Page 7

Present Day

A Taste of Divine – Shaker, Azee, CObrA

“I was starting to think you wouldn’t show.”

Luca stood taller, filling out his suit more than when I’d seen him last. He wore a broad smile and outstretched his hand as he greeted me from the entrance of his late father’s establishment. Uncle Lorenzo was still cold in a morgue while his firstborn was all business and grins, summoning me at first light to sign over the rights to Illusion. As co-owner, I was here to forfeit my share or take on full ownership. While I wasn’t usually in the business of giving up assets, I didn’t particularly care for the responsibility of a gentlemen’s club in Miami.

I had plans to move back to Italy and lay low for a few years.

“Flight got delayed,” I said, pulling my younger cousin in for a hug and hard clap to the back.

“Glad you made it.”

“I’m sure you are.”

He pushed open thick metal doors and chuckled. “Oh, come on, Santino. I’m happy to see you. It’s been nearly four years, and we’re practically brothers. Papá always saw you as a son, and I know he’d be honored that you came to say your goodbyes.”

“I’m not staying for the service.” I was no stranger to death. It was as natural to me as breathing. We all had an expiration date. And Uncle Lorenzo’s time had run up. Every second that ticked by was one closer to death’s door. And I was simply trying to be on a beach somewhere in the Mediterranean and, hopefully, buried to the hilt in good pussy when it came time to atone for my sins.

“Where are you off to in such a hurry?”

“Home, cuginetto ,” were the last words I spoke before music engulfed us, drowning out whatever rebuttal he’d given as we stepped into the darkened lounge.

Red lights gave life to the crowded space, illuminating a well-stocked bar on the far end and circled the ridge of the main stage, where a topless dancer worked the pole and guests. Her fiery red hair whipped back and forth, and her matching thong glittered against a flashing backdrop.

Thick smoke plumed from the patrons surrounding the stage as they watched with rapt attention, some in the company of who I could only assume were other dancers or escorts.

“Cambri,” Luca said into my ear, loud enough to be heard over the music. “One of our best. You should stay and enjoy the show, cugino .”

Not that her tits weren’t pretty, pierced with diamond barbells big enough to catch my attention from here, but jet lag was creeping in, and a hot shower and a stiff drink were calling my name.

“Maybe next time I’m in town.”

“At least let me offer you a drink, a private dance. It would be a damn shame for you to have come all this way, just to turn around and leave so quickly without so much as having a taste of the merchandise.”

I shifted my gaze back to Cambri, who now had her thong stretched around each ankle, arms above her head, grasping the metal pole as she undulated her bare cunt toward the crowd.

Maybe I could stay a while longer.

“I can clear her schedule for you tonight. Get you one of our private rooms upstairs. It’s on me,” he offered and pulled out a stool at the bar.

“You that happy to see me?” Chuckling, I lit a Fuente and leaned against the counter.

Luca had always been an ambitious son of a bitch. It wouldn’t surprise me if he’d had a hand in his own father’s death, just to inherit his empire and the millions in assets and power he’d felt entitled to. Lorenzo knew the kind of man his only son had become.

Stupid.

Lorenzo had spent the better part of the last decade bailing him out of debt, bargaining for his life, expunging records, and dragging his ass in and out of rehab.

I gave this place a month before he gambled it away or burned it to the ground.

“You didn’t have to come, so I’m thankful you decided to do what was right by my father.”

I snorted a laugh, recalling how he all but begged on the phone. My uncle would turn in his grave if he knew I was signing over Illusion’s ownership to his fuckup of a son. Luckily for Luca, I didn’t give a damn. And Lorenzo was dead.

“So, what do you say? You up for Cambri?” he asked, waving over one of his staff and whispering something into his ear.

The dancer in question was no longer on stage. Lights had dimmed, and employees in scant leather uniforms collected her winnings.

“I’ll pass this time,” I said, taking short puffs from my cigar.

He shook his head incredulously. “You are still interested in pussy, right, cugino ?”

