Diamond moaned in genuine pleasure, and my eyes rolled back in my head when she dropped more of her weight on top of me. The friction only exacerbated my erection, and I’d almost reached the point that I didn’t give a fuck where we were or who might be watching. She’d driven me to the point where keeping my eyes open was a near impossibility, and talking shit was on the tip of my tongue. I forced the thoughts of what I wanted to do to her tight little body from my mind and tried to enjoy the performance. I was successful when she leaned against my chest, and I tallied a win as she rubbed her hands on my inner thighs. But when she spun around, straddling my cock and rested her forearms on my shoulders, I nearly shot my load.
Every fantasy I’d had tucked away flooded my mind, and Diamond played the leading role in every scene. Her pert nipples grazed my thin shirt, and my mouth watered at the thought of taking each one between my lips, sucking on them until she cried out my name. I couldn’t stop my eyes from drifting past her collar bones and rippled sternum to her heavy tits, full and perky. My hands grazed her ribs as they moved up her sides, and my thumbs caressed the swell of her C-cup. She didn’t stop me; hell, she didn’t even hesitate. Her lids fluttered, and her head fell back. Diamond enjoyed giving me the show as much as I enjoyed watching it.
She leaned away, her arms secured around the nape of my neck, giving herself leverage to work her hips on top of mine. The mewls that escaped from her mouth could barely be heard over the thump of the erotic beat, but she rode my lap like I was the best bronco in the damn rodeo. All I could think of was getting her naked and sinking into her.
A knock at the door interrupted my fantasy and Diamond’s performance. She stilled in my embrace as the bouncer stuck in his head to give her a warning. She had ten minutes before she had to be on stage for her next performance. Diamond nodded her understanding. The instant she faced me, Diamond disappeared, and Nikki sat perched in my lap. The spell between us had broken, and now we sat in awkward silence as my thumbs still cradled her breasts from the sides.
I didn’t speak when I slid my hands down her hourglass waist, or as they curved her hips to her round, voluptuous ass. I spread her cheeks as I pulled her tightly against my crotch and rolled my groin between her legs. Her lids drooped with desire, and the beat of her pulse picked up in the vein on her neck. I stood, still holding her against me, desperate to slide my finger beneath the tiny string of her costume and dip into her wetness. But if I had, neither of us would make it out of here any time soon, and I didn’t need to draw any more attention to Nikki than I already had.
She slid down my front, planting her feet on the floor, although she hadn’t released my neck. I bent down to accommodate her height. The energy sizzled, almost crackling in the air. Nikki’s navy blues focused on my lips, begging me to kiss her. With the swipe of her tongue, she left behind a sheen that I wanted to taste. And when she tugged her plump lip between her teeth, I nearly gave into lust. But she popped her eyes up to meet mine, released me, and patted my chest with one hand. I could have sworn I heard her lip move when she released it, but it wasn’t possible with the noise surrounding us.
“I need to change,” she whispered, nearly choking on the words. It was just shy of husky and filled with desire. Nikki was just as captivated by me as I was her, inexplicably.
I nodded, and when she walked out of the private room, I trained my eyes on the back of her head and refused to allow myself to admire the sway of her hips or the spring in the bounce of her firm ass. The gap between her thighs was ideally suited for my hand, and her scent drove me wild. Her hair, on the other hand, I could stare at—the back anyway—without worry of crashing her against a wall and fucking her until the spotlight was on us. The audience would get a show of a different kind.
It didn’t get any easier to control my urges when she changed for her next dance or when I sat at the bar and watched her cast a spell on me, stripping to “Skin.” There was something about the way Diamond connected her body to Rihanna’s music that did me in. And I’d never tire of seeing her drop a corset during a song’s climax; although, I could do without anyone else witnessing it.
Before our time in the private room, I hadn’t allowed my line of sight to drift below her neck at Swank. Now that I’d felt her body pressed against mine, creating vivid thoughts of what her pussy would feel like wrapped around my cock, I couldn’t resist lingering on her dusky-brown areolas or the swell of her tits. The way they bounced when she stomped across the stage only created visions of how they’d move as I drove my cock into her, burying myself to the hilt, over and over.
