When He Takes: A Dark Mafia Romance (Fallen God Book 2)
When He Takes: Chapter 22

Mrs. Blake De Luca and Mr. Nero De Luca,

You are cordially invited to the Full Moon Soiree at the Seven Lives Social Club.

Join us for an unforgettable evening under the glow of the full moon, where fantasy will meet reality. We welcome you to indulge and fulfill your deepest desires without restraint.

Your utmost discretion is requested. The details of the night remain our little secret. Please present this invitation to guarantee your admittance.

Awaiting the pleasure of your company,

Maksim Garin

I slide my fingertip over the embossed logo in the top right corner—a black cat with a curved tail—and let out a slow breath.

The invitation arrived yesterday morning. Nero spent all day trying to figure out what this place is, but all he and Gino Ferraro’s security team were able to discover was that the property was quietly purchased by Maksim a few years back.

There’s no business license, no references online, not even a sign above the black steel door Nero photographed when he discreetly checked it out last night.

We have no idea what we’re about to walk into.

Nero’s hand tightens on the leather wheel as he pulls up to the curb. “That valet stand wasn’t here yesterday.”

“I’m guessing neither were those security guards.” Two men dressed in black suits wait outside the door. A couple approaches them—a man and a dark-haired woman dressed in a long fur coat—and one of the security guards says something to them. The man produces a piece of paper that looks just like our invitation.

“I don’t fucking like this,” Nero mutters.

“Neither do I.” But what can we do? Gino thinks this might be the night Maksim makes Nero an offer to work together. Maksim’s clearly taking care to get us somewhere far from prying eyes. According to Nero, this place isn’t anywhere near established Bratva territory.

“If anything feels off, we’re leaving.” Nero turns off the car and slides his gaze over me. “I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”

I reach over and grab his hand. “We’ll be all right.”

He flips his hand over so that our palms touch and laces our fingers together.

My heart aches.

It’s been two days since he made me come on the sofa in the living room.

Two days since I realized how weak my conviction to leave him has become.

I keep telling myself that Nero and this life are wrong for me, but I’m not sure I even believe that anymore. All I know is that when he held me in his arms that night, it was the first time I’d felt like everything would be all right.

I’ve been trying to stay rational and realistic about my situation, but now, it’s as if my emotions are tired of being repressed, and they’re demanding I listen to them instead of logic.

Is that what I should do? I don’t know.

I’m grateful that at least for tonight, I can leave that question on the back burner and just focus on our mission.

Whatever it might entail.

Nero brushes his thumb over the back of my palm. “C’mon.”

The valet takes the car, and the guard at the door follows the same procedure with us as he did with that other couple, taking our invitation and then checking my purse before letting us inside.

The dark and narrow hallway beyond the front door doesn’t give us any hints as to what this place is. Our steps are punctuated by the heavy beat of a slow, seductive song streaming through speakers hidden in the ceiling.

We stop by a coat-check stand, where a young woman in a low-cut sequined dress takes our jackets. A few feet away, thick velvet curtains hide whatever lies at the end of this hall.

The coat-check girl slides Nero a tag with a number. “First time?”

“Yeah.” Nero swipes his thumb over his lip, eyeing the curtains with suspicion. “We got an invite, but it didn’t have a lot of details on it. What is this place?”

She just smiles. “It’s better to go in blind. You’re in for a memorable night.”

Nero and I exchange a look, but strangely enough, I’m not nervous. It takes me a second to realize that it’s because…I’m with him.

Whatever we’re about to walk into, I trust Nero will keep me safe.

The thought sets off a flock of butterflies inside my belly.

Nero snakes a protective arm around my waist and tugs me against his side. “All right. Let’s do this,” he mutters in a low voice.

Mischief flashes in the girl’s eyes as she pulls the curtain aside. “Welcome to Seven Lives.”

We step through the opening and…

I stop in my tracks.

Holy. Shit.

