I scanned the room, waiting for someone else to speak out of turn. But no one dared to. “Clean this up.” I signaled the nearest guard.
He nodded.
Sergei handed me a white handkerchief, and with it, I wiped my hand. “Carry on,” I said, shifting my gaze across their faces.
Sergei adjusted his tie. “Gentlemen, shall we continue?”
They exchanged glances amongst themselves before taking their seats. They tried to mask it, but I could see it in their eyes: the fear.
Ever since Emika had left me, nothing had been the same again. I was colder. More distant. And angrier. According to Sergei, I’d become even more terrifying to people, more ruthless.
To try and forget her, I buried myself in work: meetings, threats, and profitable deals—anything to keep my mind occupied. This outburst was necessary because I needed to blow off some steam.
This man was unfortunate enough to be my victim. He should’ve kept his mouth shut. He never should’ve mentioned my wife.
The meeting went on as planned because no one wanted to get on my bad side. The same man who’d said he wasn’t comfortable speaking with Sergei ended up paying rapt attention.
Later that evening, Sergei didn’t drive me straight home; he branched off to a nightclub downtown.
“What’re we doing here?” I asked him after he killed the engine.
“Not ‘we,’ Boss. You,” he said, looking back at me.
“I don’t understand.”
He unbuckled his seatbelt. “You’ve been working so hard. It’s time to relax a little.”
“That’s what my big, comfy bed at home is for,” I answered, seemingly uninterested.
“Yeah, well, that bed has been cold for a while,” he said. “Let’s warm it up a bit.” He stepped out of the vehicle, walked over to my door, and opened it.
I didn’t have it in me to argue. So, I just complied and climbed out of the car. The ground vibrated beneath my shoes as the muffled beat thrummed inside.
“I hear the strippers here offer the best services,” he said, his lips curling into a mischievous grin.
“You hear?” I asked teasingly as we headed toward the entrance. “Or you know?”
“I have a life outside the mansion, you know.”
I chuckled lightly.
No questions asked, the bouncers let us through the door.
Inside was wild. The air was filled with the scent of sweat and liquor as dancers moved to the DJ’s hypnotic beats. Vibrant lights sliced through the air, flashing across frenzied faces.
The beat was so loud I thought the bass was about to bring the building down. Sergei laughed, rubbing his palms together as she checked out a few girls on the dancefloor.
“Come on, the VIP section’s up there!” He pointed up at the curved balcony.
He led me through the crowd of writhing bodies and up the staircase. “This way.” He grabbed the handle of a red door and pushed it open.
Inside was a simple setting that exuded luxury and style. The place was designed like a living room with plush couches and a mini bar in a corner. In the center of the space was a single pole, its polished steel gleaming in the soft light.
The floor-to-ceiling glass window across revealed a breathtaking view of the sea of dancers downstairs. The room was soundproof, designed for maximum pleasure.
We had barely taken two steps inside when seven women sashayed out of an inner door, butt-ass naked. These women hadsome of the most seductive looks I’d seen in a while, and they came in different shapes and sizes. A good number of them were tall, like runaway models. Some had big breasts. Some had small breasts. Some were perky. Others were saggy. One thing they all had in common, though, was that seductive gaze that almost ignited a fire within me. Almost.
Sergei leaned in and whispered, “I told you they offered the best services.”
