39. TOGETHER
LEON
We’re an hour from doors opening on the biggest night of the year. I left Pandora to her own devices upstairs while my crew and I prepared Smother. She’s showering and primping. I’ve supplied her with endless champagne and strawberries to go with it. Because I want her content. Happy. I want her for me.
Pandora’s thinking about ditching me, but we’ve only just begun. Hell, I’ve never had to work to make a woman adore me before. I’m nothing if not tenacious, though, and it’s been a long time since I last failed on a mission.
I run through my mental checklist as I head upstairs and lock myself into the apartment.
One: Christian and I have prepped the top terrace we usually keep closed. The little storage room behind the counter has now been stacked floor to ceiling with kegs and cases of cheap chardonnay and champagne. The terrace bar will be manned by Arriane and Christian, and I’ll send more bartenders up toward the end of the night.
Two: all bouncers are on the lookout for Dominic. He won’t be allowed in.
Three: I still have Pandora’s phone, which I’ll keep until we’re ready to crash. I’ll leave it for someone to find when they clean up in the morning. By then, I’ve got to have her hooked on me.
Four: the girls are waiting impatiently downstairs. I’ll let them loose on Pandora in a minute. I just need to see her alone one last time before the night begins.
I slide the door to the bathroom open and find her leaning into the mirror, applying mascara. She’s wearing some dark corset-looking thing that causes her breasts to brim over. I can almost distinguish the faint red of her nipples. Below it, all she wears is a black thong, those round, white butt cheeks begging me to slap them. I don’t, though. I’m weighing my moves tonight.
Pandora responds nicely whenever I grab her, and this time is no exception. I surprise her. Press her front against the countertop, and use my hands to trap her in a hard embrace. Then, I dig into her with my hips, letting my mouth find an earlobe from my position of advantage behind her.
“Shit, Leon,” she gasps out in the apprehensive, aroused tone that drives me crazy. She might think she doesn’t want this, but I know what she felt right now. A jolt of lust low in her stomach. We’re two of a kind, Pandora and I. I need it to sink into her stubborn little head.
“I’ll give you a quick tumble, sugar.”
I shove against her, eliciting a moan she can’t hold back. “Nothing fancy. Minimal change in skin color,” I promise.
“Leon, I meant what I said.”
Pandora has never said “no” to me. The only times I haven’t pleasured her is when she’s been too drunk. “Your body doesn’t agree,” I husk against her ear, and she shudders.
“Your body wants me to bury myself in you and make you scream in ecstasy. That sound about right?”
“Shut up,” she hisses.
I flip her up into my arms, preparing to carry her to my bed. The makeup scatters off the sink while I whisper, “Remember how deep I can go in you?”
“Enough, Leon—we’re not doing this,” she almost sobs, and I enjoy—no, love—how turned on she is. I’m confident again. Oh yes, I’ll make her dream about me after.
I’m in the bedroom with a squirming Pandora in my arms when a triple knock on the apartment door interrupts us.
“Pandoooooraa?” sings one bright female voice, which instigates the choir. “Oh, Pandooooraaa!”
Then, a single high-pitched, “Where’s my wifey?”
“Fuck. Me,” I mutter and damn, do I mean it. Those friends of hers just lost the right to drinks on the house tonight.
“Yay!” Pandora squeals, wiggles her delicious ass out of my grasp, and races to the door. She turns the key and lets in the swarm of just-off-the-boat Childhood Village friends. Wow. By the prattling nuisance they present, there could be a dozen, not three of them.
I ease into a standing position, adjusting myself the best I can. Without a glance in my direction, they dig into Pandora’s untouched strawberries and champagne while inspecting every piece of clothing piled high on top of her open suitcase. From the rapid chattering, I catch how Pandora is in urgent need of a skirt. Mica finally scrutinizes me and quips, a tad too late, “Hope we didn’t interrupt anything, Leon.”
“What makes you think that?” I mutter, holding her gaze, and Mica’s blushing is an inadequate payback.
DOMINIC
“Give me a break!” I shout at the bouncer. “How many years have I been coming here, Jason? I must have paid for an entire booth by now.”
“Sorry, Dominic. Boss’ orders.”
“Fuck no—what does Leon have against my money? Let me in or bring the idiot out!”
“Dude.” Palms facing me, Jason lifts meaty shoulders in a single shrug. He lowers a hand to wave in other customers. “Nothing I can do. Leon is busy in the club and has demanded not to be disturbed.”
I’m seething. I’ve waited too long already, and I need to get to Pandora. As soon as I saw her on the back of Leon’s Ducati, I sped over here, but Smother was locked down fortress-style, so I returned once they opened. “I fucking have a membership to this joint!” I yell at him.
“We don’t have memberships—”
“Not literally, dammit! Just let me in, Jason. Or bring me Pandora. She’s in there, right?”
“Leon’s chick?” he asks, eyebrows arching at my request.
“Excuse me: my friend, Pandora,” I specify.
“Yeah, you don’t want that.” When Jason shakes his head, he does it fast and with his mouth slightly open. The effect is some seriously quavering jowls, and if I weren’t angry, I’d be snickering.
“No, believe me—I do.”
“He’s very protective of his girlfriends—he wouldn’t be happy with either of you if she came out here. Sorry, Dominic. No can do.”
I’ve been at the door for a while now. It’s nine p.m. and with my luck, Pandora’s wasted already. “Shit, Jason! Fuck you.”
I stride off down the dark alleyway that hosts the entrance to Smother. From the corner, I call Christian. He’s being a girl, not picking up, so I text him.
Never mind—I’ll buzz Shannon.
My phone rings immediately, and Christian’s on the other side. “What’s up,” he asks.
“What do you think? How’s Pandora?”
“Good. Listen, man—I got to work, all right? Hang out tomorrow?”
Oh, hell no.
“You’re getting me in, dude, or I swear to you—”
“Did Jason tell you?” Christian asks.
“Yeah, what’s the deal? Is Leon afraid I’ll steal Pandora from under his nose or something?” I joke, but Christian doesn’t laugh or answer. “Why are you so damn loyal to the son of a bitch? You know how he gets with women. You should be helping Pandora.” When he still doesn’t reply, I barge on.
“She’s your girlfriend’s best friend, Christian. Shannon called me, asking for my help—how come you don’t fucking care?” I scream the last part out, and Christian wheezes into the phone.
“Dominic! The hell, man? Hold on, I’m going to the office.” He slams a door behind him, and it’s quieter. “Your precious wild child is fine, all right? She’s upstairs with the girls at the moment. They’re drinking and playing dress-up. She wasn’t doing so good yesterday, but she’s okay now.
“As to why I’m loyal to Leon? He treats his staff well. He’s loyal to us. And no one—no one in all of Deepsilver—pays the money he pays. I’m his second-in-command, dude. In one month, I earn what the bartenders at the Blood Bank gross in two. Yeah, so in short, I’m not jeopardizing my livelihood because of a girl he’ll tire of in a couple of weeks. She moves on, and I’m without a job? No. I warned Pandora, but she didn’t listen. At this point, Dominic, my hands are tied. Even Shannon understands that.”
I groan and rub my hand over my face. This can’t be another dead end. I am not waiting until the morning to see her.
I want my year to start right.
For that to happen, I’m fucking giving her a New Year’s kiss tonight.