Monster Inside Me: Volume I (A Dark Mafia Romance Book 1)

by Faye Byrd

  I let go and watch as both of them stumble back onto one of the sofas before cutting my eyes to the next closest dude—fucking pansies. “I was trying to nicely explain how you were in my booth, but that guy must have hearing issues. I’m going to need you to vacate this area. Any deposit paid will be returned fully,” I say in the most pleasant voice I can muster as acid floods my veins.

  But, like all drunk frat boys I’ve come in contact with, they can never just do as they’re fucking asked. This one puffs out his chest and steps closer. “I’m not sure you understand, dude, but we paid for this booth. Now get lost,” he says, throwing his thumb over his shoulder.

  I snort and slam my fist into his stomach. When he doubles over, I wind my fingers in his hair and bring my knee up, hearing the satisfying crunch of his nose just before he drops to the floor.

  Then I turn to his drunk, wobbly dude-pack and lift a daring brow. “Does anyone else have an objection?”

  With a multitude of head shakes, the meatheads start to stumble their way around me, giving me a wide berth and sidelong glances. By now, security has joined us and they help the beaten, inebriated man to his feet, passing him over to his buddies.

  “Get that guy fixed up and compensate them for the booth. Also, find them another spot to finish their party,” I instruct Benjamin, who’s the head of security for Dark Star.

  “You got it, Boss,” he replies, turning to lead the pack of frat boys away, their demeanors more public-appropriate than when I first approached.

  When I step in to claim my prize, the sight that greets me is fucking disgusting, so I motion to a waiter who’s already standing by to be at my beck and call. “Get this cleaned up,” I say, waving at the mess scattered around me. “Also, I’ll take a Glenfiddich. Keep ‘em coming.”

  My shitty day just got shittier, and I need a fucking drink—or ten, but there’s a bright spot, and it’s just beyond that ledge. I take three steps and I’m there. The music thumps a heavy beat, vibrating through the floor and making my blood pound at my temples.

  After a moment, I cast my eyes down, intentionally avoiding her podium. A red-head catches my attention, but she can’t keep it, so I move to the next artist. This time it’s a guy, and I skim right past. Now it’s a different brunette, this one with tits and ass spilling from her tiny outfit, but even the excess of skin can’t hold my fucking eye. Her movements are all wrong, practiced and robotic.

  I shake my head to clear it, because fuck, I hired all these artists, and each one disappoints. With an annoyed breath, I finally focus my attention on her, and she robs me of that very same goddamn breath. Her movements are dark and intense, predatory, causing my chest to tighten, making breathing impossible for a few short seconds.

  An unbidden smirk creeps onto my lips.

  Now that’s a fucking performance.

  I don’t know how long I stand there like the fucking stalker she’s made me, but the next thing I know, the waiter is offering me a drink, and the booth is pristine. I relax back into the low-lying seat, where the angle is even better, and stretch my legs out before throwing the glass back and downing it in one go.

  I hold it up to the waiter, who’s standing there expectantly. “Another.”

  To my fucking surprise, he’s already slipping a fresh drink into my hand. My eyes jump to his face, and the eager little suck-up is quite pleased with himself—as he should be. Pleasing me isn’t fucking easy. Let’s see if he can keep it up.

  I give him a nod as I take a large gulp. “Keep that up, and you might get a bonus.”

  He gives a slight bow and scurries off, presumably to get my next drink ready—at least he better be. In his absence, I focus back on the object of my obsession, and she’s still at it, her body moving in perfect time with the music. Even with her assets tastefully covered, she’s the most seductive object in the room, and judging by the gaggle of men dancing around her podium—sans women—I’d say they agree.

  My jaw tightens and I kill my drink, but lucky for him, the waiter is there. This time he serves me a full-size glass with three ice cubes. I smirk at the smart ass and accept it. “Well played.”

  After killing half of it, my eyes fall to her podium, only she’s not there. I jerk up suddenly, my head fucking spinning, and look around, desperate to locate her. I spot a flash of brown moving through the crowd, and what do ya fucking know? A whole goddamn cluster of men is in pursuit.

