Page 84 of The Dragon 2
My hunger wore a different face.
While this woman was exquisite, she could never be a tiger. And I was finding that from now on, I could only get hard for the real thing.
Still, the woman lingered for a breath—long enough to let her scent mingle with the champagne, long enough to see if I’d turn my head and chase pussy instead of strategy.
When I didn’t, she straightened with a smile too polished to be personal.
Then she turned, hips swaying, heels glittering with every step as she walked away.
The Butcher watched her go, then finally spoke—his voice smooth, low, and laced with something almost musical. “Paris likes to offer its pleasures first, before the pain begins.”
“Yet, Tokyo is all about pain first, and then the reward of pleasure.”
The Butcher’s smile didn’t move, but his eyes shifted—a minute tic, a recalibration. Then, he nodded and raised his glass. “Welcome to the opera, Kenji.”
“Thank you, Jean-Pierre.” I bowed my head slightly. “I am glad you were able to set time aside for me, since you just returned.”
He blinked. Not a flinch. Not a frown. Just the briefest hesitation in breath and eye—half a second too long to be casual.
That’s right, Jean-Pierre. I’m watching you too.
“How were the States?” I took a sly sip of the champagne.
His posture stiffened a breath—barely noticeable. But I caught it. The lift in his shoulder. The way his fingers adjusted on thestem of his glass. Not enough to reveal guilt. But enough to reveal tension.
He didn’t answer immediately.
Which meant the question had teeth.
There was something in the States. Something he didn’t want me knowing about. Something still bleeding beneath his silence.
Good.
The tempo of this game had changed.
“The States.” Jean-Pierre looked down at the guests taking their seats far below.
At the front of this box, our view was unchallenged. It was a sweeping gaze over the grand stage. Lights low. Murmurs rising. Tons of elegant guests with none of them knowing who watched from above.
The orchestra pit shimmered beneath our perch, instruments tuning in delicate chaos.
Jean-Pierre raised his view to me. “My visit to the States was very interesting.”
“How so?”
“I went looking for one thing and found. . .something else.”
“Isn’t it lovely when that happens?”
“It is.” Jean-Pierre took another sip from his champagne. “Paris suits you.”
I smiled thinly. “She always tries to seduce me.”
“Let her. She’s good at it.”
“No. You don’t need a dragon in this beautiful city. Not when there’s already a Butcher to properly protect her.”
That brought a warm smile, telling me some of his posturing would be dimmed down. Sometimes it was better to compliment a gangster, than pull out a gun.
