Done criticizing herself, she looked over at Adalyn’s perfect reflection. “Do you think it’s been ten minutes yet?”
Adalyn grabbed Lake’s hand, ready to leave the safe haven. “Close enough. I’m ready to dance!”
The music got much louder as they exited the bathroom. They made sure to crouch down a little as they hurried to the dance floor where they managed to push their way through the sweaty couples until they reached the middle. Satisfied they weren’t going to be found anytime soon, they pulled out their phones, snapping a couple pictures of themselves.
“I think that’s good enough!” Lake yelled when she got a good picture of herself with a couple sucking each other’s faces off in the background.
Putting up her phone, Lake decided she was going to have fun for once in her life. Hell, I’m already here; might as well make the most of it.
She couldn’t be happier as she and Adalyn started dancing. The two friends had held many dance parties together when Lake spent the night with Adalyn, and they were finally at a real dance party.
* * *
Who on God’s Earth owns that sweet ass?
Vincent couldn’t move his body as he stared at the perfection before him. He was watching a girl with the longest, sexiest legs dance in a black dress which should have been illegal to wear. Especially with a tight little ass like that.
“Who is that? I need to fucking meet her.” Vincent was going to seriously need to thank his friends Nero and Amo for setting this whole thing up. He might have come to Poison with another girl and planned to get Nero’s fake date, too, but that didn’t matter anymore. He was sure the girl shaking her ass to the music would be way better than the threesome he could have had.
I’ve had threesomes before, but her … I want her.
He knew he had competition by the crowd of guys surrounding her and her friend, but then he watched her push them away. I’d like to see her push me away.
Vincent was primed and ready, thinking about all the fun and glorious rough sex they were going…
“Wait, I think I know them.” The flash of the neon light had illuminated their faces for mere seconds. In that moment, he was definitely sure he knew the hot girl’s friend in the purple dress.
Vincent continued to watch them until the perfect moment when they faced him and another strike of light flashed. That was when he wished he could turn back time.
“Holy shit, that’s my fucking sister!” I am going to kill Adalyn and burn that fucking purple dress.
“Yeah, but who’s the one I need in my fucking bed?” Amo was just as entranced.
Something inside Vincent didn’t like what Amo had just said.
His words came out more like a growl as he watched the hot girl push her long, silky hair back. “Lake, my fucking sister’s best friend.”
Amo’s eyes didn’t waiver from her ass. “Damn, have you been keeping her all to yourself?”
“No, man. I’ve known her since preschool, so don’t fucking think about it.” Vincent made sure the last part did come out as an actual growl that time.
He tried not to listen to Nero’s laughter. The guy was clearly getting a kick out of Vincent’s two heads fighting. I’m not thinking about her that way. I’m not thinking about her that way…
“Shit, man, just think about all the years you’ve missed out on that one,” Amo joked, again not moving his eyes, which made Vincent want to rip them out of his fucking big head.
I am going to kill them.
“They are dead.” Although Vincent tried to keep his body under control, Nero’s laughter was making it hard. Then, when two guys appeared and started grabbing at the girls, he decided to fuck control.
“No, they are fucking dead!”
* * *
As the night progressed, she and Adalyn got into a rhythm and they couldn’t be stopped. Many guys tried to dance with them, only to be pushed away. They only danced with each other, which enticed the men even more.
When a group of guys joined around them, Lake noticed their dates had finally found them. She decided to treat them the same way as all the other men trying to grope her by pushing them back. Thankfully they didn’t put up much of a fight, seeming to be content simply watching.
That was when Lake and Adalyn were quickly grabbed by two guys who had gotten sick and tired of being turned down.
Get off me! She was attempting to shove the guy away when Lake thought she heard Adalyn yell, “Vincent!”
“Huh?” Confused, she quickly used all her strength to shove the guy off. When she turned, she saw Vincent heading their way.
