10. CHAPTER 10

10

KAI

Holy shit. Now this is a strip club. Walking through Desire is like dipping yourself into liquid gold, expensive, sumptuous, and so fucking sexy. The walls are matte black with mirrors spaced out evenly over the walls. Multicolored lights shine from the ceiling, the seats are a deep red leather, and the tables are a heavy duty black wood. The floors are high gloss black that reflect the array of colors from the lighting. In the middle of the room is a circular stage with a pole in the middle. The bar is long against the far wall and is not too dissimilar to what you would see in a high-end bar in Manhattan.

Lev and Jules walk further into the club where the song Bad Girl—by Avril Lavigne and Marilyn Manson—pounds through the room where a hot as fuck busty redhead slides up and down the pole on stage. This is nothing like the dive bars back home, that's for sure. Everything is so shiny and clean, absolutely no expense spared in the club. A high membership fee, no doubt, to enter this joint.

“Like what you see?” Lev purrs into my ear, causing me to flinch away from the show. His intense eyes glitter with amusement at my reaction. Lev is scary as fuck, and his smile is sadistic. I imagine he likes to cut his lovers up for pleasure. Just a vibe I get from him, so I don’t really want to piss him off.

“Yeah,” is all I can say, my throat feels dry as fuck as I try to make sure not to come across like a prudish dick. Which I’m not. But I feel on edge around the brothers. A warm body comes up behind me and I know it's Jules. He radiates a protective warmth, like a sleeping bag that insulates me from the unpredictable elements. Shit. This is gonna be exhausting, trying not to piss off the brothers while also holding down my dirty attraction to Jules.

“Be careful, the girls love new meat. Make sure you fuck and leave, and none of that falling-in-love shit. Don’t want that mess in my club,” Lev says, slapping me hard on the shoulder with his big hand and nodding his head towards the bar.

“He’s trying to get a rise out of you. Just ignore him,” Jules says into my ear as he holds me tightly on the shoulder where Lev just slapped me. He uses it to guide me over to where Lev is now speaking to a woman at the bar. She’s pretty hot, actually. All the girls are hot, but having Jules around me and touching me in an almost possessive manner has me solely focused on him.

“Bonnie, this is our newbie guard, Kai. Jules’s nephew,” Lev says, smirking at Jules, who quickly removes his hand.

“ Step -nephew. We’re not blood-related,” I bluster out. Why do I feel the need to constantly correct people on our biological relationship? I may as well tattoo it on my damn forehead.

Bonnie tosses her brown hair over her shoulder and gives me a warm smile, leaning in to kiss me on the cheek.

“Aren’t you a handsome one?” she says, and I grin in return. I’m really trying to act like this behavior is all normal to me and that I’m cool. It’s so much pressure, especially as I can feel Lev and Jules staring at me from either side. Is this a test?

“Shy, too. I like it. I’m always here hon, if you want some company,” Bonnie says in a purring voice, a seductive spell she has crafted from experience. I’m stuck for words.

“He won’t. Kai is here to work. He doesn't need the distraction,” Jules says. I nearly sprain my neck with how fast I turn to face him, both annoyed and thrilled by what he said. I’m not a child, I can fuck whoever I want, and I don’t need him guarding me. But, his words also have a tinge of jealousy to them, which makes me slightly giddy with joy that it may not just be me that feels this attraction.

“Calm down, Jules. It’s not like you haven't fucked half the girls in this club,” Lev says, now causing me to feel a jealousy that is unwarranted.

“Now, now, boys. I’m sure Kai is old enough to think for himself,” Bonnie says, and I’m thankful to her, because this is weird as fuck.

“We’ll be in the back, Bonnie. Come on you two, let's get to work,” Lev says, and we follow him through the club. Rude Boy, by Rihanna, is now playing as another dancer takes to the stage, and I purposefully don’t look, as I can feel the annoyance in Jules’s gaze on the back of my neck. Have I pissed him off?

We walk down a small corridor at the back of the club and enter an office, which I assume is Lev’s. A huge mahogany desk, paneled walls, and oversized leather chairs fill the space. The room smells of cigars and leather. Lev takes a seat in the large chair behind the desk, and I take a seat on one of the small sofas in the corner, just as Jules sits in a chair directly opposite Lev.

Lev opens the desk drawer and pulls out a wooden box full of cigars. He offers one to Jules, who takes it, then Lev turns the box to me.

“Would you like one?” Lev asks as Jules watches me.

“He doesn’t smoke,” Jules says, lifting the lighter to his cigar.

“How would you know? You don't know me anymore,” I say, irritation taking over the politeness. This babying is pissing me off. He’s right, though, I don't smoke.

“You’re a feisty thing, aren’t you? I like that,” Lev smiles and takes a long inhale of the cigar, unblinking eyes never leaving mine, causing me to squirm in my seat.

“I’m not a kid. I can answer for myself.”

“You’re definitely not a kid. Let’s start again. Kai, would you like a cigar?” Lev asks again, but this time he’s watching Jules. I refuse to look at Jules as I know I’ll lash out and have a full tantrum.

“No thank you. I don’t smoke,” I say. A deep smokey laugh comes from Lev as he leans back in his chair.

“So I do know you,” Jules grumbles, his relentless gaze on me. I clench my fists as they rest on my lap. I want to both equally slap him and kiss him.

“No, it was a good guess. Plus Mom probably mentioned it,” I say, crossing my arms and leaning back into the sofa.

“She never said a word. Why is it so hard to believe that I know who you are, Kai?” Jules says. I’m stunned we are having this conversation right now in front of Lev.

“You don’t know me. I hardly know you. You don't know I like dick,” I say, and god knows why. Jules stills at that, but Lev doesn't let the comment go.

“Now that is good news—no need to feel like you can’t ask for dick, Kai. We love some of that around here. Apart from your Uncle Jules. He goes through women like it's a sport. Such a waste, as he has a great looking cock.”

“What?” I say, not realizing my voice could go that high pitched. How the fuck would Lev know what his dick looks like?

“Don’t get jealous, we’ve had many threesomes. With women of course,” Lev says with a gleam in his eyes. The bastard is taunting me, my crush on Jules blindingly obvious.

“Leave him alone, Lev,” Jules says, where he leans forward and stubs out his cigar in the large crystal ashtray on the desk.

“Or what?” Lev asks, his whole demeanor shifting from playful to dark. He really looks fucking crazy, but Jules doesn't seem too affected and remains silent, his eyes firmly on Lev, but after a moment of silence, Jules breaks the staredown.

“I thought so. Now, if your family drama is done for the night, let's go through what we do here and how the clubs are run,” Lev says, and I focus for the next hour on Lev. I have to remember I’ve come here to better my life. That means no distractions and no dreaming over all things Jules.