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I believe him. I don’t know if that makes me naïve. But I honestly don’t think he’d choose the wrong path. That makes me even more curious about what he said. He saved someone, and it hurt someone. But he shut that down quick.
“Ooh, mamacita,” Rosa says when I walk into the kitchen.
I laugh. “What?”
“Is this for the mystery man?”
Zoe gave her abuela the whole report. Of course.
“It’s my regular outfit. I just make some adjustments.”
Is it a crime to want to show off my assets to a man whose touch makes me burn all over?
“You should have let him loan you that car,” Rosa says.
“Mateo paid for everything… until he didn’t, and then he left us in ruins. And anyway, I’ve fixed the car. And I’m thinking of buying a new one. I’m getting lots of tips lately.”
She gives me a hug. “That’s because you’re very good at whatever you put your mind to.”
I fill with warmth and love. Sometimes, found family is better than real family. That doesn’t mean I can be honest with Rosa. It doesn’t mean I can tell her where the money’s really coming from.
Rafael grins at me with his silver tooth, thanking me for the champagne in English before calling me a slur in Spanish. I keep my bright smile on my face, but I want to laugh at him. Ha, ha, I foiled your murder plot. It makes taking his crap easier. And it proves he doesn’t know it was Vanta that screwed him over.
He leaves early, and the other customers are great tonight. There’s a group of businesswomen on a hen do, eight couples on an octuple date, and a few groups of men and women. I notice Nikolai halfway into my shift, leaning against the wall, hands in his pockets, like he’s posing just for me.
He sees me looking and smirks, his eyes playing in the light. I even notice other women noticing… looking at him, then at me, jealous that the most handsome man in this place is eye fucking me. I quickly turn away, but I know he’s feasting on my legs and ass too.
I feel adventurous, curious, and ready. I know it’s dangerous. But I can’t stop thinking about when he touched me. I can’t stop imagining him going higher up my leg.
He approaches me, touching my wrist, leaning down to whisper in my ear. His hot breath moves over my face and neck. “Are you trying to drive me nuts, Serena?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I reply coyly.
He moves closer against me, letting me feel his hard body. There’s a feeling between us, a heat. It goes beyond words. I feel like I’m losing my mind.
“I’m going up to my office. Follow me in ten minutes, I’ll be watching you, waiting.”
He abruptly leaves. Part of me wants to tell him hell no, I’m not his on-demand plaything. But another part – a much bigger part – is aching for what comes next. I’ve never felt anything like with this man. There’s an excitement and anticipation pulsing through me, in time with the music.
For ten minutes, every inch of me buzzes as I imagine Nikolai’s gaze on me. I bend over a table to collect champagne flutes, imagining him gazing at my legs, my ass. I know I’m sending mixed signals. Telling him to go slow, then feeding on this. I don’t care right now. Maybe I will later.
I finally head up the hallway to his office. I’m trembling as I push the door open. He turns from the one-way glass, his jacket off, his shirt sleeves rolled up to show his ink. He walks toward me slowly, trembling as much as I am.
“I was watching you every fucking second,” he says fiercely.
“I don’t do things like this,” I whisper. “I don’t know what’s got into me.”
“I love it,” he says. “Embrace it. Enjoy it. You’re just living in the moment, Serena. And you’re putting me there too.”
He grabs my hips and pulls me to him. I gasp as I feel how hard he is, pressing against my stomach, a huge bundle of pure lust pushing into me. He groans and kisses me hard, his hands smoothing down to my ass.
“The door,” I whisper between kisses, knowing this is my last moment to turn back. My underwear is already growing hot and sticky. My heart is beating so, so hard.
He rushes to the door and locks it, then turns to me, his chest rising and falling rapidly.
He looks so intense, I just want to melt. He rushes back to me and lifts me off my feet. I wrap my legs around him, grinding against him as he carries me to the one-way glass. He lays me against it, the glass cool against my skin.
“Will it break?” I ask.