It was my turn to shake my head in exasperation, eyes drifting back to the vacant stage without a word, choosing to let his comment slide. The glow of red bulbs pulsated as the music shifted to another sultry tune, ready for whomever was scheduled to work the clientèle next.

“You called for me, sir?”

A woman’s voice had my attention, and I didn’t need to see her face or memorize the jewelry on her tits to know it was Cambri. Red waves tumbled over her shoulders, and the scent of vanilla invaded the small space between us. Her dark eyes met mine, and she cracked a jeweled smile as she surveyed my suit and watch.

Typical.

“I did. My cousin is on the fence about a private with you. You think you can convince him?” Luca relaxed in his chair, a smug grin splitting his face.

Dick.

Cambri’s fingers traced along my lapels as she slid between my legs and tugged forward. “I’m sure with a little persuasion...”

The voices inside the venue quieted as the rising beat danced around us.

Drawn to the stage, I twisted to find it occupied once again. This time, a taller woman, dressed in a skin-tight black suit with a curtain of dark, long curls falling down her back.

A foreign sensation smoldered inside my chest as I watched her move and work the stage as if she owned it. Like she knew everyone’s eyes were solely on her, following her every whim.

What about this particular woman captivated me, setting her apart from Cambri? I wasn’t sure, though I’d heard there existed a certain caliber of woman who could dominate a man with her eyes, lure him with the swing of her hips, and devour him with venom dripping from her lips.

“Who is she?” I asked, pushing to my feet and nearly toppling over the redhead in front of me.

“Amara,” Luca said with a tightness to his tone that didn’t go unnoticed.

Releasing Cambri, I maneuvered between patrons toward the stage, never once taking my eyes off the woman in the black mask—one partially covering her face and adding to her allure.

There was a moment when she swung around the pole, and I thought we made eye contact. Maybe she felt the fire behind my stare, and it caused her to hesitate…Or perhaps it was all in my head because having her attention was suddenly all I craved. It was then that I re luctantly tore my gaze from Amara , sweeping the crowd and feeling flames of rage tightening my muscles.

Cambri had drawn the same attention, maybe more, as she’d been fully nude, but irrational as it was, and maybe for the first time, I felt a strange surge of possessiveness over this woman.

“She’s spectacular, isn’t she?” Luca’s hand landed on my shoulder.

“Tell me about her,” I said as my eyes locked onto her toned legs and fluid twirls.

Amara.

Her name fell like honey from my tongue.

“ Papá took her in a few years ago. Started as a waitress. He caught her practicing one day before her shift, and here she is.” He leaned in closer. “She doesn’t accept privates, but I’m sure I can pull my weight and get her for you. Papá had a soft spot for her and let her call the shots, but now that I’m in charge…Well, I can break her.”

I cut my eyes toward him and shook my head, suddenly curious what his insides would look like if I cracked him open. “That won’t be necessary.”

He laughed and exhaled a sharp, exaggerated breath. “Santino, you are one tough son of a bitch. Even when I dangle pussy as pretty as two of our top dancers, you still won’t budge.” Luca clapped my chest a second time, and I felt the urge to sever his hand from his body.

“Come on, then,” he said, nudging me back toward his office. “Let’s sign these documents so you can be on your way.”

My cousin’s head snapped up when I didn’t follow, eyebrows stitching together as I tossed him one last look before returning my full attention to the stage.

Amara had stepped out of her bodysuit and dropped to the floor, back arched, with perfectly round tits jutting toward the ceiling. Red, glittery pasties covered her nipples, causing my jaw to clench with the desire to peel them back with my teeth.

“Santino?”

“I’m not selling,” I deadpanned, shaking from his hold .

Maybe Miami wasn’t so bad, after all.

“What the fuck did you just say?”

The music died down just as he’d uttered those words. And it was as if we’d drawn the eyes of every soul in the entire establishment. But in that instant, they faded into the background because, this time, there was no doubt. I finally had Amara’s full attention.