Secrets Read online

  “It’s not nothing! You just did a little head shake thingy.”

  “Just stay close in the club, okay? There will be a lot of people there you don’t know, and I don’t want you getting lost.” Christ, this man!

  “Seriously? I am twenty years old, Tate, believe it or not, I am a grown woman. This is not the first time I’ve been to a club before.” I mean shit, should I just tie a rope to his belt buckle at this point?

  “I am very aware you are a grown woman, Красота (beauty), just trust me.” He relaxes his features and looks at me longingly.

  “Okay, stud, since you asked nicely, I’ll stick close. But if you start getting bossy, I’m gone.” I turn toward my window because there is only so much Luka ‘Tate’ Masterson I can take. He’s so beautiful, then opens his mouth and ruins it. I think I’m going to call the bossy ass ‘Luka’, and the sweet man hunk ‘Tate’. That makes sense and it’s easier to break up the two personalities. Maybe he has a personality disorder? That makes total sense. OMG. What if he’s a narcissist or something? That would be my luck, attract another psycho. Well, if I did attract him, I don’t think he’s that interested though. He’s made it clear he doesn’t see me in the booty call picture, so maybe he’s not attracted to me?

  “Do you have a personality disorder?” I look at him curiously. The people with personality disorders will admit it, right?

  “Fuck! I’m just going to drive, okay?” Man, he looks pissed. Yep, he could totally have a personality issue. The back of the truck got dead silent too. I wonder if they think he has one also?

  “Christ! No, Emily, no personality disorder, okay? Fuck! Did you ever think maybe you’re a little naïve and I’m just looking out for you?” Geez, he looks like steam could come out of his ears.

  “Naïve? Naïve? Fuck you, Luka! I’m sure I’ve been through way more shit than you could ever imagine. Just forget I said anything, okay? Just be broody and drive and I’ll keep my naïve thoughts to myself.” Asshole. Dick. Motherfucker. He has no idea. None! He has nerve, to call me naïve. We just freaking met! No wonder he’s single. Wait, is he single?

  We drive through Knoxville to get to the club area. It feels big to me, but I came from a smaller town. Everyone is so supportive of the Tennessee Vols. It reminds me of home and all the football fans around Austin with the Longhorns. I can’t wait until I have some free time to check out the museums and the farmer’s market right by the college. We drive down a main strip not far from the college campus. We get to an area that has a bunch of shoebox-sized clubs and stop in front of the largest. The building is pretty plain, but has a large silver sign that says ‘OO7’ and there is a long line outside. Everyone waiting is dressed to the nines and majority are focused on their phones.

  We park and Tate opens my door for me. He holds his hand out to help me down and out of the raised truck; I take his big, strong hand and jump out. At least he has some manners. Avery loops her arm through mine and we practically run to keep up with Cameron and Tate’s pace. Avery leans in and starts whispering in my ear. Her nose keeps bumping into me, she’s so close.

  “My God, Emily, I about died when you asked him if he has a personality disorder. Cameron’s face was so red from holding his laugh in, he looked like a fat tomato! I thought Tate was going to explode. He looked like he wanted to rip someone’s head off! You are freaking crazy and the sexual tension between you guys is insane!” She looks so excited by this and I do not like what she’s implying. I am not going there with Tate Masterson!

  “Ha, sexual tension my ass, he’s a jerk face that needs to relax a little. I would not let that man have sex with me, no matter how hot I think he is!” He’s infuriating!

  “I knew you thought he was hot!” I glare at her.

  “That’s all you heard out of that?” She just smiles and nods her head forward. I look up and realize we are close to the entrance. Apparently, Tate knows the guys up front because he’s heading right for them. There are three huge, buff men in all black whom I’m assuming are the bodyguards or door guys. There’s one normal-sized guy in the middle dressed in a sharp black suit with a strong nose and short black scruff on his face. He oozes money and self-confidence. He turns to Tate and nods at him.

  “Luka, мой брат (my brother).” Woah! What is that?

  “Viktor,” Tate says and nods back. He doesn’t stop, just walks right in, so we follow close behind. I hear the men start talking in a language I don’t understand.

