Page 5 of Kiss of Death
She stumbled at the thought. She tried to push the man from her mind after he watched her on that stage like his next breath came from whatever move she was about to perform. The weight of his gaze had spurred her on, making her push herself past a practice run because she wanted to dance for him. She wanted to see how hard she could drive him without the experience of touching him. It was the most intimate she’d been dancing for someone and the most turned on she’d ever been.
Ivy felt herself make love to the pole and to Otto. It was like her first time all over again. The hesitation of the first touch, the electric feel of that first kiss—the way her breath hitched when he looked so unhinged, almost desperate to get inside of her. She felt him everywhere at once, like he already had his lips branded on her skin.
Even now, she was getting hot thinking about him, her core ached missing the feel of a man she never had before. He made her feel desired in an intoxicating way that made her want to stay drunk on it. It was a vast contrast to how she felt when she was up there just now dancing for strangers.
The lights blinded her but not enough to blind her from the patrons. She somehow felt dirty, whereas when it was just her and Otto she felt exhilarated, and her performance had been hindered by it. She had gotten too caught up in her head, and moves she’d been able to do in her sleep had caused her to slip up too many times. She almost fell face first into the hard stage and was grateful she had caught herself just in time.
The last thing she needed was to embarrass herself on her first night at Tres. She’d be laughed out the door, and she needed this job. She needed the money—whatever she was allowed to keep—to get her out of New York. She hated it here, hated the winters, and hated how easily it swallowed her up and held her to its mercy. This place wasn’t all the bright lights and wonder her seedy boyfriend at the time convinced her it was. He promised her dreams he could never fulfill all to get her and her sister out of the only security they knew and into something she never would have dreamed of.
Ivy limped the rest of the way to the locker rooms dreaming of going back to California with her sister. She missed the sunshine and the freedom she had taken for granted—a life she thought she hated but would give anything to go back to. Her ex knew exactly the right buttons to push to get her to upend her life and take her to the unknown. She wanted more adventure and she got it. It just wasn’t the kind she hoped for.
She heard the laughter of a few of the regular women trickle out of the locker room. Ivy stepped to the side to give them room to pass her. One of the women stopped in front of her. “First night in those heels can be a bitch—shit any night in those heels are a bitch.” She laughed. “There’s a bunch of essential oils in the top shelf where we keep the toilet paper. Soak a hot towel with some of those oils and wrap it around your feet before you go back out. It should help.”
Ivy was having a hard time remembering the woman’s name, but she’d been the nicest out of all the women here so far. “Uh, thanks,” Ivy started, hoping her name would register.
“Mary.” She smiled. “Just make sure you wash your feet and dry them before you step back in the shoes. You don’t want to make the mistake of leaving oil on your feet.” Mary gave Ivy’s shoulder a tight squeeze before heading back out to the main floor, and it was like the woman had wrapped her in a warm hug. The same way a mom would. Ivy had to blink a few times to make sure she didn’t chase after Mary and cry on her shoulder.
Ivy shook herself and headed for the locker room. She couldn’t deal with getting caught up in a life that didn’t exist for her anymore—or miss people and things from her old life. She made the choice to follow an ass-twat to New York with her younger sister in tow, and now she was dealing with the consequences of her actions. She could only take things one day at a time and bide her time till she could get free of the traps she helped set for herself.
She pushed through the locker room doors, surprised to find the guy they called Smoke leaning against her vanity. “I don’t think you’re supposed to be in here.” She kept her voice even as she made her way to her vanity.
“Says who?” he questioned. His eyes never left hers as she walked toward him. It was eerie and she felt exposed, like he had known all of her secrets and was here to call her out on them.
“Says the sign on the door. Unless that’s a sock between your legs.” She shrugged, doing her best to seem unaffected by his presences. This guy had an edge to him that made her want to turn around and run out of the room. “Then maybe you should be in here.”
Smoke chuckled. “Is that your way of asking for an invitation to find out? I’m all for accommodating the ladies.” He winked at her.
