Page 27 of Liberated By Sin
My hand twitched to catch her elbow, but I remembered her hesitancy and decided against it, stuffing both hands in my pants pockets as insurance.
“Amara, is there anything I should know before I address them?”
That earned me an eyebrow lift. “You don’t exactly strike me as the kind of man who needs direction, let alone one who cares much what strangers think.”
She read me like an open book.
“Maybe. But I don’t want to come off like the asshole they expect. Can’t just, as they say, show my hand.”
Amara eyed me curiously. “Is that what you’re doing with me? Pretending you’re interested in my opinion. Hiding your ace.”
“Do you think that’s my objective?”
She folded her arms across her chest and wet her lips. I was sure the movement was an innocent one because the woman was barely lukewarm. But my eyes fell on her fleshy mouth all the same.
“All I know is that you have a knack for answering questions with a question.”
I couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled out. “Do I? Fuck.”
A whisper of a smile touched her lips. Had I blinked, I would have missed it.
“See you in a few, Mr. Leone.”
Without another glance in my direction, she slipped into her dressingquarters and closed the door.
I’d never had to work this hard for a woman’s attention, nor would I have cared to put forth the effort. But Amara had snared me from the moment the first notes caressed my senses. This game she had unknowingly initiated was the most thrilling experience I’d felt in a long time. With scores of dead men on my roster, I wasn’t one to back down or lose.
13
“You’reon in ten.”
Cambri poked her head inside my dressing room.
“Wait. What?”
“Star caught some stomach bug and was puking in the bathroom. She insisted on going on stage anyway, but Boss said no. Sent her home. So you’re up.”
I returned my attention to the mirror and slipped in a contact lens. “I don’t know that I’ll be ready in time. You can have her slot. I don’t mind.”
“Not tonight, babe.”
Cambri pushed the door open the rest of the way and cheerfully twirled in a 360, showing off her barely-there outfit. A hot pink G-string, the thickness of dental floss clung to her skin, leaving nothing to the imagination both in front and back, while clusters of jewels served as pasties. She often danced fully nude. The woman was smoking, so it was no surprise when some of the most elite patronsvied for her attention and showered her with cash.
That being said, she never turned down the opportunity for extra earnings. But judging by her chipper demeanor, it was obvious she’d been requested for a second floor private.
Wealthy men from around the country, some even from overseas, spent an ungodly amount for one hour with the girl of their choosing. Depending on the package, one involved touching, while the other was forbidden.
I’d never accepted a request. I knew my limits. Alone in a room where a man was too drunk or high to accept the word no was too great of a temptation—a disaster waiting to happen.
“A rich Russian prick has summoned me,” she said, leaning in and touching up her liner. “But I have a few minutes if you need my help.”
I nodded and let the silky white robe slide off my shoulders. “Please.”
“Of course.”
Cambri pressed a kiss to my temple and scooped the hair from my back. I twisted it into a bun as she prepared the airbrush kit. The soft hiss and cool puffs of concealer tickled my back just a moment later as she worked to cover the scars.
The music’s bass thumped in my chest, and I took one last sweeping glance at the crowd seated around the angular stage. Closing my eyes, I drifted to the place in my mind where nothing could touch me, where reality faded, and I was in control.