Oh, shit. She knew this wasn’t going to be good. Lake and Adalyn scurried toward him.
Vincent happened to be Adalyn’s brother. Well, technically, her stepbrother. They were toddlers when his mother married Adalyn’s father. Hell, they didn’t even know they weren’t anything other than blood siblings until they got older. With them both being the same age, they might as well have been twins.
It’s okay. He doesn’t know we were on a date.
His pissed-the-fuck-off face said otherwise, though.
“What the fuck are you both doing here?” Vincent growled.
Michael and Tim pulled them back. “They are with us.”
Well, now he knows.
Vincent pointed toward the guys Lake and Adalyn had been trying to fight off. “Okay, then who the fuck are you two?”
Suddenly, Lake and Adalyn were jerked back again by the two who didn’t like to be turned down. Will they quit that shit!
The one holding Vincent’s sister had the balls to speak. “We’re the ones who are going to fuck them by the end of the night. So find your own.”
Lake felt a nice chunk of her ass being groped.
“Hey, get off me!” she said, frantically hitting him.
Adalyn, on the other hand, was calm. “You really shouldn’t have said that.”
Lake’s eyes were drawn to Vincent as he started rolling up the sleeves on his black button-down shirt. For some reason, she saw him differently than she usually did in that moment. She didn’t understand why, though.
Vincent had it all and was never anything less than immaculate. The handsome face, the perfect light blonde hair, and the dreamy baby-blue eyes. He was a god. And the worst part was Vincent knew it.
He turned up the last bit of his sleeve. “You’ve got this all wrong, motherfucker. That’s my sister you’re holding there, and unfortunately, she will be the last girl you’ll be able to hold.”
Lake blinked her eyes a few times. Oh, my fucking Go—
“This bitch isn’t your sister.” The guy holding Lake started to laugh. Looking down at her, he finished, “Looks like you’re mine.”
She watched something change in Vincent’s eyes as he flexed his jaw. “These fuckers are mine; you two get the little shits who brought them here.”
Lake finally noticed the two guys beside Vincent. When they started rolling up their sleeves like Vincent had with smiles on their faces, she came to the understanding that one was scary and gorgeous, while the other was big and frightening.
Again, the girls found themselves being pulled in different directions when their dates tried to grab them back. This is really starting to piss me off!
“Man, I thought you’d never ask,” the gorgeous one said, grabbing Vincent’s shoulder.
“You guys can thank me later for bringing you here,” the big one sneered, making him somehow scarier.
Yep, I knew this wasn’t going to turn out well.
Chapter Three
A Horror Film Starring Vincent, the Psychopath Killer
Lake couldn’t believe what she was watching as she stood inside the circle, listening to the chanting of “Fight! Fight! Fight!” She seriously thought she was watching an action film right before her eyes.
Her eyes danced between the three friends beating the shit out of the guys. Those idiots don’t stand a chance in Hell. The scary, gorgeous one was merely p
laying with Michael, pretending to let him get a free shot by standing still. As soon as Michael got close, he swiftly struck him in the face. That happened again and again, and Michael kept falling for it. Such a dumbass.
She watched Tim practically shit his pants as he looked at the frightening big one. He tried to run away, which obviously wasn’t going to work. Once the big one got Tim, he lifted him off the ground in a chokehold. Tim was literally not even half his size.
That left Vincent, who was making sure the guys who had groped them on the dance floor paid for what they had done. Seriously P-A-I-D, paid. When they both tried to attack him, he dodged out of the way and they ended up hitting each other. Lake tried not to wince when the one who had grabbed her ass went for Vincent again, but that time he caught Vincent off-guard and kneed him in the balls, toppling him over.
It didn’t take long for Vincent to recover and he instantly grabbed the guy’s head and kneed him in the face, making him drop completely to the floor.
Is he insane? she thought as Vincent laughed, walking toward the guy who had groped Adalyn and was pleading on his knees.
