Chapter 17

Casey tried to check out. She honestly did. She hated these women almost as much as she despised the men guarding her gilded cage. These were the birds that happily flew back into their cages and ate from the hands that fed them. But for some reason she couldn't zone out the way she usually did during these godawful lunches, possibly because she'd started flushing some of her daily pills instead of blindly swallowing them.

She felt the burning hatred welling up inside her as they talked about the most useless things she could conceive of. She only dined with them because Elvira Montana was among the set. Beautiful, blond and coolly distant, Elvira barely took part in the conversation either. But Ignacio insisted that the two women meet and get to know each other.

Probably because Elvira was an older version of what Casey was to become. A coked-out mob wife whose husband had bought her way into this elite company of women. And her husband could maybe get Ignacio some deals on overseas product Ignacio wouldn't otherwise be able to get his hands on. The others at the table included politician's wives and daughters, a Spanish telanovella actress and Dahlia Paxton, a high-priced lawyer to the rich and famous.

Dahlia was talking about an awkward encounter she had at a gas station when she'd accidentally pulled up to the wrong pump and been expected to fill her own tank. "I mean, what did they think," she laughed, flicking her wrist over her shoulder and reaching for her wine. "That I would get out of the car or something? Ugh, I would've gone to my meeting smelling of noxious gas fumes, or worse, I could've gotten cancer or something. I mean, isn't it dangerous to pump your own gas? I could've started a fire or something! So, I just sat there and waited until someone came out and helped me. I out-stubborned those blue-collar assholes."

Casey opened her mouth to make a comment about Dahlia's ability to go to law school and pass the state bar, yet her surprising inability to pump her own gas without dousing herself in the noxious liquid and setting herself on fire, but Elvira put a restraining hand on her wrist. Casey glanced at the other woman with a raised eyebrow, but Elvira just shook her head and sighed.

"Not worth it," she whispered for Casey's ears alone. "Just go back to sleep darling."

She patted Casey's arm with long, manicured fingers and withdrew back into her own seat, settling in to ignore the bulk of the conversation once more. Though Casey was mildly surprised by Elvira's intervention, she took it to heart. The older woman was right. There was no point in lambasting their entitled company. For several reasons. They wouldn't thank her for it and in their elite society a snub could go a long way toward social suicide. Not something she could afford with the current state of her marriage. Casey shuddered and withdrew any further comments, instead contemplating Elvira's cryptic message, 'go back to sleep.' Those four words had unwittingly struck right through to the heart of her, cutting deep into her soul.

"Excuse me," she murmured, placing her napkin on the table and abruptly standing.

Elvira looked startled and asked, "Do you want me to come with you?" No doubt she was worried that she'd pushed the delicate young woman closer toward some invisible edge with her kindly intended words. Theirs was a small world where gossip travelled freely among the mob wives. Just like Casey knew Elvira was a frequent user of her husband's product, Elvira knew that Casey had tried to kill herself a few years earlier to escape an unbearable marriage.

Casey managed a believable smile and said, "No thank you, Elvira, I'll be fine."

She made her way swiftly to the ladies' room and was about to lock the door when it flew open, shoving her to one side. "What…?" she gasped, stumbling back, reaching out for the counter.

Reyes strode into the small space, slamming the door and locking it. He swept her with a single look from the bottom of her feet to the top of her head, encompassing each part of her, taking in her slim black high-waisted pencil skirt and bright pink silk blouse. She shook her head and edged along the counter, eyeing him warily.

"No," she told him, trying to make her voice as stern as she could.

He ignored her, stalking closer, devouring every inch of her, his eyes lingering on her bare arms and face. "You got my gifts, cari?o?"

"Yes," she acknowledged, gripping the granite edge of the vanity behind her until her knuckles strained. She knew it was to stop herself from flinging herself at him. God, he looked so good! He was dressed casual in dark pants and a short-sleeved shirt that strained at his biceps.

"And?" he prompted.

She couldn't help the reluctant grin that spread across her lips. "Thank you, Reyes, they were beautiful. I loved them. The flowers, the books… everything. Truly, I can't even say how much they meant."

He smiled at her, a real smile that softened his dark, scarred face for just a moment. She felt a ripple of gratitude that he would share the rare intimacy of that smile with her. This moment was special. That he was pleased his gifts meant something to her. That she'd appreciated him the way he wanted her to. His obsession for her was becoming mutual and she was tipping her hand.

They stared at each other for a few long, heartrending moments until she looked away and shook her head, a stray hair from her carefully coiffed updo trailing across her cheek. "Don't do that, Reyes. Please just stop doing this to me," she begged.

To his credit he didn't pretend he didn't know what she was talking about. His face resumed its usual hard lines as he stared her down, showing her that he didn't care how much she begged, he could and he would do whatever he liked with her. That she was at his mercy and with every encounter falling further prey to his seduction.

She held a shaking hand out, palm up and whispered, "I need you to be stronger than me." She put every ounce of pleading she could into her voice as she begged him to leave her alone. "We both know I'm weak, Reyes. That I'm the pathetic, cracked wife of a powerful man who has spent years climbing his way into the Miami underworld. He won't let go of his position and he won't let go of me."

