Katia says nothing.
“I’ll be keeping a close eye out,” she adds. “Enjoy your little break.”
Without waiting for a response, she melts into the shadows. I wait for a few moments before curling my fingers around the glass. Slowly, I lift it to my lips and take a small sip. The fruity drink is a little too sweet for my taste, but it dulls some of the roaring in my ears.
I take a few more sips, and the hairs on the back of my neck rise.
Frowning, I scan the floor, realizing that a figure on the far side of the room is watching me. I squint, but I can’t make out his features. I ignore the sliver of unease that races up my spine and turn my attention back to the drink. The roar in my ears turns into a quiet thrumming sound, and the edges of my vision blur as I lean back and sigh. Then, I set out my finished drink and lean across the table for the other one.
Out of nowhere, a hand darts out and closes around the glass.
I lick my dry lips. “That’s my….”
The rest of the sentence dies on my lips as I blink, and I realize who I’m talking to.
Shit.
The pleasant buzz begins to clear when Noah’s friend Steven leans forward and pulls his lips back into a sneer. “Well, isn’t this a pleasant surprise?”
My stomach is in knots. “I can’t say the same.”
Steven chuckles and brings the drink to his nose to sniff it. “You can afford to ask them for the expensive stuff now, or at least that’s what I heard.”
I square my shoulders and give him a blank look. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Where the fuck is Katia, and why isn’t she dragging him back by the collar of his shirt?
Steven chuckles, and the sound sends another wave of unease through me.
I rise to my feet, and a figure steps out of the shadows, blocking the other side of the booth. I glance back at Steven, and he’s sitting with his arm draped over the back of the booth.
“What the hell are you doing?”
“Word on the street is that you’re off limits,” he continues. “Something about fucking someone big.”
I offer him the dirtiest look I can muster. “That’s none of your damn business.”
“I always did wonder what that mouth of yours would feel like. You were wasted on Noah, you know. He doesn’t know how to please a woman.”
I scoff. “And you do? Did you honestly think that ratting me out to Noah was going to get you anywhere?”
Steven shrugs. “I can show you one hell of a good time, baby. And I bet you like it rough.”
“Not interested,” I reply coolly. “This conversation is over.”
Steven’s hand darts out and closes around my wrist, and his eyes flash. “It’s over when I say it’s over.”
I look from the hand around my wrist to his face and back again. “Let go.”
He leans in so I can smell the alcohol on his breath. “Not until I get what I want. I want you on your knees, London. You got away last time, but this time, you’re not going to get so lucky. Let’s see how far you can take it, huh?”
Without warning, he tugs, and I lose my balance and fall against him.
I throw my head back. His arms, which were closing around me, lose their grip, and Steven makes a muffled sound in his chest. Then I throw my full weight back, and we crash to the floor, a pinprick of pain racing up my leg. My heart pounds.
Slowly, he rises to his feet and rolls his shoulders. “I knew you’d be fun.”
I get up from the floor and orient myself immediately, standing with my legs hip-width apart.