I shook my head to rid myself of the torturous thoughts. Nikki held my stare as she danced, and I swore, she read my mind. A smart-ass smirk lifted her lips just a hint, and damn if she didn’t make my fucking heart race. She dropped, keeping her back straight and bending only at the knees. Her palms held onto the tops of her thighs, and so help me God, I prayed to be underneath her. Chunks of her dark hair cascaded over her breasts as she danced, and I was stuck in a prepubescent daydream with the stripper I couldn’t have and shouldn’t want.
Scotch would do me a world of good, but I refused to take my eyes off her to order one. I didn’t need to impair my judgment with alcohol, either. But shit, a stiff drink would take the edge away. It was more than just her naked body strutting around in front of me. If she wasn’t within arm’s reach and we weren’t in a private room where I could see everything going on and everyone in it, then the possibility of danger lurked behind every man in every chair, around every corner, and in each crevice of darkness.
Jesse owned this club. His people played in it nightly. I didn’t know them all, nor could I ward them off if there were more than one—even if I did recognize them. I needed to get my head out of my ass, my thoughts out of the gutter, and my mind in the game. Until I had this resolved with Jesse, my only priority was Nikki’s safety. And that dragged on through the night. Waiting, anticipating, expecting problems was exhausting. My nerves were frayed, and my anxiety was at an all-time high when Diamond took the stage for the last time tonight.
There was no way she’d chosen the song that currently played in my honor, but I’d be damned; I wanted to believe each lyric of Staind’s “For You” played just for me. I was narcissistic like that. I’d convinced myself that every step she took on that blacked-out stage, she did for me, so it wasn’t too farfetched for me to trust the music had been picked to showcase her body as she danced for me…naked. I was a sick son of a bitch, but my mind had claimed her, regardless of whether my body had any real possession.
I glanced at my phone for the hundredth time tonight. It was late, and I had zero interest in staying here any longer than absolutely necessary. Nikki had just wrapped up her last dance, but the crowd was restless. They wanted her to mingle and had a hard time taking no for an answer. Looking like a mean motherfucker had its advantages at times. I enjoyed staring down each shit stain who dared get close enough to talk to her. I didn’t even have to speak; growling accomplished far more than words when you were covered in ink and holes and a known felon. Inside I thoroughly amused myself…outwardly, I appeared pissed.
“It’s okay to smile.” Nikki jabbed me in my side with her elbow. Ever since she’d gone behind the curtain, her attitude had changed. Like that final number relieved her from her duty tonight, and now, she could be herself.
My jaw ticced, and I clenched my fists over and over under my folded arms. “Put on your clothes.” I shouldn’t be so short with her, but not having heard from Jesse or Chase in twenty-four hours concerned me. Either Sam hadn’t delivered my message, or Jesse chose to deliver one of his own. Neither would bode well for me, and I didn’t want to think about what that might mean for Nikki.
We’d been at Swank for hours, yet not a soul had approached me or shown up. I’d been on high alert, kept up my guard all night, waiting for someone to take the seat next to me at the bar or make a move toward Nikki. I’d seen how quickly a member could swoop in, la
y down the gauntlet, and then disappear. They nailed their targets with precision. It was the very reason I refused to leave her alone to do anything other than dance, and had anyone gotten near her on that stage, I could have swept her off in seconds.
The air was thick with tension only I felt. Nikki didn’t appear fazed by the lack of communication from U21, or maybe she’d managed to let it slip her mind. I hadn’t been able to do either and wanted to get out of here sooner rather than later. She dragged her feet getting her shit together. But without barking at her, there didn’t seem to be any way to get her to hustle.
I sucked on my teeth and ground them together as she organized her money and then neatly inserted it into a zippered pouch. She tried my patience when she used a wipe to remove her makeup, and when she started to change like she had a date after, I lost it.
