Lover in Lingerie (Lingerie 15)

The man’s eyes narrowed in offense, and he held my gaze for a long time, like he wished there was something he could do in retaliation. Unfortunately for him, there wasn’t. So he stepped into a different room and left us alone with the remaining eleven men.

Minutes passed.

Crow and I stood side by side but didn’t exchange a single word. We didn’t give away our motivations, just in case there were cameras watching every move we made. I crossed my arms over my chest and seemed bored, while my brother stared at the wall ahead, looking unconcerned with the whole situation.

It wasn’t until fifteen minutes had passed before the man returned. “Your men stay outside. We’ll escort you to Bosco along with the money.” He nodded to his men. A few took up a formation around us, while the others grabbed the bags of money and carried them for us.

We moved through a few doors before we finally entered the casino.

Another dozen armed men surrounded us, cutting us off from socializing with anyone else in the room. It may have looked like they were protecting us, but they were keeping us isolated from everyone and everything in the room, just in case we had a trick up our sleeve.

At least Bosco Roth didn’t underestimate us.

We moved to the other side of the floor and stopped in front of double red doors. There were no tables or members around the area, so it seemed like it was off-limits. The man in charge opened the doors and ushered us into a private lounge with a full bar. There were two leather sofas in the center of the room, and the lighting was moody and dark. A bartender was behind the counter.

Bosco Roth sat on the leather sofa facing us, wearing a black suit and matching tie. He met our gaze without flinching, as if he was indifferent to our sudden appearance on his turf. His elbows rested on his thighs, and he stared at us with striking blue eyes that were similar to Griffin’s. A glass of scotch was on the table, and he took a drink as he stared at us.

The men piled the bags of money in the corner.

Four men took their places around the room, holding their rifles. The others left.

Crow and I stood behind the other couch, staring at our enemy as I tried to gauge more about this powerful man. Just looking at him pissed me off, that smug gaze and that expensive suit. He thought he owned the world. He thought he owned my daughter.

I wanted nothing more than to take one of those rifles, put the barrel in his mouth, and pull the trigger.

Bosco didn’t rise. “Take a seat, gentlemen.”

I didn’t want to cooperate simply because I hated him. I wanted to be disobedient, to disrespect him as much as possible.

Bosco barely waved his hand before the bartender was at his side. “Get these gentlemen whatever they would like.”

“Yes, sir.” He came to Crow first. “What will you be drinking this evening?”

“Scotch—on the rocks,” Crow answered.

The bartender turned to me next, asking the question with just his gaze.

“I don’t want anything from this asshole.”

The bartender didn’t react before he walked away.

Bosco held my gaze, not even slightly offended.

The bartender placed Crow’s drink on the table then resumed his position behind the bar.

Crow moved to the couch, so I followed suit. We sat down and faced Bosco, the table was the only piece of furniture between us.

Bosco seemed comfortable in his element, surrounded by booze, men, and power. He had the upper hand in the situation, and he knew it. He wasn’t afraid of us—and it didn’t seem like he was pretending. He grabbed his glass and took a drink, licking his lips when he was finished. “It’s smooth. You should try some, Cane.”

I ground my teeth together, despising his arrogance. “I’m about to knock your teeth out.”

All the men pointed their rifles right at me. It suddenly became very tense, the silence deafening because of the threat lingering in the air. My brother didn’t undermine me in front of Bosco by telling me to calm down, even though that was probably what he was thinking.

Bosco gave a subtle wave of his hand, and the men immediately pointed their rifles to the ground once more. He kept his gaze on me the entire time, knowing the men would obey without having to check. “Who should go first? Me or you?” He maintained a calm persona, which gave him more power in the situation. He had complete control over this city, so our visit was uneventful to him. He didn’t feel the need to control the conversation because it didn’t matter. He would win either way.

“I’ll get right to the point, asshole.” I refused to call him by his name, especially to his face. He didn’t deserve that respect. He could shoot me if he wanted to.