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12“What do you want to do, boss?”
Slade sat behind his desk and stared out the window of his office that overlooked the strip. Since going to The Lion and the Lamb, his thoughts had been consumed with Leo and the sweet little mate he had staked his claim on. He and Leo could have been business partners and ruled Vegas if not for the other lion’s need to do everything by the book.
That initially had been what started the rift between them, and over time, that tension had grown and grown until it was like a third entity. The fact that Leo thought he was better than him, that he didn’t have to resort to back-alley business deals infuriated Slade. Staying away from the other male hadn’t done anything but piss Slade off more, because all he could think about was his enemy across town laughing at him, thinking he was nothing more that the scum on the bottom of his boot.
It had been weeks since he had gone to Leo’s club, and Slade hadn’t bothered going back to The Lion and the Lamb, but he certainly intended to, especially now that he knew the luscious female worked there. He hadn’t sensed Leo’s lion had mated with her yet, but he had no doubt in his mind that Leo had done so since.
The possessiveness that poured off his enemy had been thick enough to strangle him, and the scent that surrounded her had been strong. Of course, no human would have been able to detect it, and even though he hadn’t fucked that sweet little ass of hers, Leo’s scent had clung to her.
It was a subtle warning, meant to stave off other males, but to Slade, it meant a challenge. He wanted to see the female again, wanted to touch every fucking inch of her. True, he could have any female he wanted, but having the one Leo claimed was a far better pick.
He turned and looked at his right-hand man, Collin. There were only a few who worked for Slade who knew of his shifting abilities, and all of those were shifters as well. Collin, a lion shifter, the same as Slade, had come from the same pride.
When Slade decided to take root in Vegas, he had instantly butted heads with Leo. Whereas Leo started a legal shop, Slade had gone the less traditional route. He might own a “legal” club and a strip club as well, but his girls did a little extra work on the side for him. They made sure each and every one of the horny bastards who stopped at Stripped got their happy ending.
Prostitution was such an ugly word for what his girls did, so instead, he liked to think of it as a business transaction of mutual understanding. Yeah, the men paid for his girls’ services, but what good business didn’t make money?
“You really gunning for Leo’s girl?” Collin tapped his fingers on his thigh. Any other male who questioned his motives would have found themselves castrated, but he and Collin had been through a lot of shit, and therefore Slade let a lot slide with him.
“I think she’d make a good addition to Stripped, and also as a permanent fixture in my bed.” He had a lot of plans, ones that included starting his own personal pack, and Leo’s sweet piece of tail was going to help him accomplish that.13Tatum let herself think about what she and Kiki talked about. She didn’t work tonight, but she wanted to see Leo for more than one reason. He needed to know where her head was at, and she needed to find out the same with him. If he wasn’t into her with the same intensity as she was for him, then she wanted to know up front. What if their night together was just that—one night?
No, she didn’t want to think about it, because now that she let herself contemplate more with him, the idea that she meant nothing more than a piece of ass had a sick sense of dread settling inside her.
It was going on ten at night, and she could have just sent him a text asking him to talk to her, but she knew what she had to say needed to be done in person. Deciding she would just go to the club to talk to Leo, Tatum grabbed her purse and keys and headed out. That damn SUV sat parked across the street again, but she was smart enough not to go over there, as it sat where the light didn’t quite reach it.
She quickly got into her car and headed to the club. It was time to come clean.“She left the house. I think she’s onto the detail as well. I’ve noticed she’s been looking at the car every time she leaves.”
