She stopped and turned around, but didn’t come back. Her face was carefully blank.
‘What’s your name?’
‘Sera. With an ‘e’.’
A pretty Italian name for a beautiful woman. ‘Sera what?’
‘Just Sera.’
I shoved my hands into the front pockets of my dress slacks in an attempt to disguise the raging hard on she gave me just by standing there in that goddamn non-dress I knew was hiding underneath her coat. ‘Come back. I need a date, and you’re already here.’ Because I sure as hell wasn’t allowing her to run off to someone else who wouldn’t think twice about abusing that luscious young body.
She glanced down at herself. ‘What about the way I’m dressed?’
‘I’ll buy you a new dress.’
‘I can’t ask you to do that.’
‘You’re not asking me. Consider it part of your payment for the pleasure of your company tonight.’
She hesitated, but only for a moment, and I couldn’t quite figure out if it was over the offer of a new dress or the fact that she would need to carry through with this night after all that made her pause. Lifting her chin in a gesture I was beginning to recognize as something she did when she was feeling unsure of herself, she walked back over to me with forced confident strides and waited for further instructions.
Good girl.
‘Just let me get my coat,’ I told her. Opening the door all the way and propping it against the wall so I could keep an eye on her, I went inside and got my coat, keys, and cell phone as I tried to talk myself out of taking her with me. This was a bad fucking idea. Sera was much more distracting to me than Jade ever was. It was one of the reasons I used her when I had to go to parties or dinners. I couldn’t afford to have my attention on anything else other than what I was there for, which was usually protecting Luca or gathering information we had no business knowing.
But something had twisted in my gut as I’d watched her walk away with that forlorn expression. I couldn’t let her leave like that. At least not tonight. And perhaps, before the evening was through, I’d take her up on her original offer.
My cock pulsed in agreement beneath the cover of my jacket. ‘Let’s go.’ Taking her hand in mine, I let the door close behind me and led her to the elevator. She needed clothes, and we were already late.
An hour later, with the help of the hotel concierge, Sera was in a new dress fit for the occasion and we’d arrived at the venue.
‘This is where the party is?’
The tone of her voice drew my attention. I glanced over at her as we pulled up to the restaurant. ‘Yes. Why?’
‘It looks like an old church.’
‘It’s actually a restaurant, run by an Italian family who came here to America from Italy almost forty years ago. The original owners have passed away, and the kids run it now. Everything inside was brought on the ship from Italy, including the recipes. The Bistecca Alla Fiorentina is some of the best I’ve ever tasted.’ I didn’t mention that the owners were also very aware of who we were and what we did. We protected them and gave them plenty of business. And in return, they took good care of us when we frequented their restaurant. ‘We’re going to a wedding reception being held here. A distant cousin of mine.’ It was actually the youngest son of one of our best soldiers. He was way too fucking young to be getting married, but according to his father there’d been no talking him out of it. And the girl he’d just married was Irish, her father a member of the mob in New Orleans, so it made for good neighborly relations.
She smiled, showing off that fascinating gap in her teeth. ‘It sounds wonderful.’
I parked the SUV near the door and ran my eyes over her one last time as she took off her seatbelt. The concierge had taken one look at her and called a boutique near the hotel, who had immediately sent over one of their sales associates with three different dresses to choose from that had all fit Sera almost perfectly. The dress she chose was modest, with short sleeves and a high neckline. Creamy lace with fawn-colored accents, it came to her knees, and with her pastel pink hair and light makeup, it gave her a soft, feminine appearance. Innocent. The only things she still wore that were her own were the nose ring and the shoes. They were nude and matched the new dress better than the scraps she’d been wearing before. ‘Let me see your coat,’ I told her. ‘You won’t need it inside. The place is small, and it always gets warm when it fills up with people.’
She shrugged out of it, handing it to me without argument. I folded it carefully and laid it on the backseat. As I went to open my door, I caught her eyeing me with a curious expression. ‘What?’
‘Do you ever take off your sunglasses? I mean,’ she hurried on, ‘do you need them to see or something? Or do you have sensitive eyes?’
‘No,’ I told her in answer to both questions, then I opened my door and got out, walking around the vehicle to open hers for her. But by the time I arrived, she was already out of the car and waiting for me.
‘No for which one?’ she asked. ‘Which question?’
‘All of them.’ Taking her hand, I helped her navigate the rocks in the drive. I told myself it was because I didn’t need her to break an ankle. I had no time to take her to the hospital. I wouldn’t admit that wasn’t the only reason I assisted her.
Her hand felt fragile in mine. The skin soft. Like if I squeezed just a little harder, I’d feel the bones snap beneath my fingers. Absently, I rubbed my thumb along the back, memorizing the texture of her skin.
She stopped when we reached the door, tugging me to a halt. ‘So who all is going to be at this party? Anything I should know before we go in there? Like, your name, maybe?’
Anger rose within me, swift and unreasonable. ‘Jade didn’t even tell you my name? You allowed a complete stranger to put you in his car and ride off into the middle of fucking nowhere with you?’ I took a step closer, crowding her against the doorframe. ‘What the fuck is wrong with you?’
That came out harsher than I’d intended. I expected her to back up. Maybe start crying. But instead, she raised one eyebrow. ‘Are you planning to murder me?’ she asked with a bland expression.
‘Not tonight,’ I told her when I could speak, and watched with a glimmer of satisfaction as a bit of the color drained from her face. ‘But you didn’t know that.’
