by Penelope Sky
“You’re kidding.”
“No. Why?”
He shook his head slightly. “No reason.”
We drove the rest of the way in silence. Conway didn’t hide his underlying annoyance. He was still pissed about this excursion altogether. But this was the only compromise we could reach. I was going out whether he liked it or not. His only option was to come with me.
We arrived in Milan forty minutes later and parked in a lot behind a building. There were no other cars there.
“Where are we?”
“I own this building.”
“Oh…” I looked around the empty parking lot. It looked like an apartment complex, but no one else seemed to live there.
“This is where I stay when I’m in Milan. I bought the building because I don’t like neighbors.”
“An expensive solution. How far away is the club?”
“Just around the block.”
We got out of the car then walked toward the sidewalk. My heels were five inches tall, so I couldn’t keep up with the stride of a six-foot-three man. Thankfully, Conway slowed his pace so I wouldn’t have to work so hard to keep up.
He didn’t hold my hand.
Not that I expected him to.
We arrived at the club and saw the line down the sidewalk and all the way around the building.
“Popular place, huh?” I asked.
“A bit.” Conway walked past the end of the line and moved to the front.
I trailed behind him. “What are you doing?”
“Getting inside.”
“Line is back there, Conway.”
“Not for me.” He reached the front of the line where the four bouncers were. All they did was look at him before they opened the door and allowed him inside.
They didn’t exchange a single word.
I followed behind him and entered the dark club. There were several bars positioned throughout the two floors, and all the booths were made of dark blue leather with black tables. Pretty women were everywhere, and all the men were staring at them. Music blared from the speakers, and we were surrounded by the loud volume of shouted conversations.
Conway parted the crowd everywhere he went, either because people were intimidated or because they recognized his face. He didn’t hold my hand or pull me close to him, hardly touching me at all.
It seemed like he was doing it on purpose.
I looked up to the second floor and saw Vanessa sitting with two other women. “I see them.”
“Alright. I’ll be over here.”
“You won’t be joining us?” I asked.
“Don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye on you.” He slid one hand into his pocket and walked away, heading to the bar.
I didn’t want him there to begin with, so that worked out in my favor. I took the stairs to the second floor and spotted the girls chatting away, their drinks sitting in front of them. One was blond, another was brunette. Vanessa had dark hair like mine, nearly black.
Vanessa was in a tight black dress, her hair curled and pulled over one shoulder. She had toned arms and rounded shoulders. A gold necklace hung around her throat.
“Sorry I’m late.” I sat at the end of the curved leather booth.
“Hey!” Vanessa smiled then grabbed my wrist. “You look so hot. These are some of my friends.” She introduced us, and we got to talking. “Sapphire is dating my brother. Well, not dating. She’s living with him.”
“Conway?” Stephanie, the blonde, asked.
“Yep,” Vanessa said. “And she’s got him wrapped around her finger.”
Couldn’t be further from the truth, but I smiled anyway. “He’s a good man. I know I’m lucky.”
Laura, the brunette, took a long drink of her cosmo. “I’ve been in love with him for years.”
“Everyone has been in love with him for years,” Stephanie said. “Including me.”
Vanessa made a face. “He’s not everything he’s cracked up to be.”
“What are you talking about?” Laura said. “He’s loaded and sexy. He’s the perfect man.”
I wasn’t jealous that her friends thought Conway was attractive, but I didn’t like the way he was objectified. There was more to him than being rich and hot. “He’s also very generous and compassionate. He takes care of his models, and he’s good to the people who work for him. He’s also a good friend…”
Vanessa grinned. “Head over heels…”
I wanted to contradict her, but I knew I shouldn’t.
A man appeared at the table holding a vodka cranberry. He set it down in front of me, wearing a grin on his face.
He wasn’t the bartender I ordered from, and that wasn’t even the drink I ordered. “Uh, I think you got my order mixed up with someone else’s.”
He slid into the booth beside me, making himself comfortable.
I immediately shifted away, my personal space in jeopardy. After what I experienced, I didn’t like it when anyone got too close to me. It immediately set off radars in my head.
“I’ll get you whatever you want, sweetheart.” He draped his arm over the back of the chair. “Cosmo?”
I scooted farther away from him. “How about you just take your drink back and learn how to not be creepy?”
“Yeah, you’re so creepy.” Vanessa snapped her fingers and pointed to the other side of the room. “Now, go be creepy elsewhere.”
Just as he leaned forward to say something to her, he was yanked out of the booth and onto the floor.
Conway kicked him to the side then pressed his foot against his chest, applying pressure right against his lungs. Despite the violence of the situation, the bouncers watched from the first floor with their arms crossed over their chests, staying out of it even though it was their job to interfere. “Get the fuck out.” Conway stepped back and watched the man lying on the floor.
The guy quickly got up, avoided eye contact, and bolted for the stairs.
Conway straightened the front of his shirt then slid his hands into his pockets, resuming his suave casualness before he turned his gaze on me. Obviously bubbling with irritation and rage, he looked at me like I was the one who’d done something wrong. “I can’t leave you alone even for five minutes.”
