Kyle smiled, slow and wicked, letting his bent leg tip to the side, putting himself on display.“Oh, I can be good.”
“Christ, mate,” Liam said, loud enough for Jamie to hear.“You can shag your man later.Save us from Katie’s murder eyes first.”
Jamie wrenched his gaze away from Kyle, expression smoothing out as he looked at Katie.“Fine.We’ll meet the owner of this place if it will make you happy.”
“Immensely,” Katie replied dryly as she stood, sparkly clutch in hand.“Thank you.”
Jamie got to his feet before holding his hand out to Kyle, who took it without hesitation.Jamie hauled him up, keeping a firm grip as they made their way out of the alcove.As they approached where Zara stood, Jamie let go of Kyle’s hand to slide his own over Kyle’s ass in a proprietary manner.
“My associate says meeting your boss won’t be a waste of her time,” Jamie said in a bored voice.“Let’s see if that’s true.”
Anger snapped in Zara’s dark eyes, but she knew better than to argue with him.“I can assure you, Mr.Callahan, that Mr.Jansenwillbe worth your time.”
Jamie smiled coolly.“Very little is worth my time.”
Zara’s gaze flicked briefly to where Kyle was tucked against his side, a bored expression on his face.Whatever assumption she made about them would be exactly what they wanted her to think.Turning on her heels, she led the way through a crowd of people pretending not to watch their every move.
The third level of Vesuvius was practically empty compared to the other two.A plas-glass wall embedded with sound dampeners enclosed the sleek space, the music and noise from the dance floor and second level barely discernible as they crested the stairs.The level stretched along one side of the building rather than wrapping completely around like the level below did.The limited amount of space gave the appearance of importance to those who lounged around its intimate setting.
Zara led them to a cluster of couches and chairs close to the middle of the level and overlooking the club.Trevor and Madison broke away to join a group of people in clothes that screamed bodyguard at a different table close by.Jamie took in the men and women gathered at the main table, memorizing faces in a single quick glance.One of the men threw back his head and laughed at something someone said before he turned and smiled in Jamie’s direction, hazel eyes more brown than green in the low lighting.
“Jamie Callahan,” Nikolaas Jansen said.“It isquitea pleasure to make the acquaintance of a man of your status.”
Jansen spoke with only a hint of his native Dutch accent creeping through.A decade growing up in English boarding schools was bound to do that to a child who knew the only way to be accepted was to fit in.Curly blond hair shaved on the sides fell across his forehead in a tousled style.He was a tall man, with little bulk, though the scantily clad club woman sitting on his lap and fighting for Jansen’s attention with the young man sitting beside him didn’t seem to mind.All three had drinks in their hands, the bottles on the table high-end brands that wouldn’t be served on the other levels.
“If this is an apology for your club’s first impression, it needs work,” Jamie said flatly.He made a show of taking in the group in a dismissing manner before turning to look at Katie.“This is a waste of time.That’s my professional assessment.”
“It’s a good thing I’m CEO of the company and not you,” Katie replied with a delicate shrug.
“We sit, or you want us leave?”Alexei asked Jansen with a scowl on his face, playing up his accent a little bit.“Can celebrate business deal downstairs as much here.”
“We’re all about business up here, Mister—?”Jansen prompted.
“Alexei Dvorkin.Ekaterina Ovechkina is boss.”
Jansen smiled at Katie, leered really, and she returned his attention with a completely disinterested one of her own.“Mr.Jansen.”
“Please, call me Niko.Mr.Jansen makes me sound like my father,” Niko said with a lazy wave of his hand.“Take a seat.”
He snapped his fingers once, and half the people on the couches got up to leave.Judging by their attire, they were there more for pleasurable company than anything else, but no one at the table argued against their absence.
Katie made the rest of the introductions as she took a seat on the vacated couch close to the one Niko now sat on alone.“Don’t mind Alexei.He’d rather drink than socialize.Liam is Jamie’s friend, and this is my CFO—”
“Riley,” Sean interrupted with a spot-on Brooklyn accent that made Jamie want to twitch because that wasn’t part of the planat all.Sean sat down next to Alexei and gave the two men seated across from them a brittle smile.“Tomas.It’s been a while.”
The man in question was dressed more for a pub than a VIP lounge, all cheap synthfabric and a heavy-duty jacket that looked like it’d survived one too many brawls and needed to be put out of its misery.The shadow of a beard on his face was less five o’clock and more three days gone.Big hands tipped a tumbler of whiskey from side to side, his hooded eyes locked on Sean.
“Aye, it has,” Tomas said, his Irish accent practically chewing the words out it was so thick with anger.“Dinnae think we’d ever see yuir face again.”
Katie, link me, now, Jamie thought at her.
Katie, a quiet, monitoring presence in the back of all their minds, opened up a telepathic link between Jamie and Sean.Her power bridged their minds beneath the mental shields she had wrapped around everyone.
What the fuck is going on?Jamie demanded.
Not the time, Sean shot back, already speaking.“Didn’t think you’d ever make deals with an Englishman, but I guess there’s a first time for everything.”
“He’s nae English.”Tomas swallowed what was left of the whiskey in his glass before leaning forward to smack it down on the table between them.“He dinnae work for ’em either.An’ t’is nae yuir business.Ye lost our business when ye cut an’ run.”
