"You just had to bring your piece, huh?"

The men in the VIP lounge are old, much older than the club's target demographic. They sit in a circle in leather chairs, smoking cigars with an abandoned game of cards on the glass table in the center.

Bobby grins, slick and easy like a liar, and says, "I can't have someone taking what's mine."

The men all laugh and the gray-haired one in the corner gestures for the empty seat. Bobby glances at her before sitting down. She settles on his thigh with her knees dangling between his legs. Amara props one elbow up on his shoulder to card through the hair at the nape of his neck, the other hand fiddling with the undone buttons of his dress shirt. She smiles prettily at the men leering at her, careful to present herself as a nonentity.

Bobby starts immediately. "So I wanted to get in on the game-"

"Slow down, pepper," the gray man laughs and all the other men laugh along. Through the fog of second-hand smoke, his eyes glint dangerously. "We don't start with business."

"Oh, right." Bobby wipes his palms on the sides of his thighs.

"Tell me where you're from, Tyler."

"LA."

"What do you do?"

Bobby smiles, looking the part of the immature, overconfident bachelor to a T. "Her."

The men laugh again and Amara titters too for the sake of the joke.

"She's so pretty. What's your name, sweetheart?" asks a tall man with a scar sitting to the gray man's left.

She smiles demurely and looks at Bobby, who answers for her, "Nothing you'll ever need to learn. She's mine."

He reaches around to move her hair behind her shoulder and Amara can feel his fingers shaking, but he looks like he's never been more comfortable in his life. Her thumb rubs circles on the back of his neck and she tries her best to focus on him and not the other men.

"I like you, Levron," says the man sitting beside them, a stocky one with no hair. "You're old school."

Bobby beams at the praise.

"If he gets his lady in here, then I want to call for mine," says a fourth man sitting across from them, beside the tall man. He has slick hair and big eyes and his gaze makes Amara feel even queasier.

"You young men," the gray man says with a chuckle. "Always so quick to show off your pieces."

The slick man rolls his eyes and pulls out his phone. Not even a full minute later, a pale girl with blue eyes and a shaggy pixie cut strides into the VIP lounge. Amara likes her dress, but she doesn't like the way the woman is looking at her like her enemy. She sits on her man's lap between his spread legs. His hands come around her slim waist to grip the tops of her bare thighs. Her glittery green dress is not nearly as short as Amara's, but she makes up for the covered skin with a plunging neckline.

"Say hello, Veronica."

The woman smiles shallowly at the circle of men and says hello in a low sultry voice.

Bobby grins, all suburban charm, and says, "Hi, Veronica. I love the dress."

Veronica preens under the compliment and Amara sends Bobby a small smile. The slick-haired man, however, does not.

"Hey, sweetheart."

Amara turns to the man, but his eyes are locked on Bobby. "Does Tyler show you a good time? Does he make you feel good?"

She feels sick, especially with the way his hands are creeping up Veronica's body to cup the underside of her breasts. Amara flutters her lashes anyway and turns to Bobby. Bobby just looks up at her with a grin.

"Well, princess? Do I?"

The pet name makes something hot flash through her and she knows he can see it in her eyes because his smile falters for just a second. For that second, he's just Bobby. Bobby, with one cold hand on her hip and the other creeping up the inside of her thigh. Bobby, with his eyes warm and burning through her. Bobby, with his tongue darting out to lick his lips.

"Oh, how precious!" the bald man laughs sharply. When she looks back at the circle, all eyes are on her. She blushes and ducks her head and the men are eating it up.

Veronica is glaring at her.

"Sorry, Walter, but she's just so much sweeter," the tall man says, gripping his armrests a little too hard.

Walter- the man with the slick hair- glares at him and then her and then Bobby.

"So sweet that I bet she doesn't even know what she's doing," he bites back and it feels like the insult is for Bobby. It feels like he's shooting to maim.

"Enough, boys." The gray man puts out his cigar stub and turns to Bobby. "So you wanted in, Levron?"

Bobby grins, all boyish glee, and Amara wonders if he's just that good of a liar or if this character strikes close to home. She scratches lightly at the nape of his neck and a shiver runs through his body.

"You know it."

The gray man grins too, predatory, and says, "What do you think, gentlemen?"

Some sort of silent exchange passes between the men, a conversation that slides between their eyes. Bobby takes the opportunity to hide his face in her flat-ironed hair and whisper, "How do you think it's going?"

He pulls back to look at her and slouches back in his seat so that she's more draped over his chest than sitting in his lap. She takes the opportunity to bite his earlobe around his piercing and mutter, "So good. You're doing so good."

His eyes flutter lazily, and when Amara realizes it's because of her sucking on his earlobe, she pulls away and pinches his shoulder. Bobby glares at her and pinches her thigh in return.

"Something to share with the class?" teases the gray man.

"Vono, leave them to their fun," says the bald man beside them and Amara tries not to look horrified when she notices his hand cupping the bulge in his pants.

"All she does is blush and bat her eyes," Walter says. "Look what Veronica can do."

Next thing she knows, his hand is up Veronica's skirt and the woman is writhing and moaning like she's in a bad porn. Amara can't help but gape.

"Oh, Walter," the tall lady moans. "You'll scandalize the poor thing."

Her mean comment unintentionally brings the men's attention back to Amara. The tall man smiles and says, "Don't be jealous just because the new kid has a young, sweet thing."

Amara perks up at that and looks at Bobby, but he's looking wide-eyed at the show. She plays the jealous girlfriend, kissing the underside of his jaw and whispering in his ear what the tall man just said.

"Wait, new kid?" Bobby asks when the words register. "Am I in?"

Vono smiles, so sinister in all he does. "You're in, kid."

Bobby whoops, but it's drowned out by the sound of Veronica squealing.

"Congrats, Levron," Walter says with a sick smile. "Here's your welcome party."

It takes Amara a second, but when she hears the squelching sound of wet skin on wet skin, she realizes that Walter is fully sheathed inside Veronica.