The room beyond the curtain is a lavish space. It reminds me of the photos I’ve seen of old European palaces. There are high ceilings, crystal chandeliers, and intricately painted walls. But it’s not the grand bar that stretches along one wall or the gilded cages that hang from the ceiling, each with a dancer swaying to the heavy beat of the music, that capture my attention.

About ten paces ahead, on a small circular stage, a woman is tied to a cross. A man’s kneeling between her spread legs, devouring her pussy with intense fervor.

Her moans, loud and unabashed, can be heard even over the music.

“Umm.” My wide eyes jump to Nero. I’ve never been to a sex club before—it doesn’t take a genius to conclude that’s what this is—but has he?

What if this is part of the whole mafia schtick?

The tendons in his thick neck are taut as he stares at the scene in front of him. “Toto, we’re not in Kansas anymore.”

I choke out a mildly hysterical laugh. “We sure are not.”

His eyes lock onto mine. “You okay?”

Am I? My cheeks feel as if they’re melting off. “I don’t know. This is—”

“Ohhh!” the woman exclaims, her moans getting louder as she starts to come.

Nero laces our hands together and tugs me forward. “Come on. Let’s grab a drink at the bar, and we can try to decipher why the fuck Maksim invited us here.”

We move through the throng of people gathered around the stage. Some of them glance at us as we walk by them, but for the most part, everyone’s attention is on the woman on the cross.

Nero and I are definitely wearing more clothes than anyone else in here. The women are in lingerie, and the men are in their underwear. There’s one man who’s wearing nothing at all, and his erection bobs as he shifts on his feet.

I avert my eyes and focus on the edges of the room. Velvet booths wrap around the perimeter, many of them occupied by couples in various stages of undress.

My blood pulses in my cheeks. I don’t consider myself a prude, but I need a few minutes to process all of this and acclimate. It’s a lot to take in.

At the bar, there’s a wooden sign that says, “Two drink limit.”

“I guess I can see why they wouldn’t want the patrons getting drunk,” I say quietly to Nero.

He orders me a gin and tonic and a whiskey for himself. “I’ve heard places like this often limit alcohol.”

“You’ve never been to one?”

He gives me a smirk. “No, Sunshine. Believe it or not, exhibitionism isn’t really my thing.”

The bartender, dressed in only a slinky negligee, comes back with our drinks and slides them over the counter.

I pick up the G&T. “We’re so overdressed.”

Nero grabs the whiskey and leans against the bar. “It’s better this way. If you were wearing any less, I’d have to kill any man that looked at you, and it would turn into a whole mess.” He takes a sip of his drink.

I give him a weary look. “It never fails to amaze me how casually you talk about murder.”

“It’s just a part of life, like paying taxes or being stuck in traffic.”

I roll my eyes. “Please, there’s no way you pay taxes.”

“What do you mean? I pay some.”

“Oh yeah? What do you put down as your job?”

He smirks. “Waste management.”

“There’s something seriously wrong with you,” I say, but disturbingly enough, I’m smiling. Since when do I replace dark humor funny?

“Handsome couple.”

I glance over Nero’s shoulder at an older woman who’s standing at the bar a few feet away. Her lips tip into a flirtatious smile as she catches my eye. “Mind if I watch?”

I blink at her, stunned. She wants to watch Nero and I do what exactly? Anything? Everything?

“Not this time,” Nero says smoothly, turning to face her. “My wife’s a bit shy.”

“Oh, how sweet,” she croons. “First time at Seven Lives?”

Nero smiles. “Indeed. Are you a regular?”

“I’ve been coming here once a week since they opened six months ago.”

“Do you know the owner?”

“Maks? Yes, he’s a darling. It’s always a fun time when he’s playing.” The woman takes a glass of sparkling water with a lemon slice from the bartender and raises it to us. “Enjoy your evening.”

I wrap my hand around Nero’s wrist once she walks away and tug him toward me. “You’re quick on your feet. I had no idea how to answer that question.”

He grins. “A simple no would have done the job. C’mon, we both know you don’t have a hard time enforcing boundaries.”

“That’s true, but I’m feeling a bit out of my depth right now.”

