Sittingin the audience at the club, I would like to say that I keep my focus on the audience, on the men, and don’t shift my attention to the stage at all. But that would be a lie. A bold-faced one at that. My gaze flicks to the stage every time she appears.
And she is beautiful.
Made for the stage. A force to be reckoned with. I didn’t deserve her then, and I still don’t, but that doesn’t mean I’m giving up the fight. I’ve thought about it, and I was a bit overzealous last night. Quick to temper, and I didn’t think things through.
Right now, my goal is to keep her safe. Once Dante is dealt with, I’ll work on her. I won’t ever renounce her as my old lady. She may be pissed about it now, but she’ll see reason, and then she’ll accept it.
Because there is no other way about it. She is mine, and I am hers. Pissed off or not.
Something catches the corner of my eye, and that’s when I see a pretty blonde standing near the edge of the stage. She’snot one of the dancers. She’s wearing a pair of black pants and a button-down white shirt. But her face is made up, her body hidden by her clothes, but she’s built.
Millie’s signature music begins, and I watch as she focuses her attention on the stage. Intently. I don’t watch Millie, though. I watch this woman. She is important. I just don’t know how. I’ve never seen her here before, which makes me think she’s not part of the Gilded Room.
“Everything good?” a voice asks from beside me.
Tearing my gaze from the stranger, I turn my head and look up to see Lightning standing next to me.
“You working here tonight?” I ask.
He hums, sinking down in the chair next to mine. “Much to my woman’s chagrin,” he grumbles. “She’d probably prefer I do illegal things rather than this.”
I bite my lip and try not to laugh. Briana would rip his balls off and feed them to him if he did anything she didn’t approve of. At the same time, I couldn’t see him even wanting to hurt her in any way whatsoever.
“Do you know who that woman is in the black pants and white shirt?” I ask, tilting my head to the side.
Lightning flicks his gaze from me to the direction of my tilt. I watch as his brows snap together, which I assume is confusion. He shifts his attention to me, then shakes his head once.
“I don’t know who she is, but she’s watching Millie intently.”
“Yeah,” I grunt. “Can you find out for me?”
He looks at me questioningly, but thankfully doesn’t ask me anything. I know he’s probably wondering why I don’t ask Millie or introduce myself. I don’t want to explain either.
My relationship with Millie and the details of it aren’t his to know, and he wouldn’t ask me anyway. Just like I wouldn’t ask him details about him and Briana.
Without another word, he stands and walks straight toward her. I watch him walk through the crowd, the men not even bothering to look away from the stage to see who moves around them.
They are entranced by Millie. I can understand it because I am fascinated by her as well.
Any person—man or a woman—would be.
A few moments later, Lightning is back. He doesn’t sit down, though. He places his palms on the table, bending slightly, his gaze focused on mine and nowhere else.
“That’s her friend. Came all the way from Vegas to visit her.”
Thanking him, I stand from my seat. I’m not sure what I’m going to do here. I can’t go and talk to Millie. She would probably ignore me anyway. I wouldn’t get any information from her.
Unable to stay seated, I move around the club, staying near the walls so I can see the entire floor. Since that influencer came down here, the whole place has been buzzing. Almost as if it’s electrified. I don’t like the feel of it. It makes me nervous, and I’m not someone who enjoys feeling nervous.
By the time the club closes, I can finally let out a breath. The men file out, and then the lights get turned up. Maverick locks the front door before he moves toward me. Jerking my chin in his direction, I start to ask him if the door was good tonight, but I don’t get the chance because he begins to speak.
“I know this pays a lot. I know it’s important, but fuck, I’ve never worked so hard in my whole goddamn life,” he moans.
“Busy night at the door?”
He scoffs. “Fucking ridiculous is what it is. I’m not sure how much longer I’ll be willing to handle the club.”
“You probably won’t have to for long. Bullet just wanted to make sure the more ranked members of the club got the ball rolling. I’m working four days next week.”
