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“How well do you know those men in the meeting?”
“Um, I mean, define well? I’m always the waitress that serves them when they have their meetings. I know the older men by name, as they’re here every time. The younger men I have a harder time remembering because they aren’t always here. The sons aren’t always here either … thankfully,” I whispered, once again realizing too late that I had said it out loud instead of in my head. “I know them more by their drink and food orders than anything else. I can tell you exactly what they like and don’t like when it comes to food and alcohol, but in the interest of self-preservation, that’s all the information I divulge on those men.”
He smirked at me and asked, “Are they always so rude to you?”
“The older men, never. They’re very respectful. Most of the underbosses too are very respectful unless they drink too much. I’m not sure if their bodyguards know how to speak because now that I think about it, I’ve never heard them say a word. The sons, though? What you saw earlier is a normal occurrence. Especially when they’re all here. It’s like they try to outdo each other.”
He squinted his eyes slightly as he inhaled the smoke from his cigarette. Holding his breath for a second before turning his head to blow the smoke into the air, away from me, his eyes never leaving mine. Why did I feel like I could look in those eyes for hours and never get tired of it?
“Thank you, uhh…I’m sorry. I didn’t catch your name?”
“Sephie.”
“Sephie? That’s an unusual name.”
“It’s short for Persephone. Most people have a hard time pronouncing it, so I just shortened it. Also, those who know are generally nervous once they find out I’m named after the Queen of the Underworld,” I said, looking down at my fidgeting hands. I really loved my name, but it did come with a weird history.
“Thank you, Persephone. You’ve been very insightful tonight. I’m pleased to have met you tonight,” he said as he extended his hand to me.
I hesitantly placed my hand in his. He gently turned my hand over and brought it up to his lips. When his lips connected to the back of my hand, it was like fireworks went off in my stomach.
I tried not to be obvious about the sharp inhale I took as he kissed the back of my hand, so I said, “Yes, you too…mister?” as I looked at him inquisitively.
“Adrik. You can call me Adrik.”
Chapter Two
Sephie
After my short interlude outside, I returned to work and tried my best to act like nothing happened. Anthony had apparently been chastised while I was away because he kept his hands to himself. This was new. Did Mr. Lord King Boss Adrik threaten him after I first went outside? Anthony had never stopped his juvenile antics before tonight.
I think I like Mr. Lord King Boss Adrik.
Most of the men had finished with their meals, but were still deep in discussions. The room was tense, to say the least. I was busy picking up empty plates and taking them back to the kitchen. I recruited Max to help me pick up plates, so I wouldn’t have to make so many trips. Just as he was about to enter the room, one of the bodyguards stopped him.
“Excuse me, sir. Only the lovely lady is allowed in the room,” he said with his giant hand on Max’s shoulder. Max wasn’t a small guy either. He obviously worked out regularly and was well over six foot tall, but he looked small next to that absolute unit of a bodyguard.
I looked back at Max and smiled. “It’s okay, Max. I’ll get them. Thank you for offering to help.”
I let out a sigh as I walked into the room. I glanced in Adrik’s direction, only to notice his blue eyes staring at me once again. I quickly tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear and made myself busy.
After depositing another round of dirty dishes in the kitchen sinks, I walked out the kitchen door on my way back to the meeting room. In the back hallway, between the kitchen and the back room, I was met by none other than Anthony. He was coming out of the restroom, completely drunk, and acting like he might fall at any moment. I tried to hurry past him, but he caught my arm and pulled me back to stand right in front of him.
“Please let go of my arm. I have work to do,” I said, trying to pull away from him. His vice-like grip on my arm only got tighter. Did bourbon give him some kind of superhuman strength? Seriously. How was his grip so strong?
“C’mon, you know you’d much rather go into the bathroom with me for a quickie,” he said as he leaned in to try to kiss me, pushing me up against the wall so I couldn’t easily get away from him. Ugh, his breath was horrendous and smelled like he’d drank the entire bar that night. Truthfully, he’d probably had half of it, at least. I turned my head to avoid his lips, which only served to piss him off. He said something in Italian, which I didn’t understand because of his slurring, but he grabbed my other arm, again with his vice-like grip. He stepped even closer to me, as if that was possible. I could feel his entire body pressed against mine. I could even feel that he was getting aroused at standing so close to me.
He didn’t say anything for a moment. He just scanned up and down my body, his breath getting quicker, his pupils dilating. He released one arm and reached up to my face. With the back of his hand, he lightly grazed my cheek. I turned my head, trying once again to get away from him. He sighed.
“Do you know who I am? Do you know how many girls would love to be in your position right now?”
“Then why don’t you go find one of them? I’ll gladly tag her in,” I said.
“You have a smart mouth. I’ve always heard that redheads were firecrackers. Maybe someone needs to teach you a lesson.”
“No, thanks. School really wasn’t my thing. I probably won’t pay attention if you try to teach me anything.” I was hoping to make him frustrated enough that he would move, and I could escape his grasp. Even if he lost a little focus, I was preparing to deck him and then I was going to make a break for it. I thought about screaming, but didn’t want to cause a scene. The entire back room was armed with enough firepower that they could level the entire block if it came to it, so making a scene wasn’t my finest idea. I was also hoping someone would come out of the kitchen, but most of the staff had already left for the night, as it was a slow night in the front of the restaurant. Max was still at the bar, and he likely wouldn’t hear me anyway. I had to figure out how to get out of this mess on my own.
“There’s that smart mouth again,” he said as he ran his hand up my arm and slowly wrapped it around my neck. “Do you know what I do to women that don’t know when to shut up?” he asked as his grip slowly tightened around my neck. My entire body tensed, and my eyes went wide. I knew what was about to happen.
