Unlike seedy dives with neon lights and sticky floors, our place is sleek and elegant, done in deep, rich colors, with leather booths and marble-topped tables. A long, curved stage stretches like a catwalk, the poles gleaming like liquid silver. Tiered seating rings the room, keeping the stage as the focal point, while private suites line the back.
The bass of the music thumps deep in my chest as I walk toward the bar. Stitch is working behind it, the backlit shelves filled with top-end liquor glowing behind him. Perched on a stool, surveying that room like she owns it, is Anais. She’s wearing a form-fitting green dress and recrosses her legs as I approach, a catlike smile curling her lips.
“I like this place.” She glances around again before turning back to me. “Why haven’t you brought me here?”
“Because we only casually fucked at Hedon,” I say, reminding her that what we had in the past was nothing more than that.
Her face pinches, then she smiles coyly, dragging her nail down my cut. “You look killer in a suit, but dressed like this—like a hot biker—you’re deadly.”
“You have no idea.”
Her smile falters at my cold warning, and she pulls her hand away.
“What do you want, Anais?”
“Buy me a drink?”
“No.”
Her lips press together before she huffs. “I just want to talk.”
“So talk.”
She scans the room full of people and the woman on stage, performing impressive feats of strength and flexibility as she wraps her body around the pole. Turning back to me, she says, “I was hoping for some privacy.”
“You have ten seconds, then Blaze is escorting you out.”
“What’s gotten into you?” Her eyes narrow. “Your current fucktoy will be jealous that you’re just talking to me?” She sneers. “Imagine, then, how she’ll take it when we fuck.”
My teeth grind. “Not happening. We’re finished.”
Shock coats her face. “Finished?” She shakes her head. “One woman could never be enough for you, Army. That’s why I never pressured you for exclusivity all these years.”
“You would’ve never gotten it from me either way. You were a casual fuck,” I say as bluntly as possible. “And it’s over.”
Anger replaces her shock. “No goddamn way.”
I hike my brow, staring down at her. “In what universe do you think you control me?”
She bites her lip, and tears flood her eyes. “We’ve had a lot of years together, Army.Iwas your first. You can’t just walk away from me.”
“We fucked, Anais. Periodically over the years. That’s it. It was never more.”
“It was to me.”
“I’ve always been open with you about what this was. This was not a relationship, and you always knew what my boundaries and hard limits were.”
Tears spill onto her cheeks. “Have you kissed her?”
I remain silent, not feeling the need to answer, which is an answer in itself.
“Who is she?”
“That isn’t your concern.” She places her hand on my chest, slipping it under my cut. I quickly grip her wrist and remove her hand from me. “It’s time you left, Anais. And drop the bullshit at Hedon; if you cause more trouble there, I’ll ensure that Riveria not only puts your membership on probation, but cancels it altogether.”
“You think you have that power?” Her eyes narrow into slits. “You have no power there, not if you’re no longer fucking Riveria since you’ve gone insane, declaring monogamy with this unknown little bitch.”
My body stiffens, ready to attack for someone insulting Leeva. I breathe through my nose, calming myself.
