Chapter 5

He watched her, his sharp eyes taking in her every reaction. "Tell me about Mexico."

She'd really hoped he wouldn't ask about Mexico. She squirmed for a minute debating what to tell him. She couldn't tell him the whole truth. If she did, he might use it against her like Franco was doing.

She decided to give him a version of her story that might ring true. "My mama died a few years back, and she was the main protection between me and the local boys, some of them cartel. As soon as she passed, they started pressing my brother to join and pushing me for...." Her voice trailed off. She looked up to see if he understood, but his expression was inscrutable. She continued, "I finally accepted one of the more legit guys, dating him and stuff."

"For protection," Nic said grimly.

"Yes," she said simply, though there had been so much more to her relationship with Marc than just protection. "It ended badly, and I had to leave home, get out of Mexico. My brother and his buddy got us across the border and gave us enough cash so we could find our way to Vegas where we were instructed to contact Franco." What she didn't tell him was all that happened five years ago, that much had transpired since then. He didn't need to know everything.

She desperately hoped he didn't press her for more information on Mexico. His sharp eyes cut into her and she suspected he knew there was more to the story. He didn't press the issue though.

He nodded, his grim face growing even grimmer. "Did Delgado fuck you?"

At first, she was shocked by the question. But then, maybe she shouldn't be. These high rolling mafia guys weren't much different from the cartel boys back home. Blunt, demanding bullies.

"No," she said icily. "He wanted to save me for someone else. He told me that when he fucked me, he would ruin me for anyone else." She had no choice but to roll her eyes at this point. It sounded even stupider now, saying it to this carefully controlled man, than it did at the time when Franco had said it. She knew the hotel owner wanted her but hadn't the balls to close the deal.

Nic smirked darkly, probably aware of Franco's flamboyant arrogance. "So, you agreed to seduce me. For what? Money, freedom, papers?"

"Yes," she whispered. "But mostly to save my brother."

"And what did Delgado think would happen when you met me?" He flicked his cigar ashes into an ashtray and took another draw. The scent wasn't as bad as she thought it would be. It had a rich, spicy aroma. Both exotic, but also familiar. It made her think of home.

She shifted uncomfortably in her seat and shrugged. "He just wanted me to seduce you, nothing more."

Nic's icy facade finally cracked as he let out a bark of laughter that held no warmth to it. "I am not seducible." He said the words with distaste.

"Then what are we doing here?" she asked, offended, then bit her tongue to stop herself from saying anything else. Why was she baiting such a dangerous man?

His dark eyes flicked over her, from the tips of her toes to the top of her head. "While I may not be seducible, you are still very fuckable."

She flinched at his blunt assessment. "What does that mean?"

"It means," he drawled, taking a sip of his wine. "That I'm willing to play Delgado's game. For a while."

"I don't understand." But she did understand. She'd have to be stupid not to get his implication.

He stood and took the few steps separating their chairs, towering over her as he looked down. "I assume Delgado is going to use you against me? Get you to seduce me in his hotel, under his surveillance, then use the footage as blackmail."

She squirmed in her seat and finally shrugged. She didn't really know the plan, but if she had to guess she would say that Nic nailed it.

His shrewd eyes delved into hers as she looked up at him defiantly. "Will it work?" she asked. "Can you be blackmailed?"

He chuckled, the deep mirthful sound sending a shiver down her spine. He picked up her hand where it was resting on her knee and took a step back, pulling her to her feet. She wasn't very tall to begin with at 5'7", of which four of those inches belonged to the heels on her feet. Next to him, she was tiny. He would be a foot taller than her if she wasn't wearing shoes. She had to tilt her head to look up at him.

"What are you asking me?" he demanded, his Italian accent growing thicker.

She swallowed and tried to take a step back, but his grip tightened, holding her in place. "I'm asking how a recording of us could be used as blackmail against you."

"Is it your job to ask questions?" he asked sharply. "Or is it your job to fuck me?"

Her outraged gasp was swallowed in a hard kiss as he swooped down, capturing her lips with his. She was shocked and automatically tried to move back, but he wrapped one arm around her waist while his other hand tangled in her hair, holding her head still and cutting off an escape. She didn't know what to do with her hands, whether to try and shove him or to let them dangle uselessly at her sides. Finally, she lifted them, balled her hands into fists and pressed them against his shoulders, giving an experimental shove that did absolutely nothing.

His lips were hard on hers, smashing them against her teeth and hurting her until she gave him what he was clearly seeking, access to her mouth. When she finally opened to him, he surprised her by pulling back a few inches.

"Bite me and I will snap your scrawny little neck and find another way to fuck with Delgado's plan."

Anger rushed through her. "My neck is not scr-" He cut her off with another devastating kiss that she couldn't escape from. This time he forced entry into her mouth, shoving his tongue past her teeth and sweeping her mouth like some kind of marauder.

She thought about biting him but decided against it. He didn't seem like the type to lie about his intentions. If he said he was going to snap her neck, she believed he would. Though she really wanted to argue with him about the scrawny part. While her neck might not be classically long and slim, it was a nice shape with a cute little hollow at the bottom.

The kiss went on and on. Her thoughts scattered in every direction, never really settling on anything in particular. At first, she just wanted the kiss over with and tried to distract her mind. She wondered if his breath tasted more like spearmint or peppermint and if there was an actual difference between the two tastes. She thought about her mama, and how disappointed she would be to see her daughter now. She wondered if her lips would bleed from the force he was using. She wondered if she was going to die tonight.

Then the kiss shifted into something else entirely. The arm wrapped around her waist, anchoring her in place, and his other hand slid up her back, the broad palm caressing her. His fingers tangled in the ends of her hair, tugging a little on her scalp. His other hand wrapped around the back of her neck, holding her in place, but also sending a thrill down her spine.

His lips softened as they moved on hers, his tongue taking the time to explore and seduce. A melting sensation started low in her belly and started to spiral outward, stealing everything in its path; her breath, her beating heart, her sanity.

When he finally broke the kiss and looked at her with those piercing amber eyes she realized she was fucked. The most dangerous man she'd ever met was fully capable of melting the ice she'd carefully constructed around herself these past five years.