Chapter 5

CHAPTER FIVE

Leo

One month later…

The girl in front of me twerks her hips, giving me her best come-hither stare and I try not to curl my lip. I don't want to say the only emotion I feel is disgust but…

These women are all the same.

Bottle blondes with fake tits and even faker smiles. Don't even get me started on the fake orgasms. I've slept with my fair share of them over the years.

Even before I took over the management of all the nightclubs for Kincaid Enterprises, I was around our clubs a lot.

In all, we own ten of them, but Temptation is our largest and most successful. So I am forever hiring new cage dancers to fill out our roster.

They bring in the crowds, which is why I pay them ridiculous amounts of money. But I also keep super stringent rules. No drinking, no drugs, and no hooking up at the club.

And that means, seventy percent of the girls wash out within a month.

I rake a hand through my hair as I make a note on my clipboard. I've got to be honest, I hate being a clipboard guy.

My father was a straight-up gangster, working for the Italian mafia until they killed him for sleeping with the boss's wife.

That's when Mason took over all Kincaid business. He's made us legit and made the family billionaires. But some part of me was meant to be holding a pistol, not a flimsy piece of wood with a stupid metal clip.

Then again, following in his footsteps as a gangster likely means an untimely death and I'm trying to avoid that, but somehow, I seem to make a lot of the same decisions he did, which really pisses me off.

"Next," I call as the girl stops dancing, scowling at me.

"Fuck you," she spits before she turns on her heel and stomps off, picking a wedgy out of her ass from her too-tight dance leotard.

"Classy," I mutter.

My uncle Jake, who is only a few years older than I am, turns his head, cracking his neck as he scoffs my way. "Since when do you care about class?"

I don't answer. "Next," I yell again.

Jake gives me a light push on the shoulder. "The only reason I'm here is to find a fresh piece of ass. You're harshing the experience."

I turn to glare at him. "We both know you're here to keep an eye on me, which I don't appreciate. And find your next hook-up at one of the casinos. The dancers aren't supposed to be fucking anyone while they're working. And family members are a definite no."

"Hey," Jake holds up his hands, his dark Kincaid hair pushed back from the strong features of his face. "I'm doing you a favor. If they break the rules with me now, you don't have to process the paperwork later."

I let out a grunt. "You're a human resource nightmare." To be clear, I don't give a shit about any of that, but Jake is irritating me. I'm beginning to loathe this part of the job and he's not helping.

He's been around all the time lately, and I know why. My family is keeping tabs on me. Granted, they've got good reasons. I'm not exactly known for keeping my head and I've got a few ideas that might really piss some people off in Vegas. What my family sometimes fails to understand is that they need me stirring the pot to get rid of the shit that's settled to the bottom of our world.

"And you've got a stick up your ass."

The next girl enters from off the dressing room just as the main door swings open, my brother Roman striding into the room from the back at the same time.

Roman is a mini-Mason, polished, calculating, and if he's here, I probably did something wrong. Do they know I've been spying on Toni Carcetti, watching his movements to learn his schedule, find his weakness?

I curse under my breath as my brother slides into the seat next to me.

But I ignore him as I turn to the next dancer. "Name?"

"Chandra," she says with a smile that actually doesn't set my teeth on edge. She's blonde but it's natural, which I like. She's tall and statuesque. I already know I'll hire her.

"What are you dancing to today, Chandra?"

She's got a leotard on and nothing else. "Rihanna. ‘Only Girl.'"

I give her a nod and the music starts. She's graceful, pretty. Not sexy like the dancers I usually use for the cages. I'm still hiring her, though. There are floor dancers who also carry drinks and she'd be perfect for that.

"Not bad," Jake mutters.

"Don't even fucking think it," I reply through gritted teeth. "I'd like to hire this one. Fuck the last one."

"The wedgy girl?" Jake asks, with a shake of his head. "No thanks."

Roman suppresses a smile on the other side of me. "Club life treating you well?"

"Fine." If Roman wants to be coy, I'll play along. "But can you take Jake to one of your casinos to find pussy? He's sniffing around and it's irritating me."

"Don't listen to him," Jake waves his hand as Chandra keeps dancing. "If one of us needs to get laid, it's Leo. His foul mood the last few weeks has been epic."

I snarl at him, knowing he's right. The longer Kim goes without calling, the pissier I get. With what I've got planned, my time here in Vegas is limited and I don't want to spend it waiting around for her to get over being shy. That woman felt way too good.

Besides, I jumped through several hoops to make sure she came back to Vegas, and it would really irritate me if it was all for naught.

My conscience tickles in the back of my neck, telling me that what I did to Kim was wrong. I shouldn't have messed with her life. But that was the best fucking sex of my life and I'd like to hit that a few more times. Selfish? Yes.

I told her I was turning over a new leaf, and I'm trying, but everyone knows I'm still a work in progress. And with what I've got planned, I deserve a little bit of sweet to help wash down the sour.

Why hasn't she called?

Like I already mentioned, I've been with my share of dancers, but no woman has ever ridden me like that. I want her again and the longer I go, the more irritable I get.

I could call Charlotte, get Kim's number. But then I'd have to deal with Mason and the questions he'd inevitably ask about why I wanted Charlotte's best friend's number.

My brother and I called a temporary truce for his wedding, but things have been rough between us, mostly my fault as usual, and so I'm giving him space. And trying, for once in my life, to not piss him off. It's a struggle.

