Chicago

CHAPTER THIRTY TWO

Chai held her breath as she stared at Derek who was just as stunned to see her. He knew fate would bring them back together eventually. She belonged to him and they belonged together.

"Oh who's this Derek?"

One his bosses, a middle-aged Caucasian woman, eyed Chai who was dressed rather provocatively in comparison to her business attire. Derek was also shocked to see her dressing like that in public. Only time he saw her assets was when they went to bed. Other than that, he made sure Chai dressed with respect and carried herself as a lady. His lady.

"Just a friend. Haven't seen each other in awhile Chai," he smiled as if everything was normal. It made Chai sick. If only his boss knew that she was sitting next to a monster.

"Can I get you guys a bottle of wine or cognac?" She proceeded to do her job.

"Cognac?" The middle man and possibly the man in charge started to speak. He looked the oldest and carried himself with a little more confidence then his other colleagues.

He chuckled, "you guys get dirty in here huh? I'll actually have a bottle of Moët, if you have."

"No problem. I'll be right back."

Chai turned to leave the section and she could feel Derek's eyes on her. It made her entire body heat up as she made her way to the bar. She didn't know how she was going to do her best tonight when she was serving the man who put the most fear in her heart.

Don't let him scare you, Chai.

He can't hurt you with all these people here.

She took a deep breath once she realized she was in a safe environment and Derek couldn't lay a finger on her without suffering consequences.

She grabbed the bottle of wine from the bottom rack along with chiller and some glasses. She squeezed her way through the crowd, trying her best not to drop the items she just scavenged. When she reached her section, she noticed Kane introducing himself to his guest.

"I'm Kane Marshall," he extended his hand out to all of them.

They returned the gesture and complimented him on his stage presence and popular establishment.

"Derek tells us you want to take this lounge to the next level," the woman stated as she inched closer to him. It wouldn't be a surprise if he was fucking her. It would explain why he had enough credibility to recommend a person like Kane to a board of executives.

Chai tried to mind the business that paid her as she set the glasses down on the mirrored tray. She gave them a quick wipe down before pouring the wine into the glasses. When she was finished, she placed the bottle in the chiller and brought the wine over to her party.

"Now, when we put our artist in public environments, the establishment has to follow a set of guidelines to ensure their safety and their best performance. That means security is going to have to  thicken around here and your sound and stage equipment must be up to date."

Kane nodded and kept a smile on his face despite the hefty bill that was adding up in his head.

"Of course."

Chai slowly put the glasses down in front of her guest. She made sure not to serve Derek first or last. She didn't want him to feel like she was still subservient and she also didn't want to stimulate his anger.

She could feel him studying her every move. The tension between them was so thick, it was almost visible. She knew if they were in alone in room together, he'd beat on her like his life depended on it. It made her sick to her stomach just thinking about it.