Chapter 23

Their journey stopped in the parking lot of a classy club and Celine didn’t notice until she got out of the car that, unlike the previous times she had gone out with Asher, they hadn’t been followed by an entourage of bodyguards this time. The parking lot was also eerily empty save for another car with blacked-out windows and as she started for the entrance with Asher, another car pulled into the parking lot.

Celine’s curiosity was piqued now but she didn’t dare ask Asher, her curious eyes scanning the interior of the club. Jael and the other Beta had been left in the car while she and Asher went into the club alone, to make things stranger, the club was completely devoid of guests save for the workers.

As the club was empty, only a part of it was lit, it was the VIP section and there were only three chairs arranged around the table. There was already someone seated, an imposing Alpha dressed in all black, and with the person that had arrived after them, it was rather easy to guess that this was most likely a meeting for the three Mafia Kings.

Celine felt her palms get sweaty, her pulse racing. She had yet to see the other two Mafia Kings although she had been told at that function she went to that the three of them bid on her at the same time. Of all the places she had been expecting Asher to take her to, this was the least possible option she could have thought of.

*Surely Asher didn’t plan to keep her by his side during their meeting?* She didn’t mind sitting in one of the darkened booths to wait for him, an even better outcome would have been if he left her in the car with Jael, she didn’t like the Beta but he was a better choice than the other two Mafia Kings.

But she wasn’t given any of those options, instead, she was forced to remain by Asher’s side as he walked up to the table with a possessive hold on her. Now that she could see the Mafia King up close, he was enormous, the compression shirt he had on was molded to his sculpted muscles.

His dark hair was cut short, and his slate-gray eyes did not even acknowledge her presence. “You’re late.” He said to Asher, his deep voice monotone.

“You were too early,” Asher tossed back at him, unfazed by the accusation.

Celine let herself be pulled down on Asher’s legs, her spine rigid. He had worn another mink coat tonight, one that had stripes, his piercings and rings glinting in the overhead lights. She couldn’t look any more out of place in her all-pink get-up, her eyes fixed on the table, panic building in her middle.

That brief exchange was the only greeting both Mafia Kings gave each other before the table fell silent but even though they said nothing further, the atmosphere between them was tolerable. Celine tried to calm her nerves down by telling herself that the third Mafia King would ignore her just like the one seated at the table, she just had to sit on Asher and look pretty, nothing more.

Those reassurances crashed to the ground when a final pair of footsteps approached the table, Celine had kept her eyes fixed on the glossy finish of the table in front of her but there was no ignoring how tense Asher suddenly became beneath her at the approach of the third Mafia King, dominance swirling around the table.

She was forced to look up at that point, taking a sharp indrawn breath to ease some of the pressure. The third Mafia King was equally dressed in all black, his trench coat swaying as he approached the table and took his seat. A cigar was held between his lips, a thick swirl of smoke rising past deep blue eyes, and a head of coiffed dark blond hair.

Unlike the other Mafia King, this one stared right at her, his gaze predatory. Celine didn’t realize she was backing away until her back hit Asher’s torso, snapping her out of it as she looked away from him.

After a long stretch of silence, the Mafia King who was the last to join the table spoke up. “Are we waiting for someone else?”

“We’re waiting for you and Asher to cut the crap, your scents sting my nose,” The dark-haired Alpha bit out, displeased.

Celine could feel the tension bleed out of Asher at those words, and once again she really wanted to be allowed to leave the table. She was at least grateful that the dominance that had been bearing down on her eased off and she could breathe easier once again. She refocused on the edge of the table, determined to be nothing but an accessory.

Asher barely focused on what Davian was blabbing about, their meetings could be a fucking email but due to certain protocols and laughable mutual respect, he was stuck with this instead. He didn’t appreciate how Nolan’s attention was completely fixed on Celine, he had never seen the Alpha as a woman-hungry bastard so he couldn’t explain his strange fixation on Celine. Knowing Nolan, he was just pissed off that he lost to him.

He wasn’t pleased with the Mafia King’s attention on his property though and it was difficult to keep his intent under wraps, dominance swirling under his skin in response to the possessiveness he felt over Nolan’s attention. Maybe Jael was right and he should have left Celine behind - not because he was wary of what the other Mafia King would do but because he was wary of his reaction to it.

It was great that there was a no-weapons policy at the meeting table or Asher would have blown Nolan’s smug expression off his face. Usually the Mafia King couldn’t get under his skin no matter what he did but doing something so simple was already enough to tip him dangerously close to the edge all because it involved Celine.