AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“The fact that it didn’t seem to matter to anyone else,” Cyrus said, his voice so quiet she almost missed it. “The cops, the media, his own fucking parents. That little boy had nobody to fight for him. Nobody but his sister. And me.”
Sensing he had more to say, she stayed silent, watching him as his fingers tightened around the stem of his wine glass. “That’s the whole reason I became a prosecutor. To help the people nobody else seems to care about. The people who the system would rather sweep under the rug and pretend they don’t exist. We, as a society, fail so many of them. I’m not quite so naïve as to think one man can really make that much of a difference. But if I can keep even one child, one family, from falling through the cracks, then I can sleep well at night.”
ChapterFour
“Thank you for dinner. You should have let me pay, though.”
Slowing his steps, he turned and pinned her with a look. “Mina. Are we really going to have this argument again?”
Her eyes rolled upward, making his palm itch to connect with her ass. Not that he minded a little sass, but when a woman looked like Mina Ouranos, any excuse to get his hands on her was a good one as far as he was concerned.
“I know, I know, it was part of your apology. But really, the interview was more than enough. And I could have expensed it so neither of us would have been out a penny.”
It amused him that she was concerned about the expense. Even without his particular circumstances, his salary was more than enough to afford an expensive dinner out every now and again. Which she would realize whenever she went home and started the research he was certain would accompany the interview they’d just concluded.
As long as she didn’t dig too deep, they wouldn’t have a problem.
“It was part of my apology, which was more than deserved after the way I behaved this afternoon. And that is why you are not going to argue about it any more.”
Another eye roll, this time accompanied by a sarcastic smirk. “Yes, Daddy.”
She didn’t mean anything by it. Still, those words, spoken in that smoky, teasing voice, reached down deep into his soul and tugged. How was he supposed to resist such a siren call as that? “Careful, Ace. Saying those words to the wrong man could have…consequences.”
Even with the sun having long set, it was easy to see her eyes widen. “Are you threatening me, Mr. Banks?”
If there’d been even a hint of fear in her voice, he would have backed off. At least, that’s what he told himself. But there was, as usual, more curiosity than anything, and for some reason, it was that curious nature of hers that pulled him in. “I don’t make threats, Mina. I make promises.”
“Sounds like an empty promise if you ask me. Consequences?” She snorted, the wide-eyed shock replaced by another smirk. “You going to lock me up and throw away the key, counselor?”
“No, but there could be handcuffs involved.”
“Well, well, well.” Her tone turned sly and understanding, and he could practically see the light bulb turning on over her head. “Mr. Sophisticated himself is into the kinky stuff. Won’t that make for an interesting addition to my exclusive article on the mysterious Cyrus Banks.”
Fuck. Had they officially ended the interview? He couldn’t remember. “You will not be including any of this conversation in your interview, Mina.”
“Oh, yeah?” Chin tilting up defiantly, her eyes glittered with mischievous amusement. “What are you gonna do about it?”
Moving purely on instinct, he lifted a hand to her face, sliding it around to cup the back of her head. She wanted to play with fire? Well, then he was happy to oblige her. “If there is so much as a hint of impropriety in your article, Ms. Ouranos, I will be very displeased. Do you know what happens to bratty little girls when a Daddy is displeased with their behavior?”
“What?” The single syllable was just a little breathless, letting him know she wasn’t completely unaffected by their interaction. He almost wished she had been so he could find the strength to back off before he went too far.
“They get their bare bottoms spanked good and hard until they are crying and begging and swearing up and down they’ll never ever be naughty again. Are those consequences specific enough for you, Ace?”
She gasped, her eyes narrowing dangerously. “You wouldn’tdare.”
“Maybe.” It was his turn to smirk. “You could go ahead and print all of that and see what happens. See if I’m a man of my word. Or, you could have dinner with me tomorrow and I could show you what happens to good girls instead.”
“I—is that your version of asking me out on a date?”
It was, and he wasn’t even certain when he’d made the decision to do so. But the cat was out of the bag, as they say, and he had no interest in even trying to put it back in.
“Yes.” He lowered his head, their lips a hair’s breadth apart. “Say yes, Mina. You know you want to.”
“Yes…I will think about it.”
Well, if that’s how she wanted to play it, then he’d just have to give her something to think about, wouldn’t he? Closing the last little distance between them, he slanted his lips over hers. The scent of peppermint invaded his senses as he teased her lips apart, exploring her with his tongue.
To his delight, she explored right back, bold and curious just like everything else she did. He lost track of time as the world around them faded until all he knew was her.
