Chapter 160
King of the Underworld
Chapter One Hundred Sixty
Adrik
Trino and his men enjoyed partying just as much as they enjoyed business. Every time I met him on the island, he would go to a popular nightclub until the early morning hours. He usually had friends flown in to party with him, along with plenty of girls for his friends and his men. Before Sephie, I would go to the club with him. It was never a bad time. It also gave the guys a chance to relax slightly. Now that Sephie was with us, I wasnât sure she would want to go. Giana was very excited about going. I found it amusing that Giana was a few years older than Sephie, but acted like she was the younger of the two.
âWe donât have to go if you donât want to.â I told her, as we were changing clothes.
She stopped and looked at me, half-serious, half-joking. âYou know as well as I do that Tring will take it personally if we donât go with him. At least for a little while. Itâll be tine. Itâs not something I regularly look forward to, but I can manage for a bit. Hopefully.â She paused, then added, âI donât know if Iâm more curious about how much a drunk Giana is going to talk or if Iâm dreading it.â
I cursed under my breath. âI didnât think about that. At least the music will be loud,â I said, smirking at her. I walked behind her, sliding my hands around her hips. âAt least it gave you a reason to wear a dress. Iâm not complaining about that.â I slid iny hands down her legs to the hem, pushing it up higher on her thighs as my hands roaited over her legs. The dress was short, but not so short that she needed to worry about bending over. It had long sleeves and a high neckline, covering all her scars. It fit her like a glove, though, which is what made it Incredibly sexy. She leaned back against me, catching my hands and wrapping them around her waist.
âYouâre going to distract me,â she said, smiling up at me, while she pulled the skirt of the dress bark down on her legs. âGiana offered to help me tame my unruly hair and Iâm trying to be nicer, so she feels more comfortable around so much testosterone, Sheâs supposed to be here in a minute.â
âBut I love your unruly hair. Itâs one of my favorite things,â I said as I turned her to face me so I could push her rebellious curls from her face. It had become a game for me to see if I could get her curls to du what I wanted. I lost every single time, but I still loved the game.
We heard a soft knock on the door. Sephic reached up and kissed me quickly. âI just love you,â she said as she went to open the door for Giana.
Giana came with equipment. I wasnât sure Sephieâs hair was going to win this round. Clearly, Giana was some kind of professional hair tamer. âIâll leave you two to it,â I said, kissing Sephie on the cheek,
âHopefully this wonât take long, but donât hold your breath,â she said.
I heard Giana tell her, âDonât worry, Sephic, I know what to do. My sister has curly hair. Iâve been doing her hair since we were kids,â as I left the bedroom. Definitely some kind of professional.
It didnât take very long and both Sephie and Giana came out to find us. Giana had straightened Sephieâs hair and put it in a high ponytail. She almost looked like a different person without her loose curls around her face. My breath still caught when 1 saw her. She was gorgeous no matter what she did or wore. But straight hair made her look different.
She caught me staring as she walked to me, a small smirk on her face. âItâs weird, right?â she asked.
She was smiling but I think she really was uncertain about my opinion.
I clicked my tongue. âYouâre beautiful no matter what, solnishko.â I ran my hand through her ponytall. It felt completely different than her normal hair. I couldnât help but laugh, somewhat astonished at the difference. âItâs so different.â I looked down at her, grinning. âI donât know how I feel about this. I feel like Iâm cheating on you. With you.â
She laughed, planting a kiss on my lips. I reached up and ran my hand through her ponytail once more, then grabbed the whole ponytall and pulled gently. I leaned down, brushing her neck with my facial hair.
âI could get used to this once in a while, though. Her breath hitched, ever so slightly and her cheeks were definitely flushed when she turned to look at me, a knowing
look in her eye.
She wrapped her arms around my waist, looking me in the eye for a few moments. I saw a flash of uncertainty in her eyes. She didnât hide it like she normally did. Instead, she just asked, âyouâre not going to leave me at any point tonight, are you?â
I felt a pain in my chest, knowing she was still struggling to process everything that had happened since the ball. I put both hands on either side of her face, pressing my lips to hers. âI pinky swear I will not leave you the entire time weâre there.â
The club was packed, as it was every time we had been here before. Before we left Trinaâs villa, a few of the girls tried to get the attention of Misha and Andrei, but neither seemed very interested. I think the girls were scared of Viktor and Ivan. Stephen was making himself scarce, as usual. He was not one for socializing. Even with us, he would disappear on his own regularly.
I wasnât normally one to dance, but I found myself eagerly following Sephie to the dance floor. I couldnât take my eyes off her. It didnât seem to matter what she did with her hair or what she wote, she was the sexiest woman in the room to me. Now, with the difference in her straight hait, plus the new clothes, plus her willingness to get outside her comfort zone and even come to the club, it was like I was seeing a completely different side to her that I hadnât seen yet. I was intrigued.
The music was so loud, you could feel the bass vibrating your body. There were people everywhere.
Sephie was following Giana, who had Armando in tow. Giana nuanaged to find a spot in the sea of people. Sephir pulled my arms around her, still facing away from me, us she started to move to the music. She was slightly tense and I could tell she was watching the people around us carefully. I turned her to face me, pulling her tight against me. âJust focus on me, solnishko,â I said to her, my mo uth close to her ear. She leaned her head against mine and nodded slightly,
She eventually relaxed a little, as long as I kept my arms around her. She eventually pulled me off the dance floor, indicating
she needed a drink. With so many people, so close together, it was warm in the club. I glanced toward Armando and Giana, but they were completely wrapped up in each other and dulnât notice us leave.
I got water for Sephie. She drank hall, then handed it to me to finish. She was still watching everyone around us carefully. I pulled her closer to me, tracing my finger down her face. âYouâre not worried, are you?â She looked at me, puzzled. âYouâre watching everyone around us like youâre expecting someone to do something.â
Her beautiful smile stretched across her face, making my heart jump in my chest. âNo, itâs not out of worry now. It was when we first got here, but now Iâm used to it. Iâve never been a fan of big crowds, but less so now,â she said, looking down. I felt that pull in my chest as I knew she had been fighting to remain calm. She looked back up, a mischievous grin on her face. âItâs out of curiosity now. I donât go to clubs very often, but when I do, I always try to pick out the couples that are still going to be together by the end of the night and the ones that will get together by the end of the night. Itâs like my own game that I play.â
1 caught sight of one of Trinoâs men, talking to a girl at the bar. I nodded my head toward the couple.
âWhat about those two?â 1 asked.
She watched them for a few minutes, then shook her no. âNot gonna happen. Heâs way too intense for her. He hasnât stopped talking about whatever it is heâs talking about since you pointed them out and sheâs quickly losing interest. Ten bucks says she ditches him in the next 15 minutes,â
âYouâre on, I say Itâll be at least 25.â I said, motioning for the bartender to refill our water, Ivan and Viktor walked up to the bar.
âYou two look like youâre stirring up trouble,â Viktor said.