  A growl builds in my goddamn chest, and I throw my drink back, killing off the rest of the large glass. But before I can go off on an entire group of male patrons, a feminine body perches on the edge of my lounger and her hand brushes against my thigh. Long tan legs are bent at the knees and they lead up to a shapely waist, followed by a sizeable chest spilling from a deep red V and a slender neck surrounded by a cascade of dark brown hair.

  I jerk upright swiftly, the face before me smearing into a blur before coming somewhat back into focus. “What the fuck, Caroline?” I snap, grabbing my head to stop the spinning.

  She leans closer, her perfume wafting up my nose, and places her hand on my chest. Her lips are deep red and my eyes are drawn to them. “You look like you could use some company.”

  A movement beyond her catches my attention, and I smirk. “I could.”

  SEVEN

  TWO OF HER?

  I lift my hand and flick two fingers, prompting the waiter forward. Accepting my next drink, I relax back into a lounging position, brushing off the voluptuous woman on fucking purpose.

  “Thanks … ” I pause and eye him, waiting for him to supply his name.

  His eyes widen before a smile as bright as the fucking sun lights his face. “Nick, Boss. At your service.”

  I nod, storing it for possible future use, and take a generous sip of my drink before cutting my gaze back to the glass that surrounds me. As usual, the effect when my eyes land on her is visceral. A fucking surge rushes through me and collects in my heart, kicking it into high speed. If I didn’t know any fucking better, I’d think I just puffed a generous glass bowl.

  I find myself fucking transfixed by the placement of her hands as she sways her hips to an erotic beat. They span just below her tits as if covering a magical line; the two sections of her body dance separate but in tandem. As they move down over the expanse of her stomach, her movements respond in kind, and by the time she grips the top of her thighs, I realize my whole body has tensed in goddamn anticipation.

  When a neatly manicured hand lands on my thigh, I’m snatched back into reality, and it’s quite fucking jarring. I jerk the offensive appendage off and snap my eyes to the wrong fucking brunette. “Do not fucking touch me.”

  “Oh, Dante,” she coos, without the least bit of fear, like my anger means nothing. Maybe I’ve put up with her bullshit in the past, but tonight, she’s fucking distracting me from my purpose. “Will we be playing hard to get?”

  My eyes narrow and I look at her, really fucking look, only to realize there’s not one remarkable thing about her. Her whole façade is just that—a fake, made-up persona that doesn’t do one goddamn thing for me. I even feel a little queasy when I consider the times I’ve enjoyed her attention in the past—or that might be the alcohol.

  I bark out a laugh. “I thought the last five months were enough to clue you in. We’re done. Now get lost and let me drink in fucking peace.”

  My eyes fall back to Piper as if she’s metal and they’re magnets. The music has changed now, and it makes me a little fucking irritated that I missed the seamless transition she made between beats—because she always does. Each second I’m able to watch her causes it to lessen, though, because fuck, she’s moving slowly now—every goddamn flex seems to stretch on for seconds at a time.

  I may even emit a soft fucking sigh.

  Being so focused does all kinds of fuck-awesome things to my insides, but it isn’t so fucking good when it attracts the wrong kind of attention to the object of my desire. It isn’t until she’s straddled my midsection that I
realize Caroline had followed my line of sight.

  With a bored sigh, I begrudgingly cut my eyes back to her—well, her fake tits that are bulging from the top of her dress as she leans over me. “I’m not fucking interested.” I drag my eyes up so she can get the full fucking effect of my glare.

  Her face is just inches from mine, and the red of her lips as they form a pout does absolutely nothing for me. “Dante,” she says, her fingers running through the hair at my temples. “We both know that’s a lie. Our time together was always fun.”

  Before I can rebuke her, she lowers her lips and attaches them to mine quite fucking forcefully. The amount of alcohol I’ve consumed slows my reflexes, but when they kick in, it’s with a hard shove that lands her prissy ass on the floor.

  She jumps up all smoke and steam, but I can’t even be bothered to fucking care—until, that is, she perches on the edge of my seat and tilts her head to the dance floor below. “You should know better than to intermingle with the help. It doesn’t become you.”