Which probably means I shouldn't have fucked his wife's best friend. But I've never been good at staying out of trouble.

And that is the real reason Jake is next to me. I stirred the pot a few months back with some of our rivals and we're still dealing with the fallout. Coincidentally, that is the exact reason I should have kept it in my pants at Mason's wedding.

And while I'm trying to be better, I think it might be clear, I'm just a fuck up. So, my new plan. Fuck something up that actually helps my family and only hurts me. Might mean prison. Might mean I end up dead in a gutter.

See? This is why I deserve another hit of Kim before it's too late.

"Didn't he just get laid?" Roman asks, sitting back in his chair, his knees spread wide in a casual masculine stance that makes Chandra miss a step as her eyes lock on him.

Fuck. I hope I can still hire her.

But Roman looks at me, barely noticing the dancer and Chandra falls back into step.

"Yeah, he did," Jake chuckles. "You'd think he'd be in a good mood after that one."

"What are you talking about?" I grit the words through clenched teeth, not liking the two of them clucking around me like fucking mother hens.

Both of them laugh, though, neither of them concerned by the warning in my voice. I might be an alpha but they both match me in their own ways. "I'm not sure who she was, but whoever you managed to corner at Mason's wedding was a screamer." Jake pulls out a cigar, running the fat roll under his nose.

"I've got be honest, big brother," Roman shakes his head. "I wouldn't mind getting my hands on a woman who sounds like that. It was fucking hot."

"Both of you need to shut up," I spit. Which should be one of many indicators that something isn't right. Normally, I'd want to revel in the moment of a good lay with them. But for some reason, it makes me furious that they heard Kim. That they know this about her. Those screams were for me and me alone.

Then again, I am the one who fucked her right outside the open doors of a wedding reception. I should have taken her to my room. If she hadn't been so skittish, I would have. But I'd like to have trapped her in my bed for a lot longer.

Because I swear, the more time that passes, the more I want her. It's taking over my waking brain and soon, I'm going to have to grovel to Charlotte and then deal with Mason. He broke my nose the last fight, not that I care.

But still, I hate it when his anger is justified and lately, it has been. I wonder what he'd think of what I did to Kim. Or what I'm about to do to Toni Carcetti.

The music dies and Chandra stops dancing.

I ignore both Roman and Jake, giving her a tight jerk of my chin. "That was great."

"Really?" she gives me a genuine smile, her hands clasping in front of her. "I'm so glad."

"When can you start?"

Her smile grows. "Whenever."

I check her off on my clipboard. "Check in with Melissa and she'll get the paperwork going. I'm going to start you on the floor and…" I see her smile slip a bit before she pastes it back on. She knows the cage dancers make the most money.

"That's great. Thank you."

I've only got a few names left and I haven't hired a new cage dancer yet. I could bump Chandra into the roll, but I know she's not the best dancer for the position. "Chandra, you have any friends looking for a gig?"

She shifts. "I might. My roommates are all dancers and I know Kim really needs money so—" She stops, maybe worried she's revealing too much.

But I straighten. I'm sure there are a thousand dancers named Kim in this city, but a fission of energy runs down my limbs. "Kim? What kind of dancer is Kim traditionally?"

"Ballet. She had this killer interview in New York but…" Chandra stops again.

But I barely can contain my string of curses. How many Kims, who are dancers, just went to interview in New York? "And she needs money?"

Chandra nods. "I mean, I don't want to speak for her cause she's got all kinds of rules about what she will and won't do dance wise and dating wise too, but I can tell her you're hiring if you want."

I need to be sure we're talking about the same person. "I want someone with striking looks."

"Oh, that's Kim, for sure. Long red hair, tall, gorgeous."

That's my girl. My fingers flex with anticipation as I grip the clipboard, but I try to hide the tell from Roman and Jake.

I don't want them to know about this plan or any other I'm making.

They're both looking at me, but I don't glance at either of them. "She's exactly what I'm searching for. Tell her if she comes in tomorrow or Friday, I'll pay her double."

Chandra starts in surprise and then frowns, and I realize my mistake. "Same for you, Chandra. If you bring me some more dancers, I'll give you a generous finder's fee."

She perks back up, nodding enthusiastically.

I sit back, my bad mood evaporating. I might have found my Kim without involving Mason at all.

This is perfect.

I rip a paper from my clipboard, scribbling some hours and a figure that I hope will coerce Kim into coming in to audition.

Standing up, I walk toward Chandra and if she'd noticed Roman before, now her gaze is on me, her eyes dilating in that way that I know she's interested.

I give her one of my most charming smiles, leaning close. "Thanks, Chandra. I really hope you can bring Kim in for me."

She smiles back, a flush filling her cheeks. "I bet she will. She failed that class, so I know she needs the money."

My smile slips because that ticks me off. Is she really suffering? Why hasn't she asked for help? It's so easy to pay for one class.

I clear my throat, banishing the thought, because that's not my place. At least not right at this moment. Maybe not at all. I'm not the make-a-commitment kind of guy. But there are some perks to dating a guy who's got more money than he knows what to do with.

I mean if I'm going to be the guy that ruined her New York opportunity, the least I can do is pay for some of the damage.

But I shut those thoughts down. I'll figure all that out later, right now, I just want to see her again. And I definitely want her in my bed…