“I wasn’t planning on it,” I tell him, hugging him even tighter. Every part of him is hard muscle, and it’s damn tempting to let my hands wander, but I behave myself, mainly because I don’t want to die in a flaming crash on the side of the road.
He waves to whatever guard is at the gate tonight, and when he starts to speed up, I let out a squeal of fright and cling to him like a spider monkey. I don’t hear him laugh, but I feel the vibrations of it. He reaches back to give my thigh a comforting squeeze, and that one gesture is enough to help me relax. I’ve never been on a motorcycle, and, yeah, it’s kind of scary to think about how much damage the road could do to my skin if I were to skid across it, but it’s also exciting and sexy as fuck to be hanging onto his powerful body while we speed down the highway.
I let out a laugh of pure joy when he speeds up even faster and passes a car, weaving in and out of traffic in a way that feels completely controlled and safe. He’s not some dumbass on a motorcycle who doesn’t know what the fuck he’s doing. Volodya knows exactly how to handle this bike. By the time he pulls in front of Inferno, I’m starting to squirm against the seat. My senses are on overload from the feel of his body against mine. The hard peaks and grooves of his abs and the vibrations from the seat are combining to make one hell of a cocktail that I’m quickly becoming drunk on.
He parks the bike near the entrance, not seeming to care that it’s not actually a parking spot. The line of people waiting to get in extends the entire length of the building and then some. Most of the women are wearing far less clothes than I am, and I swear they all give a collective sigh when Volodya pulls his helmet off. I quickly undo mine, trying to hide how badly my fingers are shaking, and then pull mine off, too. The move isn’t nearly as sexy when I do it, and it leaves me with my hair sticking up all over the place. He steps closer and runs his hands over my head, taming the wild strands. He’s guarding his emotions, and I can’t tell what the hell he’s thinking. I hate it when he does that.
“Please tell me we don’t have to wait in line. I mean, there’s got to be perks to being a Bratva boss, right?”
I get a tiny smile as he takes my helmet and leaves it with the bike. When he starts for the door, I have to speed walk to catch up because I know it’ll be embarrassing as fuck if I walk in a few steps behind him. I just know the bouncer will block my way and kick me to the end of the line. God, that’ll be so humiliating to have to walk past all those women who just saw me ride up with him and then watched as he quickly forgot I was even here.
I’m so caught up in my imagined nightmare that I don’t realize he’s stopped. I barrel into him, hitting the wall of muscle and nearly knocking myself on my ass. His hands are on me in an instant, keeping me upright as he leans closer to get a good look at me. His whiskey eyes are definitely lit up with amusement now.
“You okay,kiska?”
“Yes. I just got distracted.”
“I guess I’d better keep you close so that doesn’t happen again.”
He doesn’t give me a chance to respond, just wraps an arm around me and pulls me against his body. The bouncer steps aside for us, giving Volodya a respectful nod and a “Nice to see you again, Mr. Medvedev,” as we pass by. Damn, being a Bratva boss definitely has perks.
I’ve never been inside Inferno before, like most of the really cool, popular places in the city, and it feels like sensory overload when we walk in. The music is loud and thumping, the lights low, and bodies are everywhere. The bar that lines the wall is lit up with neon lights that run the length of it like a beacon for all the intoxicated people to follow so they can get more booze. Based on the amount of people over there and the three bartenders who are constantly in motion, it’s pretty damn effective.
I try to take it all in as Volodya leads me through the crowd. We pass by a packed dance floor, and I can’t be certain, but I swear I spot a couple that I think might actually be having sex. Lucky girl, I think, watching her throw her head back in pure ecstasy. When I pull my eyes away, Volodya is staring at me with that same unreadable expression. I swear I see a glimpse of anger, but it’s gone so quickly I can’t be sure if I just imagined it or not. The moment is forgotten when he leads me to the VIP section. The woman standing by the roped-off area looks like she should be on the beach posing for bikini shots. She’s tall with long, auburn hair that’s falling in soft waves. Her eyes are big and green, and she has the kind of breasts that I’d be willing to pay good money for. I feel like the universe wanted to show me the exact opposite of myself, and it’s so nice that it’s happening right in front of my insanely hot boss who I’d very much like to fuck.
He feels me start to pull away when the woman gives him a smile, revealing a perfect set of bleached teeth. Tightening his grip on me, he keeps me close, refusing to let me go. Barely looking at the woman, he walks us into the VIP area, leading me to a table in the back. I recognize Ilya, Valeri, and Nikolai, but there’s another man with them that I’ve never met.
Volodya motions for me to sit down and then waves at the man I don’t know. “This is Andrei.”
“Hey, Maddie,” he says, giving me a friendly smile. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”
Aside from Vasily, he’s the only one I’ve seen wearing a wedding ring. I tell him hi and give the others a wave before looking around the VIP section, noticing the way the tables are spaced out more, making it feel more secluded and private. The waitresses are wearing a little less clothing up here, and they’re all as gorgeous as the woman at the entrance. Awesome.
“So where is he?” Volodya asks.
Valeri nods toward the dance floor. “They’re in the corner near the hallway to the bathrooms.”
When a waitress comes over, Volodya waves her away without even sparing her a glance. She looks as stunned by it as I am.
“I could use a drink,” I mutter. Valeri gives me a wink and passes me his shot of vodka. I down it before Volodya can snatch it away. “Thanks.”
Valeri laughs, ignoring his brother’s angry look. The men start speaking in Russian, so I tune them out and people watch. The VIP section is raised, so it gives me a pretty good view of the area beneath us. Even with the low lighting, I can see how packed the place is, and more people keep coming in. A loud squeal of laughter draws my attention to a group of women down by the bar. One of them is having salt licked off their chest by a very happy man who then throws back a shot.
I suck in a quick breath when I feel Volodya’s mouth against my ear. “Look to your right. Do you recognize any of them?”
My eyes strain to make out any details of the men in the far corner, but it’s too dark, and it’s hard to focus with the heat of his breath hitting my earlobe. “I can’t see them well enough.”
Without a word, he stands and wraps his hand around my upper arm, gently pulling me up. He says something in Russian to the guys before leading me back down to the main area. We skirt around the dance floor before stopping near a table that gives us a good view of the corner where Scott is standing with some other guys. Volodya angles his body so I’m concealed but still able to see.
“Anyone look familiar?” he asks.
I study the men. Scott is standing close to Darin and a couple of other guys that are regulars at the house. I’m about to tell Volodya there’s no one new, but right as I open my mouth, another guy walks up to Scott. He’s wearing a black hoodie and a baseball cap, but I recognize the face.
“That’s him,” I say. “That’s the guy I saw.”
Volodya gives a discreet look and then sends a quick text message. I follow his gaze and see his men step out of the VIP section before splitting up and disappearing into the crowd.
“What are you going to do?” I ask.
