The Lion and the Lamb

Kiki shook her head vehemently and sucked back the rest of her drink. Looked like Tatum was going to be carrying a very sloshed Kiki home tonight. “Let’s dance.”

Kiki stood before Tatum could respond. She held her hand out, and Tatum shook her head.

“You know I’m a horrible dancer.”

“I can’t hear you, Tater. Come on.”

Tatum knew damn well Kiki heard what she said, but Kiki was in her zone and wouldn’t have taken no for an answer no matter how much Tatum complained.

Picking up her drink, Tatum gulped down half of it. Kiki gave her a smile and wink and dragged her to the center of the dance floor. The heat was intense as the bodies gyrated all around her. Kiki started swaying to the music, throwing her hands in the air and closing her eyes.

She looked free at that moment, and Tatum wished she wasn’t going through shit, although she felt in her heart that Beau would never do anything to hurt her. He loved Kiki too much.

Tatum didn’t drink much, so the alcohol she had all but guzzled rushed through her veins and had warmth spreading through her. Closing her eyes as well, she let herself feel free. Her life was starting to go in the right direction, and for once, she felt happy.

The music washed through her, and she swayed, not caring that beads of sweat dotted her flesh or that arms and legs bumped into hers. When she opened her eyes, she saw Kiki bumping and grinding with a blond-haired man.

She couldn’t see his face, but the view from the back was impressive. Kiki opened her eyes and caught Tatum’s. Her smile seemed slow and a little hazy. She was already buzzed, and if Tatum didn’t intervene, Kiki would do something she regretted.

She took a step toward them, but the man pushed them through the bodies and farther away from Tatum.

Kiki stared up at the man, and Tatum watched as he dipped his head and whispered something in her ear. She shook her head and continued to sway. Before Tatum could move another step, strong arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her back toward a thick, hard chest.

She tensed, ready to spin around and rip into the asshole who thought groping her was okay, when a deep voice she remembered whispered in her ear.

“The way you move can make any man putty in your hands.” She was spun around until she looked into green eyes. Slade grinned down at her, his straight, white teeth looking feral. She wondered if he was the same as Leo, more animal than man.

They hadn’t spoken about Slade or their altercation at the club, but now that Tatum was this close to him, she could sense some kind of animal magnetism pouring from Slade.

Yeah, no doubt the man who had his arms around her was deadly.

“Let me go.” Her instincts told her being this close to him, whether Leo was here or not, was not a good idea. Slade used his strength to pull her closer to his body. She could feel every hill of muscle beneath his expensive suit.

“I just want to talk to you.” His warm breath whipped across her cheek, and she fought the wince of disgust. Having him touch her felt abhorrent. It was nothing like Leo’s touch. This just felt wrong on so many levels.

“Please, let me go.” She pushed at his chest, but he wouldn’t release her until he was ready to. He lifted his head and motioned to someone behind her. Tatum glanced over her shoulder and saw the blond man Kiki had been dancing with face them. He had both arms around Kiki’s waist. Her friend looked a bit shell-shocked.

“What the hell are you doing?”

Slade grinned down at her and lifted his hand to push her hair off her shoulder. She refrained from flinching and stared straight into his cold eyes.

“I’m playing the game, Tatum.” He spun her around so fast her head spun. Before she knew what was happening, he pushed her through the crowd and into a room off of a long, darkened hallway. Fortunately, Kiki was right there with her. As soon as the door shut behind them, Tatum grabbed Kiki’s hand and pulled her close to her side.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” She looked between Slade and the blond man. Tatum had seen him before, when Slade had come to The Lion and the Lamb. He had kept in the background, but she had seen the way his eyes scanned everything, not missing a thing.

Slade moved behind a desk, and it was then that Tatum realized they were in an office. Everything was masculine, with dark, rich colors and leather furniture. There were several pictures on the walls, some showing scantily clad women, others with famous individuals. The one main thing in all of them was Slade.