  Walking into OO7 I’m instantly hit with trance-like music. It’s like I’ve entered a different realm or something. The lights are dim and flashing to the beat of the music. It’s busy but not so crowded you have to bump into every person you walk past. There are beautiful, exotic-looking females dressed in red or black fitted dresses. They must be the servers, because they are carrying around trays full of different colored martinis and passing them out to whoever asks for one. Do you have to pre pay or something in order to get drinks? This is awesome, but looks so ridiculously expensive. I feel like I just fell down the rabbit hole in ‘Alice in Wonderland’. In the middle of the club is a two story dance floor surrounded by glass walls. It almost looks as if they are in a giant glass elevator. Obviously this is why it doesn’t seem too busy, the majority of people are dancing. I look at Avery and she nods her head upward. Looking up toward the ceiling, I see a silver Aston Martin suspended from tightly knitted grey metal cables. This place is insane! It’s like walking onto the set of a James Bond movie. No wonder Avery loves this place so much.

  “Let’s get a table!” Avery yells at me so I can hear her over the music. Both of the guys nod at her and I give her a thumbs up. Tate leads us to the VIP section; I mean really, the club isn’t posh enough as it is. We walk up a few stairs to the raised section that holds about ten different sized round booths. As soon as our butts hit our booth, a server is waiting with a smile on her face. I bet these woman make a ton in tips, they are all so beautiful. Avery orders a Cosmopolitan, Cameron orders Courvoisier on the rocks and Tate orders bottled water for us both.

  “Thanks, but you can have a drink if you want to, Tate,” I turn toward him and say loudly.

  “I don’t drink a lot, I like to be aware of my surroundings and stay in control of my body.” Hmmm… Something else we have in common.

  “Come on, Emily, let’s go hit the dance floor, I freaking love this song!” Avery grabs my hand and starts tugging to get me out of the booth.

  ‘Cracks’ remix by Belle Humble is playing; I love this song too. Avery downs half her drink and jumps up with me in tow. The guys stand up too and I look up at Tate, confused.

  “What about our drinks? Shouldn’t we finish them first? It’s not safe to leave them and come back.” I’m not about to take unnecessary risks just because a couple of guys are with us.

  “Don’t worry about the drinks, everything will be okay. The server is actually called a Table Assistant. It’s her job to watch our drinks, jackets, purses and anything else we leave behind. She will even walk you to the restroom for safety, in case you feel unwell or need a cool towel or whatever. There is a girl assigned to each table.” I’m impressed, what a great idea for a club to keep people safe.

  “Wow! That is so awesome!” I yell as we make our way to the dance floors. Avery and Cameron automatically start dancing together. Well, this is a little awkward. I look to Tate to see if he feels the same as me, but he has this sexy little smirk on his face. His lips kind of go up on one side and he has some hot-ass dimples. Sweet Jesus, I could seriously lick his dimples. He’s so yummy when he finally starts to relax. He reaches out and lightly pulls me to him. He’s so warm; it feels like his whole body is wrapped around me. I guess I didn’t realize just how big he is compared to me. I always see him and Cameron next to each other so he doesn’t appear that big. He pulls me in close and lowers his lips right next to my ear, I can feel his breath against my neck and it’s giving me goose bumps. His body molds to mine as we dip and move to ‘C
racks’. The beat is insane on these speakers and it turns me on. Maybe he’s not so bad after all.

  “So, little lamb, why did you decide to go to college here?” His voice has a deep, rich timbre and it makes me want to snuggle closer to him. If I could crawl into his pocket right now I think I probably would.

  “I just thought it was a good school. Good place to start my life, you know? What about you?” I reply with a pretty basic answer. I don’t want to delve into my personal life with him.

  “Pretty much the same for me.” He gives me a basic answer back. Hmm… I wonder what he’s avoiding?

  “I don’t understand, I keep seeing people take drinks off the server’s trays, did they like pre-pay or something? I don’t remember seeing you pay for anything either.” I keep scanning the floor to see if anyone goes to the bar but they don’t.