  Even inebriated, it doesn’t take me but a second to form the proper response to that fucking bullshit. I snort. “I find that fucking hilarious since you fall into that same category.”

  She withdraws as if I slapped her, which causes me to smirk. “How dare you make that generalization. I work for the most prestigious security firm in the world. There is no comparison.”

  While what she’s saying has merit, frankly I don’t give a fuck. Though she works for Grizzly, it’s a company I partially own; therefore, she’s the fucking help, the same as Piper. But even more than that, she’s fucking ruining the only hope I had of turning around a really shitty day, and I’m so goddamn over it.

  I sit up abruptly, pausing to let my head catch up, and motion for her to back the fuck up. She stands with a satisfied smile. Getting up myself, I find Benjamin and flick my fingers for him to join me.

  This might get ugly.

  Grabbing her arm, I step closer and lean my head down so my lips are close to her ear. “Caroline,” I purr, using the sexiest voice I can muster in my current state. “It was nice of you to offer, but even if my mind could get on board, my cock’s no longer cooperating. It finds everything about you to be a turn-off.”

  I hear her gasp before she snatches her arm away and steps back. “How dare you!”

  “It’s the truth.” Sliding my hands into my pockets, I shrug. “Now, please, go hit on some other poor unsuspecting shmuck and leave me the fuck alone!”

  “I’m not some toy you can put on the shelf until you want to play again, Dante Simone.” She steps forward with her hand in the air.

  Normally, I’d break her goddamn fingers for even attempting it, but the alcohol has my reflexes in some fucked up mode that only allows me to watch as her hand comes closer and closer before making sharp contact with my cheek.

  Everything around me goes silent as Benjamin swiftly moves in and grabs Caroline around the waist. It takes a second for my brain to catch up with what the fuck just happened, but when I do, my muscles tense as I watch her struggle and make the scene even worse.

  All the anger that has consumed me throughout the day returns in full fucking force, and I take one step forward, gripping her chin between my fingers. “You’re considered one of the smartest people in the world, so I shouldn’t have to tell you what your next move is going to be.”

  She jerks away and lifts her chin in defiance. “Go to hell, Dante.”

  I toss my head back and let out a dark laugh, bracing my body to keep from stumbling. “Of that, there’s no doubt”—I lean down and place my lips to her ear—“but I’ll rule that motherfucker too.”

  Stepping back, I tilt my head for Benjamin to get her the fuck out of my sight. Catching the ever-present Nick’s eye as he loiters behind them, I wave him over. “Keep ‘em coming.”

  He scurries off to fulfill my request, and slowly, the area comes back to life as the VIP patrons get back to their own partying. I’m finally fucking able to settle back and do my goddamn stalking in peace.

  But when my eyes make their way to Piper, I find her looking right the fuck back at me. Though the music is slow, her movements aren’t exaggerated and sensual like earlier. Oh no, they’re fucking sharp, instant, snapping to the beat of the drum in the background.

  I’d almost say she’s fucking pissed.

  But I can’t look away—not that I ever could.

  When Nick pops back over with my fresh drink, I barely glance at him for fear of losing Piper’s dark, seductive gaze. Knowing that she’s watching me watch her heightens the experience, but instead of sending the blood rushing to my cock, it travels to my fucking alcohol-addled brain, making me woozy. I grip my head to steady it and snort.

  Goddamn evil seductress.

  For the rest of the night, I drink and watch, my eyes never leaving her performance. There comes a point where I can’t even tell if she’s looking at me anymore, but I couldn’t give a fuck less. I can see her, and that’s the only thing that fucking matters.

  Sometimes I even see two of her.

  Then everything goes quiet, and the next thing I know, a soft voice is reverberating through my head. “Dante,” it says, accompanied by a shake of my shoulder, which makes my head swim.

  My mind has trouble coming to terms with what the fuck’s happening, so I retreat, pulling away from the touch, but it moves to my cheek. Soft skin caresses me, and I nuzzle into it, because why wouldn’t I?

