Page 39 of Anaki

The crowd roared with excitement as the music pulsed, filling the room with energy. Women hooted and hollered, reaching out to slip dollar bills into our waistbands as we danced. The lights flashed and sparkled, casting a kaleidoscope of colors across the walls and ceiling.

I moved with a fluid grace, letting my body sway and twist to the beat. The scent of alcohol and perfume mingled around me, adding to the heady atmosphere of the bar. As I scanned the crowd, my heart raced with anticipation, searching for a familiar face.

My dragon instantly felt her when she entered the building. It wasn’t through the front door, but the back. I could smell her from here, and I heard her footsteps. While the movements around me were fast, everything else was in slow motion.

Would she like my body, my movements? It was for her, not for the people here. Sweat dripped down my brow, my body contorting around the pole, and when I looked up, feeling the heat of her gaze, I nearly collapsed, seeing her staring at me with wide eyes and her lips parted.

The music reached its peak, and the women screamed when I landed with a thud on my knees. The glasses shook, and some fell over, covering the bar with liquids. I laughed, seeing Emm on the same side of the bar where Elena, her sister, sat upstairs.

How fucking ironic.

“Well, hello there, sugar. You made it.” I told her, giving her a wink.

Emm glanced away from me. Now that my dragon was strengthening and my mate was so close, I would release a massive amount of pheromones since I was dancing for her. It wouldn’t affect Emm so much because she had her own mate in the bar. It would still make her uncomfortable.

“Aw, come on, can’t handle me at my worst. You don’t deserve me at my best!” I rubbed my hand down my abs. “But, really, I think this is my best.”

Emm snorted and pushed on my bare shoulder. “Just get me my drink, you perv.”

In a few short minutes, I returned to her side of the bar and held out a Pina Colada. Emm raised her eyebrow and took the fruity drink. “I know you have more than one drink. It depends on your mood.”

She was a whisky drinker, but tonight she needed something sweeter. Well, sweeter tasting anyway. Especially with what Locke wanted me to do for him. He’d appreciate her tasting like his personal favorite.

Emm stared at me dumbly, and I tapped on the bar with my hand before I hopped back on it again and rubbed my body up and down the pole.

Time passed, and I got the signal to start the body shot portion of the evening.

“Alright, ladies and gentlemen, time for some body shots!” I called out. My voice was strong, my aura exuded across the bar. The members who knew me well enough understood that I was not a threat.

Several couples came and went. Only mated or soon-to-be mated couples were allowed.

The auction was rigged. Only the males who were destined to be mated to the woman on the bar were allowed to be up there. If we knew a woman didn’t have a mate in-house, she was refused politely, and told there was a sign-up list and would have to try another night.

But now was the best part: our president would claim his mate, then I could go claim mine.

Piece of cake.

I grabbed the tequila and took a small swig. Not that it would help with any liquid courage since my dragon was becoming stronger by the second. I felt the heat of Elena’s gaze on me the entire time. I did my best to ignore her. She needed to see me in my element, lust after me like I have lusted after her.

Nadia and Delilah urged Emm to step on the stool and sit on the bar. I tilted Emm’s head back and dripped the tequila into her mouth. She giggled, some running down her mouth and neck.

Yep, Locke was going to have a field day with Emm.

The girls continued to tell Emm she had a choice to stop, but she was allfor it. She was brave, just like her sister. She took it all in. That was when I had to do the next step, as requested by the president.

Man, he had some balls.

I pulled the blindfold out of my back pocket. “Let’s make it interesting,” I announced. “Let’s make her blind!”

Once the blindfold was settled, the bidding began. The money went to the bar, not to the woman on stage. Everyone was aware of that, including the women who signed up.

Technically, Emm didn’t sign up. We just threw her into it, but who cared? She was the future Luna, anyway.

I started at the normal number, twenty bucks, because we were supposed to be a low-class biker bar. For the show, members would throw out numbers, and when the supposed mate called out the agreed number, we would stop.

Before anyone could bid, Locke threw out a grand, and the room went silent.

Show off.