The next few weeks go by in a blur. I continue my search for as much information on the beauty at the bar and one of my boys comes up with a name and an address. As I make my way to the bar for my nightly drink, my mind constantly thinks about her.
From what I’ve learned about her, I know that she keeps to herself and tries to stay out of the limelight. She doesn’t seem to like flashy things. Her car is modest and so is her house. I pull my car into the spot I park every night like clockwork. Once I make it into the bar, I scan the room and see a few of the regulars as well as a couple of my men sitting in a booth in the back. I nod my head at them but don’t make my way to them.
I take my seat at the end of the bar and I see her behind it, filling orders quickly and efficiently. The crowd is bigger than normal, so I continue to scan the room. I see a few more familiar faces before a drink is being set in front of me. “You are late.” She grins.
“Had something to deal with,” I reply, eyes never leaving hers. The grin on her face widens and she starts to pull her hand away from my drink, but I reach out and grab it. Her eyes widen slightly in shock as I hold her hand in mine. “Ivellisse.” My voice isn’t more than a whisper. Her mouth drops open and she looks at me like I’m crazy.
“How do you know my name?” This time it’s my turn to grin. “You even pronounced it right.” I spent countless hours saying her name over and over again in my head, memorizing it. It’s beautiful just like she is.
“You said I would find the information out on my own, and I did.” I release her hand and she stumbles back a little. She goes to say something, but the words don’t leave her mouth.
“So you know everything about me?” she asks hesitantly. I nod my head in affirmation and she frowns. “You know why I live here?” I frown at her words and she almost looks relieved. Now I’m curious. I need to figure out why she’s here.
“Ivey.” She states. I look at her strangely and then she continues. “Please call me Ivey. I know my name is a mouthful.”
A lazy grin spreads on my face and I shake my head no. “I like your name. Ivellisse fits you better.” Someone calls out for a drink and she turns to look over her shoulder before her eyes hit me again.
“Okay,” she finally agrees.
I smirk at her and she walks over to the other side of the bar to fill the drink orders. I watch her behind the bar for what seems like hours. I see the way she smiles politely at the men and women who order a drink. Once I finish my drink, I push it close to her side of the bar and wait for her to come back over to me.
When she finally does, she gives me her bright smile. “So you looked me up?” she finally asks. I nod my head, but I don’t give her any more than that. “What else did you learn about me?” I study her for a second as she pours me another drink.
“I’ve learned that you give everyone but me a fake smile. Why is that?” The blush creeps up her neck and she tucks a strand of hair behind her ear.
“I don’t give people fake smiles,” she says defensively. Someone comes up to the bar and she gives them the fake smile I was talking about. When she turns back to me, she waits for me to say something.
“The smile you just gave that man, totally fake. When you smile at me, it reaches your eyes. When you smiled at him, it was forced and looked almost painful.” I grin at her and she starts to shake her head.
“You’re crazy. I think you’re seeing things.” Just as I’m about to reply to her, some drunk dick head comes walking up to the bar.
“Hey, bitch! Get me a damn drink!” he yells at her. I turn my attention to him and I watch him for a second. I can see her expression from the corner of my eye, but I don’t take my eyes off him. “Are you fucking deaf?” he yells when she doesn’t move.
She starts to move, but I tell her to stop. As soon as I stand up, I feel my men start to come up behind me. “I suggest you apologize to the lady,” I growl. He turns to look at me and then sizes me up. He doesn’t have much more weight than me, but he also has never dealt with a man like me. I can kill a man with my bare hands, and I’m not afraid to do so.
“Fuck you!” he yells at me. Before my men can do anything, I grab the back of his head and slam it down on the bar. He yelps out in pain, but his drunk ass falls to the ground and doesn’t make a move to try and get up. Instead, he tries to sit up but falls back to the ground. I motion to my men and they pull him up and drag his ass out the doors.
Ivellisse’s eyes turn to me and she looks shocked. Her mouth is wide open and she’s trying to find something to say. Instead of waiting for her, I motion for her to come over to me. She comes hesitantly. The crowd that had started to gather has already gone back to their night and the bar is back to being loud and rowdy. “You okay?” I ask.
My eyes scan over her body, and I can see how shaken up she is by what just happened. “I think so,” she says quickly. She looks at the spot where I slammed the guy’s head on the bar top and she pales. “You could have seriously hurt him,” she states finally.
My sweet innocent girl.
I motion to the last of my men to watch the bar and I grab her hand, leading her towards the back. She tries to fight me for a second, but I assure her that nothing will happen while she’s gone.
