I looked down at her. “It’s okay, Sophia. You’re safe, I promise.”
“It was just a car backfiring.” Reaching up, she touched my cheek. “Just a car. No one was shooting at us.”
Leaning into her hands, I closed my eyes. Just a car backfiring? And I had panicked like we were under attack.
“What’s wrong, Matteo?”
How could I explain it to her? That this had always been an ongoing nightmare of mine. To lose her like this. Especially now, when I had just gotten her back. It didn’t bear thinking about. I’d already lost her once.
“Just jumpy.” Forcing a grin on my face, I kissed the back of her hand again. “Nights like these are always risky. But let’s show our faceand talk to who we need to, and then I can get you home and throw that dress out the window.”
“Why do you want to throw my pretty dresses out of the window?” She followed after me, and the sea of people parted before us. All eyes were on us as we made our way across the main area of the club and up some stairs to the balcony VIP area.
“Because.” He fell into one of the black leather sofas, snapped his fingers to a passing hostess, and pulled me into his lap. “Every single asshole in this place is looking at you like they want to eat you, and I am,” bringing his lips to my ear, he nibbled, “the only person who ever gets to do that now.”
“So,” twisting on my lap, she wrapped her arms around my throat pressing her breasts against my chest, “because men are looking at me, my dress needs to be tossed out of a window.”
I nodded seriously. “Yes. In fact, I might just throw out all of your clothes.”
“And how is that going to help?”
I tightened my grip on her. “Because if you don’t have clothes, then you can’t leave the apartment, and I can have you all to myself.”
“You have me all…”
“Matteo, old friend,” a voice boomed out, and I turned to a man barrelling toward us.
“Hey.” Nodding my head, I reached out a hand for him to shake, but I didn’t rise from my seat. Here in my club, with my woman on my lap, I was king. “Have you met Sophia?”
The man barely looked at her. He didn’t recognize her name or her face, but then why would he? He was new here.
“Nice to meet you, now can…”
The waitress arrived with champagne and two glasses, pouring it for us before leaving again quickly. Reaching around Sophia, I passed her one.
“What can I do for you, friend?” I instantly went straight back to business, leaning back with one arm loosely thrown around her waist as she perched on my lap and sipped at the bubbly golden liquid in her glass.
“Why don’t you make yourself scarce,” Gerald said in a voice that was tinged with laughter. My eyes went to him, taking in the expensive suit and the cigar in his hand, but more than anything, I saw the way he was looking at her.
Like she was someone to be bought and played with.
Did he look at her and see a whore? Because he sure as hell wasn’t looking at her like she deserved his respect, and that was the problem with these men.
They didn’t know the ways of the city or who had run it before they started making a name for themselves.
Sophia stiffened, and my arm tightened around her midriff. “Sophia isn’t going anywhere.” I snapped, because how dare he try to order her away?
“She is…”
“Important. From a family who has much deeper ties to this city than you do, Gerald. I would watch how you talk to her.”
The threat floated in the air.
“I just meant…” he stuttered.
“Whatever you have to say, you can say in front of Sophia. We don’t have any secrets between us, do we, my love?”
It might have been my imagination, but I was sure I felt her stiffen. “Of course not.” She smiled.
