Chapter Sixty-Seven
ROXY
“Darling?” I perk up and look over from the contracts and job applications for the new bars I’m in charge of to see Kenzo. He’s dressed up in a purple silk shirt, his hair is swept back, his black jacket is unbuttoned, and his dice are rolling across his knuckles. His lips curl into a grin as he leans closer. “Want to go for a drive?”
“Always.” I smile, leaping over the sofa and dropping a kiss on his lips. “Let me grab some shoes, any dress code?” I peer down at the loose shirt I’m lounging around in.
“One of those sexy as hell dresses.” He smirks.
“Yeah? Going somewhere nice?” I laugh.
“No, I just love those dresses and having easy access.” He winks, and I flip him the bird as I head down the hallway to my room.
I quickly slip into a dark purple, spaghetti strap satin dress and some heels before adding some lipstick and fluffing my hair. When I’m done, he’s waiting in the living room on his phone, but when he sees me, he pockets it and whistles. “In fact, let’s not go out.” He starts towards me with a hungry expression, making me laugh and push him away.
“Later,” I promise.
He crowds behind me, kissing my neck. “Later, you will have your legs around my head and you’ll be screaming my name,” he vows, before taking my hand and, ignoring my breathy moan, leading me down in the elevator. When we get to the garage, I figure he’s driving, so I head to his car, but he tugs me over to mine instead.
“You’re driving, darling.” He smirks and tosses me the keys.
I squeal and slip inside. I haven’t had a lot of time to drive the car they bought me, and I have to admit, I’ve been wanting to take it out and see how fast it can really go. I rev the engine as he gets in, and he laughs. “Head to Chinatown.”
I nod and pull from the garage, peeling away as soon as I can, laughing as the car purrs and bursts with speed. “Holy fucking shit, I love this.” When I glance over, I spot Kenzo watching me with a loving smile, so I wink and grab his hand and place it on my thigh as I change gears. He chuckles and strokes across my bare skin as I weave in and out of traffic.
Usually, I would be worried about a speeding fine, but honestly, the guys never get one. I don’t ask how, but I’m guessing that extends to me now. He points out shortcuts and directions when I need them, until we pull up behind a bar. Slipping out of the car, I meet him around front, where he takes my hand and leads me to a door at the back.
He opens it without knocking and guides me down some steps to another metal door. This time he has to knock, and a sliding slot opens and eyes peer out. When they see us, it quickly slams shut and the door is ripped open, revealing a tall, skinny, beautiful Chinese woman. She bows to Kenzo and steps back, admitting us.
The room is smoky and dark with low level lighting all around, giving it a cosy feel. It’s one big room and looks like how I imagined a casino would…just a back-door version. There are men in suits dotted around all the tables and at the bar. Women are here too, and I even spot one in a suit, which makes me grin. The servers move through the crowd with trays and dispense drinks.
Music and laughter fill the room, and it makes my shoulders settle. I much prefer this over the rich bastard’s house we went to. This feels like here, we can be anything. We get a few looks, but everyone seems respectful and actually leaves us to it.
Kenzo slips his hand down my back to my ass and leads me through the tables to a booth at the back, which is cordoned off by a golden rope. It’s darker back here, and after we slide in, drinks instantly appear. He nods as he scans the crowd, grasping the tumbler and taking a sip as I lean into his side.
“Is this one of yours?” I finally ask, and he turns to me, his arm going around the back of my shoulders, his legs crossing as he peers down at me where I’m lounging next to him.
“It is, one of the very first actually. I used to come here to gamble when we initially started buying up the city. I doubled our money every night, and eventually, I earned so much that the owner got suspicious and he pulled me aside. He taught me everything he knew once he realised who I was. I guess he always knew what we would become, and he wanted to retire. He gifted me this place.” He runs his eyes around it. “It’s my favourite, the very first place I found my talent.”
“Gambling,” I tease.
“Strategy,” he murmurs, looking back at me. “It’s all about strategy and reading people, darling, just like I read you that first day and every day since.”
Laughing, I take a sip of my drink and look around again. I get it, it’s like Roxers. This is where he’s comfortable and happy, where he found his future. When I look back, though, he’s staring at me. “You’re the best bet I ever won, darling,” he murmurs, his fingers tracing my shoulder. “And this is now your empire too.”
“Yeah?” I grin, leaning in. “What if I decided I didn’t like the way some of your clients looked at me…could I kill them?”
He snorts. “Darling, you could do whatever the fuck you wanted in this city and get away with it. Everyone knows who you are now, and no one, no fucking one, no cops, no judges, gangsters, or criminals, would dare question you. You’re our girl, it comes with privileges.”
“What other kind?” I query, trailing my hand down his chest to cover his cock and squeeze until he groans. His eyes flash dangerously. “What if I yanked up my dress and decided to ride you right here and now?”
He licks his lips, those dark eyes tracing my own lips hungrily as he watches me like I’m the only one in the room. “Then I would say what are you waiting for? This city is yours, and so am I.”
I feel someone close to the table, but I don’t turn my head and neither does Kenzo. No, we make them wait. I’m beginning to realise what this power offers me. If they want our attention, they will wait there silently for hours, not daring to disturb us until we are ready to speak to them. The power is heady, we are fucking untouchable.
Leaning in, I lick Kenzo’s lips. “Why don’t you prove it to me? You say you’re mine…but that makes me yours, darling.” I kiss him hard and fast before pulling back and looking at the man waiting, his eyes dropped to the floor out of respect.
“What?” I snap.
He swallows hard and shifts, but still doesn’t raise his eyes. “So sorry to disturb you, sir and madam. We have a problem, and since you’re here, I figured you would want to deal with it.”
“What kind?” I question, leaning back.
“Erm, someone has been stealing all night,” he answers quickly, making Kenzo snort.
“Idiot.” He laughs.
“Yup.” I grin, and watching the guy, I turn to Kenzo. “We can’t have that, can we?” I purr.
“Call the guys, let’s have some fun,” Kenzo orders, downing his drink. “Tie him up in the kitchen and make him wait,” he instructs the man, who nods and rushes off to do just that.
Laughing, I send out a group text, and we wait, both of us teasing each other as we watch the room. The man returns to guard our booth and wait for further instructions as we flirt.