“You could have killed him,” she whispers once we get into the back office.
“I would never kill a man in front of you, doll.” She goes pale as she takes my words in.
“But you have?” Her voice is shaky and I know that she’s about to freak the fuck out.
“That’s not a conversation for a bar like this,” I say gently. I reach out and wrap an arm around her waist, pulling her curvy body into mine. “He got what he deserved. I won’t ever let a man talk to you that way.”
“I don’t know why you…” She trails off before she can continue with the words.
“You know why. I don’t just come in here every damn day for no reason.” Grabbing her chin with my hand, I tip it up so she has to look into my eyes. “You are the highlight of every fuckin’ day I have.” Her lips part and I try my best to keep from kissing her, but it’s no use. I’ve been dying to claim her mouth for months.
Gripping the back of her neck, I pull her mouth to mine and I kiss her. Her hands go to my chest and she tries to push me away, but I don’t move. I’ve waited long enough. I won’t take no for an answer. After a few beats, she lets her hands slide down my stomach and they stop on my hips. Her fingers twist into my dress shirt and her body presses into mine.
When I finally release her mouth, she’s breathless. Her eyes meet mine and I can see the uncertainty in them. She doesn’t want to like me, but I can see that she does. Instead of releasing her hips, I keep her body pressed against mine. One of my hands trails down the back of her head, cupping the side of her neck.
Her eyes fill with lust and her breathing kicks up a notch. As I lean my head down towards hers again, I see her lips part in anticipation. Before my lips touch hers again, I speak. “When you get off tonight, we will talk.” I don’t let her answer me as I claim her mouth once more. Her hands grip my sides and she starts to pull me closer to her. Her nails biting at my skin, fuck she turns me on.
I break the kiss quickly and kiss her once more softly. Her eyes almost look glazed over when I look at her face again. “I’ll come to you,” I murmur. She shakes her head quickly and then looks at me.
“Right…” She looks to the ground and then back at me. “You are now my personal stalker.” She starts to laugh and I crack a smile. She has no fuckin’ idea how true that is.
“If you have any other problems tonight, I’m going to leave one of my men here. He will call me if anything happens.” She starts to frown, but I stop her with my next words. “You are in a shitty ass bar by yourself every night. Let me keep you safe.” She sighs and then nods her head.
“But only if you promise to tell me the truth later.” Even though I rather not tell her shit about the man I am, I agree.
“Deal, but what I tell you can’t get out.” Her eyes snap to mine and she nods her head again.
“I promise.” Her voice is no longer scared and it’s becoming stronger with every word she says to me. Telling her who I am and what I do is going to be a fuckin’ mistake, but one I’m willing to make if it helps me get her.
I’ve wanted her since the first time I walked into this shitty bar and every time I’ve shown up since. She may not know what’s about to hit her, but I’ll be sure to make it worth all the fuckin’ bullshit I come equipped with.
I’ll be damned to let my uncle or anything else stand in my way. I want to claim her perfect mouth again, but my phone starts to ring. Grabbing it out of my dress pants, I look down at the screen and I see her looking too.
“Who’s Harlyn?” she asks quietly. “Girlfriend?” My eyes snap up to hers and I shake my head no.
She doesn’t say another word, but I hit the answer button and put the phone to my ear. “Yeah, babe?” I ask. Ivellisse’s eyes widen when I call Harlyn babe. There’s a reason I don’t call Ivellisse babe. It’s what I call pretty much all women unless they are a cunt. Then I call them a cunt instead.
“Niko, I think my water just broke,” she whimpers into the phone. I curse under my breath and I place one last kiss on Ivellisse. Her body stiffens at the contact and I know she’s probably thinking that I’m running home to my ol’ lady or something.
“I’m on my way,” I grit out. I release Ivelisse’s hip and I grab her hand, pulling her out into the bar area. I pocket my phone and drag her over to my man that’s about to be reassigned to be her guard until she gets home tonight.
“Stas, I need you to stay here. I want full protection on her. Anything happens, I want a phone call.” She glares at me as I’m giving him directions. As much as I want to bend her over the bar to spank her ass for it, I have to get this shit out and to Harlyn. “You make sure she gets home safely.” He nods his head and I turn my attention back to her. “Don’t try to run from him.” She frowns at me and rolls her eyes, but I can see the anger written all over her face. She thinks I’m running off to a wife or girlfriend I don’t have.
“I’ll come to you later,” I state. She rolls her eyes again, but I ignore it. I need to get the fuck out of here. I squeeze her hand slightly and release her before making my way out the door and to my car.