Chapter 4: Asher

    They rode in the car in complete silence. Asher glanced over at Sera as she stared out the window. Her eyes glazed over as she watched the passing buildings; what could make such a beautiful woman retreat into her mind so profoundly?

    Her eyes slowly traveled to his, and he glanced away.

    “You can go to my usual spot,” Asher leaned forward and instructed the driver. It was a quaint little bar down the road from his not-so-humble abode, where the drinks were free and the women eager. God, his best friend, would be highly displeased if he sent him home rather than take him with them.

    It was possibly his favorite place to let some steam off.

    “So…” Asher started. His words seemed to startle Sera out of her stupor, and she crossed her hands in her lap and looked at him. The smile on her face didn’t reach her eyes.

    God, those eyes would be his undoing.

    “Who’s got you so down?” Asher asked, twisting his upper body to get more comfortable. Her fingers began intertwining, and it felt as if she was as far away as she could from him.

    She nibbled on her lower lip as she contemplated her answer.

    “His name is Scott, he’s my other half. He was supposed to meet me tonight to celebrate my birthday. But he said he was late at a work meeting.”

    “This late?” Asher questioned; he could see by her body language that she believed it was utter bullsh*t, too.

    “Yes…” her gaze returned to the window, “his work is very important to him.”

“Interesting.” It was all he could think to say; it was clear Scott had no intention of showing up tonight, but it seemed he didn’t need to tell her that.

    “What about your family? Did they have plans as well?” As soon as the words left his mouth, her face instantly went pale. The only times Asher had ever seen a reaction so alarming was when he watched it cross the faces of countless men he had interrogated over the years for his father.

    It was the look of dread, wanting to hear anything but the words coming out of his mouth.

    “Something like that.”

    They rode the rest of the way in silence; thankfully, it wasn’t long before they pulled up to a curb in front of his favorite bar.

    “Welcome to Lucifer’s Domain.” Asher said, the driver opened Asher’s door and he stepped out, soon after he saw Sera’s head poke over the car. She stared up at the purple and red logo, brows pinched.

    “Don’t worry, it’s not a strip club, though it sure as hell looks like one.”

    She nodded her head, clearly not believing a word he said. He walked around the car and held out a hand to her.

    “However it is best if you stick with me until we reach our table.” Once again, she only nodded, but to his surprise, she took the hand he held out to her.

    The callouses on her hand grazed his. Her working hands were much at odds with the pristine face she had.

    God, what he’d do to have those tiny hands wrapped around his-

    “Are we going in?” She stared up at him; he jolted slightly. Had he just been staring at her? The Mafia Don was caught ogling a woman.

    Shame on you, Asher.

    He nodded and led her inside, praying for the seams in his pants to work as they should. What the absolute hell was wrong with him?

    The crowd was mainly on the dance floor; smoke and liquor could be smelt everywhere, and the purple and red lights made it hard to see inside, but he was ultimately used to the atmosphere.

    Across from the entrance, a podium with a metal pole could be seen, and one of his favorite girls, Crystal, had her leg wrapped around it, sliding down in one fluid motion.

    He glanced over at Sera, her eyes wide, but she wasn’t staring at the blonde beauty working the pole. No, she was staring at a short, brunette man across the bar on the dance floor; amid the crowd, they were the most noticeable. Mostly because his hand was fondling her boobs as she ground against him.

    Asher watched as the man flipped the woman around and kissed her. Sera dropped Asher’s hand and began stumbling towards the couple.

    “Scott..?” His name fell from her lips as she trembled slightly and wove in and out of the crowd.

    Asher couldn’t help himself; he followed her through the crowd toward the cheating boyfriend. He felt himself receding into himself as he watched her reach the couple.

    He only stopped when she stood there staring at them. The crowd parted away from him as he stood and watched.

    The man finally looked up to see who had joined the party, and his mouth dropped open.

    “Sera?”

    “What are you doing?” she muttered. If he hadn’t been as close as he was, he wouldn’t have heard her broken voice, and he wouldn’t have seen the tear, reflecting the purple lighting over the dance floor, fall from her cheek.

    Only then did the woman he was dancing with realize he had stopped touching and dancing with her; she looked up and giggled as she leaned against him and put a hand on his chest.

    “This is the Sera?” She laughed as she looked up and down at Sera’s body. “I expected more of you babe, no wonder you couldn’t wait to get rid of her.” Scott’s shocked expression was finally gone and was replaced with a slight smirk.

    “What do you mean, ‘get rid of her?’ Scott, who is this woman?'” she said, her voice gradually rising.

    “This is Desiree. She’s my Fiancé.” Sera’s face went completely slack, and it took everything in Asher not to lay this man out right then and there.

    “Your fiancé??” Sera said, slightly losing her composure. Asher had no idea how she had kept from putting her hands around his throat. He might have enjoyed watching Sera’s small frame lashing out at someone if the situation hadn't been so messed up.

    “Yes, Sera. Don’t be stupid; you know I couldn’t be with you forever,” he said mockingly. The whole bar had gone entirely silent in Asher’s ears as he watched this go down.

    “What about our plans?” She threw her hands in the air, and neither of the perpetrators flinched. “What about me and you finally escaping? Me finally being able to leave that hellhole?”

    Asher pinched his brows together; hellhole? What was she talking about?

    “What about all of the promises you’ve made to me?” She screamed over the music. “Huh?!”

    Scott just laughed in her face. Something inside Asher snapped. It was too much; she had already been through too much tonight.

    Asher closed the distance between them and watched as the couple's eyes traveled up his body. With one arm, he reached around Sera’s waist and pulled her backward. Surprisingly, her body resisted the pull.

    “Who the hell are you?” Scott glared at Asher.

    Asher tilted his head and smiled as he flattened the palm on Sera’s stomach, pulling her flush against his front.

    “Oh, I don’t think you should be focused on me right now, pezzo di merda.”

    “You absolute piece of GARBAGE,” Sera yelled across the music; without further warning, she broke out of Asher’s hold and backhanded him across the face. She struck him so hard his head was thrown sideways into the broad head next to him. Already, you could see the outline of her hand on his face.

    “In case you didn’t know, we’re done.” She turned around, hair whipping into the man’s face, and busted out the front door.

    “I don’t ever want to see you two here again.” Asher said, leaning forward, “you wouldn’t want to piss off the man who could single handedly have you hunted down and gut like a fish.” Asher smiled at them and watched the color drain from both of their faces in anger.

    Asher flipped around and walked out of the bar.