Ivy scoffed. “I think I’ll pass, thank you.” She dropped her shoes next to Smoke’s feet and quickly grabbed one of the robes she had hanging off her vanity mirror. It wasn’t much in the way of protection, but she felt uncomfortable half naked and alone in the room with Smoke. She hoped whatever he wanted from her, he would get to it quickly. She wanted to check in with her sister before her next set.
“Such a pity,” he purred as he pushed off her vanity and stood at his full height. He took a step closer and invaded her space. “I bet if Otto was standing in front of you, your response would be different.”
SOFIA TSKED UNDER HER BREATH. “To think I came home ill-informed seems a little hopeful for you gentlemen. Of course I’ve done my homework. It’s why I’m wondering how come Zhao seems to be the angriest out of all of you. Aside from Ethan, he has the least to lose.”
Zhao went to speak, but Boris shut him up with a flick of his hand. “I figured that would be obvious, Ms. Barbati.” Boris’s tone was bored. “He may have the least to lose, but he still has something to lose.”
Sofia chuckled. “He’s safe, as are all of you.”
“For now.” Ethan, who had been the quietest, decided to speak up. “Let’s cut the theatrics, shall we? I’ve been in business long enough to know anytime there’s a new entity, power shifts, and with that shift comes territory shifts. You’ve already accommodated more than the Barbati organization is supposed to have. We just want to keep our dicks wet, our pockets fat, and our bellies full.” He leaned back in his chair. “I know you won’t come outright and say it, but should we be preparing for more war?”
Sofia cocked her head to the side, studying Boris. Otto didn’t have to see her face to know she was trying to figure the man out. She’d done the same shit the night she met him and Gia. She had been able to piece together their dynamic within seconds, and that was before Otto had spoken to her. She knew exactly how to get their attention, and in return, they were able to give her what she wanted. He had a feeling she was about to do the same to the men who sat at that table now.
She addressed Ethan as she spoke, but she never took her eyes off Boris. “What’s that old saying? If you want peace, prepare for war. My grandfather made sure to teach me a lesson or two on that.”
Otto heard exactly what she didn’t say, and going by the slight twitch in Boris’s left eye, he heard it too. While Sofia may have wanted peace when this was all over, she was ready for the war that was about to begin.
She abruptly stood up and the unease in the room grew. “As enlightening as this has been, I think it’s time for me to go. We’re not going to get what we all want by sitting here.”
“I think you need to sit down, Ms. Barbati,” Boris snapped. “You haven’t been dismissed yet.”
Sofia placed her palms on the table. “I don’t need your permission.” Her words struck like a snake—hard and fast and dripping with poison. “I’ll save you the trouble of verbally threatening me; no need to waste your breath. I’m sure we will be seeing each other soon enough.”
She turned and Otto grabbed her wrist with Dom shifting his body in front of hers. They were both ready to get Sofia out of here as soon as Boris stood up. Otto expected the door to burst open with the sound of bullets going after them. He knew this meeting was going to go south; it was only a matter of time before these men got tired of listening to a woman they couldn’t control.
“I wouldn’t, Ms. Barbati. You are outnumbered, and we haven’t okayed your position as a boss yet,” Boris barked. His tone brooked no argument, but Otto saw the smile on Sofia’s face. She lived for this shit—never turning down a challenge because to her, there wasn’t anything she couldn’t win or walk away from. She had every confidence in her ability to read people and her will to survive.
Otto cursed under his breath. Sofia would stand in front of a raging bull if only to prove that she could defeat it—zero self-preservation.
Sofia turned slightly so she was still in between him and Dom but had a clear line to Boris. “Again, I don’t remember having to ask permission to run an empire that was already mine. I’m a Barbati, and I deserve a seat at this table like any of you—if not more. Lucky for you, I don’t desire acceptance. I don’t need approval to be a boss; I already am one, and trust me, I’m never outnumbered.” She winked at Ethan who chuckled before shaking his head.
