INAMORATA: Before Our Heaven Turns To Hell

Chapter Fifteen - Unknown Point Of View

Ice cubes tinkled as I wrapped my fingers around my glass and leaned back in my chair. The lights dimmed until pinpoints of white shone from the ceiling like a network of stars.

It was a high-class place called The Eros Nightclub, one of the most popular in Las Vegas, with plush red velvet covering the chairs and white linen on the small tables. A staff of polite servers glided unobtrusively around the room, although I had spotted several who had a telltale bulge of a shoulder holster under their jackets. More muscle was positioned near the entrance and exits, but they kept their presence low-key. The majority of the patrons who frequented the nightclub weren't aware that this place was a front for the owner's real business. They came here for the ambiance and for the music.

I had come here for a meeting.

There was a scattering of applause as a woman with strawberry-blond hair that reached her shoulders stepped up to the microphone. She acknowledged it with a graceful dip of her chin. I recognized the woman easily to be Kelly Paige. Her dress shimmered in a sheath of gold, caressing her body in a way that was designed to make any man there think about reaching out for those curves.

But no one dared since word on the street had it that she belonged to me. Although I wouldn't deny it, Kelly meant nothing to me. She was simply a good pass time with a pretty face and a gorgeous body. And when it comes to sex, she was pretty skilled. Besides, the woman clung to me like cheap perfume and I don't mind as long as she doesn't mess with my job or my personal life. But last night, she had almost come close with a gun on her head.

Kelly's dress shifted as she curled her fingers around the microphone, revealing half inch of her cleavage. Contrary to what I always saw, her full lips didn't curve with the smile of a seductress. Instead, they thinned with determination. She remained motionless, as if she were drawing into herself. It went on so long, the audience began to grow restive. Finally, she closed her eyes, lifted her face and began to sing.

Longing. Pain. Rage.

The emotions that trembled through the air were so genuine, so raw, that I felt as if I'd been struck.

I sipped my drink and gazed at her impassively. She was definitely singing like this because of what happened the night before. My jaw hardened as I recall the memory.

She had screamed at me and had thrown my papers over the desk at my office back at the estate because of some woman's goddamn stolen shot. I had offered no explanation and because of that she had slapped me hard across the face. And that made me pull out my gun. I had grabbed her throat, slammed her on the wall and aimed the gun on her head.

I had been so pissed off but I didn't want her fucking blood all over my Victorian carpet so I let her go with a loud thud on the floor. But I had promised her that if she provoked me again, I wouldn't hesitate to blow her skull into bloody pieces even if we were standing on a fucking royal carpet that I bought all the way from Europe.

After sipping the last of my liquor, I set the glass down and stood up from my seat. I straightened my white suit jacket and walked towards a door that was located near the stage. Two well-built bouncers guarded the entrance for any intruders and only those with a VIP pass could get in to the exclusive suites.

I passed the stage and Kelly caught my eye. Her voice faltered a bit when I disregarded her small smile and continued to walk on. I didn't feel bad about it. I didn't feel bad for anything. Women were merely toys for entertainment and Kelly wasn't any different.

I reached the door and almost automatically, as if they were waiting for me, one bowed and the other opened the door for me. I was the only one, other than the owner, who can get in here without a pass. And it's because, technically speaking, the nightclub belongs to me. Without my money, this club wouldn't have existed in the first place and Giovanni owes it to me big time.