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It doesn’t take long to catch his gaze.
He stares, head tilted. His brows knit, considering. His eyes are dark brown and my heart races as he licks his lips, not bothering to pretend like he’s not checking me out. He lingers on the cross. And probably on my tits. Then he’s making serious eye contact again.
“Are you here alone?” he asks.
Despite the fact that he’s eye-fucking me so hard I’m basically pregnant at this point, it takes a second to understand what he means. “Uh, yeah, just me.”
“I’m Saul. My friend is Dante.”
“Nice to meet you,” I say.
Dante just nods and doesn’t look interested.
But Saul can’t seem to look away.
He’s handsome. Absurdly handsome. Like the sort of handsome I know exists in the abstract but I’ve never actually seen it before. Fine cheekbones, lips carved from marble, and layers of muscle under that fancy suit. It’s almost hard to look at. The contrast between him and the scratched-up bar is painful. I cross my legs and sip my wine. He watches my mouth the whole time.
“This is going to sound like a pick-up, but I’m genuinely curious. Do you come here often?”
I try not to smile.
I’m going to rob him tonight.
Either that, or I’m going to puke on his shoes.
I haven’t decided which one yet.
Chapter 2
Saul
This fucking bar was not worth the blood it took to get it.
One full week of fighting: intermittent brawls, a couple of shootings, and three dead Irishmen before they finally retreated and ceded the block to us. Turns out, there’s not much here. Residential houses, a butcher’s shop and this place. The Sterling Duck. It makes the typical Philly dive look like a palace. I’m going to burn my shoes and buy ten new suits when I get home just to make sure the stink of this place doesn’t follow me back.
Except there’s the girl. She doesn’t belong. I planned on having a drink, letting everyone in the place understand that the order of the world has changed and they now live in Rossi Famiglia territory, except there she was.
Tight black dress, legs like heaven, a cross dangling between full breasts, lips fluffier than clouds, thick auburn hair, big green eyes. She’s not the kind of girl I’d bring back to my brother, Don Renzo, but I can’t help but feel a sudden and intense attraction.
I try to keep it under wraps. Dante’s here with me, and while we’re friends, he’s closer with Renzo, and he’ll report back if I do something stupid. But since when was taking a girl home stupid?
I’m pretty sure she’s a hooker. Why else would a girl like her be in a place like this? But for some reason, that only makes me more fascinated by her. I don’t bother with working girls—but sleeping with a professional without paying seems like an interesting challenge.
“Do you come here often?” I ask, which is an awful line, but this girl doesn’t belong. The Sterling Duck is a mud stain; she’s like clean linen. I want to wrap myself around her and taste every inch of her gorgeous fucking skin. I’m half hard looking at her thighs, and if she moves just a little bit more, I’m going to catch a glimpse of what’s between her legs. That dress was made for a club, not for an Irish mafia bar.
“Not really,” she admits, looking nervous, and for a second I think maybe I was wrong, maybe she’s really not a prostitute. But maybe she’s just good at her job. “My cousin hangs around here, and my uncle used to drink here a lot back in the day, but—” She stops herself and takes a sip of wine.
“I’m going to guess that your cousin won’t be coming here anymore.” I lean closer to her and do my best to maintain eye contact. Otherwise, I’m going to leer at her like an absolute pervert. She shifts a little in her chair and I can’t tell if she’s excited or nervous. Probably both. “The order of things has changed somewhat in this neighborhood.”
“Saul,” Dante chides. He sounds bored. “Don’t be a dick.”
I shrug and tilt my head toward her. “What’s your name?”
“Molly,” she says. I like the way she talks. Her voice is slightly low, almost sultry, but with a pretty girlish lilt. I catch sight of white teeth and a pink tongue. “And what do you mean, the order of things has changed?” She sounds genuinely curious.
“Nothing you need to worry about.” I shift onto the stool separating us. I’m in my element now and on the hunt. I love this moment, the little playful banter, the teasing, the flirting, the uncertainty, all before the kill. Most of the time, this is the best part of any encounter with the opposite sex. The fucking’s fun and all that, but these are the best moments, feeling each other out and doing that little back and forth dance. It’s not something I get into all that often, but every once in a while, I allow myself an indulgence.
She leans back like she’s afraid of being too close to me, but she doesn’t get up. I catch Dante rolling his eyes. He’s not going to stop me though.
