Page 32 of Pain and Pleasure

I feel both the shots and my drinks creep up on me more as we start to dance, swaying bodies move against us, but I don't mind. I get lost in the lights, music and my buzz. Ricky leans down to tell me he's getting another drink at the bar, and I nod. After a few minutes, I feel a hand on my lower back and turn and expect to see Ricky, but instead, I am greeted with an unfamiliar face.

It's a man I don't know and he's smiling at me. His face is warm, dark brown eyes looking me up and down as he moves closer to my swaying body. I feel instantly uncomfortable and try to move away, but his arm snakes around my waist and pulls me closer to him. I start to push at his chest, searching for Ricky but coming up short.

"Let go of me. I need to find my friend." I shout, knowing he can hear me over the music.

He smiles slowly at me and ignores my attempts at fleeing, pulling me closer.

"You were having such a great time, though. Stay awhile," he says, confidence in his voice as I continue to tell him no.

I push against him one more time when I hear Dante's voice behind me.

"She said to let her go," he growls.

The man narrows his eyes at him, still gripping me as Dante walks closer. I feel his sinister energy pour off him in waves. He snatches the man's hands that are gripping me and pulls them from my body. I leave his grasp as he stands nose to nose with Dante, not backing down and completely unaware that he's about to piss off the most deadly man in the world.

"I'd step away before you regret it," he growls at the man, but he just laughs in his face as Dante steps back.

"Yeah? What're you going to do about it?" he slurs out at Dante.

Before he can even respond, I step forward, tired of feeling like a helpless damsel in distress when it comes to him.

"Nothing," I say before I lift my hand, rearing back to land a punch on the drunken idiot's face.

I land the blow right on his nose and catch a glimpse of blood as he yells out and covers it with his hands.

"You bitch!" he spits out as I shake my red and sore knuckles.

Ricky and Sergio are both at our sides now, Ricky laughing at the guy as Sergio pulls him away and tosses him to a guard.

"Get him out of here," Dante spits, staring at me with lethal eyes. I don't back down as I stare back at him.

"I don't need a hero," I say as he and Sergio usher Ricky and I from the dance floor and into the elevator.

"We're going home. Now," he all but growls.

I roll my eyes and Ricky and I can't help but giggle like drunken schoolgirls as we ride the elevator down and walk to the car. The ride home is long and silent, except for the small snickers Ricky and I let out as we look at each other. I can feel Dante's anger radiating in the small space, but I pay no mind to it.

We come to a stop and Dante grabs my hand, pulling me out of the car and towards the front door of his mansion.

"Uh oh, looks like Mr. Yummy has his panties all bunched up," Ricky says teasingly as he and Sergio trail behind us.

"No, just mine," I slur out, laughing as Dante fumes and pulls me towards his quarters.

God only knows what my penance looks like now.

15

Esmeralda

We'rein his room in under a minute.

His hand has been locked and gripping around my wrist, pulling me the entire time. We stop at the mini bar in his bedroom as he grabs a handful of ice and wraps it in a towel before handing it to me.

"For your hand," he growls out, not looking at me as he lets go of me, placing the makeshift ice pack in my hand and putting it over my knuckles.

He then picks me up, throwing me over his shoulder as he ignores my protests and walks me over to his bed before throwing me down on top of it. I growl at him as I bounce onto the blankets, glaring up at him as he removes his cufflinks and begins to take off his jacket and shirt.

"I'm not a fucking child," I spit and he snorts humorlessly at me.

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