Page 110 of Embriagado

Instead of answering him, I pressed minus one when he had to open his mouth to speak again.

“Didn’t she say first floor?”

I turned to face him just as he put his mask on.

“From now on, not a word. Understood?”

He nodded, and I found the mask to be an upgrade, as now I didn’t have to see his ugly face whenever I looked at him. Pleased, I turned to face the doors, hands crossed behind me as I waited for them to open. The jazz music playing in the elevator pleasantly filled the void as we rode down until we reached the right floor and the door opened to the animal kingdom.

SANTIAGO

One second, we were inside a travel agency with a weird-looking elevator and shitty music, and the next, we were in an underground club. Although it looked nothing like what I thought it would be.

Unlike the hangar, which was basically a dump, this place was fancy as fuck. So much so that I felt cheap just from staring at the big wooden bar with all those crystal bottles on top. It made me think of the hotel; only this place had more of a vintage style to it and half-naked waitresses with bunny masks on, walking around the guests wearing nothing but bras and panties.

What in the ever-fucking-strip-club-shit is going on in here?

The rest of the guests also wore some kind of animal mask. It was creepy as hell, enough to give me chills. Especially when they weren’t the cute type of masks. All white, with little black holes for eyes, those masks were what bad trips were made of.

“Why didn’t you tell me to dress better?” I asked Ariyan after noticing I was the only one in a plain T-shirt and jeans. All the others, including him, were in suits.

“Would it have helped if I did?”

“I would have worn a suit, too.”

He huffed. “Like the one you wore for your job interview?”

My cheeks heated up with embarrassment because that suit truly was shitty, but thankfully, he couldn’t see my reaction.

“Maybe.”

He half turned to glance at me before he patted my chest. “Remind me to take you to my tailor. Now, let’s move.”

Withdrawing his hand, he went ahead while I lingered behind to rub the spot where he’d just touched. Like always, his touch alone was enough to make me ache with the need for more.

“How about a drink, sweetie?” a waitress offered after stopping too close to me so her tits squished against my arm.

Hating the contact while also not wanting to lose Ariyan in the crowd, I quickly refused before dashing after him. Quietly, I followed him around the club, which was rather spacious, considering it was underground. Still, it wasn’t huge, and all it took was to round a corner before the cage came into full view.

It seemed like whoever owned this place was a real fan of martial arts, as this octagon wouldn’t embarrass the world’s stage. With it being the only thing lit in this area of the club, it looked like a hall of fame, although on second thought, with the men in black suits and animal masks surrounding it, maybe not. But before I could dive deeper into how weird this sight actually was, I looked at the two fighters in the cage, my jaw nearly dropping after recognizing one.

“That guy, he’s a world champion,” I said, taking a step closer to see him better.

While he was not a boxer but an MMA fighter, growing up, I used to admire him. Back then, his speed and grace was what made him stand out from all the other fighters in his weight category.

“A former world champion,” Ariyan said, moving to stand in line with me. “Although technically, his titles were revoked.”

I turned to face him. “Sorry?”

“After he was caught using narcotics, he was stripped of all titles. Hence why he’s here.”

I looked back at the cage, watching as Cas—that was his name—did an amazing block to his opponent’s high kick. He used to be known for his defense tactics. Excitement rushed through me when the other fighter was knocked out by a powerful strike.

“The fuck?” I hissed after Cas kicked the other guy in the head, even though he was already down. “That’s a felony.”

Rage flooded me upon seeing the other fighter on the floor, clearly suffering some sort of damage from the illegal move. But instead of helping him, Cas got above him and began beating the ever-living shit out of the unconscious man. Gritting my teeth, I moved forward, ready to help the poor guy, as no one else seemed to when Ariyan grabbed my arm.

“What did I tell you back then?” he asked.