Page 8 of Paved in Venom

“He has other commitments at the moment,” I say.

“You mean his wife?” Aaron jokes. “What about his little pet? Who’s taking care of her?”

They have no idea that the woman Roman used to bring in here as his pet was actually Emily in a wig. I give a soft laugh and say, “His pet and his wife are doing fine.” I put my focus back on David as a leggy redhead walks over and climbs into Lev’s lap. He has no choice but to accept the lap dance she’s offering. Usually, a lap dance from a beautiful woman would be welcomed, but not here, not like this. When a blonde approaches, I wave her off. I have the excuse of business, and I’m damn well going to use it.

While the redhead moans and grinds even harder against my brother’s lap, I tell David, “I want an invite.”

He waves at the club around us. “You can have your pick of the women here, Danil. You know that.”

“I want my own,” I tell him. “I don’t want someone that belongs to you.” I lean closer and hold his gaze. “I want my own, and I want a virgin.”

He smiles and scrubs a hand over his jaw while he thinks about what I’ve said. “We usually don’t let men attend auctions after knowing them for such a short amount of time.”

“You’ve known me long enough, David. My brothers and I have been in here and spent enough money in this place to vouch for how serious we are, and the mayor trusts us.” I try not to throw Emily’s dad’s name around if I don’t have to, but I need this invite to happen. “Plus,” I tell him, “I don’t have a spending limit on this.”

His eyes widen the tiniest bit, but it’s enough to let me know I have his attention. Money is the only thing David cares about, and I can steal as much as I need.

“No limit, huh?” he asks, taking the glass of whiskey the waitress brings him.

I grab the vodka she’s brought for me and down it in one swallow. “No limit,” I repeat.

“The auctions can sometimes go pretty high,” he warns. “Especially for what you’re talking about.”

“I really don’t give a fuck how high it goes. I know what I want, and I’m damn well going to get it, David. The choice is yours whether you’re the person who’s going to benefit from that or if I need to look somewhere else and make another man rich.”

“Hey,” he says, looking offended, “I never said I wasn’t going to get you an invite. I just said we don’t usually do it this early.” His smile grows. “You’re a good man, Danil, and we want to keep the Melnikov brothers happy.”

“So it’s settled?” I ask, ignoring the over-the-top moans coming from the woman on Lev’s lap and the fact that the blonde on her knees is now unzipping Aaron’s pants. It’s not something that would ever be allowed by anyone else in this club. That’s what the back rooms are for. The Red Viper likes to give the illusion of class, that it’s a respectable club and not a seedy bar filled with trafficked women who are forced to be here. Aaron likes to flaunt his power, though.

“I’ll send the information,” he says, taking another drink. “To even get in the door it’s half a million.” He gives a small shrug. “What happens after that is up to you. There’s no guarantee you’ll win one of the auctions.”

“I’ll win one,” I tell him, not doubting that for a second.

He grins, and as soon as the blonde frees Aaron’s cock and starts to wrap her lips around him, I turn to Lev and say in Russian, “You ready to get the fuck out of here?”

“Fuck yes I am.” He smiles up at the redhead and switches to English. “Sorry, but we’ve got to go.”

She pouts but gets off his lap and walks over to stand behind David. We all ignore the fact that Aaron is getting a blowjob.

“I’ll expect that information before the sun comes up,” I tell David.

“You’ll have it,” he assures me.

Lev and I turn our backs on them and walk out of the VIP area. I can’t wait to burn this fucking place to the ground. Lev’s quiet on the way back, but I can feel the nervous energy vibrating off him. He wants to punch something. Once we’re in the underground garage below our building, we both get out, and I’m not at all surprised when he starts walking to his motorcycle.

He looks back to give me a smile, that same shit-eating one he’s been giving me for as long as I can remember. His lip and eyebrow piercings mixed with all his tattoos make him look like the dangerous fucker he is.

“I’ll be back later,” he says. “I’m going to find a fight and then find a girl to fuck. The Red Viper always fucks with my head. I can’t get hard if I know they can’t say no.” He runs a hand through his hair. “I at least need to know that they can say no if they want to.” He lets out a laugh. “I mean, they never do, but the option needs to be there.”

I laugh and head for the elevator. “Try not to kill anyone during your fight.”

His smile grows bigger. “No promises.”

Lev’s been involved in underground fighting since Moscow, and once we moved to America, it didn’t take him long to find a new place to fight here. He wins money, but that’s not why he does it. He just really loves beating the shit out of people. It calms him on a deep level, and he won’t be able to sit still until after he’s exhausted and covered in someone else’s blood.

After grabbing two more cupcakes, I sit down at my desk and prepare for another long night. David surprises me by sending me a message less than an hour later.

The auction is in four days. Wire half a million to the account I send you. You’ll get the location information the day of. I’ll send you photos of the cargo we have coming in so you can have an idea of who you want to bid on.

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