Dancer in Lingerie Read online

  If he understood my viewpoint and even agreed with it, why was he still there? “Then you should get going.” I turned away and grabbed my sweatshirt from the ground and pulled it over my head. I felt bad for all the women who ever thought getting involved with Bosco would be a good idea. He had heartbreaker written all over him. Not only was he dangerous to everyone he came into contact with, but he was dangerous to all women who got too close. He was untamable, a dreamy man with perfect looks and perfect moves. Any woman could picture him being the dream hunk she wanted to sleep beside her every night. I didn’t blame him for putting all of them under his spell, but I certainly wouldn’t repeat their mistakes.

  He stood up and pulled on his clothes before he came up behind me. His arms moved to my hips, and he rested his chin on top of my head. “I’m a dangerous man from a dangerous world. I’ve done things you can’t even imagine. But I want you to know I would never hurt you.” He wrapped his arms around my chest and secured me in his grip. “Physically or emotionally. That’s not a promise I make to anyone, only those who earn my respect. Beautiful, you’ve earned my respect a million times over.” He released his grip and turned away, leaving me standing in front of the fire.

  I’d never been afraid that he would hurt me. He’d always given me the luxury of making my own decisions. Every time I said no, he listened. But just because he was kind to me didn’t mean other people were so lucky. I kept my gaze on the fire and waited for the door to shut behind him.

  “It’s Roth, by the way.” He shut the door behind him, and the silence ensued.

  Bosco Roth.

  I was sleeping with Bosco Roth.

  6

  Bosco

  I sat at my black desk and stared at my laptop. The accounts were pulled up, all the money that was wired from members that afternoon. If people wanted to gamble at my casino, they had to pay their monthly dues. They weren’t just paying for the games, but secrecy, privacy, booze, and of course, women.

  Not just anyone could play here.

  A knock sounded on the door, and I glanced at the screen on the wall to see who it was through the camera.

  Ronan.

  I hit the button and unlocked the door.

  He stepped inside, dressed in a fitted t-shirt and jeans. His heavy boots thudded against the black tile as he made his way toward me. With identical blue eyes and the same tanned skin, my younger brother looked more like my twin. “There are four men down in the basement.”

  “A double feature, huh?”

  “Yep. The men are too scared to rip us off, so our men are bringing in their own enemies are part of their initiation fee.”

  When men were stupid enough to cross us, we tossed them into the ring to fight for their lives. If they won, they got to keep their life and turn into my bitch. If they didn’t…that was self-explanatory. It was an illegal fighting ring and how I made the bulk of my money. Men loved betting on the sport, and it was always entertaining. My cruelty was obvious to everyone in the underworld, so it was rare for someone to actually cross the casino. We were running out of fighters that way, so members volunteered their enemies—and they made a lot of cash because of it.

  “Good. It’ll be a great time.” I shut my laptop even though Ronan knew about the cash because he ran this world with me. It was too big for one person, but I was definitely the one on top.

  Ronan sat in the seat across from my desk, his muscular arms stretching his t-shirt. “I’ve got a new fish on the line. But I only hear bad things about this guy.”

  I rolled my eyes. “The same thing is true for every other member here. We’re murderers, thieves, and tyrants. Why do you think we get along so well?” I leaned back against my leather chair and gave him a slight wink.

  “But this guy is unpredictable. He’s shifty.”

  “What did you hear?”

  “They call him The Butcher. I guess he killed his whole family.”

  I shrugged. “I’ve wanted to do the same to you a few times.”

  Ronan didn’t respond to my joke. “But he was fifteen when he killed his entire family—with a knife.”

  That was pretty damn bloody. “What does he do now?”

  “That’s the thing—nothing specific. He robs people at random, kills some of them. Has a group of thugs that follow his orders. He makes serious dough that way, robbing rich houses and threatening to kill their kids if they call the cops.”

  “Sounds like an angel compared to some of the assholes in here.”

  “But sometimes he doesn’t take anything… Sometimes he butchers an entire family at random and just leaves…”

  That made my blood turn cold. Criminals usually had a motive, and that made them easy to understand. When they only wanted one thing, they were easy to manipulate, to predict. But when there was no motivation, it was a different story. I’d killed a lot of men in my life, but never without provocation. And I’d never killed a woman or a child. Butchering innocent people had never been my thing, but I definitely wouldn’t go out of my way to save them either. “Interesting.”

  “See what I mean? He’s a loose cannon.”

  “You want to deny him entry?”

  He shrugged. “Maybe.”

  “We have lots of killers here.”

  “Yeah, but they’re predictable. They kill for a reason. This guy doesn’t—which makes him a psychopath.”

  Turning down a psychopath was sometimes worse than letting him in—and keeping a close eye on him. “He understands the rules here. Regardless of the company he keeps, he’ll never be able to challenge us. And if he does step out of line, we’ll send him to the ring. I’m sure a lot of people would love to see him beaten to death.”

  “Unless he wins,” he countered.

