Page 15 of Proposition 2

10. Cadence

It was my night off from the diner, and since Leo still refused to answer my messages, I decided there was only one option left. Despite the thought of what I now owed him, I couldn’t fight the excitement at seeing him again.

I waited until both Momma and Michael had gone to bed, and while I usually would have been trying to catch up on sleep, I found myself pulling into the parking lot outside the same building where I’d sold my virginity. It took a moment before I could bring myself to exit the car and make my way to the opening that led inside.

When I approached the guards I had a second of worry since I still wasn’t sure how old you had to be to get in, but I figured Leo knew I was coming since this was the only option he’d left me. I definitely wasn’t going to go to his father.

Lifting my chin, I handed my ID to the guard standing in the doorway.

“I need to see Leo. He’s expecting me.”

I had to shout to be heard over the music pouring from the open doors, but it helped hide the tremble from the nerves. The guard glanced from me to my ID before catching his partner’s attention and jerking his head toward the inside.

Passing my license back to me, he turned and stepped inside the club without a word. I stayed on his heels, not bothering to look around as we made our way to the stairs that led to the balcony.

I was expecting to follow him to the back and through the doors that led to the less public area of the club, so I was surprised when he angled a different direction and brought me to a seating area.

Three couches framed a low table, men seated at each. When the guard stopped and nodded his head at the far one, it took a moment for me to realize Leo was the one sitting there.

The determination I’d felt to talk to him melted away, replaced by the fear that I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Maybe he hadn’t meant for me to come to him. Maybe I should have waited until he was ready to contact me.

I took a step backwards before Leo lifted his head and his eyes locked on me. His expression didn’t change, his only acknowledgment the continued stare and the hand he moved to pat the couch beside him.

The message was obvious, but I wasn’t sure I wanted the attention of the men he was with. They were all dressed in suits, and one looked vaguely familiar, which could only mean they were likely men like him.

Dangerous.

The guard still stood beside me, and Leo’s brow rose as I hesitated. We needed to talk, but he was clearly busy.

His expression hardened when I took another step back, his hand freezing on the seat beside him. Saying something I couldn’t hear to the men with him, he rose from the couch and stalked toward where I’d frozen in place.

He stopped in front of me, close enough I could have reached out and touched him. He gave an absent nod to the guard who turned and walked away as Leo continued to hold my gaze.

As cold as his expression seemed, I could still see the heat in his green eyes.

“Sit with me.”

It didn’t sound like a question though it was meant to appear as one. I looked down and realized he was holding out his hand, and a quick glance showed me the men he was with were watching us.

Not wanting to draw more attention to myself, I placed my hand in his, ducking my head and letting him pull me toward the couch. When he sat, I took the place beside him, but I kept my head bowed. I tried to pull my hand back to my lap, but he refused to release it, hanging onto my fingers tight enough that I couldn’t free them without causing a scene.

Their conversation resumed around me, but I blocked out the words. The things I knew Leo was involved in scared me, and I didn’t want to know what they were discussing. Logic said they’d never believe I wasn’t listening, but logic didn’t matter at the moment.

The warmth of Leo’s hand soaked into mine, and the scent of his cologne reached me as I heaved for air. I found it soothing, and I slowly calmed the longer they sat and talked. I risked a peek at the other men but dropped my head further when they stood.

I tried to pull my hand away again, expecting Leo to stand and shake theirs if they were leaving, but apparently that wasn’t how things were done. While I knew people in the office still jockeyed for position, they at least maintained a veneer of politeness. Leo remained seated until the men walked away and presumably couldn’t see him any longer.

“It’s nice to see you, Cadence. Would you like a drink?”

Licking my lips, I looked up as I shook my head. My throat was dry, but I needed my wits about me, and I was still underage.

His mouth ticked up in the corner as he reached out to tuck a stray hair behind my ear. I’d come in the jeans and t-shirt I changed into when I got home, and my hair was a loose curtain hanging around me.

“We have water. Or soda.”

Licking my lips again, I gave a slow nod as I stared back at him.

“Water, please.”

I was surprised when instead of flagging a waitress, he stood and pulled me up with him. He walked me to one of the bars along the wall, leaning over to ask for my water as I glanced around us to see if anyone was staring.

None of the people on the balcony seemed to be overly interested in us, the bartender no more deferential to Leo than he seemed to be toward anyone else. It seemed odd, but I figured the regular employees might not know about the other business Leo was involved in.

Accepting the glass when he passed it to me, a chill ran down my spine as Leo’s fingers grazed mine. I’d grown accustomed to his grip on my other hand, but the way he stared at me as his fingers brushed mine seemed more… intimate.

I hid my reaction by taking a drink of the water, the cold soaking into my throat but doing nothing to quench the heat building inside me. His question finally pulled me back to the reason I had come.

“Are you ready to talk?”

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