Reaching down, Vincent grabbed his shirt roughly, pulling him up. “You piece of shit,” he said as he bashed the dude in the face. “Motherfucker!” Another punch.
The guy fell face-down to the floor.
Lake hoped it was over but of course, she wasn’t that lucky. When Vincent covered the guy’s hand with his shoe, she tried to look away but couldn’t seem to. Please, don’t do it…
“Don’t ever touch my sister again.” Vincent sounded deadly.
He’s going to do it! Lake desperately tried to close her eyes fast enough but before she knew it, his foot lifted off the ground and came crashing back down. Her eyes finally slammed closed at the sound of the bones breaking and the scream of pain.
Lake heard laughing and opened her eyes to see the three winners literally getting a hoot out of what they had done. Looking around at the bloodied bodies on the floor, she changed her mind about what she’d just witnessed.
Make that a horror film starring Vincent, the psychopath killer.
Lake wasn’t expecting what happened next as a strawberry-blonde appeared from the crowd. She must have been dating the gorgeous one, but she clearly wasn’t expecting him there, and she was also not expecting it when a girl in a glittery dress came out and grabbed him.
Lake watched two other girls appear in practically matching glittery dresses, grabbing Vincent and his other friend. They’re triple-dating. She couldn’t help studying the blonde girl wrapped around Vincent’s waist with a huge ass and boobs.
The complete and utter opposite of me. She didn’t know why that thought entered her head or why she even cared, but something deep down did.
It wasn’t long before the strawberry-blonde stormed out, the guys following soon after.
Lake stood still, in shock of the events.
Turning her head, she met Adalyn’s eyes. “What the hell just happened?”
Adalyn looked down at the guy crying at her feet as he held his hand. “Too much testosterone happened.”
“Come on. We need to get out of here before the cops show!” Adalyn shrieked as they stepped around the blood and destruction.
When they got to the big, heavy door and pushed it open, Lake’s eyes widened as Vincent stormed at them. “What the hell were you all here for?”
Not good. She quickly started to pull her dress down to cover more of her legs then grabbed her top to make sure her cleavage was concealed. She started to blush when the big friend of Vincent’s eyes roamed over her.
Lake noticed Adalyn fixing herself until her big mouth opened. “Why the hell do you think?”
Vincent’s face started to contort.
Really not good! She held up her hand and blurted out her confession. “I begged her to come dancing with me. It’s my fault. The only way we could get in was going with those guys. We didn’t do anything with them, though.” Lake turned her eyes down to the pavement, unable to meet his baby-blues.
She heard Vincent take a deep breath. “Good. You can’t date boys until you graduate. I don’t care if it’s only a few months away. I won’t say anything, but I better not catch you two again.”
Lake felt some relief and began to nod. Thank God. Looking over at her friend’s defiant stare she hit her arm, making her nod in defeat, as well.
Hearing the jingling of metal, she watched Vincent hold out his keys. “Go get in the car. I’m taking you both home.”
As soon as Adalyn snatched the keys from Vincent’s hand, they both took off running.
Lake wasn’t dumb; she knew when the hell to run away. Especially from crazy. She knew Vincent had a dark side from all her years of constantly being around Adalyn. But holy shit, he is a lunatic!
“You’re burning those fucking dresses when we get home!” Vincent screamed over the clicking of their heels hitting pavement.
Lake guessed he had said that since Adalyn was desperately trying to keep her purple baby doll dress down. She instinctively went to pull her own dress down, though she was unsuccessful because of how fast she was running.
She heard his voice again, much calmer that time. “Actually, give them to me. I want to get rid of them.”
Lake and Adalyn looked at each other in confusion. What the hell? Why?
They were able to spot Vincent’s car quickly, and Adalyn hit the unlock button. Closing the distance, Lake threw open the door to the backseat on the driver’s side as Adalyn went to the passenger seat in the front.
“Wait, I shouldn’t sit in the front, should I?” Adalyn whispered.
