“You flatter me.” I batted my lashes, and Finn choked on his drink at the bar.
Stavros offered his arm, and I looped mine through it as he guided me across the dance floor toward the cordoned-off space. He gestured to the seat beside his velvet throne, the party girls casting jealous glances my way.
As I sat, my eyes swept my surroundings, and there, tucked behind another velvet rope, was the staircase that must lead to his private collection upstairs.
“Tell me.” Stavros raised a large, ringed hand and ran it down my cheek. “What on earthareyou?”
“I’m just a girl.” I smiled coyly. What the hell was I doing?
He chuckled, low and dark, and I sensed his deep desire. I forced down the lump in my throat. My plan was working.
“I enjoy precious things like you.” The Siren’s eyes lit up with wicked delight.
I let my hand glide along his muscled forearm, which was resting on the arm of his gilded chair. “Surely I pale in comparison to the wonderful things a man like yourself would own.”
Flattery was working, so I was going to roll with it.
He leaned forward, so close I could feel his breath. “Do you like precious things?”
“Yes.” I walked my fingers daintily back up his arm, glancing at him from under my lashes. “But I like quiet spaces more.”
I could almost feel Finn’s hardened jaw and burning eyes across the room. Fear coiled like a snake in my gut, but I shoved it deep down. Stavros’s fascination with rare things gave me an edge. It allowed me to get into the high rollers’ room without Finn and find whatever this Siren had that belonged to Poseidon.
The Siren man stood, his mouth twisting into a devilish grin. “Come with me. I’ll show you something.”
He offered his arm once more, and again I slipped mine through it, letting him guide me past the now-seething girls.
This was it. He was going to take me to his room of treasures.
The shadowed staircase opened into a vast space, where floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the glittering chaos of the nightclub below. A poker table dominated the center, its velvet top cluttered with chips, cards, and half-empty tumblers. A private bar stood at one end of the room, and atthe other was Stavros’s collection. The wall of objects was displayed under soft light—blades, chalices, scrolls, ceremonial masks, and crowns.
“This room is normally reserved for high-end guests. I suppose you could say I collect them, too. Elon Musk is arriving tomorrow with his friends, but tonight it is the perfect quiet space for us.”
The patent leather of my minidress squeaked as Stavros pulled me against him and burrowed his face into my neck. “What are you?” he asked again, inhaling my scent.
“I’m just a girl,” I repeated, pushing him away playfully and moving toward his collection. “These are some fine artifacts you have here...”
“I like a woman who can see the value in precious things.” Stavros’s scent—a mixture of bourbon and cologne—washed over me as he approached me from behind, wrapping his strong arms around my waist.
“Which is your most valued?” I asked, my voice wavering as he thrust against me and the length of him pressed into my back. My stomach turned, but I exhaled, forcing the feeling away. All I had to do was find out which item I needed to steal, and then I could get out of there.
“The Scepter of Tutankhamun.” Stavros nuzzled into my neck, groaning as he pushed himself against me again.
I tore myself from his grasp. My eyes scanned the shelves until I spotted it: a gleam of gilded bronze and blue stripes, the long staff curling elegantly into a hook. The Scepter of Tutankhamun—why would Poseidon want that?
“Where do you think you’re going?” Stavros grabbed me by the wrist and pulled me back into him.
“Boss?”
I exhaled in relief as we were interrupted by one of his burly guards.
“Can’t you see I’m busy?” Stavros swung toward the man, letting my wrist fall free.
“It’s Prince Aigéan. We apprehended him trying to get up to this room. There can only be one reason why he’s here.”
“Poseidon’s Box,” Stavros cried. “You!” He turned back to me, his face contorted with rage.
Oh fuck.
