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Without replying, I stuffed my phone back into my handbag. The hell was I going to call him, the cheating sod!
An hour later I was safely in Bordello, behind the bar, the rhythm of the music pulsating through the soles of my feet and up into the core of my being.
I was glad to have an early shift for once, before things got hectic in here with the night-time crowd. I polished the mahogany counter, my eyes scanning the almost entirely male clientele for someone familiar, and was disappointed to not see him. He’d been away on business, and it was crazy for me to yearn to set eyes on a man I didn’t even know.
I supposed I needed a distraction. Life had been tough lately.
My friend Dolly, one of the hostesses, appeared across the bar, her sequined silver dress glinting under the club’s dim lights.
“Beth,” she called over the music, her voice barely audible. I leaned in, my heart rate increasing at the mischief in her eyes. “You’re coming out with us tonight.”
I shook my head and resumed polishing. “I can’t. I’m going to try to pick up an extra shift. “
“Oh no, you’re not.” Dolly’s crimson lips curled into a playful smile. “All work and no play makes Beth a dull girl. You’ve been moping ever since you broke up with that jerk, Toby.”
“It’s not about Toby.” I clenched my jaw. The memory of walking in on him screwing some girl a month ago still stung. Especially when I had come home early to cook him a surprise dinner to celebrate his promotion at work.
Dolly’s face softened, her hand reaching over the bar to gently squeeze mine. “I know, hon. But you need a break. A night out with us party girls!”
I shook my head. “If I don’t get an extra shift, I really should head home and give Bernie a night off. I can’t afford—”
“You can’t afford to die of exhaustion and stress,” she said, cutting me off. “Your mom wouldn’t want that. You deserve to live a little.”
I couldn’t help but smile at Dolly, her pixie face so eager and determined. She always had a way of piercing through the shield I put up against the world.
My gaze drifted back to the crowd, where expensively dressed men danced with our scantily clad hostesses or drank solo, their eyes fixed on the gilded dancers up on stage. Small party groups had already formed in some of the booths, their laughter so carefree.
“Okay,” I found myself saying. “I’ll come. Maybe you can teach me to live a little.”
Dolly’s face lit up. She squealed, leaping up on the bar to throw her arms around me. “It’s going to be so much fun! And I’ve left you a dress upstairs in the locker room!” She gave me a cheeky wink. “You won’t regret it!”
As she spun away, heading to one of the party groups, I could only hope she was right.
The idea of a fun night out certainly perked up my mood, making it easier to smile for tips as I served drinks. Partying with Dolly was always a hoot. Maybe tonight I would finally get back a bit of the fun young girl I used to be before Dad’s heart attack, before Mom’s accident. Back when life had seemed full of possibility.
The evening ticked on, faces and orders blurring into each other as the club got busier. Finally, it was time for me to clock off. I waved as the girl taking over from me arrived and, with a sigh of relief, slipped out from behind the bar.
My mind was already on the freedom that awaited upstairs, when a hand appeared in my peripheral vision, a rocks glass filled with amber liquid balanced on the palm.
“Hey! Take this to Marco DeAngelis in the blue room.”
I turned, but the bearer of the drink had vanished into the crowd. My heart raced. Marco DeAngelis. His mere name resonated a mix of danger and allure that should have kept me far from him. How embarrassing it would be if he ever caught me staring at him.
I had thought he hadn’t come tonight. The blue room was a private meeting room. He must have been having one of his clandestine business meetings in there.
With a deep breath, I navigated my way through the throng on the club floor. My heart tripped faster than my feet in my urgency to deliver his drink and not keep him waiting. A shiver of anticipation raced down my spine as I knocked on the clouded glass of the door. Or was it dread?
“Come,” he said, his voice deep and commanding.
I slipped into the room, finding the lights unexpectedly dim. There he was, lounging at the large conference table, all alone. He was distracted, his eyes on some business papers.
I took the opportunity to stare. His aura of authority was a palpable force around him. His dark hair was slicked back, his dark eyes sharp and icy. His tailored suit screamed of money and power, the crisp lines emphasising his broad shoulders and muscular build.
I had never been alone with him before. Heat in my cheeks told me I was furiously blushing. His magnetic presence pulled me towards him despite my apprehension.
“Mr DeAngelis,” I said. “Your drink?”
He looked up, his gaze locking onto mine, sending a jolt through me.