I sip on my G&T and survey the room again. The woman is still writhing wildly up on the cross, and there are more than a few couples doing their own thing in the booths. In one of them, a girl with bright-pink hair is riding a tanned, tatted man who has his inked hand wrapped around her throat.

Goosebumps erupt over my skin. I’m shocked to discover I’m getting turned on. I used to love it when Nero held me by the throat like that…

I clench my thighs to try and calm the steady pulse between my legs, but that only makes it worse.

Nero points at an unoccupied alcove with a small sofa. “Let’s go sit over there.”

Moans echo around us as we walk. The alcohol sends a pleasant buzz through my veins, and it makes me bolder. I don’t look away so quickly when my gaze lands on something I like.

Jesus. I’m kind of enjoying this. I’m acutely aware of the wetness gathering inside my panties, especially when Nero and I sit down close enough for his thigh to press against my own.

He throws his arm over the backrest behind me and props his ankle on his knee, his eyes on the crowd.

I scan him over, a bit annoyed at how unruffled he seems for someone who’s never gone to a place like this. I almost want him to be just a little worked up so that I don’t feel like such a deviant.

This isn’t me. I’m not into things like this. I like…normal people things.

You sure as hell liked it when he fucked you on top of the bar at a restaurant owned by your ex. Yeah, that was so normal.

I bite down on my lip. Have I been lying to myself about who I am, or is Nero just corrupting me? Maybe spending all this time in his world has gotten to my head.

I’ve always prided myself on knowing right from wrong, but this place doesn’t feel wrong. It’s just different.

A drop of sweat rolls down the valley between my breasts. “I swear they turned up the temperature. I’m boiling in this blouse.”

Nero’s dark gaze slides over to me. “Should I take it off you?”

A shiver scatters down my spine. He’s so close that I can feel the caress of his breath against my cheek. My gaze drops to his lips. “You’re no longer worried about others seeing me in a state of undress?”

His big hand appears on my thigh. “You’re right. We can grab a private room to help you cool off.”

I swallow. “I think that would be quite counterproductive. I can’t believe you’ve never been to a place like this.”

He starts tracing circles on the inside of my thigh with his thumb. “I’ve been inside a few, but only when I had business to sort out with the owners. I never stuck around to participate.”

“Why do you think he invited us here?”

Nero presses his nose to my neck and inhales. “Who?”

My gaze dips down to Nero’s lap. There’s a pronounced bulge there.

“Maksim.”

He pulls back to look at me. “I have no clue, but have I told you that you look really fucking pretty when you turn all pink like this?”

My pussy flutters. “We should stay focused,” I whisper, trying to regain control of the situation as Nero’s hand begins to move higher beneath my skirt.

“We should.” The words rumble inside Nero’s chest. “Shit, baby. You’re already wet.”

Panicked, I scramble to my feet and press myself against the wall, needing to put some distance between us because I’m enjoying his attention a bit too much.

I’m enjoying all of this a bit too much.

Nero steps closer, trapping me against the wall with one arm while his gaze drops to my chest. Damn it, why did I wear such a flimsy bra? It’s not enough to hide the hard nipples poking through my blouse.

“You sure you don’t want to replace a private room? Who the fuck knows how long Maksim will take before he decides to show up.”

“I’m sure,” I choke out.

“I could take care of you so well,” he murmurs. “It pains me to see you suffer in those soaking panties.”

I glance down at the outline of his erection. “You seem uncomfortable too.”

His eyes darken, and he moves closer, pressing his body against mine. “Why do you think that is?” His words rumble inside his chest at the same time that his hard length twitches against my thigh.

A moan catches inside my throat. “Is being here turning you on?”

“Watching you get all flustered is. You’re so worked up that you’re grinding against me.”

My eyes snap wide open. Oh God, I am. When did that happen?

“You know, maybe we should split up for a bit,” I squeak out.

A woman lets out an excited moan from somewhere outside the alcove, and I instinctively lick my lips.

His eyes drop to my mouth. The tension between us is palpable, charged with electricity. “You’re not going anywhere without me.”

“Oh, there you are,” a familiar voice calls out.