Nightlife in Vegas is hard to control, even for a group of families with deep pockets. We’re competing with major drug cartels and motorcycle clubs out here, and they all have tons of cash to throw at their businesses. They also run side jobs through their clubs, running all kinds of shit through them — drugs, guns, contraband, women.
Nothing is off limits out here.
Hence the name Sin City.
And nobody seems to obey boundaries.
We’ve tried to keep things civil, but they see us as a threat to their livelihoods. I get that. Our mass invasion has the competition on edge, and they’d love nothing more than to exterminate us.
They’re doing a damn good job of it, too, which is why I’m stuck in this role.
I’m supposed to be the savior, the guy with the master plan.
If I’m successful, I get a seat at the table.
If my idea tanks, I’ll be running security right alongside Enrico.
A voice. It’s all I want.
Well, that and a future that isn’t dictated to me. I want to call my own damn shots for once. I figured I’d get my chance when I got out here. Running the Excelsior Hotel and Casino for the past year, the hottest new property on the Strip, has been great, but we’re already solid on the hotel and restaurant businesses. And I’m not running the place alone. The Marcone family, also out of Sicily, has skin in the game.
I want something of my own.
And nightlife is the only area where we’re slowly being choked to death.
Luckily, I have a plan that will loosen that noose.
I take a deep breath, staring out at the sea of faces gyrating on the dance floor here at Verve, my current nightmare. The numbers have been dropping steadily for the past month and there’s only one way to stop the bleeding.
And that’s to cut someone’s jugular.
Metaphorically, of course.
Because the only way I can save my livelihood is to kill someone else’s.
Unless he tries to screw with me.
Then, all metaphors go out the window.
“You really think your plan is gonna work?” Enrico asks.
I pull my eyes away from the dance floor and lift an eyebrow at him. “Nobody turns me down, Enrico. I always make offers that are impossible to refuse. This time next week, we’ll be on our way to owning this city. Shit, we’ll have more pull than the goddamn mayor.”
A smile tugs at my lips. I haven’t been out here long, but my footprint will be deep if I can make this deal.
And like I said, I always deliver.
Enrico claps me on the back and goes back to his position at the front of the club. I take a long gulp of the chilled scotch in my glass and swirl around the ice cubes, scouting the thin stream of patrons trickling in. My lips press together into a tight line because I know where the crowds are anxiously waiting on a mile-long line right now.
Fucking Nate Torres and his string of sex dens.
Soon, you’ll be mine. All of you.
I take another sip, draining the glass, and as I lower it, my gaze connects with a group of women who just entered the club. Blonde, huge tits, short, tight dresses that barely cover their asses. They’re giggling, clearly intoxicated as evidenced by the way they can barely walk a straight line in their ridiculously high heels.
I barely blink an eye as they pass because for Vegas, girls like that are a dime a dozen. Hot but old. Tired. As in, no challenge.
Stifling a yawn, I push away from my secluded spot against the wall and prepare for another lap around the place. I shake my head as I walk. This place should be so damn crowded that I have to shove past people. I don’t even come close to grazing someone’s shoulders, for fuck’s sake.
The place is dying, just like the other clubs we own.
I let out a frustrated sigh, sweeping a hand through my hair as I lift the near-empty glass to my lips to suck down the last drops.
Just focus on the deal, Serge. And the future you’re about to make for your—
Crash!
My body lurches forward, the glass flying out of my hand and shattering on the floor.
No danger to anyone since there’s a big open space in front of me.
Cue the sarcasm.
I twist around, just in time to be knocked against a nearby wall by a massive guy who’s pawing at me to keep his footing. I shove him away from me, straightening my jacket. “What the fuck is your problem, friend?” I growl at the guy, grabbing him by the shirt collar and flipping him around so that he’s the one against the wall.
His eyes are glassy and he snickers, the stench of stale beer on his breath. “Fuck off, dude. Don’t be such a tight-ass.”
I slam him hard against the wall. “What did you just say to me?” I hiss.
“Look, it was-sn’t me, okay?” he slurs. “It was her, that bitch behind you. S-she pushed me into you.”
“Because you grabbed my ass!” an angry voice from behind me bellows. “Do I look like an animal at a fucking petting zoo?”
He leers at her over my shoulder as I bite back a smirk. “These girls-s. They run around barely dressed and expect guys-s to keep their hands to themselves-s, like they aren’t begging for it.”
I hear the girl gasp, and she pushes her way between us and gets right in his face. “Look, dick, if I wanted to walk around naked, I have the fucking right to without being fingered by your diseased digits!”
“Well, technically, you can’t walk around naked because it’s against the law,” I say, just feeding the fire a little bit more. Not like she needs it. She’s five foot nothing, so I have at least a foot on her. But what she lacks in size she definitely makes up for in attitude. I glance down at her back since that’s pretty much all I can see with her squeezed between us. Long, dark hair cascades down her spine, and as she shakes the guy pinned against the wall, I catch a hint of citrus wafting up to my nostrils.