  If he really was that much trouble, there were ways to get around it. “I’ll make sure he doesn’t.”

  I lay beside a woman, finished but unsatisfied.

  She was beautiful and knew how to please a man, but I found myself bored most of the time, my mind drifting elsewhere.

  To someone else.

  There wasn’t unbridled passion or scorching heat. There weren’t tremors that shook my arms. There wasn’t that slow burn that turned into a raging inferno. It was tame—ordinary. She came, and I only did because I made it happen.

  Now I felt my body fill with regret, wishing I’d gone somewhere else that night instead of taking this woman up on her offer.

  I wasn’t even sure what her name was.

  Michelle?

  Melanie?

  Whatever, it didn’t fucking matter.

  I sat up in bed and ran my hand through my hair, wondering if Carmen was alone in her apartment right now. Was she sleeping with other men? Did she have regulars that she invited over? Or was I her number one choice? I would ask, but she rarely gave up personal information since she was insistent on keeping her distance from me.

  Which was a wise decision.

  What’s-Her-Face ran her hand down my back. “Bosco?”

  I ignored her.

  “Come to bed.”

  If I wanted to be in bed with her, she wouldn’t have to ask. “I need to get up early, so you should get going.” Just as Carmen blew me off, I dismissed this woman with the same indifference. I rose to my feet and pulled on my boxers, annoyed all over again that Carmen could forget about me the instant I left her apartment. She never asked me to stay. The second she was finished with me, she disposed of me like an old condom.

  Why did that make me so angry?

  Was it just my ego?

  Or was it something else?

  “I’m too tired to get up,” What’s-Her-Name whispered, staying under my sheets.

  I turned back to her, disgusted with her clinginess. “Don’t make me ask you again.” I threw her dress at her and walked out.

  Carmen went out that night with a few friends. They hung out a club for most of the night, drinking and dancing. It wasn’t long after that when a good-looking guy worked up the cour
age to buy her a drink.

  I sat in the corner, my dozen men spaced out around the club. I had a booth to myself, and anytime a woman tried to approach me, one of my men shooed her away. Carmen didn’t notice since she was distracted by many other things.

  One of my men took a scan of the guy’s face and instantly relayed the information to me. “Early thirties. Divorced. Has a young daughter. Works as an assistant professor at the university. He teaches mathematics.”

  Basically, he was the most boring guy on the planet. “Thanks, Rio. Get rid of him.” I stood up and straightened my leather jacket before I made my way across the room and to Carmen at the bar. I knew my men would get rid of the guy before I arrived, so I didn’t take my time, ignoring the disappointed looks women gave me when I didn’t notice them.

  I approached her from behind, seeing her in a purple dress with black heels. It fit her hourglass figure perfectly, the beautiful curve of her hips, and showed off her gorgeous long legs.

  That guy didn’t deserve five minutes of her time.

  No, he didn’t deserve a second of her time.

  She stood there alone, a scotch in her hand.

  It was so sexy that she drank scotch.

  I brushed her shoulder as I passed, then stood in front of her, watching the surprise on her face when she realized it was me. But quickly, she covered it up, putting on an impressive poker face. “I sincerely hope you aren’t the reason Pietro just left.”

  I grabbed her glass and took a drink. “I don’t like to lie, so I’ll just say nothing instead.”

  Her green eyes narrowed in instant hostility. “Bosco, this isn’t funny.”

  “I’m not trying to make you laugh. You know I only like to make you come.”

  She kept up her angry expression, but I knew her rage had simmered down slightly. “I want you to leave.”

  “No, you don’t.” I moved closer to her, my chest nearly touching hers. I wrapped her in my cologne and my presence, letting her feel my immense power. I had this entire club under my control, and she didn’t even realize it. My hand went to her waistline, and I gave her a gentle squeeze, reminding her she belonged to me even if she forgot. “He’s divorced with a kid. That’s not what you’re looking for.”

  Her eyes narrowed again. “You had no right to tell me that.”

  “I have the right to do whatever I want. I’m sure he was going to keep that information to himself as long as possible.”

  “So what?” she countered, her eyes flashing with irritation. “There’s nothing wrong with being divorced and having a child.”

  “There’s not. But that’s not what you’re looking for. You told me you want to fall in love with the right guy and spend the rest of your life with him. You aren’t going to do that picking up a guy in a bar.”

  “An alleyway is better?”

  “I never said I was the right guy. But I’m better than him. You really want to go home with some guy and have mediocre sex?”

  “I don’t screw every guy I meet. I usually have a date or two first, not that it’s any of your business.”

  “Well, that wasn’t going to go anywhere.”

  “How would I know?” she asked. “You run off every guy I talk to.”

  “And you’re welcome.”

  Rage flashed in her eyes, and she moved for her glass, ready to throw it in my face.

  I got there quicker, moving the glass out of her reach without taking my eyes off her. “Listen to me.”

  “Listen to you?” she hissed. “You literally watch every move I make. It’s fucking annoying.”

