Total pages in book: 37
Estimated words: 34198 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 171(@200wpm)___ 137(@250wpm)___ 114(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 34198 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 171(@200wpm)___ 137(@250wpm)___ 114(@300wpm)
“I trust that you’re running this place just fine so my visits aren’t really necessary, are they?” He looked around the club to see if he could catch a glimpse of Tamryn, but couldn’t locate her.
Natalia placed her hand on his chest. “Of course not, but you know the girls look forward to your visits.”
He snorted. “You mean they miss my money when I’m not here. There’s no need to sugarcoat it.”
“You’ve always been so straight to the point. You weren’t this blunt when we were together.”
“When we were together I had more patience but that was years ago. I won’t hold you up. I’m going to get a drink.”
Natalia patted his chest. “Sure. Just let me know if you need anything.”
“I always do.” Seamus didn’t wait for a reply before heading to the bar. Natalia was probably the closest thing he had to a female friend. The daughter of one of his father’s former associates, the two of them had practically grown up together as children until Seamus had been shipped off to Ireland to stay with family when his father had been under a lot of heat. Upon Seamus’s arrival back into the States, he had reconnected with Natalia. They’d been lovers briefly but they’d both decided they were better off as friends.
It was Natalia who had come to him with the idea for the Devil’s Den but she needed the financial backing. Seamus had provided the funding, making him her silent partner. While most people knew him to only be a client, he actually owned sixty percent of the business. He pretty much let Natalia handle the operations as long as Seamus had a say in things if he saw something he wanted to change. Truthfully, he’d only ever overruled Natalia’s decision when it came to Tamryn. Seamus got his usual whiskey and leaned against the bar, surveying the place. He could see several of the hostesses looking his way but he was thankful none of them would approach him. He’d made it explicit to Natalia that he wanted to do his own choosing so the women knew not to come to him first unless he signaled them to.
As he was about to take a sip from his glass, he froze. Sitting at one of the tables were four people. He recognized one of the men, Harry Jefferson, an investment banker he’d done business with. Harry liked to present himself as a loving grandfather type his wife, adult children and a handful of grandchildren. He was a huge conservative who made no secrets of his political views. Yet here he was cozying up to a woman who was roughly the age of his grandchildren.
But Jefferson wasn’t who had caught his eye. Also at the table was another couple, a man whose name he didn’t remember but Seamus had seen him around at a fundraiser or some other society shindig. He sat very close to a woman with rich mahogany skin. Her back was turned to him but he didn’t need to see her face to know who it was. Tamryn. If Seamus hadn’t been specifically on the lookout for her, he would have missed her because it was quite clear she’d been given an extensive makeover.
Seamus didn’t realize he’d started moving until he was halfway to her table. It was as if his feet had a mind of their own. As he got closer, he got a better look at Tamryn. He’d found her attractive before even with clothing that had covered her entire body and no make-up. He remembered that she’d worn her long hair pulled back but now her locks were short chin-length curls. The way her makeup had been done made her eyes look even bigger and lips fuller, giving her the appearance of sexy innocence. But there was nothing innocent about her body.
Though she was sitting down, there was no hiding those curves. Something fierce surged through him as he noticed her unnamed companion place his hands on her thigh, making Seamus want to crack that motherfucker’s skull.
What the fuck was the matter with him? She was just another piece of ass, just like the rest of the women here. Now more than ever he was determined to work her out of his system so that she could stop haunting his thoughts.
“How are you doing this evening?” He asked the table once he halted although he kept his gaze focused on Tamryn.
When she turned those large brown eyes in his direction, his heart felt like it was being squeezed inside of his chest. She took his breath away.
“Haggerty. Haven’t seen you around here in a while. Any dark dealings lately?” Jefferson cackled as if he’d told a big joke.
Most of the circles Seamus moved in, people were aware of his family’s past and some were even familiar with some of his more questionable business enterprises, but no one dared say it to his face unless they wanted to see a side of them that usually stayed hidden in polite society.