Stephanie and Laura both stared at Conway like he was a big piece of man meat, especially after that heroic performance he’d just given.
Vanessa wore an angry expression similar to Conway’s, their sibling DNA even more apparent when they were both ticked. “What the hell are you doing here, Con?”
He slid into the booth beside me and draped his arm over my shoulders. Unlike the guy before him, his touch was sexy and welcomed. His cologne entered my nose, and his protection wrapped around me like an invisible wall. It was nothing like the creepiness that surrounded the man before him. He pulled my hair off my shoulder to expose my neck and placed a soft kiss against my pulse.
Vanessa narrowed her eyes further. “You going to answer me?”
“Do I ever answer you?” he asked coolly. He scanned the bar then raised his hand slightly, getting the attention of someone we couldn’t see.
A woman appeared out of nowhere, in a skintight dress with a tray tucked under her arm. “What can I get you, sir?”
“Scotch,” he answered. “My girl will have the same—on the rocks.”
My girl.
I shouldn’t feel warm inside, but I did.
The waitress disappeared, and Conway returned to scanning the room. The music still played overhead, and people danced in the center of the platform on the second landing. The lights were low and in hues of blue. Everything there had a blue cast to it.
“Does that mean you’re staying?” Vanessa asked. “Because this is a chick thing.”
Conway ignored her.
“Are you a chick?” Vanessa asked.
Conway finally turned back to her. “Pretend I’m not here. I pretend you don’t exist all the time.”
Vanessa narrowed her eyes. “If Sapphire weren’t my fri
end, I’d kick you under the table.”
“And I’d kick you back,” Conway said. “Hard.”
Vanessa took a drink, the irritation still in her eyes.
“He wouldn’t let me come without him in tow,” I said apologetically. “Believe me, I tried.”
Conway turned away again, entertaining himself by watching the crowd. The waitress brought his drinks instantly, and he left a hundred euros on the table as a tip.
“I know,” Vanessa said. “This guy follows me around when I’m on a date, so trust me, I understand.”
“Aww, he’s just trying to protect you,” Stephanie said. “I think it’s sweet.”
My spine suddenly tightened in annoyance. The girls had been forthcoming about their attraction to him, and I’d let it slide because it would be impossible for any woman not to be attracted to him. But now, it kept going…and I didn’t care for it.
“I think it’s creepier than that guy who was just here,” Vanessa said. “I’m twenty-one years old. I don’t need a babysitter.”
Conway remained quiet, doing his best to blend into the background and go unnoticed.
The subject changed, and we talked about one of Vanessa’s art classes. The girls went to school with her, so that’s where they met. They were all aspiring artists, and it reminded me of my college years. I met a lot of people who were trying to find their way in the world. Even in a different discipline, that feeling was the same.
“Ooh…” Vanessa nodded to another booth in the corner. “Check out that guy in the leather jacket.”
We all turned to look. In tight jeans with dark hair and a muscular build, a guy approached the booth with a few buddies. They were all drinking beer. The guy Vanessa noticed had stubble across his face and dark eyes. He was definitely a looker, but I wouldn’t have noticed him if she hadn’t pointed him out.
“Damn, look at that tight ass,” Stephanie said.
“Ooh, his friend is cute too,” Laura said.
He reminded me of Conway in many ways, but a watered-down version. “Yeah, he’s cute.”
Conway turned his gaze on me—and he was pissed.
I felt the ferocity in his look. It was ice-cold and burning with a raging fire at the same time, and he looked like he might strangle me. If we were alone, he probably would have a few words to add to that look.
“Are you going to talk to him?” Laura asked.
“Definitely.” Vanessa fixed her hair and then checked her lipstick with her compact.
Conway let out a quiet sigh, one packed with irritation.
“Wish me luck.” Vanessa pressed her lips together to get her lipstick just right. Then she started to slide out of the booth.
“You don’t just hit on some random dude in a bar.” Conway was supposed to be staying quiet, but he obviously couldn’t keep his promise when his sister was trying to get some action.
“And where would you like me to do it?” she asked. “In a convent?”
I did my best to hide the smirk from my face.
“You have no idea who this guy is,” Conway snapped. “He could be a rapist or something.”
“You think a fine-ass man like that needs to rape people to get laid?” Vanessa snapped. “You’re ridiculous, Conway.”
“Vanessa—”
I gripped his forearm. “Let it go, Conway.”
Vanessa slid out of the booth and strutted toward the man she had her eyes set on.
Conway watched them like a hawk, his chest rising and falling slowly with barely restrained rage. “She’s so fucking stupid.”
“She’s a single woman looking for action,” I said. “Nothing wrong with that.”
“There’s everything wrong with it,” he snapped. “She shouldn’t be acting this way.”
“So it’s okay for you to do it but not her? I didn’t realize you were so sexist.”
“I’m not sexist.” He kept his voice low so we couldn’t be overheard. “My whole business is based on women walking around half naked. Obviously, I’m not sexist. The person I depend on most is a woman. I just don’t like this…”
“You have to let it go, Conway. She’s a grown woman.”