  “You really poured one on, didn’t ya?” the same soft voice says, and it’s inviting, important even, but I can’t fucking remember why. All I know is that it’s soothing, and I want to wrap myself in it like a blanket.

  There’s a giggle, and then the worst fucking thing imaginable happens. Two fingers clamp on my nostrils, sealing them closed, and while I can breathe through my mouth, it feels like an attack and my body reacts on instinct.

  I sit up abruptly, wide a-fucking-wake now, and grab the offender, pinning their body against the lounger. “Big mistake, fucker,” I growl, still trying to get a grasp on the here and now.

  That same giggle I heard earlier comes from the person below me, so I shake my head and zero my focus where the sound is coming from. I smirk.

  I guess dreams really do come true.

  “Piper Tate?” I ask, because I’m beginning to doubt if this fucked up situation is even real. Last I saw, she was taking my goddamn breath from her podium.

  “Try to help a guy out and this is what you get.” She shrugs and motions between us.

  As I take stock, I realize I have her pinned halfway beneath me, our chests pressed tightly together. “I don’t know,” I muse, taking in the feel of her tits as her chest moves up and down. “I can’t find anything wrong with this position, especially after the way you’ve tortured me tonight.”

  She snorts and pushes against my shoulders, hard enough to disorient me in my fucking inebriated state. I lose my balance, only to barely catch myself in time to plop my ass on the floor next to the lounger.

  I scrub my hand through my hair, propping my head back and tilting it so I can see her as she sits up. “What the fuck was that for?”

  She crosses her arms over her chest. “I’m not your keeper, Dante, but don’t try to play me for a fool either.”

  I stare at her for a second, wondering what in the absolute fuck she’s talking about. It hurts my goddamn brain to even consider, so I give up, casting my eyes to the ceiling instead. “Fucking women.”

  Apparently, she doesn’t like that shit either because she’s up and standing before me in two seconds flat. “Look, I’m sorry for bothering you, but Maddy asked if I could wake you. I’m not sure why, but it seemed important to her.”

  This is the first chance I’ve had to look at her since she’s been up here, so I do. My eyes start at her feet and make their way up her body, memorizing every single dip and swerve. She’s added a tank and a teeny tiny—is that fucking spandex—skirt over her dance clothes. And shit, even
in cheap clothes, she’s sexy as fuck.

  Her throat clearing snaps me from my ogling, and I let my head drop back against the lounger, my eyes back toward the ceiling—it helps with the spinning. “Shit sorry,” I say, but I don’t mean it. How can I when she looks like that? “Yeah, Maddy.” I fucking snort. “She sent you because she’s afraid I’m gonna clip her ass.”

  Piper laughs a little, but when I roll my head over and lift my brows, she stops. “You’re serious?”

  Her outline gets a little fuzzy, prompting me to squint my eyes closed and press them with my fingers. When I reopen them, I wave my hand through the air. “Not really.” But when I see her relax—because I notice every slight fluctuation of her body—I figure I better make myself a little more fucking clear. “Hold up”—I push my hands out in front of me—“I don’t want you getting the wrong idea here. Madeline is on my shit list, like at the fucking top, but she won’t die for it. She’s found herself a security blanket in Ivan, and as long as she’s important to him, she’s off limits. But that’s the only reason she’s not on my hit list.”

  Piper does this little sexy roll of her shoulders as she crosses her arms over her chest and lifts the bitch brow. “You have a hit list?” Her voice has an edge of disbelief to it, and I fucking guess she has a point.

  I roll my eyes, and it makes my head swim, so I completely fucking regret it. “Okay, you got me. No list”—I look at her as seriously as I can—“but people who cross me tend to disappear.”

  “So that’s it?” she asks, still in bitch stance. “You come here and basically stalk me just so you can convince me you’re a bad man? Well, I have news for you, Dante Simone. I knew you were dangerous when I stepped into that office to dance for you. But you know what I’ve learned since then?” She doesn’t even pause long enough for me to answer—not that I could. “That you’d go out of your way to help someone who’s in trouble.”

  I drop my head back against the lounger with a huff. “I was looking for you, Piper. Of course, I was going to intervene when two guys were attacking you.”