Page 15

To be bred.
To give us an heir so we could rule forever.
“Besides, the second any of us has to deal with keeping a wife, they’re more collateral to worry about. We don’t need to split up our protection detail like that.”
I laughed once. “Protection detail? What, like our wives would be allowed to have a life and live? To go anywhere?”
As far as I was concerned, whatever women we were forced to knock up could just stay behind this house’s locked doors.
Nik and Damon didn’t argue with me on that point, but I knew they had to be thinking the same thing.
“Fuck it.” I set my glass on the bar and shoved my hands in my pockets. “I’m not changing my mind about it anytime soon, no matter what Grandmother thinks.” Looking at both of my brothers, I tipped my chin up. “Where’s Saul?”
“I think he’s dealing with a rat in Brooklyn,” Nik said. “Something about embezzlement at one of the whorehouses.”
“Ah.” I rubbed my chin, knowing Damon would be busy tonight in the dungeon beating some answers out of that man Hugo brought in. “Want to go to the Geminis’ event with me? I’m going to head out now.”
Nik made a face, indifferent. “What event?”
“Some kind of party.” I didn’t want to go out and celebrate, not at all in a festive mood at the moment, but I realized the invitation to the Gemini Family’s party could be a way to hear rumors. With this suspense of anticipating more attacks on us, it seemed imperative to keep eyes and ears open everywhere.
“Nah. I’m going to stay in,” Nik said.
I shrugged. “Suit yourself.” As I left with a couple of men flanking me, I wondered if I could find a nameless woman to distract myself with for the night. It’d been a while, and although diversions and distractions were the last things I needed, a quick one-night stand wouldn’t linger as distraction for long.
With a smile lifting my lips, I looked forward to letting off some steam if I could.
No wives for me yet.
Not if I can help it.
7
SLOANE
While I had never danced for a private event before, I knew what they entailed. I heard other dancers talk about how they went, and within the first hour of being one of the dancers exclusively working the VIP party in the back, I saw how similar and different it was from my usual night on the stage.
Back here, the ratio was adjusted. Fewer men and guests were available to cater to, so private lap dances were an easy way to make more bang for the buck. Out on the stage for all of Stanley’s, it was one dancer for many men. In these dimly lit and posh rooms for the VIP guests, it was more like one dancer per every two or three men. Instantly, I saw how much more money I could take home, and that almost made me think it was worth it.
But the one huge difference I tried my best to acclimate to was how the in-house rules for the big stage of the club were disregarded back here.
I am not whoring myself out tonight.
A man took his dick out of his pants as I danced on the pole in front of him.
Do not even think about touching me with that thing.
Right here in the middle of the party, he masturbated to my gyrating and moving along the pole within his reach.
I swear to any god that’s out there, I will scream if you grab me.
Bouncers handled the freaks out in the club. Whipping out dicks just wasn’t allowed, and while some dancers and bouncers had an understanding that some groping was tolerable, it was lawless back here.
I nearly lost my smile and dropped my customer service mask when I spotted a guest slapping Nevaeh’s ass over in another seating area. I heard the impact of flesh-on-flesh and I instantly worried. But as I glimpsed her over there with the two Mafia men in the Gemini family, she was all into it. Maybe Nicky beating her as a punishment was becoming a turn-on for her now because she looked like she was into it. All of us faked pleasure and desire. It was part of the job. But she didn’t seem to be playacting.
What the fuck?
I couldn’t believe she’d lower her guard.