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It was true that when Hal joined the club he did so with a special dispensation not to have to go through the MC type of hazing bullshit. But that was never gonna happen, regardless. Hal just wasn’t down for being the club bitch to prove his loyalty and tolerance. So, performing the prospect duties as part of his entrance into the HSMC was a non-negotiable—no fucking way—deal-breaker.
Since Hal’s skill set was uniquely qualified and widely recognized as bringing particular value to the club, in an unprecedented move, Prosper made the executive decision to put a motion out on the table. The motion was carried unanimously to make an exception to the by-laws, and Hal was sworn in. The significance of the gesture was not lost on Hal nor was it unappreciated. It was a decision that Hal wanted to make sure the club did not regret. He liked the way Prosper ran things, and besides, with Jules as his brother- in-law, they were family.
It was all good.
Until now.
Until Prosper had pulled rank and dropped theDriving Miss Daisydetail into his lap. Bodyguard—babysitter—same damn thing as far as Hal was concerned. But he couldn’t see a way out of it, and what’s more, after the little “eye fucking” conversation he had had with the boss, he knew that Prosper wouldn’t have agreed to have Hal be the one to play house with Valentina if there wasn’t the possibility of a serious threat.
He had to admit that there were worse places to land a gig.
And worse bodies to have to guard.
Hal felt a tightening in his crotch when he thought of how incredibly sexy Valentina had looked stepping into the bathtub. She had one of those smoking hot hourglass bodies that drove a man crazy. Her breasts were full, her waist was tiny, and her hips were smooth and curvy. Her long legs were tanned and toned, and when she had spread and separated them to step into the tub, Hal had gotten a glimpse of heaven. His dick kicked into overdrive when he thought about Valentina lathering up her breasts and running a wash cloth over those large, rosy nipples. He wasn’t proud of the fact that he had stood in the shadows watching her bathe or that he had worked himself more than a few times since then thinking about it. He knew the whole voyeur thing was high on the creep factor, even for him. But he didn’t plan on making a habit out of it, and he figured the ends justified the means—he had gotten Gianni the proof he needed to keep his daughter safe.
Watching Valentina that night had given Hal acome to Jesusmoment. It had been so long since he had had a quality woman, he had forgotten they existed. He was filled with an unfamiliar surge of self-disgust when he thought about the pussy pool he had been dipping in. No wonder he needed to put a gun to their heads to get himself off.
If you looked hard enough, you could justify just about anything,his conscious poked at him.
Where the fuck have you been?Hal’sinner soldier poked back.
“Hal? May I have a word with you?” Valentina was suddenly standing before him.
He snaked a long look down the length of her body, lingering at her heaving breasts before sweeping back to her face. When his gaze hit her mouth, the muscles in his throat worked overtime as he swallowed. Hal forced himself to meet Valentina eyes, and when he did, he saw that they were bright with angry tears.
“What’s on your mind?”
“Look,” Valentina fought to make her voice steady, “I’m sorry, but there’s been a mistake made. If you’ll just follow me into the house, I’ll write you out a check for whatever my father owes you, and we can both be on our way.”
“A mistake?” He arched an eyebrow.
“A huge one.” Valentina assured him.
Hal regarded her with a long sardonic look that told her he wasn’t buying it.
“There’s been no mistake made here, Valentina. You know it and I know it. So, whether you like it or I like it, I won’t be going away anytime soon.”
Valentina worked her fingers at her temple as she felt the dull throb of a violent headache coming on. Why didn’t anyone understand? It wasn’t her freedom that was at stake, it was her sanity. She needed this. She needed some normalcy in her life to help her forget. She needed her independence to feel whole again, and she was not going to give up so easily.
Whether you like it or I like it,Hal had said to her which meant that maybe he wasn’t exactly thrilled with the idea either. Valentina decided to give it another shot.
“Look, just hear me out. My father always overreacts to stuff like this. I understand his concern for me, and I respect the need for security. Living the lifestyle that we do, I know sometimes it’s necessary. But I also know that at other times, it’s a bit overkill. I understand that right now things are tense between the families, but my father is a man of persuasion and influence. If there is going to be a meeting of the heads of the families —especially if it takes place in Sicily where the Bonzini family has its strongest ties— this will be resolved soon.” Her tone was reasonable.
“Yeah, but in the meantime—”
“In the meantime, I know you are currently under my father’s employ and you feel a commitment to honor that. But maybe we can work something out. Perhaps we can work out a deal like the one I had with Pauli.”
“Like the one you had with Pauli?” Hal’s face was expressionless.“Tell me more.”
“Pauli was my last driver. He and I worked out a mutually beneficial arrangement that satisfied both of our needs. I can do the same for you.” Valentine explained eagerly.
Hal raised a brow and rubbed his chin.
“So, you were willing to do what you had to do to make the last guy happy so that he could cut out on the arrangement he made with your father?”
Even though Hal was basically echoing her words, there was something in the way he made it sound that gave Valentina pause, but then again, as far as she was concerned, everything about this situation was wrong.
“That’s right.” She nodded.