  “I don’t, actually. But it seems that way, doesn’t it?”

  “I like having my freedom, Bosco. I’m not going to let you take it away from me.”

  “Let me remind you that the only reason you have any freedom is because of me.” I stepped closer to her and hooked my arm around her waist. Even though she was angry with me, she never pushed away my touch. I knew that her anger only ran so deep, that she wanted me even if she wouldn’t say it. “I could have kept walking, and you would be worse than dead right now.”

  “Only because you owed Griffin a favor—”

  “Doesn’t fucking matter.” I grabbed the back of her neck and kept her gaze focused on me.

  She didn’t push me away.

  “I was there that night. I was the one who saved you. You owe me, and we both know it.”

  Both of her eyebrows rose. “All I owe you is a thank you. I will not be your bitch, Bosco. I will never submit to a man as long as I live. Any man who has to ask for it is inherently weak.”

  My cock nearly burst out of my jeans because of that comment. I loved the fire in her eyes, the way she mouthed off to an opponent twice her size. I loved the way she cared so much about her dignity. I loved the way she didn’t melt in my hands like the others did. She was better than that, smarter than that. A woman who didn’t put up with bullshit was a very special kind of woman. “I wasn’t asking, Beautiful.”

  “Seemed like it.”

  Just to prove how much power I had over her, I leaned in and kissed her.

  She didn’t kiss me back right away, her form of resistance, but slowly, her lips started to move and she even gave me her tongue.

  I pulled her closer to me and made out with her right at the bar, proving my point a million times over. She could be angry with me all she wanted, but nothing I did would change what we had. We were like a plug and an outlet—we went together perfectly and created electricity.

  I ended the kiss and stared at her, seeing the anger disappear from her face. “Will you listen to me now?”

  “I’ve never been a very good listener.”

  My hand moved under the fall of her hair, and I let her feel my length as I pressed it against her, reminding her that this was the only cock she wanted inside her that night. “I want you to give me a chance.”

  “A chance for what?” she asked, genuinely bewildered by the question.

  “A chance like you give these losers.”

  Her eyes narrowed once more, still not following my logic.

  “I want a chance to be something more. I don’t know what exactly, but I want something. Anything.”

  “Bosco, you aren’t the kind of man I’m looking for.”

  “What?” I asked. “Powerful? Rich? Good in bed? You want an average guy who can give you an average life? You would rather have someone like Pietro than someone like me?” I refused to believe any woman would pick the latter.

  “Where is this coming from?” she asked. “Everything seemed fine the other day, and now you’re asking for something completely different than what we talked about.” She stared at me with confusion written on her face.

  I never hesitated to tell the truth, so I didn’t hesitate now. “I slept with someone the other night.”

  She didn’t react at all.

  “She was nothing compared to you.” I held her gaze and kept my arm around her waist, hoping this revelation wouldn’t push her away. But at the same time, I wanted to see pain in her eyes, to know she would be jealous at the thought of me with someone else.

  There was no sign of anything I wanted to see.

  “It made me realize you’re the only woman I want right now. That’s never happened to me before.”

  She finally broke eye contact and looked away, scanning the other people in the bar. My words seemed to make her uncomfortable because she never looked away when I stared her down. She always held her own. “I don’t want to get involved with someone like you.”

  “Beautiful, you don’t know me.”

  “I want to keep it that way,” she whispered. “That’s the only way this works. I want a good guy.”

  “Good guys are overrated.”

  “I know what I want.” She lifted her gaze and looked at me again.

  “I’m not asking for forever.” I kissed the corner of her mouth. “I’m just asking for some of you…for a while.”

  7

  C
armen

  I don’t know what I was thinking.

  Why did I say yes?

  He had a valid point about the guys I’d been seeing. None of them got my blood pumping the way he did. They were definitely average…and a bit boring. None of them made me press my thighs together with desire. None of them made me tense when they walked through the door.

  Why did the only guy I actually liked have to be a criminal?

  What was wrong with me?

  I did my best keeping him at a distance, keeping my feelings locked up in a safe inside my heart, but now that he was pursuing me harder, it was becoming difficult to ignore him. It was becoming difficult to pretend he meant nothing to me.

  Truth be told, I was tired of going out to find someone special, only to be disappointed time and time again. The rest of my family had settled down with the perfect partners, even Vanessa. Conway married a model and now had a kid, my brother had Mia, who was also lovely. And Vanessa had a man who loved her more than anything else in the world.

  I was the only one alone.

  Being alone never bothered me because there was a distinct difference between being alone and being lonely.

  I never felt lonely.

  But I did want that special man to spend the rest of my life with.

  I was starting to wonder if he was really out there.

  I was at home when Bosco called me.

  I took a deep breath before I answered. “Hi.” Now that the relationship was different, I didn’t know how to talk to him. He wasn’t my boyfriend. But he wasn’t just some guy I was screwing anymore. I wasn’t sure what he was.