  “There is a door fee when they come in. $100 a person if they drink and they can drink as much as they want from the server’s trays. It’s all top shelf liquors, so it’s a good price. If anyone wants certain premium liquors, champagne, etc. then they can order it from the bar and pay the bartenders. If they don’t drink, then they pay $25 for a glow band. When they are ready to leave a door guard will remove their glow band so they can leave. The glow bands have sensors in them in case someone under twenty-one tries to take them off while in the club, to drink. As you can see though, how everyone is dressed, this place attracts a certain clientele.”

  “Geez, you must come here a lot, you know everything.” Probably where he gets his booty calls he was talking about the other day.

  “Eh, I stop in once or twice a month to check out things.” He shrugs. Surprising. We dance for four more songs and I decide it’s time to sit for a few minutes and get a drink. Avery plays volleyball and has a scholarship because of it for the college. It keeps her body in great shape. She looks like she’s not even a little winded, whereas I probably look like a wet cat at this point.

  After a quick break, we all head back to dance some more, and Tate pulls me into him again. It seems more familiar and we start to really get into it. I rest my hands on his chest and I swear I can feel something by his nipples. Holy shit! He has barbells in his nipples. That is so freaking hot. I start to rub over his nipples, because fuck, it’s erotic and we are already grinding to this beat. Tate moves his hands down closer to my ass and I start to rub over his chest and arms. His arms are flexed and it’s fucking sexy. He’s so strong and he smells fucking edible. I can’t stop imagining sucking on his nipple rings.

  All of a sudden he’s gone, and I almost fall forward. “That’s enough, I’m done.” Tate starts walking back toward our table and Avery gives me a confused look. I shrug, because hell if I know what I did.

  “What happened, Emily?” Avery and I start back toward the table too. Cameron’s already caught up to Tate.

  “I have no idea. He just said it was enough and he was done. I know he’s probably a little pissed he hasn’t gotten to dance with other females by now, but it’s not like I’m making him dance with just me. I would be more than happy to go find someone who wants to dance if that would make him happy.” For some reason she bursts out laughing.

  “Are you insane, woman? You can’t possibly think that with what he’s been doing!”

  “What do you mean with what he’s been doing?” I look at her and scrunch my forehead.

  “Holy shit, dude, I think you might actually be blind! We need to get you some glasses, like, yesterday. While you guys were dancing, anytime a guy starts to come near you, Tate snaps his fingers and points at the guy. Then a bouncer comes, grabs the guy and drags him off. Trust me, Emily, there were probably five guys trying to come dance with you, but Tate isn’t having it.”

  I’m so angry right now I could burst. How dare he? I wanted to meet a guy tonight.

  “Are you kidding me?”

  “Ha, no way, dude, he isn’t letting anyone near you.”

  “You know what, Avery? Go sit with them. I’m so fucking over that man, and I’m the one who’s done! Done with his attitude tonight. I’m going outside.”

  Tate

  Chapter 4

  I had to walk away. I have never wanted to take someone so badly in the middle of a dance floor before. When she started rubbing on my nipple rings, I was fucking done for. It took everything I had in me to keep my hands from just grabbing her ass and pulling her legs around my hips.

  All those douche bags thinking they were going to come and take her out of my arms. Yeah right, I would have slit their throats if they touched her perfect body. It’s okay though, I know Gavin and Niko will teach their ignorant asses a lesson for me. I look over at Avery and Emily talking, she is so beautiful. I will have her, even if it takes a little while.

  Emily walks off and looks a little pissed. Great, she has that little attitude again. Some fool steps in front of her and looks like he’s trying to be charming. I don’t think so; this Bratva piece of trash will not talk to my little lamb. Did he not just see her with me?

  I make my way to them quickly and put my arm around Emily. She looks up to me and glares. I bet she is fun in bed when she’s all wound up.

  I glare straight into this Bratva thug’s eyes.

  “Шахта (mine)” I say in Russian.

  “Huh?” He looks at me as if he just realized I am here.

  “Она является шахта. (She is mine)”

  “Mine. As in, she belongs to me, you idiot,” I repeat but in English this time.

