Read Online Domination by Lyra Byrnes - Free Book Online Page B

couple before. She couldn’t imagine the
lone-wolf rock star walking arm in arm with a girl like an ordinary human
being—pursuing her, giving her flowers, taking her to dinner. Whatever lovers
do. She had never been an expert player in the dating game.
    Good thing they had skipped that part because here she was,
publicly nestled against a man who made other women drool like starving dogs
catching sight of a pork chop. Yet someone had broken his heart. Who?
    He steered her into a low-slung, half-timbered building
whose peeling exterior walls revealed ancient brickwork. Inside it was dark and
crowded, candles flickering on every table, the jukebox blaring a pop hit Josie
would have paid to never hear again.
    “What is this place?”
    “Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop, a front for notorious pirates.”
    “In that case, you look right at home.”
    He indicated a free table and headed toward the bar. Josie watched
the street outside. In front of the bar a carriage pulled up. The driver
dismounted and a waitress sauntered out, jotted something down and returned.
Frat-boy types shouted over the music, older couples looked around wonderingly,
a few people who seemed to be locals chatted amiably along the bar. It all
seemed incongruous with the gentle candlelight. She had always liked pop but
tonight it sounded insipid, bloodless and repetitive. This song in
particular—another pop tart saved by vocal modifiers and heavy production.
    The music stilled as if the jukebox, insulted, had read her
mind. Bram placed a huge red drink in front of her. Josie eyed it dubiously.
    “Hurricane.”
    “Um… Aren’t you having one?”
    One look shut her up. “It’s not the slop you had before,” he
went on, taking a sip of whiskey. “They make them with real fruit juice and
fifteen kinds of liquor, something like that. “
    “Are you trying to get me drunk?”
    “Do I need to?”
    She tasted the drink. Delicious but deadly, as promised. “What
do you usually do here?”
    Bram looked away. In the candlelight his cheekbones stood
out in stark relief. “Get in a fair bit of trouble, as it happens. Thought I’d
try something new. I heard somewhere birds like to dance.”
    “Dance? No, not this bird. Nuh-uh.”
    “How about standing around swaying a bit?”
    As he spoke the music kicked in again, a slow, loping tune,
sad and hopeful at the same time. “I’m walkin’ to New Orleans,” sang…
    “Fats Domino! Now that’s more like it.”
    She took Bram’s hand and stood. He pulled her into his arms
and began a slow side-by-side step even she could keep up with.
    As if by magic the candlelight faded, the chatter of the
crowd fell away. Josie felt as if she and Bram were alone in the bar, the city,
the universe, lit from within. She buried her nose in his hair, breathed in his
leathery, masculine scent.
    With me, with me, she thought. He chose me. Not
Bram Hunter, rock god, but this man who I’d want if he were a ditch-digger or a —she
tried to think of some horrible profession— a lawyer.
    The song ended too soon. She blinked the world back into
focus. “Bram? Did you ever want to be a lawyer?”
    “Have you gone mad?”
    “Sorry.” They sat as another tune cranked up, a melancholy
blues number. “What’s up with the jukebox?” she asked, pulling at her straw.
    “Got the barmaid to pull the plug and reboot.”
    She smiled. “For me?”
    “For me, more like. I don’t like throwing around money to
get what I want, Josie, but it was either that or kick the thing to pieces.”
    “I would have beat you to it.”
    “Oh?” he said with a teasing smile. “Coming around to
Domination, are you? We’re going to have to get you kitted up. I’m thinking a
leather mini and a few tattoos.”
    “As you people say, not bloody likely. Fuck! Why now?” She
dug the beeping cell phone out of her purse. “I have to take this. It’s
probably Melanie, but my new editor is supposed to send…”
    But it was Warren. Oh, no. Oh