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JEWEL
Iclutched the velvet curtain separating the VIP section of The Lounge nightclub and swept it aside when Cat made a little squeaking sound. Taking a step back down the staircase, she tugged at my elbow.
“Jewel, I can’t go in there,” she whimpered.
Glancing over my shoulder, I caught her by the arm before she got a chance to turn around and slip out of my grasp.
“Catalina Popescu, don’t you dare. It’s too damn late to chicken out now. You’re going in there if I have to drag you by the hair, and after the hours I spent fixing it, you better believe that’s not going to happen. Now get up here,” I hissed.
I’d dressed Cat up, and we were in search of Luca at his family’s club. And when I said family, that was a euphemism for family. As in the criminal, mafioso kind. But that was neither here nor there. This was Cat’s world, after all. Not mine.
The plan was for Cat to seduce her fiancé’s brother, who also happened to be the man she was in love with. And if I knew anything, I knew he loved her back. Besides the fact that I was a sucker for a Romeo and Juliette romance, all they needed was a little nudge in the right direction, families be damned. She might come from a fucked-up, patriarchal world, but I wasn’t about to let my best friend lose every shred of agency she had. Until a ring was slipped on her finger in front of a priest, she still had a chance to go after what she wanted. And what she wanted was Luca.
If all went according to plan, she’d lose her virginity to him, and they would become tied for life through the concept of the blood bond. In the archaic, backward society she came from, that was as good as married. I shuddered at the thought and thanked my lucky stars that I hadn’t been born into the bosom of her family, no matter how lovely they were to me. Only Cat could find a way to be authentic and still remain loyal to her folks.
Grabbing a strong hold of her, I secured her arm in mine and shoved the curtain aside. With a bright smile plastered to my face, I stared up at the ginormous bodyguard guarding the entrance to the VIP lounge. Luck was on our side because Vladimir recognized Cat instantly and let us pass. So, in we went…
I was taken aback by the gorgeously appointed room, where the motif had clearly been reduced to red, black, leather, and velvet. Black crystal chandeliers illuminated the black leather couches and scarlet-red velvet chairs scattered around dark wood coffee tables. The black and scarlet theme continued in the floral velour wallpaper, giving the whole place the vibe of a…Rococo boudoir? I’d call it intimate and sexy, but it definitely crossed the line into extra.
Scanning the crowded room, I stumbled when I got hooked by a pair of iridescent, light-colored eyes. Reeling, I stoutly ignored the rugged beauty of the man showcasing that glittering glacial stare. Why? Because I was on a mission, dammit.
I was about to charge forward when Cat clutched my arm and murmured, “There they are.”
“Where?” I asked as my gaze followed her index finger to the very booth where those wicked eyes were stationed.
I swallowed hard.
A man who shared similar features to the hot, smoldering one straightened up, his face flashing a mixture of emotions. Anger. Worry. Anger again. It didn’t escape my notice that the blue-eyed devil whose stare shook me to my core was sitting beside him.
“Wh-which one is L-Luca?” I stammered out. Please, not him. God, please, not him.
“There,” she whispered. “The hot one with the gray eyes.”
Relief whooshed out of me in a long breath.
Rallying, I ordered, “Let’s go,” before I lost my nerve. “Be strong. Take what you want,” I repeated, as I had at least a dozen times on the way over to the club.
Skidding to a halt, we stood before them awkwardly. I stabbed Cat in the side with my elbow and she squeaked out, “Hey, Nicu.” Her gaze turned and locked in on his brother. “Luca.”
“Hey, Cat,” replied Nicu.
There was distinct tension in the air. From the way Luca was checking Cat out, I could tell he was simultaneously turned on and pissed off. Sounded like the perfect combination for instigating a blood bond to me.
“Who’s your friend?” asked Nicu. His eyes had never left me, I noted. Which was downright rude, considering his fiancée was standing beside me. My face flamed with shame at the way he’d completely dismissed Cat. Thankfully, she was too jittery and focused on Luca to notice. But Luca noticed, and I heard the low growl beneath his breath. At least the way his eyes burned for Cat relieved me. He was clearly enthralled by her. As any man should be.
But not her own fiancé, Nicu. God, what a dick. A sexy dick, but definitely a dick. What else was new? He was engaged to a gorgeous, sweet, loyal woman, and yet—he cared nothing for her. In fact, he seemed to ignore her on purpose. While I prayed it turned out well for Luca and Cat, that didn’t take away from the ruthlessness of Nicu’s behavior.
“Nicu, this is Jewel. Jewel, Nicu,” she introduced, slipping into the seat beside Luca. I knew she’d only done that because her knees were about to give out.
“What the hell are you doing here, Cat?” Luca snapped.
Cat’s eyelashes fluttered like she was close to crying. I was about to intercede on her behalf when he pushed her out of the booth and onto her feet. Coming out after her, he turned to Nicu and said to me, “Why don’t you sit down, order a nonalcoholic drink, and get to know Nicu?”
That was an order and a warning patronizingly wrapped up into one. I would’ve done anything to tell him to go to hell, but for the fact that this was what Cat and I wanted to happen.
He took my friend’s arm, said, “I have something to discuss with Cat. We’ll be right back,” and then they were gone.
I blinked down at Nicu, whose lips twisted up seductively, promptly disarming my moral compass. The curl of his mouth, coupled with the ice-cold fire of his eyes, spoke of a blazing furnace inside what was surely the darkest of souls. But as cold and calculating as he seemed, there was an untamed energy to him. It blew off him like the harsh wind off the Siberian tundra.
