find Cavil,” Jade said while smiling and entering the room with a flirtatious stroll that made me feel wildly inadequate.
Lowe squeezed my hand before wrapping her arm around me with a fake giggle. “Let’s go have some fun, shall we?” She sashayed, adding an extra sway to her hips as she walked, forcing me to swerve and lean into her.
“Just stick with me, honey.”
The ivory room triggered a fear deep within me that I couldn’t hold back. My mouth was dry and my wrist throbbed as if a phantom pain was rocking through me, reminding me of the destruction that Cavil could cause.
A tall man in a white suit stopped us, grinning at Lowe like she was a prize to be won. “Master Jaquis!” she cooed while detangling herself from me and wrapping her arms around him with a grin. “Oh how I’ve missed you,” she said while nuzzling her nose against his, earning a delighted groan from him. I felt sick to my stomach but kept my face pleasant and neutral. He was a stout man with dimples and red cheeks. He smelled of stale beer and cheese.
“Who is your friend?” the man asked while giving me a slow once over.
Lowe gave me a sideways glance before responding. “That’s my new friend, Shade. She’s immune, but I’m more fun.”
The man chuckled before kissing her neck. Jade flinched, but he didn’t notice. “I do love it when you get jealous, dear,” he said while wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her close.
“I know,” she replied with a small smile. She played the part well, but I saw past it. I quietly thanked her for steering this man away from me.
My eyes drifted across the room, and I went still when I saw long black hair and a burly frame scowling in the corner. His thick arms were crossed over his chest, and the white suit he wore accentuated his dark eyes.
It felt like someone was punching me in my gut. All air escaped me. Cyler Black.
Another Walker Companion walked by and paused when she saw me. She was wearing white too, but I didn’t recognize her. I assumed she was a Companion from one of the other brothels in the Zone. “Good luck,” she said, her voice husky and sounding older than she looked. “My brothel sends me here almost every night, and not once has he given me or anyone else a second glance.” She walked away and crashed into an Elite man that was already well too drunk to know what was happening. The Companion easily slipped to his side and maneuvered him to a nearby seat. I slowly made my way towards Cyler in the corner as he stared off to his left at a couple arguing.
Not once did he glance at me. With each step, my pulse increased. Each step closer, I wanted to run and jump into his arms, but I stayed still, slipping into the role required of me.
Once I was near enough, he still didn’t turn my way. Didn’t give me a second of his attention. “Not interested,” he said in a bored tone, still refusing to acknowledge me. I breathed in his cinnamon scent, leaning closer before whispering.
“Cy. First the train, now here? Saving you is becoming a habit.”
I watched as each of his muscles went rigid, the veins in his neck thudding with excitement and anger. Slowly, ever-so-slowly, he turned to look at me, his dark eyes hooded and hungry as he bit his lip and took in my hair, lips, and clothes.
“Babe,” he said in a low voice, reaching out to touch my hip. “You’re in so much fucking trouble.”
I didn’t have a second to think or process what he was doing. Cyler Black didn’t let another moment pass before he was crashing his lips to mine in a passionate move that had my legs going numb. He spun me around, pressed me against the wall, then slid us closer to the shadows. In the dark corner, we were hidden from everyone else.
He kissed me like a starving man, and I melted. I was nothing but a tense bundle of emotions, smearing my red lipstick across his lips as I tasted his tongue, consuming him completely and gripping my dress to hike it up so I could wrap my thighs around him.
I moaned into his mouth, and the sound started a chain reaction of primal need within us. Somehow, my dress had become loose around my chest. He