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Konstantin watched her walk in, same as he had for the past three months.She wasn’t like the usual dancers he hired.Didn’t come on to him or any of the staff.Yasmin Malek worked three nights a week atThe Stripe Club, that was the name of his exclusive, members-only gentlemen’s club.
Konstantin was the boss, the owner, and sole operator of the establishment, but he still made sure he was there for every single one of her shifts.He couldn’t stay away.Had tried to, but to no avail.The woman drew him like a moth to a flame.His Tiger chuffed inside of him, watching the curvy Lioness walk across the smooth, polished floors.
The animal inside of him recognized the female as his, but his human half refused to do a thing about it.Fated mates was a myth, or so he’d always thought.A Shifter fairytale told to children same as normals did with Cinderella or the one about the beast and the bibliophile.
Her long brown hair was held back in a high ponytail, and same as always, he wondered what it would look like all loose and down around those creamy pale shoulders.There was no mistaking her beauty.Or her talent, for that matter.He knew dancing when he saw it, and Yasmin had been classically trained at some point.
He was not judgmental.People had their reasons for doing what they did.Maybe she needed money.Maybe she just liked the music.Or maybe she liked the attention.Lord knew, she drew enough of it.
Konstantin practically had to chain himself to his chair whenever he watched the clientele ask her for private performances.Some places were known for looking the other way, happy to take a customer’s money while the dancers were asked to do who knew what in some sleazy back room.
That kind of thing was frowned upon atThe Stripe Club.Sure, a dancer could make up his or her mind about leaving with a patron, but there was none of that inside the establishment.His employees all knew the drill, and when a client got out of hand, his or her membership was revoked.
Gentlemen’s club or not, he offered membership to any supernatural regardless of species, creed, sex, gender, or sexuality.The rules were simple.No violence.Pay your dues on time.Tip well.And hands off.
It did not stop certain customers from asking, and Konstantin was never one to stop someone from making a little extra money.But knowing Yasmin always refused requests such as those eased his animal’s temper.But it could not stem his catlike curiosity.Why did she dance on a pole instead of in a Broadway show or ballet?
The answer was simple enough.None of his fucking business.That was why.He snorted and shook his head, forcing himself to watch the other monitors.Yes, he had security all over the place, but Konstantin was a cautious man.It did not hurt to be extra attentive.
The Stripe Clubprided itself on having the best and most sumptuous exotic Shifter dancers in New York City.Both male and female Shifters vied for a coveted spot in his club, and he was choosy.Hell, he could afford to be.
A favorite among the supernatural crowd,The Stripe Clubboasted everyone from powerful Alphas to their newest guards, leaders of Clans, Packs, and more among its membership.It was a popular enough place to keep the local Prides off his back.
Two had tried courting him for membership, but Konstantin would never bow to an Alpha, or as the Bengal Tiger’s called their leader, a Neta, again.It made things a little rough for him since no one liked a lone Shifter living among their own.The chance of going rogue was far too dangerous.But Konstantin had his reasons.Two of them, and they were good ones.
Leaving his mother and sister behind in Russia had been traumatic for the then sixteen year old Tiger, but he’d adapted.Thank fuck he already spoke English or that would have really sucked when he’d arrived in New York City.The boarding room his Uncle Petyr had secured him in a Shifter run establishment was small, but clean.The old woman who ran it, tough but kind.
Yes, he’d gotten his ass kicked a few times, more than he cared to admit, but Konstantin did alright.He avoided the Prides, kept his head down, and hustled like crazy to make something of himself.Thirteen years later, he owned his own club and had enough money to bring his sister to New York, but Alina was just starting with a prestigious ballet company and had no desire to leave.His mother had opted to stay with her daughter.
Still, he sent money, and would have gone to visit, but the old Bratvapakhan, or boss, still had Konstantin’s name on his list of men to kill on sight.His mother begged him to stay away, and so he did.It was the least he could do for her.
“Boss?We’ve got trouble on the floor by stage six,” Eduardo, one of his most trusted employees knocked on his door.
Sure, Konstantin could let him and some of the bouncers handle it.That option flew out the window when he switched monitors to stage 6 and saw Yasmin involved.Then he had no choice but to see to it himself.His Tiger would accept nothing less.
“Who is that man?”he asked, his Russian accent coming back full force as his ire rose.
Konstantin had a tablet in his hand as they hurried down the steps from his private office, not wanting to miss a moment of what was unfolding before him.Yasmin was a Lioness, a fierce predator in her own right but the male who was cornering her was twice her size and doing his best to intimidate the female.
Hell no.That was completely unacceptable, and not just because his beast wanted the woman.No one was permitted to hassle his dancers.The rule was one of three The Stripe Club insisted on when accepting membership.All prospective members agreed to these rules without fail, and they were as follows.
No Shifting or shedding blood on the premises.
No IOUs.All tabs must be paid in full upon receipt.
No hassling the dancers or staff, otherwise your membership will be irrevocably cancelled.
That was it.Other than that, all supernaturals were welcome to partake in any alcohol, food, and performances they had to offer.He did not deal in drugs, but he did not check as vigorously as human clubs since the usual narcotics hardly affected their kind.Not without magical help.And if magic was involved, there was typically no way to search for it, so it was up to his security teams to keep patrons friendly and jovial.
When someone got rowdy, his staff knew to offer the customer two choices, leave or retreat, to a Shifter secure room to wait for whatever they were on to leave his or her system.The Stripe Club offered a certain exclusive experience that was appealing it its upscale clients.Konstantin had spent years, a lot of blood, sweat, and money building that rep.He would not allow anyone to undo what he’d worked so hard to create.
That was usually enough for him to get involved.But this was about Yasmin, and the fucker who was now gripping her wrist in what had to be a painful hold was about to find out why people did not fuck with Konstantin Petrov.
He walked into the room where stage 6 was located, his eyes zeroing in on his target.Eight hundred pounds of Siberian Tiger scratched at his skin, the animal urging him to unleash his claws on the man who dared touch what he considered his.
Mine.
He could hear the man’s growled commands, and Yasmin’s defiant response.While he was filled admiration for the sweetlyiveetsa’ssass, Konstantin did not care for the stranger’s reply.
