Wild Billionaire Romance - Chapter 29: Chapter 29

MARAT
It was the third night in a row we’d wound up at Lux Lounge. Fucking pretentious ass club.
But I needed a date for the stupid awards event, and I was having no luck.
Was there no one in the whole of Las Vegas even remotely interesting?
Every single simpering female who approached me gave off the same desperate vibe I’d been trying to escape.
I wanted none of them.
“The award gala is tomorrow night,” Josef stated, unnecessarily explaining the itinerary to me. “You really need to settle on a date or that Tessa will eat you alive, Marat. She’s a fucking snake, and she’s had her eye on you too long, my friend. You know this already.”
“Yeah, I know.”
I got the same fucking email he did. But whatever. I’d known him forever, and he was Adrik’s age.
Josef was the head of security for Volkov Industries. But he was more than that. He’d been with Adrik since his days as an international criminal, working as extra muscle. He was family. And that meant he treated me like a little brother.
It was taxing at the best of times.
“Then you know this whole thing is a fucking ploy to get the infamous Marat Volkov in her clutches again? She was the one who put Volkov Industries up for the award,” he informed me.
“No, I didn’t know that. It doesn’t matter. Andres’ efforts were good, and the company deserves the award. It’s good publicity. And Tessa was last year. She knows I don’t go for seconds. Everyone knows that.”
“Rumor is she is looking for a husband⁠—”
“It won’t be me,” I scoffed.
Funny, the idea of marriage used to scare the shit out of me. But after being around Adrik and Sofia, I realized it wasn’t the institution that was so off-putting, but the idea of being tied to the wrong person.
A woman like Tessa would never suit me. I did not want a cold, empty shell of a person. I wanted someone who was real.
But in my world, I was more likely to find a fucking unicorn.
“Why not skip this?” Josef asked, interrupting my thoughts.
“The award matters to Adrik, so I will attend the gala and I will accept it. I just have to pick someone out to join me for the event,” I growled, eyes prowling the establishment for someone suitable.
I was tired of this conversation. Bored with the whole fucking thing. If Volkov Industries wasn’t so important to Adrik, I’d have told McNeil Corp to shove their humanitarian award up their fucking ass. I’d have been back on my jet, away from this godforsaken city.
But appearances mattered in the business world. Especially for a company whose history was as dark and shrouded in violence as ours was.
Josef understood this. It was why he was still around. His loyalty proved constant, and as such, he’d been rewarded for it with a nice chunk of our business.
A rich motherfucker in his own right, Josef did not need to work. But he loved tech as much as my brother and I, so he stayed on, heading not just physical security, but our cyber divisions as well.
“Welcome to L-Lux,” she said.
Was she for real? Did sweetness like that really exist in a place like this?
I had to do a double take. Her appearance had already captivated me, but that voice of hers?
Fuck. Me.
It was husky and rich, but sweet at the same time. The dulcet tones wrapped around my chest, squeezing me until I couldn’t get any air in my lungs.
It was nothing at all like the whines and pouts of insipid heiresses and cover models I usually went around with. Those were the circles I now ran in, but the sparkle had dulled.
I was tired of that lifestyle. Watching Adrik and Sofia made me want things I never had before, and looking and listening to this waitress, suddenly, I wanted them even more.
At first, it was her soft curves that called to me.
Different. Beautiful. So damn jiggly when she walked.
I wanted to bury my face in those tits. I bet they made for a soft landing. And that ass. My god. Wars had been started over less bountiful things than her perfect peach of an ass.
Then, I saw her face and confirmed, yes, she was every bit as gorgeous as I thought. But now that I’d heard her? I wanted more.
The sultry syllables she uttered floated over to me, stroking my ears like hands. I wanted her to say something else. Anything else. I just wanted her to keep talking. But she wasn’t even looking at me anymore.
Look at me, Baby. Come on.
Sweet little Dumplin’ was frozen in place. I made a noise, somewhere between a growl and a hum, and her gaze flashed to mine, but only for a moment.
Then her attention was back on Josef. What the fuck? I frowned. Hard.
I was annoyed. Stunned. Maybe a bit petulant. Sure, that kind of behavior was beneath me, but what could I say? Women didn’t ignore me. Ever.
That wasn’t conceit. It was simply a fact. But this woman was making it look easy. My sweet little temptation had no problem acting like I didn’t exist.
It’s a dangerous game you’re playing, Baby.
I’d been called an arrogant asshole before, but for the first time I actually felt like one. This poor woman was trying to work, but I was already making plans to put every move I had on her.
Act like I don’t exist? Fuck that.
I was Marat Volkov. I was accustomed to snapping my fingers and having women line up for a fraction of my attention.
This curvy little minx wasn’t going to ignore me and get away with it.
I tried staring, letting her feel the weight of my stare. But she didn’t acknowledge or react. I frowned. Giving someone who refused to look at you your attention was harder than it looked.
I couldn’t let it go. I licked my bottom lip, a move that had made grown women moan. But she didn’t notice.
Sucking in a breath, I leaned forward and tilted my head. I studied her to the point of glowering. Her gaze flitted to mine once, but she went right back to paying attention to Josef.
Couldn’t give up yet. So, I just kept on staring.
It was rude. Invasive. I ran my eyes up and down her body. Stopping to pay proper homage to her big, bountiful breasts, and the delicious curve of her hip.
I made sure she felt the burn of my gaze down to her fucking marrow. I knew it was over the top.
Borderline creepy.
But I wasn’t about to let her get away without feeling even a little bit of what I was going through, sitting there while she acted like I was invisible.
Me?
It was preposterous. It was intriguing. For the first time in months, something caught my attention and like a dog with a bone, I wasn’t about to let it go.
“Excuse me, sorry. Um, my name is Destiny, and I’ll be your server tonight. What can I get for you?” she murmured, and the effect was immediate.
My heart hammered inside my chest and my cock hardened even more. What would she sound like in bed? Would she moan and mewl or was she a screamer?
I bet I could drag sounds from her no man ever has. I want to. Goddamn, do I want to.
Thump. Thump. Thump.