“I just…” He watched Vanessa get the man’s attention and start a conversation. The guy smiled down at her while holding his beer. She must have said something funny because he responded with a chuckle. “I don’t want anyone to hurt her.”
“Everyone gets their heart broken. It’s how life is.”
“That’s not what I mean.”
“Not every man is evil, Conway. There are men out there like Knuckles and the Skull Kings, but there are good men out there too.”
“All men are evil,” he said quietly. “Just in different degrees.”
“Your father doesn’t seem evil.”
Conway turned away, obviously not wanting to open that subject.
Vanessa continued her conversation with the guy, and they seemed to be hitting it off. When he wasn’t laughing, he was smiling down at her. His eyes held the same excitement, like he was genuinely interested in their conversation.
How could he not be? Vanessa looked more like a model than I did.
A man appeared at Conway’s side and placed his hand on his shoulder.
I knew only someone close to him would touch him like that, unless they wanted their skull to be crushed under his boot.
The man looked to be in his fifties, and he smiled down at Conway with affection. There were obvious similarities between them, from the color of their hair and eyes to the features of their faces.
They were definitely related.
Once Conway recognized him, the tension in his shoulders died away. “Uncle.” Conway slid out of the booth and straightened to his full height. He was the same size as his uncle, tall with a lean and toned appearance. “How are you?”
“You look like you’re having a good time.” He glanced at me before he winked at Conway.
I slid out of the booth next and extended my hand. “Pleasure to meet you. I’m—”
“I know who you are, sweetheart.” He leaned in and kissed me on the cheek, disregarding my hand.
I hated the word sweetheart, but when Conway’s father or uncle said it, it didn’t seem so bad. It seemed affectionate and respectful. Knuckles’s hold over the name had begun to fade away. “You do?”
“My brother and sister said good things.” His gaze shifted back to Conway. “I heard you’ve been straightening him out.”
“He’s already pretty straight,” I said with a laugh. “Never needed my help with that.”
His uncle grinned. “I like you.”
My cheeks blushed as I smiled. “Thanks…”
“I’m Cane,” he said.
“Sapphire.” He said he already knew who I was so I didn’t need to introduce myself, but I did anyway.
“My uncle owns this club,” Conway said. “That’s why I found it ironic you girls wanted to come here.”
“It’s nice,” I said. “Drinks are strong.”
“They’re only strong for pretty girls.” He glanced at Vanessa, who was still talking to that guy. “Who’s she talking to?”
Conway glanced over his shoulder and sighed. “She thought he was cute…”
“Should I throw him out?” Cane asked, dead serious.
Were all the Barsetti men like this? “Leave her alone. She’s a grown woman. Even if she makes a mistake, good for her. If we don’t make mistakes, then we’ll never learn.”
“There are some mistakes that shouldn’t be made,” Conway said darkly. “I’ll keep an eye on her.”
The fact that his uncle found that response normal was surprising. No wonder why Vanessa was the ornery, free-spirited woman she was. She must feel suffocated with all these overprotective men.
“I’ll see you later.” Cane pulled him into a hug and patted him on the back. “You look good, by the way.”
Conway smiled. “Thanks. You do too.”
“Obviously.” He smi
rked. “But you only look good because of the woman on your arm.”
* * *
Laura and Stephanie settled into a different table with a pair of brothers. They enjoyed their drinks and the good conversation. Vanessa hadn’t stopped talking to the man she set her eyes on. Now they were alone in a booth together, talking quietly while his arm rested over the back of the leather seat. They were very close together, close enough for a kiss if the moment was right.
Conway didn’t stare at them, but it was obvious he was aware of them. We could leave at any time now that the girls had broken off into different groups. There was no reason for us to stick around.
But Conway kept ordering more rounds.
And that man could drink.
He rested his fingertips around the glass while his arm remained draped over my shoulders.
“So, are we going to stay here all night and spy?”
“I’m just enjoying my drink.”
“That’s your fifth scotch. Looks like I’ll have to drive home.”
“I can drive.”
“Not so sure about that…”
“Do I seem drunk?” He looked down into my face, his handsome smolder sexy.
“No.”
“Then it’ll be fine.”
I pressed my fingertips to his chin and gently felt the beard along his jaw. The stubble was thick and coarse and scratched against my soft fingertips. I followed the outline of his jaw to his cheek. My eyes focused on his full lips, examining the man in front of me like he was a statue of the most revered king in history.
“You can have me whenever you want me, Muse.”
My eyes flicked back up to his. “What makes you think I want you?”
His fingers wrapped around my slender wrist and squeezed. “I know you better than you think. I know that look in your eyes…it’s the look you give when you want me to kiss you.”
My legs were crossed under the table, and I felt my thighs squeeze together involuntarily. I’d seen most of the women inside that club stare at Conway at least once. He was the most eligible bachelor in Italy, and I knew women weren’t just staring because of his fame. They were staring because he was more beautiful than the models he employed. It made me possessive, but it also made me feel lucky. I was the one sitting with him in that booth—not them. “Are you going to kiss me, then?”