Page 120 of Dance of Madness

Bile rises in my throat as his sweaty hand cups my vagina through my panties. His fingers claw and tug, trying to wriggle under the lace to get at my sex.

And that’s when I grab the table between us with both hands and send it crashing to the floor.

It actually gets the attention of the finance bros, who whirl as my vodka soda, ice, and shattered glassware all go skittering over their polished shoes.

“Dude, what the fuck!” one guy roars, whirling on Leo.

I seize my opportunity. As Leo turns to the guy, I shove his hand away, lurch to my feet, and bolt into the crowd.

My pulse is on fire. My body is trembling. A horrified, nauseous feeling curdles in my stomach as I shove my way through the bar patrons and go stumbling out the door?—

Right into waiting hands.

I scream and thrash, clawing and gasping before they grab tighter, shaking me.

“Milena!”

I blink, my breath catching sharply as my eyes focus.

Nero.

His face is dark and lined as he frowns down at me, his eyes searching mine.

“Wh-wh—what are you doing here?!” I blurt.

“What happened,” he growls.

The sick sensation is still roiling inside me. And before I know it, I’m hurling myself into his chest and clinging to him like my life depended on it.

The tears come hot and fast as I press my face to his chest and scream into his shirt. His strong arms surround me, holding me tight, quietly stroking my hair.

“Leo,” I finally choke out, pulling back to look up at him with a tear-stained face. “FuckingLeoDebolskyhappened.” I’m shaking as I look at him with pleading eyes. “I didn’t want to come. I thought it would be a business thing, and?—”

“What happened,” he growls again.

Not “Why are you out with Leo”. Not “What the fuck”.

What happened.

Tell me what you need.

“He’s shitfaced,” I blurt. “We were talking business, and I thought he was drinking virgin drinks, because apparently he's sober these days. Except?—”

“He’s not,” Nero finishes.

I shake my head as my face falls. Nero cups my face gently.

“Hetouched me,” I choke out. “Nero, he fucking shoved his hand under…under…”

I break again, tears flooding my face as he wraps me in his arms and pulls me into his chest. We stay like that for I don’t know how long, him holding me, me crying against him.

Finally, I pull back and look up at him. A shiver ripples through me when I see the venomous look on his face.

“Get in the car, princess,” he says quietly. I turn, blushing when I realize that we’re not alone. A tall, built, good-looking guywith dark hair and agreatsuit is standing next to a sleek black Escalade, holding the back door open.

“What?”

“This is Dominic,” Nero murmurs. “He’s going to take you to my house.”

---