Page 23 of Chandelier Sin
Their sensual communication without words merely honored each other’s bodies. Could have been Chrysalis, or anywhere for that matter, with no sign of coercion or anything to hint of reluctance.
I remained captivated by the scene. It was easy to drift off into my imagination as I waited for each one of the three to climax, as though I needed to know how the story ends.
I was surprised that Jake had left the room.
He’d exited with that sub before we’d had a chance to talk about her. He was clearly enamored by the stray he’d saved from the Key Chamber.
I needed the fucker here.
We had work to do, which didn’t include compromising our safety to “threat level extinction” for a stranger he’d just met.
The barman came back and returned to the business of taking orders—all the while avoiding eye contact with me.
“Come here,” I said.
He complied, wearing the same frightened expression as before.
I leaned on the bar. “Who is that woman?”
“You didn’t ask her name?”
“Her last name.”
His jaw flexed with discomfort, and he looked away.
“Something you wanna tell me?” I asked dryly.
He reached for an empty glass and began wiping it with a cloth as though this conversation wasn’t happening. “Best to avoid her,” he whispered. “That’s all I’ll say.”
I set my glass down. “Why?”
“The last guy who looked her way had his nut sac cut off.”
I suspected that was a rumor begun by a jealous husband.
I finished off my drink. “I’ll do worse if you don’t talk.”
He grimaced. “I know who you are.”
“Then you know what I’m capable of.”
“I’m just here to pour drinks.”
“And look the other way?”
“Isn’t that the point, sir?”
I wasn’t getting Eve’s last name from the barman. Not tonight, anyway. More intriguing still, the guy acted like I was demanding he pass along national secrets.
Who are you, Eve?
And why is everyone so terrified to exist within your orbit?
“Hey.” Greyson grabbed my attention. “Everything okay?”
The music had morphed into a rave, and I hadn’t even noticed. The act on the table was now gone.
Greyson led me away so we could talk. “What’s going on?”