  “I apologize, Босс (boss).” He looks at his feet as he calls me boss. Glad he realized his place. I have no time to waste on him, as Emily is silently fuming beside me. At least he knew well enough to call me boss in Russian. I don’t need my little pet hearing that.

  She clears her throat loudly, and I know she’s about to lay into me. I have to quit pissing her off, if I plan on keeping her.

  “Mine? I am not yours! You are infuriating! Stop being a cock block! If I want to talk to a man and even go home with him, it’s not your business! I am finished talking to you tonight, Luka Masterson!” She throws her hands up and storms out of the club. Fuck! Why do women have to bust out the full name when they get angry? She does not need to be outside by herself. I take off after her. She’s almost to the truck when I catch up to her. Viktor, Nikoli, Brent and Ivan are staring at us. I’m sure we make quite the spectacle. Nikoli’s going to give me shit about this, I just know it.

  “Красота (beauty)! Wait, please?” She’s swinging her arms around all crazy-like as she walks, and I reach out to grab one, spinning her around to face me.

  Emily

  Tate grabs me and spins me around. I automatically raise my arms to protect myself. If he’s anything like that monster, I know this could hurt.

  “What are you doing, Emily? For Christ’s sake, you can’t come out here by yourself! Who would protect you? And put your arms down, I’m not some goon who will hurt you. I might be a dick sometimes, but give me a little credit, okay.” His expression looks a little wounded but also angry.

  “Ugh! Why are you so stubborn? I told you I was done talking to you today and I meant it! Красота (beauty)? What does that even mean? Huh? And what is that language? What’s the big deal?” I pepper him with questions. Maybe he will just leave me be!

  “It’s Russian, okay? I’m stubborn because I want you. If I want something, I take it. I don’t waste time and screw around. I want you to be mine and I’m willing to lay claim if someone comes sniffing around.”

  “And Красота (beauty)?” He grabs both of my wrists and puts them above my head against the truck. He leans against me, I can feel his muscles molded through his shirt. He’s hard in all the right places. This is a man who brings out something primal in me. He leans in so close, our lips are almost touching. His breath is coming out in short little pants that I can feel against my lips. I inhale deeply and can taste the mint from his breath.

  In a softer voice he says, �
�Baby, Красота means ‘beauty’.” I find you so fucking beautiful, you don’t even realize.” His lips graze mine as he speaks and after he says it I nip at his bottom lip a little. That does it. Next thing I know he is kissing me softly, almost testing my lips out. It’s like he’s memorizing the flavor, the texture, the wetness. His mouth is cool and fresh and his lips are so soft.

  I let out a little moan, I can’t help it—he has me so wound up. He pulls back and looks into my eyes, nudges my nose softly with his, then slams his mouth onto mine. This is it. This is where he owns me. I wrap my legs around his waist and thread my hands in his hair. It’s long enough for me to wrap my fingers in and pull it. He lets out a growl and puts one arm under my ass to hold me up, closer to him. His other hand has a firm but not painful grip on the nape of my neck, he lets me know he is in control of this kiss. I am just the lucky participant to be receiving a kiss like this.

  “Hey, love birds! We figured the night was probably done when y’all took off outside.” At Avery’s voice, Tate pulls away from me and slowly sets me back on the ground. We don’t break eye contact the entire time. I don’t think either one of us expected that kiss to be so charged. Thank God Avery interrupted us when she did. We would probably be missing some clothes right now if she hadn’t. I know I wanted to try out a one-night stand tonight, but not with Tate. Things would get way too messy with him. After everything I just went through and having to start over, I would not survive if I let Tate have me and then he decided he was done with me. I know what would happen; he’d get bored and move on. Avery and Cameron hop in the truck while Tate opens my door for me. He nods at the guys in front of the door and they wave back. Geez, I bet they got an eye full, I had completely forgotten they were even over there. The ride home is pretty quiet; Tate and I both seem to be lost in our thoughts. We arrive at my apartment first.

  “I’ll walk you up, yeah?” Tate turns to me.

  “No, it’s fine; I’ll make it in okay. Thank you for dropping me off.”