Page 31

Zelena leveled a look at me and before she could answer, the door to the private parlor opened. The moment the Mishvaian bouncer saw me, his dark eyes widened and he gestured for me to enter.

“We are honored to have one of the winners here with us,” he said in a melodious voice. “Would you like a drink?”

Zelena ordered a glass of champagne for us both and I slowly took in the room.

The first thing I noticed, with a sigh of relief, was how much quieter it was in here.

The second thing was a pair of fiery jade eyes raking down my body.

It wasn’t smart to meet Sherrod’s stare, my own flushed face likely revealed far too much.

But whether it was the drink Zelena had given me in the suite or the fatigue, I couldn’t find it in me to care about hiding what I was feeling just then.

My body tingled with the intensity of his stare. It was downright ravenous, awakening a hunger in me that I had no desire to hide.

Everything was starting to feel too raw, too vulnerable. He may not have intended to, but he was wearing me down minute by minute, hour by hour just by being in the same room with me.

So I turned my attention toward getting acclimated with the room as my training demanded.

The walls were lined with blue and black checked panels that had to be sound canceling for all that they were shutting out.

The lighting was low, intimate, from an overhead fixture and wall sconces.

A large table sat at the center with males and females around it playing cards.

Cigarette and cigar smoke curled up and gave the room a dreamlike, foggy quality.

I spotted an ornate hookah in the corner, where four people lounged, taking turns inhaling the purple smoke.

The room must have a decent air filtration system because it’s not completely clogged with the smoke.

I ordered my internal scanners to roam over the room, searching for any number of devices as a precaution.

I found three different listening devices hidden in the jewelry of the women lounging around the card players, an incredibly sophisticated air filtration system that I copied the particulars of to look at later, and one camera in the far corner.

A groan went up from the table and a familiar chuckle pulled my attention toward the table.

Sherrod had a cigar clenched in his teeth, as he flashed a feral grin at the other players and raked his winnings toward himself.

The black collarless shirt that had been paired with a high collar duster now had the top two buttons undone so the top of the shirt framed the indent at the base of his throat, the column working as he swallowed a gulp of liquor.

His sleeves were rolled up to just under the elbows, revealing the muscles in his one flesh and blood forearm and the beautifully gleaming metal of his other one.

The duster was likely in a coat closet somewhere and I found myself not missing it since I could see the play of his muscles better under his shirt this way.

“Your champagne,” said a Mishvaian female.

I turned to grasp the flute from her and she gave me a lustful smile.

“If you need company tonight, I would be happy to accommodate you,” she purred.

The female was gorgeous, with perky breasts tipped with dark purple nipples just begging for a mouth around them.

Normally, I might take her up on it, get some stress out before tomorrow’s fight.

But the thought of being with her was a sour taste on my tongue and I shook my head.

Her disappointed pout was adorable and I wondered if Sherrod would have been as jealous of a woman as he was of the males around me.

I hazarded a glance and saw a tic in his jaw, eyes glaring at the back of the server.

Well that answers that question.

“You need to put him out of his misery,” Zelena whispered behind her own champagne flute. “Before he puts his fist through the face of that precious little Mishvaian.”

“And how do you propose I do that?”

“Well, normally I’d say a nice, long blow job,” I choked on my champagne, “but in this case I would suggest talking to him, make your feelings plainly known. That is, if you still just want to be friends.”

She sashayed toward the table and stood next to Sherrod as he waited to be dealt in for another round. They looked like a couple, a beautiful one. And I had never felt more like a third wheel in my life.

I’m not here to hook up with an old flame. I’m here to do a fucking job. And it seems that the poker table is the place to learn the most.

I tipped the champagne back and drained it before wandering toward a chair that someone had just vacated.

“Is the beautiful newcomer to the fight scene joining us?” asked a man with gray at his temples and a gravelly, deep voice.

He was dressed in blue, so I knew he was part of the Bryson syndicate, and likely very high up, if he was in this room.

“She is,” I said, my voice dipping low and sultry. “And I find myself in need of something to smoke, may I?”

I gestured to the cigar in his pocket and he gave me a grin as he sat back and gave me access. Slowly, I pulled the spare cigar out of his jacket pocket and put it in my mouth with an arched eyebrow, waiting for a light.

The seat I’d chosen was between this man and a woman in a clingy green pants suit. I expected one of them to light the cigar when another hand cut off the man in blue. It was a cybernetic hand, and the only here with one of those had been on the other side of the table a moment ago.

I didn’t look up as I puffed on the cigar until the tip glowed. When I had a good mouthful of smoke, I looked up and blew it slowly up at him.

“Thank you,” I said.

“My pleasure,” Sherrod replied, the words laced with so much desire it was as if he’d dragged a finger over my clit.

We stared at one another and he bent low for a moment, hovering over my mouth. At the last minute, he moved to my temple and pressed a kiss there.

“Be careful,” he whispered, “someone might think you’re flirting.”

I felt his smile against my skin.

“I like to gamble,” I replied.

“Me too.”

“Are we playing or going to have an orgy?” asked an androgynous person in gold next to the man in blue. “I’m good either way but I just want to know what to do with my cards.”

“Well, my dear?” asked the man in blue. “What’s your pleasure?”

The anticipation in the room made the air vibrate and I gave each person a slow smile as I looked around the table, lingering on Sherrod, who was the only one that didn’t look amused at this situation.

“I think I’d like to play,” I dragged a finger down Sherrod’s throat, lingering at the concave spot at the base for a moment before pulling away, “…cards.”

The heat in Sherrod’s eyes could’ve ignited my clothing as he lingered just before returning to his seat.

I took another puff, his gaze lingering on my plum tinted lips wrapped around the cigar.

He was picturing me with my mouth around him, I knew he was.

And because I obviously liked playing with fire, I toyed with the cigar, running my fingers up and down slowly before hollowing my cheeks as I took a drag.

Then I puffed smoke rings up, exposing the column of my throat.

When I looked back at my cards, every eye around the table was on me. On the inside I was shrinking, wishing they would go back to their cards. Outside, I preened and smirked at them, especially Sherrod, who had his cards in a death grip.

What the fuck had I just done?