“Nikki, get the fucking lead out. We need to move.” My attempt to whisper with a level of seriousness that she would understand wasn’t quite as discreet as I had intended.
One of the other girls—I couldn’t remember her damn name—turned toward us. “Diamond?” The chick eyed me and then gave her attention to Nikki. “Is everything okay?” Watching her eyes flit between us made my head hurt.
Nikki cocked her head at her co-worker, then tilted it up to take me in as I hovered over her, and finally answered with a wave of indifference. “Ignore him. His bark is worse than his bite.” She again faced me, but this time with a wicked smile and a wink that made my dick jump.
The other dancer nodded, although the uncertainty in her expression indicated that she didn’t believe Nikki. I could have eased her mind, but I didn’t really care if she worried or not. If we didn’t leave, she’d really have something to be concerned over. And it wouldn’t be me.
I let out a huff when Nikki finally slammed her locker door and tossed her backpack over her shoulder. “Ready?”
Instead of answering, I grabbed her hand and tugged her behind me. Going out the front would only slow us down. The customers would try to stop her—even in street clothes—and I didn’t want to deal with it.
“Ryker, slow down.” She yanked away from me. “You’re hurting me.” Nikki shook out the fingers I’d clung to.
I turned to face her, grabbed her by the back of the neck, and tilted my forehead to hers. She needed to understand, my intensity was for her safety. I locked onto her navy-blue irises, wishing I could stare into them for longer than the blink I had. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you. We don’t have time to play around.”
Her forehead crinkled against mine, and her nose scrunched. “Did something happen? You’re scaring me.” Everything about me should scare her.
I caressed her jaw with my thumb. There wasn’t a single part of me that wasn’t desperate to seize her lips, tangle my tongue with hers, and strip her down to have my way with her. I shook my head to clear my thoughts, but she took it as an answer to her question. Her shoulders sagged in relief. This time, she took my hand and followed me toward the rear exit.
The metal door clanged behind us. The parking lot didn’t have an empty space in it. I shook my head, thinking about how poor this community was, yet how much money went into the sleaze inside these walls and the crap being slung on the streets. The bite in the air stung my exposed skin almost as much as that thought.
“Damn, it’s cold.” Nikki’s statement fluttered past me on a gust of wind.
I wasn’t trying to ignore her. Getting out of here without an incident was more critical than how comfortable she felt in the night air. Not to mention, the second she got onto the back of my bike, she’d freeze her ass off. This was nothing.
She squeezed my fingers, and the warmth of her touch registered when nothing else had. “Ryker, if nothing happened, why are you moving through the parking lot like someone’s after us? I’m just waiting for you to duck and roll in some crazy James Bond move.” She needed to stop asking questions.
We rounded the corner of the building, and the scene before us answered where I hadn’t. There stood Sam and two other guys I wasn’t familiar with, surrounding my motorcycle.
Sam stepped into the light from the streetlamp overhead. “Trying to sneak out?” He cracked his knuckles, and I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from reacting.
Nikki tensed at my side, and her grip on my fingers went slack, so I tightened my hold on hers. I didn’t have to glance down to see her looking up at me. Her hand shook in mine, and I could hear her ragged breaths.
I stopped a few feet from the men in front of us. The two I didn’t know had stepped up behind Sam, putting our mode of transportation and escape route behind them. They now formed a triangle, and the two in the back put their hands on their hips. It was an odd display of choreography that showcased the guns in holsters on their belts. Blindly, I used my arm to maneuver Nikki behind me. I wasn’t dumb enough to believe that a bullet couldn’t go through my body to hers, but she had a better chance of survival if I got hit first.
I crossed my arms and straightened my back. “Not at all. I’ve been waiting to hear from Jesse.” My voice came off more confident than I felt. This time last night, I didn’t have an ounce of concern over my decision. Each hour that had passed in silence, I wondered if I’d riled up a hornets’ nest of Union members. Add the cloak of darkness to the situation, and my haunches were raised. “Clearly, if we were trying to run, we wouldn’t have shown up at Jesse’s club. Nikki wouldn’t have been here all night. And I wouldn’t have parked in the open where any trash off the street could blow up unexpectedly.”
