71

Zane hated the thought of treating his angel like a pet. He hated it almost as much as he hated the idea of her being in the same room as that lunatic Johnson. But it was the only way. He had thought about using a girl from the brothels. But he hadn’t been lying when he had said Johnson probably would have spotted it. Then there was the fact the idea made his stomach turn. Just the notion of having another woman by his side, even if it was just acting, made him feel sick. He had noticed Ava tense up as well when he had mentioned it. He didn’t know if it was because she didn’t like to share his attention or if it was because she just didn’t like the idea of prostitutes. Either way, the idea was scrapped. He just had to keep Ava safe and remember to put in extra effort to hide his own feelings. If Johnson ever found out Zane actually cared for his angel, he would not hesitate to use it against him. They arrived at the club. It was later than they usually arrived because Zane and Jax didn’t want to give Johnson the opportunity to know when they would be there.

“Ready?” he asked Ava. She looked him in the eyes and gave him a small smile as she nodded. She looked amazing in the dress. Anna and she had played heavy into the angel-theme and Zane enjoyed it. He stepped out of the car and had to stop himself from reaching in to help Ava out. Fuck, this was going to be a long night, he thought. Making sure his face was schooled into its normal neutral look with a slight scowl, Zane walked towards the entrance. To his relief, Ava was keeping up with him, half a step behind. He glanced in her direction and saw her eyes were glued to the floor. Good girl, he thought. They didn’t stop at the bar, instead they headed straight for his office. Zane hoped they all could get a half hour to relax before the real show needed to start. Ryder was jogging up to Zane. That was never a fucking good sign.

“Boss, Johnson is already here. His waiting in a VIP-room,” Ryder quietly said. Zane felt like swearing, punching someone and then just shoot the fucker Johnson. But that would start a war, and the other families would smell blood in the water and come to see if they could take their bite. That was the fucking problem with being number one. The slightest show of weakness would turn into a frenzy. Zane didn’t want a war if he could avoid it. They weren’t good for business and he didn’t want his angel caught up in one.

“Escort him, his pet, and two of his men to my office. Anyone else can stay in the VIP-room,” Zane told Ryder. Ryder nodded and walked off. Zane continued to walk towards the stairs leading to his office. So much for getting a fucking breather before the show, he thought. As they were walking up the stairs, he turned around to look at the others. “Time to start the show. No fucking slipups,” he said. Jax, Carlos, and Ava nodded.
“Don’t worry, man. We got this,” Jax said. He gave Zane one of his no-worries smiles, but Zane knew him well enough to see through it. Jax was as worried as Zane was. As Jax and Carlos swept the rooms, making sure there were no bugs or hidden surprises, Zane got one of the decorative pillows from the couch and put it on the floor next to his desk. Even pets had pillows to sit on, he thought. He hated the idea of his angel sitting on the hard floor. Zane walked up to Ava and made her look him in the eyes. He knew no one had eyes on them in his office.

“Are you sure about doing this?” he asked.

“I am,” she said. He indulged himself by placing a quick kiss on her forehead. He took a step back and readied himself. There was a knock on the door. Zane looked at Jax and Carlos. They both nodded to let him know the rooms were clean. Ava walked to stand behind him.

“Yes,” Zane called out. Ryder opened the door.

“Mr Johnson and his party, boss,” Ryder said from the doorway.

“Fine, let them in.” Zane watched the men as they entered. First in was a man about Zanes age, blond, skinny and with a smile which would have been right at home on a jackal. He was followed by an older man in his fifties, his hair had started to grey and he had a scar running along his left cheek, the smile was the same as that of the first man. Mr Johnson, Zane thought. closely behind him came a woman. She was thin, looked jumpy, and her dark hair was put into a braid. Her skimpy outfit hung on her body in a way which told Zane she wasn’t eating enough. Still, she was beautiful. Nothing compared to his angel, but he could see why Johnson had chosen this woman. Lastly came a mountain of a person. He even made Ryder look small. His bald head and beady eyes combined with his all-black outfit made him look every bit like the bodyguard that he was.

“Mr Velky,” the older man said, reaching out his hand.

“Mr Johnson,” Zane said, shaking the man’s hand. “Nice to see you are so eager you and your party got here an hour before the appointed time.”

“You have to forgive me, my friend. My men had heard such great things about this club. The rumour has it you can see angels on the dancefloor. I can see the rumours are true,” Mr Johnson said, looking at Ava. His eyes wandered all over her body. It took all of Zane’s self-restriction not to punch the man in the face. Instead, he lazily followed his gaze and let a grin appear on his face as he looked back at Ava. She was playing her role perfectly.

“A rare find. I’m lucky to have men who saw the value in her and brought her to me,” Zane said. He reached out his hand, and Ava put hers in it without hesitation. Zane made her twirl around, giving everyone a full view of her body.

“Rare find indeed,” Johnson said. The man was almost drooling, as was the younger version of him. His son, Zane assumed.
“Let’s sit,” Zane said. He walked over to his desk without waiting for a reply. He sat down in his chair, and Ava gracefully folded herself down onto the pillow by his feet. How she did so in that dress without showing the room everything was a mystery to Zane. Jax took a seat on the side of the desk, placing Ava between them. Ryder and Carlos remained standing with their back against the window overlooking the club.

“She’s obedient,” Johnson commented as he took a seat in the visitor’s chair which was on the other side of the desk. The woman hurried to sit down on the floor. There was only one visitor’s chair, so the bodyguard and the son had no choice but to stand.

“Of course, she would be pointless otherwise,” Zane said, reaching out a hand, stroking Ava’s head.

“I don’t know. I kind of like a fighter myself,” Johnson said, looking down at his pet. Zane could see a shiver run down her body under his gaze. It didn’t look like one of pleasure.

“I agree it can be entertaining with a more spirited performance in the bedroom. But during meetings I prefer her to know her place. I don’t have time to spend on her fussing,” Zane said. He hated every word.

“I see your point. What training method do you prefer? The only method I have found works are physical punishment and food restriction.”

“I just make fucking sure my pet knows disobeying is not an option. Now, are you here to talk about how you can’t train a fucking pet, or are you here to talk business?” Zane asked. He was losing his patience. He felt Ava shift a little, and she leaned into his leg. It looked like a submissive pet seeking approval from her master. But Zane understood the gesture. Whenever they were in his office and he got worked up, Ava would take his hand until he calmed down. The first time it had happened, it had shocked Zane out of his bad mood. Now it had become a habit. As Ava couldn’t grab his hand, she had leaned into his leg instead. The effect was the same.

“You are right, business before pleasure. But after the business is done, maybe we can revisit this topic?” Johnson said.

“Sure, I have no issue with that. So, you want to use the block at Roe and Park?” Zane asked.