Below, the crowd unconsciously parted to reveal a woman at the bar. No one appeared to notice the blue spotlight now trained on her as the rest of the lights dimmed. Either arm rested along the bar behind her, affording me the perfect vantage to observe her form. She was utter and divine sexual perfection. Hair cascaded down her shoulders in obsidian waves. A golden dress hugged her curvy form. The train of shimmering fabric flowed out at her feet, a gleaming waterfall. My mouth went dry.
“Whoa, who’s that?” Vivien breathed, in open awe of the arresting woman.
The woman kept her dark eyes averted, allowing me to admire her profile and long elegant neck. An exquisite turquoise necklace adorned her décolletage, the perfect pop of color to make her bronzed skin sparkle under the magic spotlight.
I swallowed hard, trying to keep my composure. Now I knew why Bianca had run off in such a hurry. I was about to start down the stairs to the waiting woman when I remembered Bianca’s last words.
“Do not leave my side, and absolutely do not speak,” I said to Vivien, pouring every commanding ounce I had into the words.
She didn’t spout off threats or buck against my direction. Neither did she confirm that she would obey me. Vivien simply followed behind me as I made my way down the stairs. I slipped my hands in my pockets, passing through the parted crowd. The club goers were raving and conversing in slow motion, unaware of our motions.
The woman still didn’t look up. Why would she, though? She was used to being addressed first.
“What are you doing here, Qwynn?” My voice was low, but easily heard over the sultry music.
Qwynn lifted her head as if surprised by my presence.
“Oh Grim, is thisyourclub?”
“It is,” I confirmed, though I knew full well she was aware of her surroundings.
A smirk pulled at her sensuous lips, a wicked twinkle in her eye. “I should have known. The decor alone screams your taste. It’s positively enchanting.”
“What do you want, Qwynn?” I asked, grateful my hands were already in my pockets. Anything to keep them off her.
She slid a finger across the counter. “Oh nothing, just a drink. Perhaps a chat with someone interesting.” She looked up at me from under her lashes in a move that had been practiced and perfected over a millennium. It had galvanized men to throw themselves at her feet, abandon their loved ones, and start wars, simply to be gazed at in such a way.
“If that’s all,” I said with forced indifference, turning to go. I thanked my lucky stars that Vivien obeyed, standing nearby but keeping quiet.
“Well, since you’re here…” Qwynn said, stopping me. She picked up a cosmopolitan that appeared next to her and raised it to me. “Join me in a friendly toast before you go.”
“I’m not drinking tonight,” I said, removing one hand from my pocket and straightening.
“That’s not what I saw.” Her dark eyes touched on the spot where I had been, watching the crowd below with a Manhattan in hand. “Come on, just one drink. What could it hurt?”
Everything. It could hurt everything.
I gave a curt nod. A glass of cognac appeared in my free hand.
Gliding toward me with all the predatory swagger of a panther, she raised her glass. “To history,” she said, with a triumphant smile. The smell of expensive perfume, forbidden fruit, and sex wrapped around me.
Our glasses touched with a resonant clink that drowned out the crooning singer. At the last second, Qwynn’s eyes flicked to Vivien as we drank.
“I miss you.” Her finger skimmed the rim of her glass before dipping into the pink liquid. The pad of her finger disappeared in her mouth as she sucked the alcohol off it.
“Bored with your latest plaything already?” I asked.
She pouted. “They mean nothing to me, Grim. You know that, don’t you?”
I didn’t bother to respond.
“Is she yours?” Qwynn asked in a silky voice; her inquiring eyes landed on Vivien. I caught the slight twinge of hunger there. She was also drawn to Vivien’s bright light. In another second, that spark of interest had all but disappeared, and Qwynn remained disaffected by Vivien’s effect.
My expression remained stony. “Is who my what?”
“Is the dominatrix to your left, who is drilling holes into my forehead, your plaything?” Qwynn slowed down her words to make sure I heard each one before popping a cherry into her mouth, making a show of wrapping her tongue around it first. I remembered the things that tongue could do. I couldn’t forget if I tried.
With a quick glance, I confirmed she wasn’t wrong. Vivien looked ready to jump on Qwynn and pound her into hamburger meat.
