Velvet Fire - Ashby Crime Family Romance

But that guy, he was all man.

And likely taken, so I ignored the couple making out in the corner other than to notice we had on similar blue tops and stepped into the bathroom to freshen up. I could really use a shower and a change of clothes after all this dancing, but I made do with a quick face rinse and a makeup touchup and hoped for the best.

“Men are such dicks!” The brunette stomped in and I realized she was the one going at it hard with Man Bun in the corner.

“Tell me about it sister. When will they get those sexy male robots for us? Then we wouldn’t need the real thing.” I laughed.

She flashed a grin that made her blue eyes pop and I noticed we looked alike. A lot alike. “Maybe that’s what I should invest my money in instead of wasting my time on guys who think a kiss means a free fuck.”

Man did I sympathize with her, and that was another problem I had with the youngish dudes. They had absolutely no chill and couldn’t take rejection for shit. “Should we promise him a threesome and beat his ass in the alley?”

That pulled a genuine laugh from the woman and she shook her head. “No, but thanks for the offer.”

I slicked some color across my lips and blotted them with a smile. “Girl power and all that. I hope your night improves,” I told her and followed a group of women out of the bathroom. They chatted and giggled about their night, and I felt a pair of eyes on me so I stopped, waiting for someone to pass.

Nothing.

I kept walking but then felt the heat of someone behind me and got ready to turn and tell whatever dirtbag that thought he could press all up on me, to get his ass lost. But before I could, there was a sharp pain in my neck and everything went black.

Chapter Three

Virgil

The wrong fucking girl. I grabbed the wrong fucking girl like it was my first day on the job, green and eager to prove myself. What. The. Fuck? And now I stood before my boss, my mother, trying to figure out how to explain what had happened. “’That’s not Savannah Rhymer.”

“No shit.” Sadie sat upright behind the massive glass and steel desk in what she called her salon, because offices were for crooks, and she was a businesswoman. “She might be a dead ringer for the bitch but that’s not her. Care to explain?”

Anything I said would only make me look worse so I shrugged. “Not really. They were wearing the same outfit and when that girl came out of the bathroom, I thought it was Rhymer.”

“All right.” She nodded slowly and I waited for the explosion I knew was coming. I’d seen it enough over the years to fear the wrath. “I’ve got her settled in one of the guest rooms for now.”

I had to clench my jaws to keep from frowning in confusion. She didn’t seem mad, not even the lowkey kind of mad that exploded out of nowhere. She was almost calm. Scary calm. “I’ll call to see if Savannah’s still at the club.”

“Don’t bother, I’ve got men on it already.” I shouldn’t have been surprised that she’d handled it in the five minutes it had taken me to park the car and explain everything. But I was surprised that she wasn’t pissed.

“I’m sorry, Ma.”

“I know.” She held up a hand to stop my apology because she hated them, probably because our father, may he burn in hell, would fly into a rage if dinner wasn’t to his high standards and toss the food on the floor. He would grab Ma by the neck like a fucking dog and scream and hit her until she apologized for wrecking his dinner. “I know, and all that matters is that we handle this.”

I knew that was bullshit, but I let it go for now, unwilling to risk pissing her off anymore.

“Hey, Ma. Virgil. What’s up?” My baby brother Calvin strolled into the room looking like he just got back from a weekend in the woods in his ball cap, green and black plaid button up, jeans and work boots. He was the youngest of the bunch, soft spoken and too smart for his role in the family.

“Calvin, I have a job for you that has nothing to do with computers. Think you can handle it?”

He heard the challenge in Sadie’s voice and stood a little taller. “I guess there’s only one way to find out.”

“She’s upstairs in the green room. Make sure she stays in that room, and I want to be the first person to know when she wakes up.” Ma was using what we called her Sadie Rose tone which meant she wouldn’t forgive a mistake easily.