Page 77 of Paved in Venom

She glares at me and says in a thick accent, “Who the fuck is she?”

Danil’s body goes rigid before he lets out a string of very angry-sounding Russian. His voice is low so as not to attract attention, but whatever it is he’s saying, it’s having a big effect on her. While her face goes pale, Danil strokes the nape of my neck in a slow, sensual rhythm. The pad of his thumb runs over my pulse point, sending a shiver down my spine before settling right between my legs. My lips part in the softest of sighs, but he still hears it, and when he does, he meets my eyes and gives me a wink before going back to whatever the hell he was saying. He says one more harsh word before waving his hand at her in the universal get the fuck away from me move, and she turns and bolts away as fast as her stilettos will allow.

“What the hell was that about?” I whisper.

Danil turns to face me, the anger immediately leaving his grey eyes. “That was me making it very clear that she’d better not ever speak to you like that again.”

“Who is she?”

“Her name’s Galina. She’s had a crush on me for a while. I’ve tried very hard to make it clear that nothing will ever happen between us, but she refuses to take the hint. I think maybe she’s got it now, though.”

“Yeah, I think so, too.”

He laughs and kisses my forehead. “I wasn’t trying to be mean to her, but I’ll fucking rip her throat out if she speaks to you like that again.”

“Damn,” I whisper. I’m not someone who likes to hurt other people, but I have no doubt that Galina would’ve jumped in Danil’s lap right in front of me if he would’ve let her, not caring in the slightest about my feelings, and it’s damn nice to have a man who has no desire to do that sort of shit.

He smiles and kisses me again before taking my hand, leading me past the bouncer who’s guarding the VIP entrance and up the flight of stairs. His brothers are already sitting at a large table with the two men I met at the Red Viper on the night of the auction. God, that feels like a lifetime ago.

“Glad you and Aaron could make it,” Danil says, sitting down and pulling me onto his lap so my back is pressed tight against his chest. He splays his hand out across my stomach in a possessive gesture that always makes me want to smile. I resist because David and Aaron are staring at me. I look around at the area we’re in so I don't have to look at them.

The entire VIP section is a large circle filled with tables and private booths. The center is completely open, giving me a clear view of all three stages. There are a few poles and dancers up here as well, but I notice that even though several of the women are walking around advertising their availability, they make sure to give Danil, Roman, and Matvey space. Not a single one of them flirts or offers themselves to these three.

David and Aaron each have a woman in their lap, and when I see a redhead look over at Lev, I’m surprised to see him give a very soft shake of his head to let her know he’s not interested. His dark hair is longer than the others, brushing against the collar of his suit, and the piercings on his lip and eyebrow just add to the overall dangerous vibe he puts out. Of course, they all look dangerous. My eyes run over Danil and his brothers, each of them has tattoos peeking out from their suits on their hands and necks, each has that deadly glint in their eyes that lets you know it’d be best to not fuck with them, but they’re also the sweetest men I’ve ever met in so many ways. Not many people get to see that side of them, though. I’m pretty sure it’s a group that consists of me, Emily, and Alina.

“So we finally get to meet the mysterious fifth Melnikov brother,” Aaron says, looking over at Matvey.

“I’m not much of an extrovert,” Matvey says in his raspy voice before tossing back the shot in front of him.

David and Aaron wait a beat, but when it’s clear that’s all they’re going to be getting from him, they turn their attention to the other brothers.

“I heard things got a little crazy at Tom’s party the other night,” David says with a laugh and then looks directly at me while lifting his glass of whiskey. “Heard someone had to be taught a lesson.”

I force myself to lower my eyes and act submissive while Danil caresses my stomach with his thumb.

“Looks like she learned from her mistake,” Aaron says, giving another laugh. “I can see the fucking bruises from here.”

Danil’s hand falters for just a second before he starts caressing me again, and when I bring one hand on top of his, he lowers his head and kisses my shoulder. He’s not acting like I’m nothing but a plaything, and I’m worried it’s going to raise some eyebrows, so when he asks me to hand him his drink, I make a point of saying, “Yes, sir,” loud enough for them all to hear.

I see Lev’s lip ring move just the tiniest bit like he’s trying not to smile, but I keep my face blank and try my best to play the part. It’s too bad Vitaly’s missing this. I think he would’ve enjoyed this performance.

David gives Danil an approving nod at his ability to keep his pet so in line and says, “Did any of you happen to see an older Romanian man there?”

Danil’s tone gives nothing away when he says, “We saw a lot of older men there, but I’m not sure if they were Romanian or not. Why?”

“Someone important has gone missing. I got a phone call telling me to ask around.” David sighs like it’s a pain in the ass he has no desire to deal with. “You’d know if you met him. The man barely speaks a word of English.”

“Who is he?” Lev asks.

“A doctor,” David says, running his hands down the back of the woman who’s still sitting in his lap. He cups her ass and gives it a squeeze as he says, “He checks the women and helps us sort them when they get to the city.”

I’m taken off guard when David looks at me and asks, “Did you see him there? I know you’ve seen him before.”

I don’t know what to say, so I make a show of looking to Danil like I’m asking for permission to speak. His grey eyes lock on mine when he gives a nod.

“You can answer, pet,” he says.

I slowly turn back to David and say, “I didn’t see him. After my punishment, I kept my head down and didn’t look at anyone.”

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