Gedeon slipped on his jacket. “I’ll bet they are.”
“I’ll follow you and have some of the crew meet us there. This could get ugly.”
Gedeon ignored the offer. It didn’t matter if it got ugly. No one was touching Meiling tonight, not even him. If she was drinking, which she never did, she wouldn’t be in control. That meant someone had to look after her. That someone was going to be him. No one would be taking advantage, especially not the man who loved her.
He made the trip to the Algiers club in record time. He’d been there a few times and knew the owner. He’d done a couple of favors for him. He didn’t bother with the line or the security guards. He’d texted ahead and met the owner, a man by the name of Felix Jeansonne, at a private entrance.
Felix let him in. “I already had her surrounded by my personal guards before I got your text, Gedeon,” he greeted. “I knew she was trouble the moment she walked in.”
“We got into a fight,” Gedeon said. “Meiling and I don’t ever fight. She doesn’t drink either. So this is all a first for us.” Deliberately, he sounded rueful. “I had no idea she’d go out dancing alone.”
“It’s clear she has no idea what she looks like.”
Gedeon walked down the hall with Felix. “No, that’s part of her charm. She has no clue.”
“You brought a crew with you?”
“I told them to hold back. I was certain you’d have everything under control. But when my woman gets pissed, she can be difficult.” He laughed, sharing with Felix what it was like to have a rowdy woman. Felix would know. His woman was as sassy as hell and the man wouldn’t have it any other way.
“I will say this for you, Gedeon, you chose well. She’s gorgeous, but you may find yourself having to fight to the death to keep her.”
Gedeon heard the warning in Felix’s voice. He nodded. “I’m well aware. She’s worth it. She doesn’t ever do this. It’s on me. I did something stupid, and I hurt her. She’s got every right to be angry with me. I imagine she thought she’d just go out dancing and drinking and then come home.”
Felix sighed. “It’s never that easy when they have that special something no one can put their finger on.” He opened the door leading to the club floor. The music was almost deafening in comparison to what it had been in the hallway.
Gedeon’s gaze was immediately drawn to the dance floor and the woman commanding attention as she moved to the pounding beat of the music. Meiling was in a shadowy corner, and true to his word, Felix had appointed three of his security detail to surround her, cordoning her off from any of the males trying to get close to her. She seemed oblivious, her eyes closed, as she danced on her own.
“I’m going to come back out this way if you don’t mind, Felix,” Gedeon said. “She may kick up a fuss. If she does, she’s going over my shoulder and I’m just walking out with her.”
“I’ll have my boys walk with you as far as this door and I’ll lock it after you,” Felix said.
“Thanks. I just want to get her home, where she’s safe.”
Felix nodded. “If it was anyone else, I’d be putting her in one of the rooms upstairs with one of my girls to make sure.”
Gedeon knew the man was telling the truth. He was careful at his club. His bartenders watched as closely as they could for anyone putting drugs in drinks. It wasn’t that he was opposed to his clients having fun at his club. He had back rooms and another entire level for adventurous patrons, but everything had to be consensual. The moment he found out there was a problem, his people took care of it instantly. Sometimes, it was rumored, permanently.
Gedeon purposefully strode straight to his woman, moving up behind her, sliding his arms around her waist, his body moving suggestively with hers. “Time to go home, Lotus,” he murmured in her ear.
She reached behind her to find his neck, her eyes still closed, laying her head on his chest, finding his rhythm easily. “I want to dance.”
“We’ll dance at home.” He purred the suggestion, one hand sliding up her rib cage and the slight rounded curve of the side of her breast. He bent his head and kissed her neck, pressing his erection tight against her bottom. She pushed back into him, a little moan escaping. Her body was as hot as sin, rubbing against his, inflaming him more.
“We’ve got to go before I take you right here in public.”
She turned her face toward his. “I’m on fire.”
Her eyes were still closed. He could smell the alcohol on her breath. Her body moved against his, demanding sex. He wasn’t certain she knew who he was.
“Come with me now.” He tightened his arm around her waist and caught her wrist. “Meiling. We’re leaving. Going home. I’ll take care of you, I promise.”
If he didn’t get out of there, they were in real trouble. He began walking her toward the hall exit, where Felix waited with the door open. The three security guards did their jobs,surrounding them, clearing the way. Meiling seemed dazed, stumbling a little, so he half lifted her, walking faster to get her out of club. In the hall, Meiling wrapped her arms around his neck and began to nibble on his ear.
Felix grinned at him. “Have a good night, my friend,” he said as he closed the private entrance door.
Gedeon managed to get the passenger door open and Meiling onto the seat with her seatbelt fastened, although how, he later couldn’t recall. He glanced at her. It was a mistake. She squirmed and moaned, rubbing her hands up and down her thighs as he put the car in gear and shot down the alley to the main street. Flinging her head back so that her hair fell around her like a dark waterfall and the gold earrings glittered with the lights from the city as they raced for their house, she looked like an erotic, sensual creature sent to tempt him into carnal sin.
She turned her body toward him, one leg sliding up onto the seat, her knee bent, the high heel with the thin gold straps wrapped around her ankle and calf adding to the sexy image she presented to him. He could barely keep the car on the road as she flung her head back and arched her back like a cat in heat.
