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The crackle of electricity between us kept us both on edge. “Yes,” I said quietly. “It’s the best burger I think I’ve ever had, and my dad can cook a mean cheeseburger.”
“Then I will take that as one of the best compliments I’ve had.” With two more bites, he was finished with his burger. I found myself concentrating on the way beef juice was now trickling down his hand. Without hesitation, he reached over, pushing two of his juice-coated fingers into my mouth. “Lick me clean, Sara. Every drop.”
I wrapped one hand around his wrist, never blinking as I followed his second command of the night, enjoying not only the taste of the liquid but also of his skin. It was tinged with tobacco, maybe one of those Cuban cigars he’d talked about. I licked down one finger, up another, finding this more intimate than what we’d done before.
Yes, in the back of my mind I realized my actions were more than inappropriate, but I sensed he was attempting to push all my boundaries for creative reasons.
When I was finished, he rolled the tip of his index finger around my lips before returning to his food, shoving several fries into his mouth, same as I had.
I finished eating with added gusto, trying to keep my hands from shaking. When I finally took a sip of wine, he pushed his plate and his chair back, making himself comfortable. He’d caught me staring at his tats again, cocking his head as he glanced down at his arm himself.
“You’re wondering about the artwork,” he said.
“Yes. It’s incredible.”
“When I went away to college, it was the first thing I did.”
“Truly amazing. The detailing is impressive. Stunning. And so you.”
“You know your tats?”
“Only because I went with my brother when he got one against my parents’ wishes.”
He laughed. “I didn’t have that luxury. You’re close to your family.”
“Yes and no. Mom and Dad are always working given the ranch life isn’t in their blood, and both thought my foray into creative writing was a phase that would pass. Oops. I think they really believed their kids would want to be sheep farmers.”
“Maybe they were just protecting you from this big, bad world.”
I mulled over what he said. “They’ve always tried to. But as we both know, evil lurks inside the most pristine families.”
“Very sad and very true.” As he poured me more wine, he lifted his gaze once again. “You should cherish them no matter how tough they were on you. Now, back to our original conversation. What is it that you really want to know, Sara? You’re obviously curious about my admittance I’m a dangerous man as well as the speculations that my father was a real-life monster. Now is your time to ask what you need and if you’re incensed or terrified by my answers, you are free to go. I’ll pay you for two weeks of your time, but you won’t be allowed to divulge any of our conversations to anyone. I will do what’s necessary to keep that from happening. Is that clear?”
I knew he would keep his promise.
“Yes, perfectly clear. I don’t think there’s anything you can tell me that will bother me.” I leaned forward in my chair, folding my arms so I could gather a better look at his eyes. Every old phrase seemed appropriate around him. They were truly windows to his soul, although the icy obsidian appearance would terrify almost anyone.
Not me.
“We shall see.”
“Are you mafia? Is your corporation a front for crime syndicate activities like money laundering and the illegal sale of drugs? Do you force people to pay you what’s called insurance money so you protect their stores and allow them to keep breathing?”
Another laugh pushed up from his throat, the sound rich and husky. “You’ve watched far too many movies on crime syndicates. Do I consider myself a member of a mafia family, yes, I do. While my father engaged in the old methods of doing business, some similar to what you just mentioned, nowadays most syndicates don’t need to resort to heinous criminal activities for their daily business operations. Besides, our weapons and security systems development and sales keep the three of us busy.”
“Okay, wow. So you sell illegal weapons?”
“We have sold weapons to less than scrupulous organizations and countries in the past, but we are currently working with the militaries of several respected countries. In other words, we’ve gone mostly legitimate.”
“But Creed is the head. Does he use force to operate or to handle discrepancies?”
He got up from the table, grabbing a bottle of gin from the counter. Only after pouring did he answer me. “Now, we are finally getting somewhere. Yes, Sara. All three of us have used violence as necessary to thwart off our enemies or to teach certain people who dared cross us a lesson.”
“The response learned from your father?”
The way he took a deep breath indicated the subject was a sore one for him. His smile was genuine. “Yes, our father was a brutal man who enjoyed inflicting pain. Does that shock you?”
“Yes, of course it does. Including inflicting agony on his sons.” I knew I was pushing a little hard but once I got started with something like this, it was difficult for me to stop. I couldn’t imagine. My father had been strict, often showing no emotion, but what I’d just heard horrified me.
