came to a stop toward the middle of the dance floor and let my body move with the music. Most women who were on the taller side didn’t like to wear heels as a rule of thumb. I didn’t mind since it brought me to about six feet and helped keep my head above water in places like this. Over the years, I’d snuck out once or twice to a dance club, but none of them in Huntingford had been this epic. Relishing the freedom, letting the bass beat echo through my chest, I floated from one dance partner to another with no concept of time.
A new set of strong hands fell on my hips, and I let them pull me back to his body. When I leaned back into him, I realized there was something off when he didn’t start dancing. He just held me there tight against his body and was noticeably happy about where my ass was rubbing.
“Astin, you’re very, very late for your own party,” a voice rumbled in my ear.
It was a voice I’d know anywhere, even if I hadn’t heard it in seven years. “Ryker.”
Twisting to face him, I looked deep into those copper and green eyes I knew so well.
A smile pulled at his lips as he held me, his hands tightening on my hips. “Hey, Tin-Tin.”
four
Myheartpoundedinmy chest as the boy who was my best friend, first love, and the man who abandoned me to live the past seven years alone.Why was he here? How did he find me?Was he working for Daddy this whole time? If so, why lie and cut me off?None of this made sense.
All I knew was I wasn’t going anywhere with him, no matter who sent him. I needed to go home. He was right about that, but I certainly wasn’t going to do anything he told me to do as if nothing had happened between us. Plastering on a fake smile, I pulled him close like I was going to hug him, then rammed my knee right into his dick.
“See you at the estate, Ry-key-kins,” I shouted as I left him there hunched over, trying to remember how to breathe.
Out of the sea of people, the guy I met at the bar appeared. “You all right?”