Page 90 of Goldsin

I scan the room once more in the hope of finding Victoria.Is she even here yet?

Cheering from behind startles me, and I turn to find a pair of guests clinking their glasses together as waitresses and waiters weave their way through the crowd.

Trays overflow with drinks, food, and a variety of drugs to choose from. But what catches my attention isthe pink netting covering the staff’s faces and their thin purple lingerie. Stripes of bold pink paint their skin, glittering whenever light shines on them.

The mysterious new member of the Inferno Consortium was right: this is a wild fantasy.

Dancers start to spread through the room, each one taking their place on the stage. I’m entranced by the swaying moves of one of them when a soft weight falls on my shoulders, trailing down my arms. Sending shivers down my whole body.

I tilt my face to the right as the dancer’s fingers move to my waist. She encircles me, hands leaving scorching trails over my body. Then, as fast as she appeared, she leaves for the stage. A sultry smile is playing on her lips when she looks back at me.

I know I’m heating up. I know my cheeks must be the color of lava, and that my chest is moving up and down too quickly to be defined as normal.

She swirls around the pole, one hand gripping it.

Her body is completely covered in deep purple. She’s naked, aside from a barely-there thong. Her hips sway in sync with the music, her eyes never leaving mine as she arches her back against the pole, one leg anchoring her in place as she spins down it.

A giggle erupts from my lips as I admire her talent.

I can feel Julian’s eyes on me. I know he saw the way she played with me before she went onstage. I dare a glance at where he’s standing?—

He arches his brow.

And I smirk.

People are talking to him, but he’s too preoccupied with observing me.

“You’ve made quite the impression,” an upbeat voice whispers from behind me.

“Victoria!” I feign surprise. “I didn’t know you’d be here.”

Her hair is pinned to fall over one of her shoulders, red-stained lips matching the underside of her black heels, and a black suit clings to her curves. On her neck a diamond necklace disappears between her cleavage.

Relief floods through me to know she found me.

This time I don’t have a plan. Because this time I can’t kill her. I was sent here to entertain her as Lucian wants me to.

But even if I can’t kill her, I can still use this opportunity to get closer to her, establishing my usefulness for the next time, when I’ll be following my revenge plan instead.

“Of course.” She brushes invisible lint off her sleeves. Her fingernails are painted a deep red, long and pointed. They could carve an eyeball out. “It’s not every day one gets to attend an event like this. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

A waiter saunters past us, and before they can move to the rest of the people, Victoria plucks two vodka shots from the pale pink tray. Clinking her glass with mine, she gives me a stretched look, waiting to see what kind of partier I am.

I take the shot.

My eyes squeeze shut, a grimace etched onto my features as I swallow the burning liquid down.

I fucking love vodka.

Shaking my face a little, I feel my muscles tighten with excitement before the inevitable moment where life feels as light as a feather.

When I open my eyes again, it’s to Victoria holding two new shots in her hands. This time I don’t wait for her to offer it. Instead I hold mine up in salute and swallow it down.

“I knew I liked you for a reason.” She beams.

We continue to drink and drink, one shot after the other, until one becomes five and I can’t feel my legs anymore. But whoever gave two shits about feeling their legs when their mind felt like a cloud? You could spill my life’s darkest secrets and I wouldn’t even bat an eye.

I’m starting to hate the idea of entertaining Victoria even less.

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