Page 7 of Vendetta

“Come. Sit with me. I’d like to know you better.” He drew me with him to the booth that was situated against the wall and then down into the sumptuous cushions. This was nothing like the easy to clean vinyl used in most VIP booths. It smelled of real leather, and him, with a hint of sandalwood.

My head spun, but I couldn’t tell if it was the alcohol or his intoxicating presence.

I hadn’t had that much to drink. My tolerance was fine. I was at most a smidge past tipsy.

“That’s a good girl,” he murmured in my ear as I snuggled up against his side.

A shiver shot up my spine. His voice was entrancing, and I was falling further under his spell by the minute.

One arm wrapped around my shoulder and the other reached for a flute of champagne. “Would you like a drink?”

The gold foil shining in the minuscule light spoke to the quality of the alcohol he offered. What was I to do but nod? I’m not one to turn down a thousand-dollar bottle of champagne.

Instead of handing me the glass like I imagined he would, he took a sip and brought his lips to mine. The press of skin seared against my flesh while the cold swipe of his champagne-infused tongue coaxed the seam of my mouth to part.

I yielded to him without a second thought, and the sweet, sharp flavor of the expensive alcohol tingled across my taste buds. I moaned quietly into the kiss and arched toward him.

So much for getting to know one another.

He pulled away slowly, as if he were as reluctant as I was to end that all-encompassing introduction. But he wasn’t gone long, only long enough to take a deeper drink.

I liked this game, and when he leaned back in, I went willingly. The click of the glass being set down on the table was lost to the pounding music as he pulled me onto his lap and deepened the kiss. His tongue danced with mine in a seductive tangle, punctuated by the sparkle of lingering champagne on our lips.

My hips rocked against the thickening ridge in his pants, but he gripped my thighs, halting my movement.

“You should stop that, bella, unless you want to take this further, and then I suggest we continue in a more private location.” He nodded in the direction of the elevator I’d passed on the way up here.

Shadows hid this spot well enough, but if he was inviting me back to his place, I wasn't going to complain. His alpha pheromones were blurring the logical side of my mind, and this could be my last chance for rebellion once my father found out what I’d done.

One final night of freedom. What was the worst that could happen?

“It’s a tough choice.” I paused, a cheeky smile painted on my kiss-swollen lips. It wasn’t a tough choice at all, really. “But I think a little more privacy would be nice.”

“I’d hoped you’d say so.” He helped me up off his lap and straightened his suit jacket before taking my hand and leading me back through the curtain.

God, this was insane. What was I doing? I might need more liquid courage if I was going through with this.

Before we got more than a step, I grabbed the bottle of champagne from the ice bucket and let him guide me toward the elevator near the stairs. Once we were inside, he turned a key, unlocking the top floor, and then backed me up against the wall.

Chapter 5

Rosalina

Tonight might be my last chance to choose for myself.

Butterflies swept through my stomach in a torrent.

This was stupid. He could force a bond on me, and I’d be his forever. Fuck, if that didn’t sound amazing right now. Despite the danger, or maybe because of it, the thrill urged me on. My friends back at college did this sort of crazy shit all the time, but not me. I was focused on my schoolwork, so focused that now I was desperate for any kind of physical touch.

I’d denied myself for so long. Didn’t I deserve this?

The light inside the elevator was soft, casting a warm glow over the man standing in front of me. Everything about him screamed danger, but I was committed to this small bit of recklessness before my father locked me away for good.

His sharp jaw was the feature I’d noticed in the shadows of the club, but now his perfectly straight nose, oil-slick black hair, and arresting green eyes were clear. Men with his dark hair and deep copper skin seldom had such unusually colored eyes. It lured me in for a better look.

He took my movement as an invitation and leaned in to capture my mouth in a kiss that stole the thoughts right from my head. My eyes fluttered closed, forgetting why I’d moved closer in the first place.

I could stare dreamily into his pretty green eyes later. His tongue was so fucking distracting with its wickedly skilled undulations. A kiss like this could make me forget my own name. He didn’t stop as the lift continued its journey to the top, and even when it dinged, announcing the arrival at our destination, he took his time dragging desperate, needy moans from me.