Page 31 of Delicious Surrender
Brynne waited for the drinks, feeling certain she was being watched. Damn the collar and cuffs. There was an air of predatory anticipation in the bar, and she felt like a fox before the hunt.
As she returned to the table, she heard one man say to his friend, “We should get to punish the bad girls every night, don’t you think, Roger?”
The blonde dude looked up at her as she placed the drinks down, licking his lips suggestively. “Definitely agree, mate, especially the ones with attitude.”
Brynne held her tongue. The last glass was almost on the table when his hand found its way to the back of her thigh,just below the hem of her skirt. She jerked back and spilled his drink onto the table, splashing his pants. He jumped up angrily. Brynne was apologizing when, out of the corner of her eye, she saw a large man striding toward them, his face a mask of fury. Brynne shook and almost dropped the glass. Dimitri arrived at the table at the same moment as Bill. The three men stood staring at each other, and she knew she needed to defuse the situation.
She grabbed the bar towel Bill had in his hand and mopped up the drink. “Bill, I was terribly clumsy and spilled the Rusty Nail. Would you be a dear and make another one, please?”
Bill looked pointedly at her, and she was relieved when he retreated. There was enough testosterone at the table without him trying to referee.
Dimitri was staring at her; she saw his eyes narrow a fraction when he read the tag on the collar. He looked at the man who had touched her like he was an insect, rage still blazing from his eyes. She put her hand on his forearm and squeezed. “Mr. Ivanov, thank you for coming to my rescue, but as you can see, everything is fine.”
His gaze softened slightly, but his words were sharp and ragged like a serrated knife. “This man put his hand on you, and if he knows what’s good for him, he will apologize.”
The blond guy withered under his stare. It was obvious he was no match for the Russian, and one fist could easily crush him. He backed away, his hands up in surrender. “No harm, no foul, Ivanov. I’m sorry, I was out of line.”
Dimitri shook his head in disgust. “Nyet. You need to say sorry to her, not me.”
The man was beet red, his head bobbing up and down. “I’m very sorry, Tinkerbell. I meant you no harm and hope you can forgive me.”
Brynne nodded quickly, wanting to escape the situation. Dimitri was being a strange combination of lethal and protective. She definitely didn’t like all this attention.
“Thank you, sir. I’m sorry for spilling your drink and causing a commotion.” She stepped out of the way when Bill brought the new cocktail and made to leave with him. Dimitri followed them over to the bar. He leaned in and rested his elbows on the polished wood. She could feel the tension coming off him in waves.
“You have been bad?” he asked, rubbing the stubble on his jaw.
“I, uh, got into a little trouble, yes,” Brynne said, looking down at her feet.
“I would like to punish you, but I must know the crime. Then I will know how hard to be.”
Brynne’s mouth fell open, and she looked to Bill for help. Before he could respond, Gage came up beside her and placed a hand on her lower back.
“Dimitri, welcome back to Dominus. Garrick told me you were in London. I trust business has been treating you well.” Gage greeted him politely, but Brynne saw how rigid his body was when he shook Dimitri’s hand.
Turning to her, his face a mask of indifference, he said, “Tink, take your break now.”
Dimitri watched her go, and he didn’t look happy about it. “Da, Gage. Business is excellent. I’m here for a month and supervising the final touches on my yacht. You must come out for a cruise when I take delivery in a few weeks. She is a beauty.”
Gage nodded. “Sounds brilliant. I’d love to.”When hell freezes over.He wouldn’t be caught dead on this man’s yacht. “Let us know if you need anything, and enjoy your evening.”
Dimitri popped some peanuts into his mouth, then said casually, “I want Tinkerbell to serve my table when she comes back.”
There were no outward signs of his feelings on this subject. But when Gage spoke, his voice had dropped several octaves. “She is serving a private event tonight, so I’m afraid that’s not possible.”
Dimitri studied him, probably deciding if he believed the excuse or not. “Pity. Well then, I expect her to serve my table when I come tomorrow night.” He put his hand on Gage’s shoulder, the way a friend might, but it was a blatant act of dominance. “You can make that happen for me, can’t you, old friend?”
Gage watched Dimitri walk away. He gritted his teeth and turned to Bill.
“Let me see who has signed up to punish our little troublemaker?” Bill passed him the sheet, and he went in the back to find Brynne.
She was in the kitchen, pacing back and forth, when Gage found her.
“Change of plans for this evening, Red. There is a private party on the third floor that Bettie was going to serve, but I’m putting you up there instead of her.”
“Okay,” she said, her brow crinkling.
Gage glanced at the paper in his hand, his mouth a hard line. “There are five members who signed up to punish you, so unless I want a riot on my hands, we honor that plan.”