30 – Alex
Yuka was safely secured away in his penthouse suite, a detail of four men as his security in the room with him, with two more rooms full on either side.
If anyone was going to get to him, they’d have to go through at least ten men, because those I’d left him with, had earpieces in and could communicate with each other in seconds
Yuka had then told Soma and 1 to go. Relax
Go out for drinks
Do something, anything. As long as it was away from him because apparently, I was being like an ‘overprotective parent to
him.
I had almost complained that it was my job to be right beside him, even when he was in his room, until he raised an eyebrow. Curtailed, Sota and I had left the hotel, and had driven around Chicago until I told him to stop.
The little club that we pulled up in front of looked like it was the place to be. The music was thumping through the night, beautiful people spilled out into the streets and there was electricity in the air.
Yeah, I could get lost for a few hours in a place like this.
Sota had offered to stay in the car, but in the end, after 1 had pestered him for almost five minutes, my huge driver had. reluctantly agreed to go into the club with me. If only to be my guard and nothing else. He’d told me he would only drink soda, and I shouldn’t even try to slip him alcohol, because he would know and then I would wear it.
It hadn’t taken us long to get into the club either.
One look at Sota, and a glance at the tattoos pecking out of the top of my shirt, and the ones which lined my forearms, and the bouncer lifted the rope, letting us inside, offering a small bow at the same time
We had pushed our way through the crowd and had taken up a pair of stools at the bar.
Now, standing at the bar, with my back to the crowd, I was wondering if this was such a good idea. I’d already been hit on three times, and Sota looked uncomfortable as hell. He was a big guy, in a crush of people. I would be surprised if he managed to keep his cool, he hadn’t seemed to be able to let go of the edge of the bar and his knuckles were white.
While my job was to protect and keep Yuka safe and hire others to make sure that happened, Sota’s sole job was to protect me with his life, oh and drive me around and shit.
“Are you sure you want to be in here, Alex?” Sota asked for what seemed like the hundredth time in the ten minutes we’d been here.
I chuckled and looked up at the big man.
“Come on Sota, at least let me finish my drink.” I said, picking up the glass of whiskey. “And then, if you’re still asking, then we’ll leave
Someone tapped me on the shoulder, and I rolled my eyes, turning my head. Another scantily clad woman with a fake tan and way too much makeup, looking for a quick and easy time. “Hey, handsome..”
“Not interested.” I said, turning my attention back to Sota and 1 heard the woman mutter something before she stomped
off.
Sota chuckled, taking out a pen, a small card and drew a line on the back of it.
I looked at the card, then up at his face. “What are you doing
Sota flipped the card over, showing a green dragon on the other side and I rolled my eyes. “Oliver told me to keep a tally of how many you turned downt
1 deadpanned him and Sota chuckled.
“He said you’ve lost your touch and have been whipped by someone named-
“Hey, Alex!”
My hand stopped as it went to pick up my drink and I scrunched my eyebrows together.
Surely, someone laere wasn’t calling out for me? I didn’t recognize the voice, and I highly dashed the
Chicago would be in this bar…
Turning, I looked at Sota. My driver raised an eyebrow, shaking his head, before we both turned and looked around the crowded club
There were laughing patrons, people dancing, groups sitting around the tables…
My gaze stopped at one of the tables.
Hazel eyes.
I blinked as my eyebrows scrunched together and the woman’s face flushed bright red, and her gaze lowered. “Joey?”
The three other women at the table looked between me and Joey and one of them nudged her. Joey rolled her eyes and shot. daggers at her before she stood and started toward me.
It’d been three weeks.
Three of the longest weeks of my life since I had last seen Jolene and she still made my heart race with her beauty
Joey stopped about six feet shy of me, her gaze shifting to Sota, who had taken a step, between me and her. My hand came up a and I tapped my driver on the shoulder. “It’s okay, big guy. I know this one.”
Sota stepped back again, and I stared at Joey. “Hi.”
Joey’s hazel gaze shifted back to me and a faint smile came to her lips. “Hi”
The tension between us was electric, but all I could think about was how we parted.
I’d left her in bed again.
Left her to wake up on her own, alone, with her broken heart.
I had expected to never see her again.. but here she was
“What–I mean–Hi “I stammered and Joey pursed her lips together, to stop herself from laughing. I heard Sota snort to my right and I turned my withering gaze to him. He chuckled again and turned himself away, pulling out that damned Jade Dragon card and writing something on the back of it. I could only imagine what it was, and what Oliver would say when he saw it.
I might have to jump Sota and get the card, only to burn it, before it ever touched Oliver’s hand.
“What are you doing in Chicago?” I asked Joey, turning my attention back to her.
I was acutely aware of the trio of girls watching us and I wondered what Joey had told them of what had happened in Miami.
1 knew women liked to gossip. But I wanted to know how much Joey would have told them. Did she tell them everything including our night together?
“I’m working in Chicago.” She replied, holding her hands in front of her hips. “You?”
“Work.” I replied. My gaze moved to the women behind her. “Friends?”
Joey turned her head and looked at the group. “Yeah, work friends. We’ve just finished a shift at the hospital.”
Oh yeah, that’s right. She was a nurse. “Cool”
What the fuck? I wasn’t one for small talk, but right now, my brain didn’t want to work, and it was all I could come up with
I could only imagine what Oliver would have said if he could see this shit. He’d be whispering the word ‘simp‘ to me over and over until I was forced to hurt him.
Joey turned back to me, smiling “Well, I will probably catch up with you again, somewhere. We seem to run into each other in the most unlikely of places.”
“Yes, we do.” I replied.
“Okay, well. See you later.” And with that, Joey turned and walked back to her group. She said something to them and the group of women stood and started to leave the club.
The music came back.
The laughing and the yelling. The scent of bodies crammed into one place.
“You’re just going to let her walk off!”
I turned and looked at Sota, blinking “Huh?”
M
My driver smiled and tipped his head toward the door. “Her. Jolene. The woman who Oliver said has you whipped. You just going to let her walk off like that?”
I turned my head back to the entrance of the club, in time to see Joey glance back at me.
I turned and picked up my drink, sculling back the last of the whiskey and shook my head, as I stepped away and followed Joey out, Sota following