Seems ironic that such a sweet scent is emanating off of a body this primed for slaughter.
She flips around, not letting go of her assailant, and my breath hitches.
Fuck.
Almond-shaped green eyes narrow to slits, practically disappearing under her thick eyelashes as her lips twist into a scowl. Demonic is probably the word I’d use for that expression, but damn, it gets me hot.
So hot that I want to take her to my office and bend her over the couch while I fuck that rage out of her. Judging by the way her nostrils flare, I can sense there’s a lot of it, and I’m definitely up to the task.
“This is Vegas,” she seethes. “If I want to pole dance nude in the middle of the Strip while snorting cocaine and guzzling vodka, I’m pretty sure the cops would leave me alone.” Her lips curl upward. “Hell, they’d probably try to join my party.”
“I can’t imagine any living, breathing man who wouldn’t.” I smirk and she returns the smile, letting go of the guy and shoving him away. She flips her head around toward him. “Keep your fucking hands to yourself!” she snaps before turning back to me with a seductive smile that has my cock twitching because this girl is hot as fuck and nursing a raging inferno inside of that tight body.
I run my eyes over her curves, highlighted by the tight black fabric hugging them. She sticks her hands on her hips and tilts her head to the side. “See anything you like?”
“I like it all.” I snicker. “Not that I’m gonna touch it because I’ve seen what you do to the dumb asses who dare.”
“Some guys just forget that they need an invitation to the party. They don’t understand that crashing it can be dangerous.”
“So what were you gonna do to that guy if I hadn’t gotten in the way?”
She lowers her gaze, staring up at me from under those long lashes. Then she slides closer to me, doing an exaggerated head tilt. Her eyes blaze, a rush of heat smoldering in my gut as the seconds pass. Finally, she parts her deep red lips. “I was going to sterilize him,” she murmurs.
And fuck me, those words are the sexiest I’v
e ever heard.
Meaning be damned.
“Would have been bad for business,” I say. “I can’t have a gorgeous, out-of-control woman storming the place, assaulting my customers. You’d scare everyone away.” I rest one hand against the wall, blocking her in on one side.
“Oh, so you’re afraid of me?” she asks in a teasing voice. “Am I really that much of a monster?”
“I’m not afraid of anything. I’d let you assault me anytime you’d like.” I grin. “And I’ll bet that the monster inside would definitely enjoy the experience.”
“You sound pretty confident about that.”
“What can I say? I know my talents.”
“I’ll bet plenty of women know them, too.” She folds her arms over her chest, and I can’t help but steal a glimpse of her tits. They’re peeking out of the neckline of her dress, begging to come out and play.
An image of her riding my cock with those tits bouncing flashes in front of me, and I have to squeeze my eyes shut for a second to keep my cock from busting through my pants.
“Something wrong?” she asks.
“Very wrong,” I say. That’s a gross understatement if I ever heard one.
“You know what else would be wrong?” she asks in a breathy voice.
Uhh, if you dropped to your knees right now and sucked my cock?
That would be wrong on so many levels.
But I’d be a willing participant in a hot second.
“What?”
“For you to keep staring at my boobs like you’re trying to will them out of my dress.” She quirks an eyebrow. “You’re almost as bad as the other guy. At least he had the balls to grab one.” With a quick wink, she slides away from the wall and struts toward the bar to re-join her group.
I turn my head, and thanks to my club being near-empty, I can see her hips swing gently with each step. She moves slowly, methodically, as if she knows—
With a quick flip of her head, she gives me a self-satisfied smile over her shoulder.
Yep.
That I’m watching.
And I am.
She’s definitely got my attention.
Now I’m really curious to see what she’s gonna do with it.
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She owes me a debt, and it's time to collect.
With a gorgeous face, porn-star body, and a criminal streak, Lindy thinks she owns Sin City. But my new obsession made a fatal choice when she walked into my Las Vegas casino.
She trusted the wrong people, put greed before common sense, and lost everything.
Now, there's a debt to be paid.
To me.
But I don't care about money.
I want her as my payment.
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★★★★★”If you love to read about powerful men and the women they love, this boxset is a must-read! It is so well written with twists and turns that have you crying and gasping. Make sure you have the time to finish because you won’t want to stop once you start!”
FIVE standalone dark mafia novels in the sexy and suspenseful Ruthless Hearts series plus ONE BONUS dark mafia novella that started it all!
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Meet Kristen
Kristen Luciani is a USA Today bestselling romance author and coach with a penchant for stilettos, kickboxing, and grapefruit martinis. As a deep-rooted romantic who loves steamy, sexy, and suspense-filled stories, she tried her hand at creating a world of enchantment, sensuality, and intrigue, finally uncovering her true passion. Pun intended…
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Savage Ruler: A Dark Italian - Irish Mafia Arranged Marriage Romance (Sinfully Savage) Page 25