Little Enchantress

Ronan sat with his friends in Cupid’s Paradise a club where most shady men often lingered. The base was loud enough to give him a headache but he knew him and his team needed this time to relax even a little. The VIP lounge was filled with friends and foe alike, his sky-blue eyes scanned the area with a hawk-like gaze. His friends nodded at the look he passed them, and kept an eye on the surrounding area, the last thing they needed was trouble.

“Hey, Ron. What drink?” Blaze asked from the bar.

“Bourbon,” Ronan replied, unbothered.

He ran a hand through his raven black hair messing his comb-over slightly. The suit he wore was beginning to suffocate him so he took his blazer off, loosened his tie, rolled the sleeves of his shirt up to his forearms, and popped a few buttons of his shirt to reveal the smooth expanse of his chiselled chest.

Lighting a cigarette he took a drag. Every year he told himself he’d quit, and every year he broke that promise. It was the only thing that seemed to calm his nerves especially after catching another traitor, which he seemed to be doing a lot nowadays. It looked as if his enemies were now playing dirty by buying his men. And his men were playing even dirtier by being bought.

The smoke from his cigarette curled around him in a protective circle. He rolled his eyes as he saw his best friend flirt with the server in the little black number. “Blaze. Leave her alone,” he told him in a tone that brooked no arguments.

Blaze smirked, “Just having a little fun, boss. No harm done.”

“How many times do I need to tell you to stop treating women like your playthings?” he says annoyed.

Blaze had the decency to look chastened as he shrugged and went back to talking to their friends again. A soft sigh escaped Ronan’s lips and he takes a sip of his bourbon. He saw a hot blonde in a tight red dress checking him out. He barely gave her a glance as he looked at her indifferently.

Ronan appreciate a pretty woman from time to time, heck the fact that he was a handsome man didn’t surpass him. It usually meant that women surrounded him like flies, but right now all he needed was some peace which his job never allowed him to have.

“For God’s sake…” Ronan whispered as he saw the same girl that Blaze was flirting with earlier now sitting in his friend’s lap. Blaze’s arm around her slim waist as she shamelessly ran her fingers down his chest. Blaze whispered something in her ear which made her giggle and squirm in his lap.

Rolling his eyes he looked away back at the dance floor. Just then Ronan’s eyes capture the young girl who just walked in with her friends. She looked out of place, blissfully unaware that she had just walked into a den of wolves. She was clearly out of her depth and that made Ronan intrigued. And Ronan Knight was rarely ever intrigued.

His eyes scanned her from head to toe as he took in her slender figure, the way the flashing lights overhead reflected in her chocolate brown hair, it was straight and loose as it reached her waist. Her cinnamon brown eyes were doe shaped almost like a deer’s. But what really caught his attention was her outfit.

The black blouse and white flowy skirt that brushed along the floor, did little to conceal her slender waist and wide hips. A deep growl reverberated in his chest and his grip tightened around the glass as he heard her laugh with one of the guys in the group.

His thoughts were interrupted by Blaze, “You going to go over there or stare at her all night?”

Ronan didn’t look away from the girl as he took a sip of his bourbon, “All in due time, my friend. Wouldn’t want to scare the little enchantress.”

Blaze’s eyebrows shot up in surprised, “Little enchantress, eh? Has the notorious Ronan Knight finally found someone worthy of his time?”

“Perhaps,” he replied.

“To the King of the Underworld and his Little Enchantress, may your reign be long and may she always keep you on your toes,” Blaze raised his glass in a mock toast.

Both men clinked their glasses and Ronan kept his ears on his friends but his eyes on his girl. He was well aware of his surroundings and the unsavoury characters that often graced the club.

However, he was momentarily distracted when one of his friends started talking about the latest update of their job, “Triads or Bratvas?” Blaze asked. His demeanour changing from his usual playfulness to one of seriousness in the blink of an eye.

“Neither. Its the English. They’ve been spotted here,” Marco explains.

“What the fuck…?” Ronan says confused.

“Yeah. Apparently there’s a new player, calls himself Leo as in Latin for Lion,” Lucas rolls his eyes and takes a drag of his cigar.

“Blaze, send a few scouts to check out the area. If what we heard is true, then I want to know everything about this Leo,” Ronan orders.

Blaze nods curtly, “Will do, boss. I have a few guys owing me favours. I’ll give ‘em a ring.”

“Good, keep me posted. I want updates hourly,” Ronan says assertively.

He took a sip of his bourbon and felt his blood run cold because when he looked up the girl was gone. He felt a pang of panic and something deeper- longing, perhaps, as he carried on scanning the area looking for her.

He saw her friends on the dance floor and his tense shoulders relaxed just a bit thinking she probably went to the bathroom. He waited a few minutes but when he realized that she wasn’t in the bathroom he felt tensed again.

Blaze said something but Ronan didn’t hear as he got up, put his blazer back on and walked out of the VIP lounge without another word.. He moved through the throng of club-goers as they parted a pathway for him.

Ronan made his way outside where he finally spotted her walking through the alleyway. Keeping to the shadows he decided to follow her home, just to make sure she was safe. He kept walking until she reached a small cottage.

He watched her for 5 minutes just to make sure she was truly safe and well. When the last light switched off and all was quiet in the house. Ronan emerged from the shadows and took out a single red rose from the inside of his jacket and placed it on the door handle.

Without looking back, he made his way back to the club again. Upon entering the VIP lounge, he took his jacket off once more and dropped it in the empty chair before collapsing back on the sofa.

Blaze sat nursing a half-drunk glass of Jaeger Bomb. His hair and clothes dishevelled and a faint musky scent of arousal emitting from him. Ronan smirked knowing exactly what his friend had been up to while he was away.

“Where the fuck were you, man? We were worried we’d have to send out a search party,” Blaze says relieved, running a hand through his already messy hair.

“Were you actually thinking about me while you were shagging a girl?” Ronan asks bluntly.

Blaze looked taken aback, “Fuck no! I just meant when I came back and didn’t see you I got worried.”

Ronan scoffed and took a sip of his drink, “Let’s just say it was somewhere worth the trip.”

Blaze laughed and started talking about something, but Ronan was only half listening. His mind was already occupied with thoughts of the mystery girl who managed to break through his icy exterior, without even saying a word.

“My little enchantress,” Ronan mused to himself.