His laughter is low, genuine, and it slides under my skin like a spark. “You’re learning fast, Little Thief.”
We fall quiet again, but it’s not comfortable silence—it’s anticipation. My pulse thrums in my ears by the time the car turns down a narrower street lined with dark glass and steel.
The Leone Room doesn’t look like much from the outside; sleek, minimal, anonymous. But the moment we pull up, two doormen step forward, the kind of men whose suits don’t quite hide the guns beneath.
Pinning that.
Matteo’s out first, circling the car to open my door. The gesture should feel old-fashioned, but coming from him, it feels like a warning disguised as courtesy. His hand is warm when I take it, firm enough to make sure I follow.
Rather than using the front entrance, he pulls me to the side where a man is already waiting by the emergency exit. He steps aside instantly and nods respectfully when we walk past.
Inside, the world changes. It’s nothing like what I expected. Nothing.
Instead of loud music and dimly lit rooms, it’s spacious and certain areas of the main room are brighter than a summer day in the park. The air isn’t drowning in heavy bass, it’s humming with low music and expensive perfume.
The space breathes money and sin, every inch designed to suit different… preferences.
At the back, where we’ve entered, there’s a stage where beautiful women dance. Though they’re scantily dressed, the burlesque moves make it more classy than outright stripping.
I suppose the few people going at it in the corners counter that, I think, mentally snorting.
Matteo uses the shadows at the edges to navigate us. And with everyone’s eyes on the stage or the bar, no one seems to be looking our way.
I’m so enthralled by everything, that it’s only when I feel his hand on my shoulder that I realize he’s let go of my hand. Notthat I care. Nope, not at all. And his presence definitely doesn’t feel like gravity with the way I’m pulled toward…
Oh, would you look at that… another pin.
Ignoring the man behind me, I look around. The women are stunning. The men are sharp and dangerous-looking. No one in here is innocent.
“So,” I murmur, my voice steady even though my stomach is doing somersaults. “This is your empire.”
“My den of sins,” he corrects. “The one where pleasure is business and business is pleasure.”
We reach a booth tucked into a private alcove. Matteo gestures for me to sit first. When I do, I let my legs cross slowly, pretending I don’t notice the ripple it sends through his composure.
A woman wearing only a thong and nipple tassels appears so quickly I check if Matteo used his phone to summon her. He didn’t. While she puts down a glass of whiskey, I do my best to look away from the shiny material covering her nipples. But it’s a losing battle.
“Can I get you anything else?” she purrs, leaning toward Matteo.
“I’m fine, Gia,” he replies dismissively.
Acid gathers on my tongue and I shoot her a glare she doesn’t fully deserve. Well, maybe sixty-five percent of it is deserved since she’s hitting on the man I’m supposed to be dating.
“Don’t,” I hiss when she lifts her hand toward his face, “touch him.”
Chuckling, Matteo places his arm over my shoulders and nuzzles his nose against the crook of my neck. “Jealous, Little Thief?”
I wait until the woman disappears, and as soon as she’s gone, I shrug his arm away and stab a finger into his hard chest. “Ifwe were actually dating, that would be enough for me to leave,” I sniff. “If you want the world to think you’re mine, do better.”
With those epic words, I grab the glass and tilt it back, gulping down the whiskey. The liquid burns its way down my throat, and I welcome the fire. I need it to steady myself.
“Consider me warned,” Matteo grins, looking entirely too pleased with himself.
I shake my head, deciding to change the topic. “So this is where I’m supposed to listen and watch?” I ask.
His gaze drifts to the far end of the room, where a man in a pale suit is laughing too loudly beside a redhead draped in diamonds.
“Yes. Rule one,” he murmurs, leaning close enough for me to feel his breath against my ear. “Everyone here owes me a favor.”