“Uh, no!” Lake quietly yelled to her friend as she jumped into the dark car.
A second later, she was joined in the backseat, thankful Adalyn had taken her advice.
When they were finally enclosed, Lake felt free to talk. “Adalyn, just keep your mouth closed unless it’s to say sorry. Our dads can’t find out about thi—”
Adalyn rolled her eyes. “I know, I know. Sheesh, we aren’t allowed to date. Come on, though; that was so much fun!”
Lake had to admit she hadn’t had that much fun in a long time. Okay, never. Then Vincent had come out of nowhere and ruined it.
“Yes, right until your crazy-ass brother—”
The door to the driver’s seat flew open…
Chapter Four
Born To Be Made
In literally twenty minutes, Vincent’s entire night had taken a nosedive. However, his rage was finally calming—or trying to, at least.
What the fuck was Adalyn thinking?
As he grabbed his car door handle, he heard Lake’s muffled voice through the car.
“Yes, right until your crazy-ass brother—”
No, what the fuck was Lake thinking?
Well, his rage had been trying to calm.
* * *
Oh, shit. Did he hear me?
Vincent started the car. “What were you saying, Lake?”
Oh, shit. He heard me.
Lake tried to steady her voice. “I-I wasn’t saying anything.”
“Yes, you were,” he said matter-of-factly as he drove off.
“N-no, I wasn’t.”
“Nope, she wasn’t,” Adalyn agreed, trying to help her friend out.
Vincent looked at Lake through the rearview mirror. “So, you didn’t just say ‘your crazy-ass brother’?”
Lake’s eyes met his scary ones in the mirror which were daring her to lie.
Lie. “N-” Don’t lie. “Yes.”
She wished she could change her answer as she looked at him.
Wait, did he want me to lie?
His face read, do not lie to me.
She had talked to him countless times throughout most of her life, but she had no clue how to handle the new Vincent. Playing truth or dare with him was one game she wasn’t brave or experienced enough to win.
“Well, you kind of did go a tad crazy there when you shattered his hand
,” Adalyn said.
And, just like that, Lake saw him switch back to normal.
“Too much?” Vincent laughed.
Oh, my God. He is crazy.
“Yep, just a little over the top. But, hey, he kind of deserved it.” Adalyn shrugged.
They both are crazy.
“I can’t believe Nero was actually dating a girl,” Adalyn said in shock.
Lake looked over at her. “Which one was Nero?”
Adalyn smiled. “The hot one.”
Should’ve known the gorgeous one would have a name like that. Lake couldn’t help smiling back. “Ohhh. And the big one was…?”
Adalyn rolled her eyes. “Amo.”
Of course it was.
Lake saw Vincent’s anger return when his eyes flew up to the mirror. What the hell is wrong with him now?
She decided to ignore him.
“Are they in”—Lake lowered her voice to a whisper—“the mafia?”
Vincent burst out laughing. “Why did you just whisper?”
“Because I didn’t think that was something you could say out loud!”
He is seriously giving me whiplash.
“Lake, no one is even around. Your own father is in the mafia, for fuck’s sake.” Vincent still sounded amused.
She turned her head to look out the window, feeling a little embarrassed. The truth was she didn’t know much about the mafia. But I know enough to know I don’t want to know anything else.
Lake knew a so-called family man led to nothing except trouble. Her dad had turned into a gambling addict, most likely from the terrible things he’d had to do. Almost every made man was divorced. If they even get married in the first place. Most mob wives were made widows. If they’re lucky enough not to get used as collateral themselves. So, yes, she was ignorant on the subject because she never wanted to learn a damned thing about the mob.
Thankfully, she had an out. And I’m sure as hell not marrying into it.
“Well, that’s not something I like to advertise,” she admitted.
His blue eyes met hers in the mirror again. “But it is something you have to deal with.”
Vincent (Made Men Book 2) Page 2