I gave him a little wave before I turned around and exploded with laughter.Ah, I sighed. He wanted me in hell with him? Might as well have a little fun while I was there.
CHAPTER8
Leonora
Some of thewind left my sails when I had to prepare to take Paulina’s place in the dance routine.
Throughout the entire ’90s show, Big stared in my direction, and it made my breath come harder and faster. Even when I had to move to get dressed, it was like his eyes never left me.
I’d never felt nervous before I danced. It was just people watching me have some fun. Shaking my ass to a hit from the 2000s while Big was in the crowd was sending me into a panic, though.
Georgia gave me a pep talk, turned me toward the crowd, and slapped my ass to get me going.
When my eyes met Big’s, I couldn’t even remember the steps.
I was so screwed.
Catching Vinny’s stare doused me some, and I shook my head, making myself move.
I kept making mistakes when I’d meet Big’s intense eyes, but when the song started to get sexier, I was starting to find my groove, imagining it was just him and I in the room.
His face transformed. It went from relaxed to tight. Kind of scary, like when he’d found out that guy had hurt me. His eyes caught that twitch, though his entire body went rigid until he jumped out of his seat and attacked a guy sitting a few seats down. Knocked him out with one punch.
The girls were glancing at each other, but none of us stopped moving, because Vinny was making a “keep going” motion.
A second later, Big hauled me off my feet, flung me over his shoulder, and brought me into the back room.
“Somewhere private,” he almost growled out.
Someone must have directed him, because he took off in a different direction, and we ended up in a storage closet.
He set me down on my feet and took a few steps back. He was breathing heavy, his nostrils flaring.
“How are you doing, Mr. Big Stuff?”
“Where’s your ring?”
“In my bag.”Tucked into the pocket of my work shirt, but I didn’t mention that.
“A two-fucking-million-dollar ring and you have it in your bag? Where?”
I pointed and gave him slow directions because I was stunned.Two million dollars?
He stormed out of the closet, leaving me reeling, until he came back, took my finger, and slid it back on. “You know what that ring means, Aphrodite?”
“I can guess what it means to you. Youthinkit means I do what you say.”
“It means you’re fucking mine. I share you with no one. Not a room full of drooling men. Not one man fantasizing about you. Not. Fucking. One. It’s also a symbol of who you are to me, and who I am to you. You’ll be buried with it. It doesn’t leave your finger.”
“If it does?” I slid the ring up and down my finger, each time getting closer to taking it off. I was poking the jaguar a little, but it was payback for him poking me the night before.
His grin came slow. I took a step back, running into the wall, my hands shooting out to keep purchase. He was advancing on me, and I’d cornered myself. Basically, a repeat of the night before.
“You afraid of needles?”
“Not really.”
“Good. Because you make wearing my ring an issue, my initials will be tattooed on your ring finger.”
