friend—who’s just as protective of her as I am—to help speed the process along.
“Snitch much?” Jovan grumbles at Marcella before looking back to me. “You know she’s too nosy for her own good. She would have found out eventually.”
At this point, I’m ready to strangle them both. “Go,” I say to Marcella. “Have fun with your friends. Jovan has the night off, so call Carlos if you need a ride home.”
“Love you too, Diego,” she says, both annoyance and affection in her words.
“You know I love you, Marcie.”
She finishes off her tequila and then stands up. Shooting Jovan a look that could kill, Marcella grabs the hem of her dress and hikes it up at least two more inches before sauntering away with her friends.
Jovan sits up straighter, a look of disbelief wiping the smile off his face. “Are you just gonna let her walk around like that? I think I saw an ass cheek.”
I roll my eyes. “No, you didn’t. And if you did, you’d look away before I pluck your eyes out.”
He doesn’t flinch at my threat, because we both know it would never happen. Jovan likes his women experienced and respects me too much to even think about Marcella like that.
“She’s going to get someone killed tonight. You know these motherfuckers have no respect for women.”
I raise an eyebrow at the irony of his words and incline my head at the women who have started making out on the couch while he’s worried about Marcella.
Glancing over at them, he grins. “Holy shit, girls, wait for me.” He turns back to me and scowls. “No one’s being disrespected here. I intend to give both these lovely ladies my full attention tonight. Orgasms for all, and the gentleman finishes last. Anyway, we’re not talking about me. Marcella getting felt up by those guys in VIP for the bachelor party, or those stupid frat boys upstairs is what I’m talking about.”
“Relax,” I say, waving a dismissive hand. “Security is wall to wall on every floor and everyone knows whose sister she is. They aren’t stupid enough to get out of hand. Besides … she could walk through here bare-assed and no one would have the right to touch her.”
“That’s very enlightened of you,” he says. “Meanwhile, you’ve been a fucking pill all day. What’s your problem?”
“Elena,” I reply.
Jovan chuckles and pulls one of the girls onto his lap. The other one slips a hand into the opening of his shirt and starts nibbling his ear. “Forget about it, jefe. We caught her and the window’s all boarded up now.”
I pour my third Scotch of the night and pluck a twist of lime from the bowl in front of me. “She’s smart. Athletic, too. She might be more of a problem than I thought.”
Jovan waves a dismissive hand. “Increase security at the house. Install a camera in her room. Shit, I don’t know what else to tell you. You’re the one who chose to take her. If you ask me, you should have popped her and Santiago both.”
“Well, no one asked you,” I snap.
“Well fuck you, too,” Jovan quips. “Relax, jefe. Have another drink. Hell, get laid. You wanna get in on this? These two might be a lot for me to handle on my own.”
The dancer in Jovan’s lap gives me a sultry look, tossing her wavy blonde hair over one shoulder. “Hell, I’ll have him for the main course and you for dessert.”
“Now, now,” Jovan says, playfully slapping her ass. “Haven’t you heard it’s better to eat your dessert first?”
“Not interested,” I reply, staring down into my Scotch. “Not tonight.”
Jovan stands and sets the blonde on her feet. The other girl—dark-skinned with braids hanging down her back—follows suit.
“Your loss,” Jovan says. “More for me.”
The three of them leave the balcony from a door leading into a suite of back rooms I reserve for my own private use. Jovan has fucked more of Calentar’s dancers back there than I can keep track of. It’s resulted in the loss of a few girls, but no matter how much I get on his case, he won’t stop. Apparently, a revolving door of strippers is good for business. The sea of people downstairs drinking, dancing, and ogling the dancers tells me business is better than ever, so I can’t complain.
Taking a slow sip of my drink, I turn my attention to the dancer performing for only me and the two bodyguards stationed at opposite corners of the balcony. She’s gorgeous, with hair dyed