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Is that a problem? Gianna asked with a flirty smile.
The man s eyes moved to something behind me. Romero, he said with a hint of confusion.
She belongs to the boss, Jorge. This is Aria Vitiello and her sister Gianna Scuderi of the Chicago
Outfit.
Both men stared at me, then stepped back respectfully. We didn t know she was coming tonight.
The boss didn t say anything, Jorge said.
Romero grimaced, but didn t say anything. Instead he led Gianna and me inside, past the cloakroom
tinged in bluish light and a bar area. Behind it the doors opened to a dark dance floor. Blue and white
light flashed and hip hop beats blasted toward us. Gianna tugged at my hand, wanting to go in that
direction.
We should go to Luca first, Romero said.
He s here? I asked surprised.
Romero nodded. The club has several backrooms and a basement where we handle some
business.
Why don t you go tell him I m here while Gianna and I hit the dance floor.
Romero gave me a look. No chance in hell.
That s your problem then. Gianna and I are going dancing. Romero grasped my wrist. I tensed.
Let me go right this second, I hissed and he did, his chest heaving. Gianna and I walked into the club.
The beat vibrated under our feet as if the floor had come to life. The club was crowded with writhing
bodies. Romero shadowed my sister and me as we squeezed through the throng of dancers toward another
bar area.
Two gin tonic, I said. The barman frowned briefly before noticing Romero, then he prepared our
drinks and handed them to us. Romero leaned over the bar and said something to the man, who nodded
and walked around the bar. I knew what it meant. I took a deep gulp of my drink, then set it down and
moved onto the dance floor.
I let the music claim my body and started writhing to the beat. Gianna grinned widely, throwing her
head back. She looked happier than I d seen her in a long time. She moved her hips and butt, shaking and
rotating her hips. I stepped closer and mimicked her motions. Our eyes locked as we lost all sense of
everything around us, as we let the beat carry away who we were. I wasn t sure where Romero was and I
didn t care. This felt like freedom.
Men were watching us. I didn t return their hungry gazes. It wouldn t be fair to lead them on. Gianna
didn t share my restraint. She smiled and flirted, batted her eyelashes and ran her hands through her hair.
A few men started dancing around us. Gianna pressed up to one of them, hands on his chest. Another man
raised his eyebrows at me, but I shook my head. He opened his mouth then closed it and backed away.
I didn t need to look back. I kept dancing. I knew who was behind me, knew from the looks of
respect from the men around me, from the looks of admiration from the women. I rotated my hips, thrust
my butt out, raised my arms. Firm hands came down on my hips. For a second I worried they belonged to
some suicidal idiot, but they were the strong big hands I knew. I arched, pressing my butt against a crotch.
I smiled. I was wrenched against a muscled body and Luca s hot breath brushed my ear. Who are you
dancing for?
I tilted my head to stare into his blazing gray eyes. You. Only you.
Luca s expression was hungry, but there was still a hint of anger too. What are you doing here?
Dancing.
He narrowed his eyes. I told Romero no
I m not your possession Luca. Don t treat me like one.
His fingers on my waist tightened. You are mine Aria, and I protect what s mine.
I don t mind being protected, but I do mind being imprisoned. I turned in Luca s arms, catching a
glimpse of Gianna in a heated argument with Matteo. Dance with me, I shouted.
And Luca did. I knew from photos on the internet that he d often been to clubs in the past and it
became obvious when he moved his body. A man as tall and muscled as him shouldn t be able to move so
smoothly. His eyes never left mine, his hands possessive on my waist. Luca bent his head toward me to
whisper in my ear. You look fucking hot, Aria. Every man in the club wants you and I want to kill them
all.
I m only yours, I said fiercely, and God help me it was the truth, not just because of the ring on my
finger that marked me as his. Luca s lips crashed down on mine, fierce and demanding and possessive,
and I opened up for him, letting him claim me in front of everyone.
I m so fucking hard, Luca growled against my lips and I could feel his erection against my
stomach. Fuck. I have a call set up with one of our distributors in five minutes. I didn t ask what they
were distributing. I didn t want to know.
It s okay, I said. Come back when you have time. I m going to grab a drink.
Go to the VIP area.
I shook my head. I want to pretend I m an ordinary girl tonight.
Nobody who looks at you will think you are ordinary. His eyes travelled the length of my body
and I shivered. Then he took a step back, regret obvious on his face. Cesare and Romero will keep an
eye on you. I was about to nod when I noticed a familiar face in the VIP area, watching me. Grace.
My breath caught. She sat on another man s lap so she wasn t here for Luca but the look in her eyes
said it all. She wasn t over him. Luca followed my gaze and cursed. She s not here because of me.
Yes, she is.
I can t throw her out. She comes here all the time to party. I haven t seen her since that night. I
usually stay in the back.
I nodded, a lump forming in my throat. Luca took my chin between his thumb and index finger,
forcing me to meet his eyes. There s only you, Aria. He glanced at his watch, then pulled back. I really
need to go now. I ll be back as soon as I can. He turned and strode through the crowd that parted for him.
Matteo followed after him and Gianna stepped up beside me. That asshole.
Who? I said distractedly. Grace had disappeared from the VIP area.
Matteo. The guy has the nerve to tell me not to dance with other men. What is he? My owner. Fuck
him. She paused. Are you okay?
Yeah, I whispered. Let s go to the bar. Romero and Cesare fell into step behind us but I turned
around to them, feeling on edge. Can you watch us from afar? You re driving me crazy. Without a word
they separated and took positions in corners of the club. I released a breath and settled on a barstool.
I ordered two new Gin & Tonics and took a deep gulp from the cool liquid, trying to relax. Gianna
jiggled her leg. You can go dancing, I told her, but she shook her head and bobbed her head to the
music. In a few minutes. You look pale.
I m okay, I said, my eyes searching the club for a sign of Grace, but she seemed to have vanished
into thin air. There were too many people on the dance floor to find her anyway.
I really need to go to the restroom, Gianna said after a while. Her Gin & Tonic was almost gone.
I need to sit for a few more minutes.
Gianna gave me a worried look but then she slipped away and Cesare followed at a safe distance.
I put my head in my palm, taking a deep breath. An arm bumped against mine, startling me. I drew
back as a man with long blond hair leaned against the counter beside me. He reached past me for a straw.
His jacket brushed my breast and I leaned even further back, and glanced away, uncomfortable with the
look he was giving me.
What s your name? he shouted.
I tried to ignore him. Something about him was seriously giving me the creeps. I took a sip from my
drink and tried to pretend I was busy searching for someone. The man kept leering at me with an ugly
smile on his unshaven face. Are you waiting for someone?
I turned away, really trying to ignore him and not make a big deal out of this. If I started freaking
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