Page 67 of Read to Me
She sighs dramatically. “Fine. I’ll go lie on my couch and read, then dream of the day a real Mafia king comes to scoop me up the way Easton did you.”
I walk and grab my purse from the office as she follows. “You know, Easton does have six brothers.”
Her eyes grow to the size of saucers. “Seriously?”
I snicker and slip out the backdoor with her hot on my heels. “Goodnight, Greer.”
As I seat myself in my car, I can still hear her shouting.
“You can’t say that then leave. Hook a bitch up! I want someone to use my body and kill in my honor! Come on, Arloe!”
I push my car into drive and leave her standing by hers with a laugh. As much as I love Greer, I know this life isn’t for her. Hell, sometimes I wonder if it’s even for me.
In fiction they paint these men to be heroic and ruthless in a delicious way, but in reality, it isn’t as pretty.
Easton and I are still trying to navigate how to be together. How to keep my life normal and his as the normal he knows. Even though I know what he does, I don’t necessarily want to hear about it. We don’t have open discussions after a long day’s work where he tells me who he happened to murder or blackmail.
In this life, ignorance is bliss.
As I pull up to Delirium, I circle to the back where the dancers park. Although I try to make sure most of our lives and business stay as normal, I know this is something Easton needs. Something he craves, and I love that I can give it to him.
After we finally talked and I learned more about who he is and why he does what he does, this part of him made more sense. He needs an outlet that isn’t corruption. A healthy way to express all of the built-up emotions that come with the life he leads.
I throw my hair into a bun on top of my head then step out of my car. As I walk across the parking lot to the back door of the club, my heart rate picks up the same way it does every time I come here.
It’s the anticipation. The want.
Just as much as Easton needs this, I’ve come to need it, too.
To need him.
As soon as I’m inside, I’m cloaked in darkness, but I know my way well. I follow the dark hallway to its opening, then everything comes to life. It’s almost like any other night at Delirium. Leaon is on stage singing, people are dancing or mingling, while even more order drinks from the bar. But where the real fun happens is behind the curtains.
I cross the dance floor then slide behind the purple drapes. When I open the door it’s like I’m transported to another dimension. You can feel the atmosphere change—a calm, relaxing blanket that comes over your skin. And that’s how I know.
This is it. This is exactly where I’m meant to be.
I continue my walk past the lounge couches and women dancing in cages until I hit a new hallway in the hidden part of Delirium. I follow it then enter the last door on the left.
Once inside, I do exactly what Easton has instructed me to do. Stripping out of my clothes, I leave them in a pile by the door then pad to the bed. I climb over it and position myself in the center, then turn around. With one deep breath, I let my ass sink and sit on the bottoms of my feet. Then, I wait.
Within minutes, the door creaks open again, and Easton enters. His eyes are hooded, and the smirk he wears like a second skin is on his lips. His chest rises and falls slowly as he starts to unbutton his shirt and stalk toward the bed. When his chest is finally exposed, he pushes the holster around his arms down, and the shirt follows suit, both falling to the floor with a soft thud.
His knees hit the edge of the bed, and my adrenaline picks up. He leans forward, his long arms stretching out, and pulls the tie from around my hair. “It’s too late for this, amore.”
I hide my smile the best I can. “I’m ready for my punishment.”
THE END
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