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“I love this color,” I interrupted and leaned in to finger the deep-red collar of Jacob’s shirt. I could feel his breath on my cheek, and his eyes widened to show he enjoyed my touch. “When I was eighteen, I fell in love with this sexy red Jaguar E-Type S. Oh, hell, she was stunning. Her curves were gorgeous, and her engine purred like a catcall to all men.” I chuckled at the memory that came back to me. “When I finally went to buy it, the owner had other plans, and just like that, my dream of owning something so appealing vanished. I guess the deal just wasn’t meant to be.” It took everything inside me not to look over at Elio as I pulled back from Jacob.
“Jaguar?” Jacob snagged the bottle and poured himself another very large glass. “There’s no back seat, where’s the fun in that?” He laughed and ran his hand up my thigh as the rest of his men joined in with laughter.
I shook my head at them all and acted completely disgusted at his words.
“A real man would have figured it out,” I shot back and hoped for an angry reaction.
“There you are.” Wyatt suddenly tugged back the curtain and stood next to Vinni.
“Who the fuck is this?” Jacob glared at him.
“This is Anna’s friend, Andrew,” Elio said sharply, making sure Wyatt knew not to say anything else. “Nice to see you again.”
“You as well.” Thankfully, he played his part well. “Ah, Anna, the others left. It’s just us now. Are you ready to leave?”
“Nah, she’s fine right here.” Jacob waved him off, still angry at my words, and I glanced at Elio for help.
“Vinni, take Andrew to my car,” Elio said quickly in Italian. “We can give you a ride, and we’ll join you shortly.”
“Yes, boss.” Vinni motioned for Wyatt to leave, and I gave a little nod to let him know it was all right.
“You know,” Jacob leaned close and pressed his clammy hand hard against my thigh, “I know a little Italian myself.” He prattled off some dirty words, and I remained unimpressed.
“Just because you know how to pronounce them doesn’t mean you should use them.” I removed his hand, but he slapped it back down, and I jumped when Elio snagged his hand and twisted it in a tight grip. I sensed the tension and movement from the guys in the corner.
“No touching,” Elio warned calmly over my head. “Ever.”
“Sorry.” He pulled his hand away with a huff, waving off his guys. “She’s not even yours.”
“Anna,” Elio nodded at me, “it’s time to leave. Go find your friend.”
Slowly, I peeled my body from the chair and leaned into Elio, making a show to kiss him high up on the jaw.
“Don’t sign,” I whispered and moved away, pulling my mask back down. “Always a good time when our worlds collide, Elio.” Once I was free from Jacob’s view, I rushed out of The Flatiron Room. I knew better than to test my limits.
The cool night air filled my lungs, and I took a moment to let the adrenalin settle. The last forty minutes had been tense.
“Hey!” Vinni called from across the street where he stood next to a very expensive Cadillac. “Over here.”
I waved and looked around for Wyatt. Was he in the car?
“Who the hellareyou?” Jacob was suddenly next to me. “I’ve never seen Elio lose it like that before.”
I took a step backward as he pulled his gun free. “I’m just a friend of…of his cousin.”
“You just fucked up our deal, little lady.” His eyes raked my body, and I felt like I might get sick. “Mr. Big-Shot Italian has no idea what he just did.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” I acted like I didn’t care as Vinni slowly pulled his weapon and pointed it at his head.
I only saw a blur as Elio jammed his fist into the side of Jacob’s face, sending him spinning into the street. He whirled around, stunned at what just happened, and Elio put his hands up to continue the fight. I kicked his gun under a car as Jacob’s eyes whirled, probably waiting for his men, who were nowhere to be found.
“No deal, Jacob.” Elio yanked the paper from the file and flicked his Zippo, lighting the corner of it.
“No!” Jacob went to charge Elio, but Vinni used the butt of his gun to smoke him in the temple, and he fell heavily.
Elio dropped the half-burnt papers, took my hand, and whisked me across the street and into the Cadillac.
“Well,” Wyatt turned to look at me from the front seat, “so, this is the guy you like?”
