Caught Between Brothers

Chapter1

Mara’s POV

The music was loud, but I was used to it. The moment I stepped into the club, I allowed the neon lights to wash over my features, the blend of green and red making my face even more mysterious.

Perfect.

Eyes flashed in my direction, but I knew it had nothing to do with me and everything to do with the short black dress with a low cleavage that left nothing hidden.

I swayed my hips, flaunted my strings of golden bangles, and kept my eyes sharp. I was at the bar now, leaning low enough to the distracted bartender, who looked like he'd never seen boobies in his entire life.

“H…Hey,” he stuttered, his eyes pinned to my chest.

"Hey, handsome." I kept my tone sultry and my eyes just the right amount of smoky as I slid onto the stool. "Busy night, right?"

He nodded enthusiastically. Men. It was so easy to get them under my thumb. It made stealing from them way too easy.

“Yeah!” His eyes were bright. I saw him lick his lips and did all I could to stop myself from cringing.

Gross.

I made a huge deal of staring at the time on my watch, but in truth, I was staring at the man who had just strolled into the building.

Sebastian f*****g Crow.

I wondered who he’d offended to have gotten him on my list.

Everyone knew him in New York. The CEO of Crow Holdings.

The pictures online didn't do justice to how he looked. He was smoking hot, with his messy black hair that looked like he ran his fingers through it more times than he didn't, and his grey eyes that seemed so mysterious.

“What do you say?” I whispered to the bartender, not taking my eyes off the man who was now heading up the stairs. “Get me into the VIP section and I will see you when you close.”

I pulled my gaze away from the stairs and allowed my lashes to wash over my eyes, my words laden with actions I had no plans to carry out.

The bartender began to shake his head, and I allowed a sad smile to spread across my face.

“I can’t do that,” he replied. “Only those who have the VIP card have access to it.”

"I understand," I whispered, sliding off the stool. I allowed my palm to connect with the glass of beer on the counter, the sigh of frustration already leaving my lips before it collided with my dress.

“Urgh!” I yelped, jumping far from the shards of glass. It didn’t stop the liquid’s journey through my cleavage and down into my dress. “s**t! s**t! s**t!”

The bartender was by my side in a minute, his hands flailing all over the place. “Oh my God! I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean…I shouldn’t have…”

“It’s fine,” I sighed. I had planned this moment and its every intricate detail. I knew how it was going to end. “I’ll just…”

“Let me make it up to you,” he said, more quickly than I expected.

The shadow of a smile crossed my features. The lights were way too dim for him to notice.

“I don’t want you to go out of your way to do something just because a glass of beer spilled on me. I’m sure I can manage for the night.”

"I insist," he murmured, already fishing through his pocket. He stretched out a glossy card to me. The words VIP were written in gold.

Rich people sure knew how to throw their wealth around.

“It belongs to one of our patrons, but I don’t think he will be coming in today.”

I nodded and picked it from his hands with two fingers, gazing at him from beneath my lashes. “I knew you were so kind the minute I walked in.”

“You noticed me?”

I doubted a lot of people did, with how his face lit up. If I had any conscience, I probably would have felt bad for using him,

"Right from the door." I barely moved my lips, allowing him to read the words off them instead. "Your eyes…there's just something about them that made me head straight here without thinking."

Red patches appeared on his cheeks as he looked away shyly.

How cute.

Leaning in, my warm breath caressed the side of his face as I whispered. “I’ll see you when you’re done here. I hope you don’t live too far away.”

Biting my bottom lip, I gave him one last look before walking away, heading up the stairs. I knew he still had his eyes on me, probably staring at my ass.

It was all he could have, but I guessed he didn’t know it yet.

“Watch where you are going!” A steel voice barked at me just as I collided into something that felt like a brick wall. His voice went through me instantly, like ice on a hot day.

He held me by the elbow, gently yet firmly pulling me off him. And then, he sighed. “You are one of them, right?”

“One of what?” I felt a zap from where he touched me. It started as a light tingle and was quickly spreading through the length of my arm.

He looked at me intently then. Really looked at me. I knew from how his pupils became dilated, from how the expression on his face went from a scowl to a glimmer of interest.

And I could tell that he hated it.

“The girls who think they can have me all to themselves.”

I snickered, then stepped closer to him, allowing his hand to drop to his side. I felt his breath on my face, and I knew that if I took another step, I would be doing the last thing I came here for.

His gaze went lower as darkness washed through his features. He was staring at my lips now, and for some weird reason, I couldn’t breathe.

“Sebastian…”

“Have a glass of wine with me,” he muttered, still staring at me like I was the only person in the room, like he wanted every fragment of me.

“Okay,” I whispered, slightly shaken, but with his key card clutched in my palm.