“You’re a sweet talker, Simeon. I like that about you.”
His sudden grin lights up the room, and my heart falters. Why am I falling in love with the devil, and why is he making it so easy for me?
I glance toward the bed, wondering if it would be bold to demand he take me there this minute because it’s torture being stripped bare by his gaze as I stand before him, clutching onto the mug more as a distraction than anything else.
“So, what happens now in Simeon’s world?”
His gaze darkens, and I tremble inside.
“I want to show you the rest of my world before I corrupt your soul forever.”
“The rest of your world.”
I gaze at him thoughtfully and am disappointed when he stands and jerks his head toward the door.
“Come.”
His fingers lace in mine, and he issues a warning that causes a shiver to rip through me.
“Do not leave my side, and if shit happens, it will be dealt with swiftly.”
There is danger with every tread of his shoe, and as we enter another elevator, we travel in silence. I wonder if he is preparing me for something I won’t like, because the tension is heavy in the air, and as we step out, I can see why.
We are in a corridor of mirrors, and as we move down the space, I note the huge steel door at the end.
He punches in a code, and we head through it into another corridor with red-painted walls.
Music thumps from a crack in the doorway, and he stills as his hand reaches to enter another security code and he explains, “Have you ever been to a strip club before, Alice?”
“What do you think?”
Says the mafia don to the nun.
My thoughts make me giggle, but it’s a nervous one because what the hell am I stumbling unknowingly into?
The music hits us as we enter the space, and it takes a moment for my eyes to adjust to the scene before me.
As always, there are guards everywhere, glaring at anyone who catches their eye, and as we move toward a bar at the end, I don’t know where to look first.
My gaze falls on a well-lit stage where a pole is suspended from the ceiling. A naked woman twirling around it upside down, her legs apart, revealing her most intimate parts. Men are howling and tossing dollar bills onto the stage, and I notice she is protected by several guards watching the crowd, their backs to the woman.
Simeon’s hand tightens in mine as he pulls me to the bar, demanding two bourbons in his usual husky whisper. I notice the servers moving around, holding silver trays, their outfits revealing, their attention suggestive.
“What do you think?”
Simeon remains impassive, but I can tell he’s tense. His gaze is sharp, a pulse ticking in his jaw, and his hand tight against mine.
“It’s, um, very you.” I whisper, not really caring if he hears me above the music, and I glance around me, feeling out of place in my jeans and sweater.
I am surrounded by sordid glamor, and I don’t know where to look first, and yet a strange thrill passes through me as I contemplate his decadent world. It fits his personality; it reeks of him, and that is the main attraction, I guess. Simeon is danger wrapped in a wicked smile and a scorching gaze. He drips deprivation and sin, which is a powerful statement to a woman who has only just become one. He is forbidden, wicked and untamed, and quite frankly, he takes my breath away, and I am still waiting for it to come back.
“There’s more.”
He hands me the bourbon, and I waste no time in downing the shot because I have a feeling that more will be way more shocking than what I’ve already seen.
“Are you up for more, or have you seen enough, angel?”
His raised brow questions, and I already have my answer.