She shrugged one shoulder. ‘When do we ever know what will happen to us? I could die at any time. Get hit by a bus. Have an allergic reaction.’ She eyed me. ‘Get murdered by someone I thought I could trust.’
I stared at her for a moment. She had a point, dammit. ‘Enzo. My name is Enzo.’
She nodded. ‘Enzo. Okay. Anything else I need to know?’
Her brave front didn’t fool me. She was nervous. I could see her pulse fluttering in her throat. ‘You’re a friend of Jade’s who was kind enough to fill in for her tonight as my date. That’s all anyone needs to know. No one will ask questions. Smile. Be nice. No matter what anyone says to you. Don’t cause any trouble.’
‘Okay. I can do that.’
‘And don’t wander too far from my side.’ I didn’t know why I said this. No one would fuck with her. Not after they saw her walk in with me.
‘Alright. Stay by you. Got it.’ She glanced toward the door when a surge of male laughter rose inside, then swallowed hard and rubbed the chill from her bare arms.
‘Hey.’ Taking her chin in my hand, I turned her face up to mine until I could see her eyes. ‘Nothing will happen to you tonight. No one will touch you. You have my word.’ Except me. Sometime between buying her the dress and arriving here, I’d decided that I would be taking full advantage of her services tonight. All of them.
‘Okay.’
Even though she agreed, I didn’t let go of her face. Instead, my eyes dropped down to her full lower lip. Before I could think about it, I lowered my head and took it between my teeth, biting down until I heard her whimper and tasted the salty copper of her blood. I ran my tongue over the small wound, then sucked her lip into my mouth before letting go and dropping a light kiss on her mouth.
Sera stared up at me with wide eyes. ‘What the hell was that?’ She hadn’t moved. Didn’t try to push me away. But when I stepped away, I noticed her arms were partially bent and her hands were fisted.
I couldn’t answer her question. Because I didn’t know. As I stared down at her and tried to get my lust for this woman under control, I realized a light misty rain had begun to fall. I put my hand to her back and ushered her toward the door. ‘Come on. We need to go in.’
She blinked as though coming out of a trance. ‘Uh. Yeah. Okay.’
I opened the door for her. Lowering her head to watch where she was walking, I didn’t miss the way she touched her mouth with the fingertips of her right hand.
‘Enzo!’
Dragging my eyes away from the beguiling creature beside me, I stopped in the entryway and greeted our hostess as Sera looked around at the photos of guests and the ceramic knickknacks the family had brought overseas with them. ‘Marg. How are you? Is everyone behaving?’
‘Oh, yes,’ she said in her soft Italian accent. ‘They’re all being perfect gentlemen. And the ladies look gorgeous. But none are as pretty as this one.’ She smiled at Sera. ‘Everyone is in the back room.’ If she was surprised to see me with someone other than Jade, she gave no sign of it. A professional through and through.
I started to walk forward, following Marg out of the small entryway and into the restaurant, when I realized Sera wasn’t with me. Glancing back over my shoulder, I noticed she had moved into the shadows in the corner next to the old-fashioned desk that held framed newspaper clippings and the stand with the sign-in book, her bright eyes wide as she stared at the people inside. ‘What’s wrong?’
Not taking her eyes from the group who had wandered closest to us, she said, ‘Um. I’m so sorry, Enzo, but I think I need to go home. I’m not feeling well.’ She turned her attention to me as she started backing away toward the door. ‘Maybe I’m coming down with whatever it is Jade has.’ I watched her eyes dart around the room once more, then she gave me a small, apologetic smile and put her head down as she turned to leave.
‘Sera. Wait.’
‘I’m so sorry,’ she told me. Without waiting for me, she hurried back out the door and into the cold rain that had begun to fall.
I followed her outside. She didn’t go toward the SUV. Instead, she was picking her way over the rocks heading to the main road, her arms wrapped around herself in a vain effort to stay warm. ‘Where the hell do you think you’re going?’
‘I don’t want to ruin your night,’ she called over her shoulder. ‘I think I saw a bus stop down here. I’ll catch the next one and make my way home.’
I had no idea where Jade lived, but I knew it wasn’t out here by the lakes. I followed behind her. Did she even have any money to pay for a bus? ‘Come inside. I’ll find you a quiet corner and get you some water or soup or something. Then I’ll drive you home as soon as I congratulate the new couple.’ And talk to a few people to gauge their feelings about Luca taking over as boss.
‘No, really. It’s okay.’
She picked up speed. Now she was running from me. I stopped where I was. I wasn’t going to chase her down the road like some weak ass, pimply-faced teenager. ‘For fuck’s sake, Sera. STOP!’
She stumbled to a halt, her arms flailing as her ankle twisted beneath her.
I took a quick step forward, but before I could reach her, she straightened, testing her ankle before turning to face me. My arms dropped to my sides. What the fuck was going on with her?
She opened her mouth to speak, but upon seeing the expression on my face, closed it again.
Fuck it. I was getting soaked. And so was she. ‘I’ll take you home. And I’m finished arguing with you, so I wouldn’t push it.’ I held out my hand.
She hesitated, then carefully made her way over to me and took my offer of help. ‘Thank you,’ she said quietly, keeping her head down, her wet hair hiding her eyes from me.
My blood ran fast as she submitted to me, and I barely held in my groan. I put her in the car and ran my fingers through my wet hair as I walked around to the driver’s side.
I would take her home as I promised.
But not just yet.
