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“I’m not gonna lie, Dar, but this isn’t the kind of place I expected him to try to buy. It’s not exactly his usual business deal.”
“Exactly. Aside from a couple restaurants, he exclusively operates strip clubs.”
“Maybe he wants to turn this into a strip club.”
“But, why? We run a crazy profit here because it’s different. He has to know that.”
Mia shrugged and sipped her wine. “Damien is used to getting what he wants. Kind of like you with your dad, he was groomed into taking over the family business. I think his dad is still involved, but only in ownership. From what West told me before, Damien’s dad was pretty ruthless and had some less than legal dealings.”
“The mob, you mean.”
“I don’t know for sure, and West didn’t say, but I’d go with that. Something major happened that made Damien’s dad change his ways, and as far as I know, as soon as the contracts ran out, that was the end of it. So, now the business is all clean, but the connections are still there on a personal level.” She paused. “There’s a rumor that when Billy Jo’s shut down, that was because a friend of Damien’s paid Billy a visit. Not long after that, Damien bought it and converted it into Dark House.”
“I remember Billy Jo’s shutting down.” It was one of the most popular Western-style bars in the area, and it made no sense for it to shut down. It had shocked everyone, but now, it made a whole lot more sense. It was prime real estate, too. “Damn. Is that what I can expect if I don’t sell out to him? A gun in my face?”
Mia smiled and shook her head. “He’s an asshole, but he’s not a bad guy. He’s ruthless, but he cares a lot about his family. I don’t think he’d send the mob around to get this place. West thinks he’ll push his luck until he gets bored and then move on to something else.”
“Great. I’m essentially a new toy for him to play with.” Maybe my earlier toddler analogy wasn’t too far off.
“You cannot just barge back here!” Abby shrieked from the other side of the door. “Mr. Fox!”
My eyes widened.
“Oh shit,” Mia whispered, clutching her glass tightly.
Oh shit was pretty accurate, actually.
“Mr. Fox! This part of the bar is for staff members only. I won’t ask you again to get back to the bar!” Abby was seconds away from having a heart attack.
I got up and yanked the door open. “What the hell is going on?”
Damien Fox stopped a few feet short of me, and Abby took her chance. She stepped around the side of him, squared up to him—which was pretty funny because she was at least eight inches shorter than him—and jabbed her finger in his chest.
“You aren’t the exception to the rule, Mr. Fox. Staff only back here. Get back into the bar now before I call the police for your trespassing on private property.”
That was a little extreme.
“What are you doing here?” I asked him, meeting his gaze. “I think I’ve made my stance very clear.”
He held up his hands. “I came to talk to you.”
“You wasted your time. I’m busy.”
“Don’t let me stop you.” Mia got up and grabbed her purse. “Hi, Damien.”
She was a traitor.
He did a double take between me and her. “Mia,” he acknowledged. “I didn’t know you were friends.”
“Why would you?” she said brightly, coming up behind me. “I’ll wait at the bar for you to get done here, Dahlia.”
Me glaring daggers at her didn’t diminish her bright smile at all. She simply grabbed Abby’s arm, whispered in her ear, and dragged her away.
But not before Abby could shoot Damien a look so hard that if it could kill, he’d be dead on the spot.
I waited until they were both out of earshot and focused on the man standing in front of me. Today, his suit was navy blue, but it fit him just as well as the gray one had yesterday. I didn’t let myself linger on that, though.
I swallowed. “What do you want to talk about?”
A slow, sexy smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. “You.”
Four
Damien
Her indigo-blue eyes widened just slightly at my answer.
I had no fucking idea why she was shocked by that. I didn’t come here to talk about the weather. Not that it would be a long conversation if I had—it was Vegas. It was hot. It was always fucking hot.
“Well?” I said after a moment of silence from her. “Are we having this conversation in the hallway or…?”
That seemed to shake her out of her daze. She blinked a few times before pursing her dark-red lips the way she did when she was annoyed. “You aren’t supposed to be back here, so I should be telling you where to stick it.”
