Three
1121 Words
Nico
I leaned into the railing, palms flat against polished woof, and surveyed the floor below.
Luxe breathed.
And hour open and already pulsing - bodies pressed together, shadows slinging across skin, music low and deliberate. Not loud enough to overwhelm. Loud enough to command movement. Exactly as planned.
Security was tight - it was us, after all. Tighter than my father would've bothered with. New systems. New blood. Loyalty that couldn't be bought. Instead of purchased soldiers purchased with fear, they were here out of dedication. The gun at my waist was a comfort, not a crutch - hidden beneath my tailored black jacket, exactly where it belonged.
The mask covering half of my face was etched with a skull - bone white lines carved into black silk. A promise. My signet ring clicked softly against the railing as I tapped my fingers, a habit I'd never broken. I needed to move part of my body at all times.
The Moretti crest stared back at me. I sneered.
First in line to inherit an empire ruled by a man who refused to loosen his grip. My father wore power like a crown fused to his skull. Boston bowed. I waited. For now.
A presence slid in beside me - familiar and dark. Dangerous.
Dominic offered me a lowball glass. Whiskey. Neat.
His skull mask mirrored mine, opposite side, same intent. Bastard knew exactly how lethal he looked. He always did. I took the drink, eyes still tracking the crowd. "It's alive," I said.
"Hungry," Dominic corrected, lips curling.
He wasn't wrong.
The renovations transformed the place. The first floor was indulgence - dance floor slick with sweat and anticipation, bars gleaming, booths shadowed just enough to invite bad decisions. The second level overlooked it all, voyeur heaven - private seating. A long bar, and a section specifically designed for those who like to watch... or be watched.
The third floor was sealed. Unseen. That's where fantasies were fulfilled quietly - or loudly, depending on taste. The fourth was ours. Control rooms. Security. Offices. Power.
This wasn't just a club. It was a hunting ground. It was the base of our operations. I was a made man. I would take over for my father eventually. Sooner hopefully. And I needed something separate from him. Something he couldn't touch or taint with his evil.
Membership here was exclusive. Background checks thorough. Everyone masked tonight - staff included. Black cocktail dresses, tailored suits, elegance sharpened with intention. s*x dressed in silk and desire.
I clocked them as they entered. The mayor first - greasy smile, swollen belly, a woman half his age clinging to his arm. A woman who was not his wife. Never was. Dominic snarled beside me, but I calmed him. It was only more leverage for us to use against him. The mayor was in our pocket and this ensured he would stay that way.
"Disgusting," he muttered. I had to agree. This woman was an adult. Had to be to be allowed entrance. But she was barely legal and that made it revolting.
"Profitable," I replied. Blackmail paid well.
Police chief. Senators. Bankers. Lawyers. Men who passed laws by day and broke them by night. I'd approved every name on the list personally. I was building my own empire right under my father's nose.
Luxe was already paying dividends. A Moretti soldier approached, voice low. "Sir. One of the parties you flagged for notification has arrived."
My spine stiffened as he handed me the tablet.
Seamus McDaniel.
I ground my teeth. Irish mob royalty, waltzing into my club like he owned the place. Bold. Stupid.
I passed the tablet to Dominic and turned on my heel. "Time to remind him whose turf this is."
We moved through an authorized hallway, weapons checked without a word. Dominic's knife gleamed briefly as he adjusted it against his thigh. Violence clung to him like cologne. I used it when necessary. He thrived in it.
We descended the stairs back onto the main floor. The music slid under my skin. A waiter offered another whiskey. I waved him off.
Then - Impact.
A smaller body collided with my chest, soft and warm and very real. Tempting and addicting.
Vanilla and roses flooded my senses. My hands came up automatically, steadying her waist before she could stumble. And for the first time all night, the club disappeared.
She was tiny - barely five foot three - curved in all of the right places. An emerald dress clung to her like sin, slit riding dangerously high along her thigh. I followed the line of bare skin with my eyes before I could stop myself.
She looked up.
Ice - gray eyes. Sharp. Stunning. Familiar in a way that made my chest tighten. I couldnt understand why or how though.
"I-Im so sorry," she breathed.
Her voice was velvety and smoke. Low and raspy. It scraped deliciously down my spine. Her hands rested against my chest. Fingers splayed and heat bleeding through my shirt. My pulse kicked harder.
I wanted to know her name. I wanted to know who she was. Her taste. What she sounded like when she stopped apologizing. What she would moan as she writhed beneath my body, under my touch.
Before I could speak, her expression shifted - recognition? Fear?
She tore herself from my grasp and vanished into the crowd before I could utter a single word. She walked straight into the arms of a man with golden blond hair. Another pang of familiarity hit me, but I couldn't place it. I had never wanted to curse my rules for anonymity tonight, the f*****g mask rule, than I did right f*****g now. I wanted to rip the mask off her face and see who she was. I wanted to destroy the man she ran to.
I watched them - his hand protectively at her back, her body still tense as she glanced over her shoulder once. Directly at me.
Predatory satisfaction curled low in my gut.
Dominic stepped in close, his gaze following hers. I didn't have to look to know his interest mirrored mine. It generally always did.
"She's trouble," he murmured, but a flash of interest crossed his face. He licked his lips.
I smiled beneath my mask.
"She's going to be ours tonight," I declared.
The Irish could wait. I'd handle Seamus. But before the night was over, I'd find out exactly who that woman was. You could run, little devil, but you'd already flown right into my territory. Straight into my grasp. Dominic nudged my shoulder and I felt more than saw his erection pressing against me.
Oh yes, he was interested in the woman as well.
- Writer
