Page 42 of The Price of Power
I’d come close last night. Closer than I ever had before.
And just look at the trouble that had brought me. All it took was one moment of letting go of the reins, and now I was tied to the side of a damn mob boss.
Gabriel might have seized control of my body in our deal, but that was just one part of me. I needed to be more determined than ever that he would never get anywhere close to my mind or soul.
“Well, if that’s the kind of night you’re looking for, don’t let me stop you,” I said. “Something tells me any other girl in this place would willingly follow you to whatever sacred space you’re in the mood to defile.”
“You’re right. They would,” he said without even blinking. “But what I want to know is, would you? Just how willing would you be?”
Damn! There went that electric tingle again—racing up and down back my like a damn carnival ride.
There was an undeniably powerful feeling that came from being the focus of his attention. Something that melted my insides until I was liquid and hot.
But thankfully, before I could answer, Bianca returned with our drinks and a bucket of ice. A part of me wanted to grab it and dump it over my head just to cool down from our conversation.
“Are you expecting more company this evening, sir?” she asked. “Because I can always bring out more champagne flutes.”
“No need. Liv will be my only female guest tonight,” he said. “In fact, it’s going to be just the two of us for the rest of the summer.”
“Oh,” the waitress said, letting out a breath that somehow managed to express both a sense of surprise and disappointment in equal measure. “If that’s what you want.”
A second later, she popped the cork out of the champagne and started to pour. I couldn’t help but notice the way her fingers lingered on his as she handed over his glass.
“Of course, if you change your mind, Mr. D’Angelo?—“
“I won’t,” His expression turned dark as he cut her off. Dark and cold enough to send goosebumps up my arms. “And, Bianca, if you ever disrespect my woman again, I’ll see to it that you not only lose your job here at The Relic but that you never find another one in this city again. Is that clear?”
An unfamiliar thrill swept through me as the woman trembled in fear. No one had ever stood up for me before.
Not my brother. Not my family.
Nobody.
For a moment, I didn’t even care that, in Gabriel’s mind, he was probably just protecting his property. It still felt satisfying as hell.
“I asked if that was clear,” Gabriel repeated through tight lips when Bianca stood there, blankly blinking for another few seconds.
“Y-Yes,” she stuttered. “Perfectly clear, sir.”
“Good,” he said, already waving her away. “Then I’ll let you know if we need anything else.”
Then, just like with the drunk in the hotel last night, I watched as the woman skittered away as fast as her feet could carry her.
After a couple of sips of champagne—the best I’d ever tasted in my life—Gabriel finally turned toward me, his eyes still stormy and tumultuous. “Let me guess—that’s the way you were expecting a man like me to talk.”
Actually, it was.
And the strange thing was I kind of liked it.
Chapter Fourteen
OLIVIA
The evening went by in a blur of pounding music, writhing bodies, and cold champagne.
All around us, from the dance floor to the other couches in the VIP area, people were partying and living it up. Through the night, I watched them dance and grind on each other.
There were shrieks of laughter and flashes of drama. It was a whole show—one that was entertaining and chaotic enough to keep me entertained for hours.