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If that’s the case, I should stall until Franco is safe.
“I don’t want you to doubt me, Jaguar.”
“Last night earned you a favor,” he clarifies. “You want to earn more? It will take a lot more than a pity fuck.”
I set my fork aside and fold my hands over the table—mainly to hide how they tremble. “Such as?”
“You offered your loyalty, but forgive me if I won’t take just your word for it. I need you to prove it to me.”
“How?”
He sits back and inclines his head. “Do a job for me.”
I don’t think he’s talking about bartending or bussing tables.
“I’m not well versed in your business, Jaguar. What use could you have for me?”
“Plenty,” he says with a gleam in his eye. “A sexy piece of ass like you could haveplentyof uses. What I have in mind can be done in a day. Nothing too hot, of course.”
Because a man like him has a literal inferno of criminal activity under his purview. I’ve heard the horror stories about him and the operation he runs, the Guarida, and I’m sure they’re just a fraction of what he dabbles in—drug trafficking, prostitution, extortion.
“You merely have to dip your toes into the water to prove that there is action behind the pretty words that come out of that mouth, Lupe.”
It unnerves me that he still utilizes my real nickname in addition to Tiena. Despite my best efforts, I am unable to keep my expression blank. “How?”
“Do what I tell you to do. We’ll discuss the particulars tomorrow. Tonight, we can continue to get acquainted.” He brings a glass of wine to his lips and takes a measured sip.
A smart woman would keep her mouth shut and let him savor his supposed victory.
I can’t. “Can you at least tell me why I would risk far more than having unprotected sex with a gangster by working for him?”
It’s blunter than I normally talk, but being in his orbit does something to me. It strips me of the pretense I’m used to putting on around others. He commands only brutal honesty. No fluff.
“Because I know what you really want,” he tells me, brandishing his wine glass in my direction. “You want your son in your arms, Braulio neutralized, and a new life far away where you can live in bliss. Am I wrong?”
I don’t deny it. “And you can give me that life?”
The offer seems too good to be true, but his expression remains deadly serious.
“I can give you more, chica. More than you can imagine, but to deal with me, I need to know I can trust you.”
“You can.” I can’t deny how tempting the carrot he’s dangled before me is. It’s a beautiful fantasy, but I’m willing to chase it until my dying day—whether I have to deal with Jaguar or the devil himself.
“That’s a good girl.” He motions for dessert, and not even an hour later, we’re outside, waiting for the valet to fetch his vehicle. His smirk has vanished, but I sense that I’ve only momentarily placated him. There is something else he wants from me.
When we’re alone in his car, I gather up the nerve to ask what.
He laughs. “You have balls, little Lupe—I will give you that. Tell me what I could possibly want from you?”
There aren’t many potential options available.
“It could be sex,” I say. “But you have all the women in your harem to pick from. What appeal could I possibly have?”
“All the women in my harem.” Abruptly, he pulls over onto the side of the road. We’re outside of the city, surrounded by trees. A bit of panic sinks in, but he’s already exiting the car, approaching my end.
As he pulls my door open, he inspects me in the overhead light.
“They’re all sexy as hell, down to fuck at a moment’s notice. None of them can orgasm on a dime like you can, though.” He snatches my wrist and yanks me out to meet him.
