AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I stared back at him. I didn’t like his tone. I really didn’t like the fact that he just expected me to obey him either. At this point, I didn’t much care if I ever got invited back to this place again because if security wouldn’t step up to stop a drunken fool like the one that just got dragged out of here, I wasn’t safe and I couldn’t risk that again.
Fuck it.
“I don’t need your protection, Mr. Romano,” I sneered. “I can handle myself.”
“That remains to be seen, Miss Banks,” he answered, just as coolly as before. His gaze darkened and even though there was a slight nervous feeling in the pit of my belly, I ignored it. There was a crowd of people watching and I wasn’t going to take anyone else’s shit tonight, not even if the paycheck was this good.
I glared at him and cockily tilted my head to the side. This was my show and it was going to stay that way.
“Mr. Romano, I’ll restart the show when I’m damn good and ready,” I exclaimed.
“I’m a busy man, Miss Banks. I’ve come to see you and I would strongly advise you not to keep me waiting,” he calmly replied. He didn’t sit back down like I expected him to and no one else said anything. In fact, when I looked out into the crowd, every single pair of eyes was trained on him. It looked like they were afraid to even breathe and I turned back to him with an even deeper feeling of unease. It was too late though. I’d chosen a position and now I had to stand my ground.
I moved forward to the edge of the stage, kneeling down as if I was moving closer to Mr. Romano. I licked my lips and crooked a finger, beckoning him to come nearer. He looked at me with a feigned disinterest, but I could tell that deep down, he wanted more, and he wasn’t going to get it.
“I’m Chloe,” I began, smiling innocently as I prepared to give him a piece of my mind.
“I know who you are,” he replied arrogantly.
“This is supposed to be the part where you tell me your name,” I suggested rather haughtily.
“Silas,” he finally answered.
“It’s nice to meet you,” I replied.
“Likewise,” he responded evasively, and he gestured to a nearby waitress who was carrying a tray of drinks with her. She shimmied over to him with practiced swiftness and he took one of them off of the platter. “Here. Have a drink on me,” he said, holding it out to me with an open confidence. If he thought he could just buy me a cocktail and get a piece of me, he had another think coming.
I took the offered drink and stared down into the amber liquid. I’d never taken a drink from an audience member and I didn’t really want to start, but I would play his game for a little longer. I tilted the glass and swallowed a very small amount, reveling in the burning feeling that edged down my throat. It was whiskey and top shelf stuff at that. It went down smoothly, and I elected to take another smaller mouthful as I thought about my next move, enjoying the taste before I eventually opened my mouth to speak.
“I appreciate the offer, but I don’t take drinks from strangers, especially ones that think they can boss me around at my very own show,” I scoffed.
I gripped the glass more firmly in my fingers and then without even a second of hesitation, I threw the entire thing of whiskey into his arrogantly handsome face. The liquor dripped down his beard and onto the red button-up shirt that he was wearing. He went so still that I swore I could hear each drop of whiskey splash down onto the floor.
My heart started to pound uncharacteristically fast.
A terrified gasp sounded over the crowd. They looked at me in horror and at once I started to feel their fear myself. Silas lifted his gaze to mine and his hazel irises had gone dark. For a moment, I expected him to strike me out of anger, but he didn’t even reach for the empty glass still in my hand. Instead, he did something so bewildering that I lost the ability to even form words.
He laughed. He fucking laughed at me like I was the most amusing thing in the world.
“Sassy girl. You’re going to pay for that. I’m going to enjoy it, but I’m not sure you will,” he replied carefully. A waitres
s that was close by handed him a towel from her belt and he wiped the whiskey off his face. After that, he dabbed at his shirt enough to dry off the excess liquid and he gazed up at me. I stood up, wanting to put some distance between us.
Abruptly, Silas jumped up onto stage with practiced ease. I took several steps backwards, looking to either side at the security guards watching me from the wings. They glanced from me to him and crossed their hands in front of their waists as if they didn’t see anything at all. I scowled and turned back to face him, fisting my hands at my hips in a show of brazen defiance. If they weren’t going to stop him, I was going to have to.
He unbuttoned his suit jacket and shrugged it off his shoulders before he tossed it down to his seat in the front row. He met my eyes purposely as he unbuttoned his sleeves and slowly rolled them up one at a time, revealing strong forearms that made my mouth water just a little bit. I fidgeted nervously as I watched him, trying to figure out what he was doing and failing entirely.
He strode toward me purposely and I stood my ground. I had to stay strong in front of everyone. I lifted my chin and tried to ensure that I didn’t show any weakness, but the way he was looking at me was making me incredibly uneasy. It didn’t appear as if my bravery slowed him down even a tiny bit. If anything, it just spurred him on. It was becoming increasingly difficult to draw in a breath and I struggled to figure out what he would do next.
His eyes bored into mine as he approached me, leaving me even more anxious with every step that he took. My heart pounded in my chest and I thrust one hand out toward him in hopes that it would stop him, but it didn’t. Very casually, he brushed it aside and stood in front of me. He cracked his knuckles and the popping sounds were menacing enough all on their own. I tried not to tremble, but I had the sudden feeling things were about to happen that I wasn’t prepared for whether I wanted them to or not.
He towered over me, more than a foot taller than me by my estimation. It was really unsettling to have him staring down at me like this. I chewed my lower lip as my eyes wandered over his massive form. Up close, I realized that his shirt was a dark burgundy color that hugged closely to his chest, highlighting the thick muscles of his shoulders and the trim physique of his waist. He was a man who took care of himself and it was more than clear that he spent quite a bit of time working out. I wasn’t sure if that was good or bad for me yet. Probably not good if I had to guess by the tension in the firm line of his mouth. Deliberately, he reached for the glass of water that I’d placed on top of the stool in the center of the stage and carefully took a long swig before he placed it down on the floor well out his way.
“Get off the stage,” I demanded. I drew my shoulders back and gathered every last shred of courage inside me as I stood before him. It didn’t seem to matter.
He didn’t listen, simply chuckling quietly at my anger rather than answering me. His body moved even closer to mine and I caught a whiff of his cologne. It was spicy, woodsy even with oranges, cinnamon, and the faintest hint of cigar smoke. It was almost hypnotizing in a way and I breathed him in deep, not wanting to admit that I was growing warm at his bold maneuver.
His gaze dragged up and down my body, taking in the elegantly draped purple shirt that exposed just enough cleavage to remain classy without being slutty and the short black skirt that showed off my toned legs. Anxiously, I brushed my hair behind my ears as he appraised me. He finally met my eyes with a look of obvious arousal and appreciation before he grasped me about the waist and swiftly bent me over the stool. I squeaked in surprise and grabbed at the rungs below me in an effort to stop my descent so that I didn’t get hurt in the process. I tried to push myself back up to a standing position, but his palm on my lower back stopped me.
