I shook my head to keep from smiling and looked away from his eyes, because there was something about them that made me want to drift off into the sunset with this man. I exhaled deeply and told myself it wouldn’t be so bad to follow him. After all, I wasn’t telling him who I was, and he hadn’t come out and said he knew, so there shouldn’t be any issue with that.
Once we got to the section, I stepped in behind him, and his shoulders were so broad that my girls didn’t even see me until he stepped to the side.
“I found someone for y’all,” he told them.
I could tell they’d had plenty to drink already by the way they cheered when they saw me and instantly started back dancing with each other. It seemed way easier to get a drink up here because there was a private bartender stationed in the corner of the section.
I walked over to get another drink to calm my nerves.
I ordered a French seventy-five and went to the couch in the corner to sit down until I was drunk enough to not be so nervous up here. I mean, I shouldn’t be because he did say his girl was not here.
When he spotted me sitting in the corner, he walked over to the couch I was on and sat down beside me, dipping the sofa a little with his big ass stature.
“Why are you over here in the corner so uptight?” he asked.
“I don’t know, I just feel like chilling right now.”
“Damn, my club is boring to you? You came here and just want to chill?” he asked, laughing softly through his nose.
“That’s not the case; I’m just trying to be comfortable.”
“Well, I want you to be as comfortable as possible. Whatever you need, just let me know.”
He lifted his index finger and signaled for one of the bartenders to come over. The man leaned in, close enough that he didn’t have to raise his voice, and he said something low, quick, and meant for one set of ears. Whatever it was, the bartender straightened immediately, nodded once, and rushed off like he’d just been given orders from the President Of The United States.
I couldn’t help the small smirk that tugged at my lips. It was sexy as hell seeing that he didn’t need to bark or flex for respect from the people around him. He sat there, relaxed, shoulders broad, posture easy, as if everything around him already belonged to him, including everyone who worked here. There was a quiet authority in the way he carried himself, the kind that made grown men move faster and listen closer without questioning why.
It was the same aura he had when I first walked into that hotel room earlier. The same energy that made the air feel heavier, thicker, like something was always about to happen when he was nearby. Commanding without being loud. Dangerous without flashing any weapons.
When the bartender came back, she stated,
“It’s ready.”
He stood up from the couch and turned to me, holding out his hand.
“Come with me. I have to show you something.”
“Show me what?” I asked.
I hesitated for half a second, just long enough for doubt to whisper my name, and then I took his hand and let him pull me up. His grip was firm, confident, like he already knew I wascoming with him before I did. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught my girls watching, curiosity and concern written all over their faces, but not one of them said a word. He guided me past the bar and through a door without breaking stride.
The moment we stepped inside, it was like crossing into another world.
The bass from the club died instantly, and the quiet hit me so hard it made my ears ring. My shoulders relaxed before I could stop them, and I hated that my body adjusted so quickly to being alone with him. The space felt nothing like a back room in a club but like a space meant for living in luxury. Like an apartment with no windows.
There was a couch sitting off to the side, with clean lines and expensive fabric. A small kitchen glowed softly in the background, spotless, and untouched. Across from a dining table sat a bar that looked more like it was meant for conversation than drinking, and the lighting was low and warm, casting shadows that softened the edges of everything, including him.
I swallowed, suddenly aware of how close Hawk was, how the silence magnified every small movement. The confidence he carried in the club followed him in here, but it felt even heavier now.
“What is this?” I gestured my arms wide.
“This is my little space away from the chaos,” he said. “I like to chill in here. I just wanted to talk to you, and it’s kind of hard out there with all that noise.”
“Talk to me about what?” I asked, and he did a deep chuckle.
“So, you don’t think I know who you are?”
“I don’t think so. Look, is it okay if I just go back outside?”
