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“Oh, wonderful, wonderful. The new hires are doing a great job. There’s a new dish guy in the kitchen who I think will make an excellent addition to the culinary staff, and those two new slot girls are catching on quickly. Granted, it’s not the most complicated job in the world, but that doesn’t make it any less important,” Katja pointed out.
“You’re right about that. We need every cog of the machine to function without fail,” Luka agreed with her. “Any complaints or concerns from the clientele lately?”
Katja shrugged. “Some whiners now and again, mostly snooty people angling for special treatment. Nothing a little free-drink voucher can’t fix.”
“What about at the Cathouse? Any troublemakers?” he prompted.
“Not recently. It’s been quiet over there. Well, as quiet as a legal brothel ever gets.” She laughed. “Plenty of noise, but all the good kind. My girls are hard workers and artists of their craft. We’ve been getting rave reviews from the customers.”
“No more thieves?” he questioned.
She shook her head, making her slick black bob jiggle around her face. “No worries, my friend. We hold on to every dollar that walks through the door. Our coffers are full. What about you? Wrung any necks lately?”
Luka smiled darkly. “The work never truly ends.”
At just that moment, he looked clear across the room and his gaze fell directly on Kira. She was tending to an old couple at the slot machines. They were smiling and chatting with the young, beautiful cocktail waitress. Kira stood out like a bright light to Luka, even among the sharp competition of flashing signs, neon lights, and other beautiful women. No one and nothing could compare to her, not in Luka’s eyes.
Kira was petite and delicate-looking, with a body that could drive any man to lust. Luka ogled her in her casino uniform. He drank in her long, toned legs in their black fishnets. Her calves were more defined by the heels she wore, and Luka couldn’t help but steal a glance at her round, perfectly taut ass. His eyes were drawn to the cheeky heart-shaped cutout in the bodice of her uniform. Kira’s breasts were flawless, designed by the hands of God, Luka thought. They were perfectly pushed together to create a tantalizing crease of cleavage between them, and her chest bounced ever so slightly as she walked. The sweep of her high cheekbones and dainty jawline made Luka itch to touch her. He longed to trace the cupid’s bow of her upper lip and test the plushness of the bottom lip. When she smiled down at the old couple, her blue eyes glittered kindly. Her dark auburn hair was swept into a high ponytail, and Luka couldn’t help but imagine tugging it as he guided those pretty lips to his cock…
“Luka? You there?” Katja said, jolting him back to the conversation at hand. She glanced in the direction of his gaze and immediately grinned. “Ah, I see. So easily distracted by your new favorite plaything.”
“I would never toy with her,” Luka said, still staring at Kira across the room.
“Hmm. But she might want you to,” Katja remarked playfully.
At that moment, Kira’s gorgeous eyes flicked up. She met Luka’s gaze and his heart stuttered when she offered a tiny, secret smile just for him. The familiar way she looked at him showed that she had probably seen him come into the casino. She was doing her best to maintain composure and do her job, but Luka knew he was on her mind. The two of them had a strange, undeniable electricity between them. Every time he visited her at work, he felt himself warm up to her a little more. Kira was soft and sweet, a major contrast to the darkness and danger of Luka’s day-to-day life. Just as his own mother was a balm to his father’s savagery, Kira made Luka feel totally at ease. Just seeing her face lightened the burden on his shoulders.
That was why he had come here tonight. After a grueling interrogation and torture session out in the grimy ghost town, he needed a break. Katja put a stiff vodka drink in his hand and quietly excused herself to check in on the recent hires. Luka stood riveted to the spot by the service station as he watched Kira float like a fairy across the casino floor toward him.
CHAPTER6
KIRA
Kira’s heart was pounding.It was as if she could hear her own blood rushing in her veins, the tinge of adrenaline quickening her step. Even though she walked around in these heels every night without thinking too much about it, she was suddenly intensely aware of her entire body. It was like gravity pushed down on her harder than usual. She was distracted by her own breathing, the regulation of her balance, trying to control the expression on her face. As if she could do anything but grin like an infatuated schoolgirl.
Kira never felt so vulnerable as when Mr. Muscles was looking her way. His gaze was like a glowing spotlight. She bathed in his attention, letting it wash over her. Before she even reached him, there were goosebumps all down her arms and legs.
He was so handsome. Kira admired his enormous, hulking frame. He towered over the majority of people who walked by him, sticking out like a wolf among sheep. He looked powerful and a little dangerous. Kira had little doubt that he could out-perform anyone in the casino tonight. She wondered how he kept himself in such perfect shape. She assumed he had to be some kind of bodybuilder; how else would he maintain those incredible muscles?
In all the conversations they’d had together, Kira had never managed to pin down his career path. In her fantasies, he played all kinds of roles. She imagined him as a firefighter rushing into a burning building to rescue a trapped child, emerging victorious and gray with smoke. Sometimes she pictured Mr. Muscles at a gym, standing next to a client at a treadmill, demanding he run faster and not give up. Other times, he was a secret agent of some kind, a spy from abroad who was here on a mission. When she crawled into bed at night or slipped into a hot bath for some alone time, these were the colorful images that sprang to mind. She tried to push those thoughts away for the moment, though. This was neither the time nor place, and she didn’t want Mr. Muscles to figure out what she felt about him.
Still, she couldn’t help but undress him with her eyes as she got closer. A soft blush spread across her cheeks. He grinned at her. As always, Kira tried to put on an air of annoyance and rolled her eyes dramatically at him. This was their game: she pretended to be too busy to talk to him, and he played along as though the only reason he was there was to distract her from work. She even pretended to give him the cold shoulder as she turned to scoop some fresh ice into a couple of cocktail glasses. Just as she’d hoped, this gesture caused Mr. Muscles to sidle up next to her even closer. He was going to make her acknowledge him. She gave him her best impatient smirk, even though she was lapping up his attention and presence. Standing this close to her, Kira could feel the body heat radiating from him. She smelled the faintest enticing aroma of expensive cologne mingled with a hint of sweat. It made her mouth water.
“You gonna stand there and ignore me or say hi?” he prodded in a gruff undertone.
Kira slowly turned to face him and looked him right in the eyes. His pale green gaze was so piercing, it stunned her for a second. There was no preparing forhim. Something about his scent, his closeness, his pure, unfiltered confidence… It made her almost dizzy.
“Oh, I hardly noticed you there,” Kira remarked. It was an obvious lie, but all part of their little game. “Do you need something?”
“I can think of a few things I’dlike, but no, I don’t need anything,” he replied smoothly.
“So, you’re here to distract me from the customers who do need something from me, hmm? I have a full casino of people tonight. I can’t afford any distractions,” Kira said.
“What’s the rush? I doubt that old couple is going anywhere fast,” he teased.
Kira glanced back at the old couple, who were still happily playing their slot machines. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw that the pair were holding hands as they sat at their respective machines, enjoying each other’s company. They would probably lose all the cash they’d brought to gamble with tonight, but it looked like they didn’t mind. They would probably go home together just as happily as they showed up.
Kira wondered for a moment what that kind of love must feel like. Slow, sure, and eternal. She hoped she would feel that with somebody one day.
