He bowed. “Courtesy of the owner. I’ll be back.” He snapped his fingers at another bartender to take over before he made a hasty exit.
Intrigued, I shifted my gaze until I located Atticus Rain at the back of the room. His pale blond hair and dark attire made him easy to spot. He inclined his head at me before turning his attention to a talkative gentleman standing beside him.
“Have we met?” a man asked.
I clutched my shawl when a slim fellow on my left inched closer. After a quick assessment of his curly grey hair, grey eyes, and pudgy nose, I shook my head, not recognizing him. “I’m afraid you have me mixed up with someone else.”
His thin lips eased into a grin. “Yeah, we’ve met. I’d never forget that voice. You’re the famous Monroe impersonator. I saw you perform back in ’89—before you got that scar.” His eyes slid down. “I bet you’ve still got the curves beneath that shawl.”
“I appreciate your admiration. If you don’t mind?—”
He stepped closer and lowered his voice to an intimate volume. “I always wondered what it would be like to fuck Marilyn.”
I drew in a light gasp.
“Oh, you want to pretend like you don’t know what I’m talking about?” he went on. “I heard all about your… private performances. You’re a legend.” He brushed his finger over my arm and gave a throaty chuckle. “Whaddya say, doll? Still got that white dress? I’ll pay real good.”
I slapped him across the face.
The instant he slapped me back, a dark figure jumped between us. Atticus seized the man’s wrist, snapped it, then buried his face in the pervert’s neck.
Virgil’s arms wrapped around me from behind. “Are you okay? What happened?”
My head spun as Atticus sucked the man’s blood before shoving him to the ground. Barely lucid, the grey-haired man clutched his neck and trembled under the Vampire’s wrath.
I took a deep breath, my heart pounding.
Atticus lifted a napkin from the bar and wiped his mouth. “Only a coward would strike a woman,” he bit out. “Henceforth, you’re blacklisted. If you enjoy having your head attached toyour spine, never set foot in here again.” Then he snapped his fingers at a server. “Take out the trash.”
Mercy appeared to be processing it all. “What happened? I was talking to Virgil and thought I heard a slap.”
My cheek was stinging, but not as much as my pride.
Atticus pivoted, his black eyes brimming with concern as he approached me. His gaze fastened on my cheek, and my heart quickened at the intimate way he brushed his fingers along my jaw.
“That shithead slapped Joy,” Virgil ground out. “I saw it! He’s completely unhinged.”
Tremors racked Virgil’s body as he battled against his instinct to shift.
I turned to face him. “Virgil, calm down.”
“Are you okay?” Mercy took my arm, her eyes wide as she studied my face.
“I’m fine. It’s over.”
Virgil exploded into his wolf. Because he didn’t move during the process, he got tangled up in his coat.
“Holy mackerel!” Mercy exclaimed. “Virgil, don’t youdarebite anyone.”
He growled and then whined, still intoxicated on Sensor magic. When he slipped out of the jacket and bolted toward where my assailant had been dragged out, Mercy sprinted after him. Light glinted on one of his bloody nipple rings on the floor.
Atticus clutched my arm. His regal visage was inscrutable. “Come with me.”
Desperate to escape everyone’s inquisitive gaze, I followed him through the busy club while struggling to gather my fragmented thoughts. When Atticus reached a door on the left side of the gold room, a fingerprint scanner gave us authorized access. We walked down a dimly lit hallway and into a privateoffice at the far end. After closing the door, he shepherded me to the leather couches on the left.
I sat on the one that gave me a view of the room. The large desk and bookshelf on the opposite end made me wonder how much time he spent in here. Atticus pushed a panel on the left-hand wall, and it clicked open. A light shone on him, and frosty air filtered out from a freezer. Then he opened another panel and pulled out a plastic bag.
My gaze wandered to the three sculptures in the room, which were elegant but out of place in a nightclub.