“Jesse wants the girl and the money.”
My nostrils flared as my irritation mounted. “I’m not really sure what you misunderstood last night.”
“Nothing.” He settled on his feet and then rolled back on his heels. When he crossed his arms, his black leather jacket made a sound that jarred my ears. “And I’m not sure what you ain’t gettin’ now. Jesse wants what’s owed to him.”
Nikki moved behind me, but without taking my sights off the three threats in front of me, I couldn’t see what she did. “Here.” She stepped around me and held out the shiny little purse she’d neatly put her money in earlier. “That’s everything from last night and tonight.”
I grabbed her wrist and put her hand down before Sam could take the payment. “Tell Jesse to call me.” There was no way in hell I’d turn her or a large sum of cash over to anyone other than the senior Silvano. At this point, I wasn’t sure I’d even trust Chase if he were to get involved.
“Ryker, you’re in over your head. Trust me, no piece of ass is worth crossing the Union. You know better.”
The two men stepped around Sam as though he’d just issued their cue to seize his property. I could stand my own, but I couldn’t fight off three sizeable dudes, especially not when two of them had guns. My mind raced a mile a minute, playing out different scenarios, none of which ended in my favor. I opted to hold my ground and maintain the wall I’d erected between Nikki and them. I should have just let them have her. Let her deal with her own shit storm and the fallout of her mother’s stupid decisions. Yet no matter how many times I told myself that or chastised myself for getting involved in something I didn’t know shit about, I couldn’t shake the way she stared at me. Her eyes ate at my soul, and I needed to know what she saw. I was desperate to have her in any way she’d let me.
In a little over a week and a handful of hours in her presence, she’d shaken me. I craved to live on the edge she showed the world, to be a part of whatever dark shit she’d created in her mind. With virtually no knowledge of the girl, I’d willingly put myself in the crosshairs of the very people I’d done my best to avoid my entire life. Still, I stood solid as a rock, daring any of the three to try to cross me to get to her or threaten her safety. I might not be able to stop them in the long run, but I’d go down fighting. And I’d do it dirty. I didn’t carry a gun, but I’d learned the value of a shank in prison. I didn’t step foot outside my house without a knife in
my pocket. Even a small blade could be lethal when driven into the throat.
“There’s no way in hell you’re leaving here with her. You’ll have to kill me to do it.” Behind me, little whimpers tore at my chest and burned my ears. My arms ached to comfort her, but my hands had to protect her. I prayed like hell she didn’t cry. Tears would destroy me. And I waited.
Sam jerked his head, and his two cohorts broke off around us. “Your funeral, kid.”
“Have Jesse give me a call so I can tell him where to bury the body.”
“Don’t worry.” He stared me in the eye and spit on the ground at my feet. “He’ll be in touch.”
The three disappeared around the corner we’d come from minutes ago, and I began to breathe again. The hiccup behind me reminded me I wasn’t alone. I gathered Nikki into my arms, and she came willingly. Her tears soaked my shirt when she pressed her cheek to my chest.
Her voice was ragged and broken with sobs. “They’re gonna hurt you.”
“No, they aren’t.”
Nikki pulled back, and I used my thumb to wipe away the mascara that ran down her cheek when her eyes met mine. “I don’t understand. How can you be sure?”
“They outnumbered me and could have easily taken you. They have been given orders to get what Jesse wants without any physical harm. I don’t give a shit about Sam’s threats, and he doesn’t have the balls to do what needs to be done or to go against his boss.”
She didn’t release me when she nodded. Her acceptance was almost imperceptible in the dim light. Reassuring her with my lips pressed to hers probably wasn’t the thing to do in a seedy parking lot; not to mention, I couldn’t be certain how she’d react to any sort of advance. Instead, I squeezed her and then gently eased her away.
Dear Diamond Page 10
