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“So then why not let me go, hmm? I already told you I could help you.”
The way she looks at me tells me enough: she doesn’t trust me. She has no reason to. She’s clearly never dealt with someone like me before; this is all new to her, and I am the most untrustworthy person she’s ever met.
But I’m not lying. I would help her… after she pays me what I’m owed: her time.
“I can’t,” Thea says after a while. “My brother would kill me if I let you go.”
“Your brother will die if you don’t. Is that really a risk you want to take? Think long and hard about it, Thea, because time is running out. By now, my brother will have heard I didn’t come home last night, and he’ll be organizing the men. Rallying the troops, so to speak. He’ll go to the club, demand access to the cameras, and he’ll see you come over to me and sit on my lap. You will be his prime target.”
A minute passes before she says, “Then I guess Max better have you sold by then, huh?”
Feisty in spite of it all. I love it. Still, it’s stupid. If what she’s after is money, there is a much easier way to go about this. Her pride must be bigger than I thought, and that’s a dangerous thing. I would know. For a man in my profession, nothing’s more dangerous.
My smile must irritate her, because she huffs, “You smile a lot for a man that’s kidnapped.”
“I suppose I do.” I shrug as best I can. “Does my smile bother you?”
“Yeah, actually, it does.”
“How?”
“It—” Thea stops herself, her blue-eyed gaze narrowing in my direction. “A man like you, in a situation like this, shouldn’t be smiling. You’re up the creek without a paddle, buddy.”
I chuckle. “I could scowl for you, if you want, but let me warn you: it’ll be half-hearted. It’s impossible to scowl when I’m with you.”
“You don’t even know me. Shit. Does that work on other women?” Thea isn’t afraid to swear. I like hearing her curse. I like her mouth too, now that I’m looking at it. Her lips are supple, and I know just how soft they are. The kind of lips that pucker without even trying, the kind of lips that would feel a-fucking-mazing wrapped around my cock.
“I already told you, other women throw themselves at me. You’re not like them.”
Thea gags and rolls her eyes. “All offense meant, but I don’t think every woman in this city throws themselves at you. Besides, I’m really nothing special—” The moment those words leave her lips, my smile fades, and she stops herself from saying anything more.
“Don’t say that.” The words leave me with hushed tones, a startling contrast to how I’ve been speaking to her, but I can’t help it. Something about her off-handed dismissal of herself I don’t like. I can’t explain it.
She must sense the change in me, because the next time she speaks, she sounds genuinely curious: “If so many other women throw themselves at you, why aren’t you married? I thought for people like you it’s all about family and bullshit like that.”
“I haven’t found the right woman to put a ring on.” It is way too early to be on that line of thinking, but images of Thea wearing a beautiful white gown rise in my head. She would make a gorgeous bride, wouldn’t she? “What about you? Any boyfriends I should know about? Besides me, of course.”
The way she rolls her eyes again, I can tell she thinks I’m joking, but I’m not. Quite the opposite, in fact.
“I’m serious, love. Are there any out there? If there are, you might want to give them a heads up and tell them to leave the city, otherwise they’ll go for a long walk off a short pier.” When she only stares at me, I add, “I’m saying—”
“I know what you’re saying,” she interrupts. “And stop it! You have no right to say any of that. You’re not my real boyfriend. I just needed you to pretend so that guy would leave—so I could focus on casing out my target, which just happened to be you. One big coincidence. That’s all. Now shut up before I go searching for more duct tape.”
How could I possibly argue with that? I don’t say a word more, but I do continue to smirk.
My lips are dry and I’m fucking starving for a real meal—not to mention that headache that’s bouncing around in my head after a night of hard drinks and getting drugged—so I know I’m not the epitome of handsome right now. That said, I do believe, with the way she tries to avoid eye contact and that constant blush on her cheeks, she finds me attractive. A good thing, certainly, for what I have in store for her once I’m out of this dump.
Everything about Thea’s life will change.
Chapter Seven – Thea
Don’t ask me why, but I thought my brother would be back before noon. Silly me assumed that organizing a meeting with a local mafia boss would be easy-peasy, but I haven’t heard from him since he left the house, and when twelve o’clock rolls around, I know I’m in for a long day.
Why is it so long? Oh, you know, just the other mafia boss who’s restrained in the living room. The one who is always watching me, staring at me, smirking that stupidly sexy smirk like he knows he’s in my head.
But he isn’t. Not really. I mean, okay, sure, he’s the kind of guy I wouldn’t mind pinning me down and…
Whatever, right? I’m not really thinking about screwing Silus McLean.