She flipped her hand over and showed him the scar on the back then lifted her eyes to see his reaction. Fiery rage lit his gaze as he stared hard at the shiny, raised "H" before meeting her eyes. "Ownership," she told him in a shaky voice. "He will hunt me to the ends of the Earth."

He said nothing for a moment, but when he spoke, his voice was filled with such fury that she wished she had more room behind her so she could take a step back. "You think I would let him?"

Her eyes filled with tears and she shook her head again, dropping her hand in despair. "I think it's my duty to go back to him no matter what, Reyes," she said in a quivering voice. "We've been over this and I just don't think I can do it with you again." She turned away from him and reached for the door.

He grabbed her from behind and shoved her into the door, pushing her until she was flush against the wooden panel with him hard at her back. He leaned in and growled in her ear, "You go when I tell you to go, nena. Never before."

He swung her around and pushed her shoulders back against the door. Before she could beg him to leave her alone he crushed her lips with his own, stealing the words from her. She sobbed into his mouth, accepting the hot embrace with despairing enthusiasm. A moan escaped her and she gripped his arms tightly, holding onto him while he shoved himself hard against her, knocking her hips and ass back into the door.

He didn't give her a chance to reject him, shoving his tongue into her mouth and sweeping the recesses within, memorizing her, feeling her. He gripped her jaw and held her open for his dark caress, while his other hand swept her body, both holding her to him and testing her softness. Casey tried to still herself beneath the scorching heat of his caress, but her body clamored for attention, seeking the warmth he was providing. She arched into each sweep of his hand and began to enthusiastically meet each sweep of his tongue with tiny caresses of her own.

He pulled back just enough to mumble, "Fucking caliente, Casey," against her lips, before devouring her once more. His hand dropped to the edge of her skirt and yanked upward, bunching it to her waist. She cried out against his mouth, but he swallowed the sound in another hard kiss.

"It's okay, nena," he murmured soothingly against her lips.

She whimpered as he tore her panties aside and pushed long fingers unexpectedly deep into her pussy. She widened her legs to ease the pressure, but he took advantage by pushing further up into her body. The breath shuddered out of her and she gripped his arms so hard she thought she might leave bruises. She knew she was embarrassingly wet for him. He did this to her. He made her body drip just for him. She'd never been this way before. Oh, she'd been turned on before. Usually alone in her room reading erotic romance novels or watching sexy movies, but nothing like this.

Then he flicked his thumb across her clit and she thought she was going to die. She flung her head back against the door, knocking the back of her head into the wood and closed her eyes tight. "Stop," she whispered.

"No fucking way, not until you're mine," he snarled, leaning against her to bite into her shoulder. He shoved his fingers impossibly deeper into her. She knew she was going to be sore after this, but… fuck… it felt so good.

"Please… I don't want to do this," she whimpered.

He snarled something in Spanish so rapid and so vile she didn't quite catch it. Reyes pulled his fingers from her body with a suddenness that left her gasping, then he shoved his fingers into her mouth and swirled them around her tongue and teeth, forcing her to taste herself. When she would have turned her face away he gripped her jaw hard, leaned in and shoved his fingers in and out of her mouth a few times.

"Taste what I do to you, Casey," he growled, his dark eyes so wild she thought he was on the razor's edge of violence. "We both know he doesn't fucking do this for you."

Then he leaned in to kiss her, shoving his tongue in her mouth, stretching her lips and joining his fingers to taste her. She moaned at the eroticism of the act and wrapped her tongue around his fingers. The kiss went on and on until she finally pulled back blinking rapidly. She turned her head sharply to the side, pushing his hand away. The moment was so intense it brought tears to her eyes. She'd gone years without crying over a man, yet somehow this man brought her to tears over and over in a matter of weeks. It was like he'd broken something inside her. Or maybe he was shaking up the already broken pieces.

A sob escaped her lips and she whispered against him, "Please, Reyes, please just push me away. I'm not strong enough for this. Tell me to fuck off before I break my vows. If you take away that part of me… I'll have nothing left of myself. J-just make me go." She clung to him, digging her nails into his flesh. She blinked rapidly and stared at her hand on his arm. Even though she couldn't see colours she could see that her skin was light against his.

He looked at her for a moment, debating whether or not to continue, knowing he could easily fuck her up against the door and she wouldn't murmur a single protest. But he also knew that if he did that, he would be taking something from her. Something extremely valuable. So, instead he pushed himself away, slamming a hand over her shoulder next to her head. She flinched, but stood still, breathing heavily. After a moment, he dropped his hand to the lock and twisted it. He pulled her back, smoothed her skirt down her body, opened the door and pushed her through with a growled, "Go."

Casey ran into the corridor without looking back. She refused to turn around as she heard Reyes leave the washroom and stride away from her. Elvira rushed quickly toward her from the other direction and reached for Casey's arm, steadying her. "Everything okay, hon?" she asked, her voice sharp with concern. She glanced behind Casey as though expecting to see someone in the shadows.

Casey nodded swiftly and lifted a hand toward her hair. Elvira reached up and tucked a few strands behind Casey's ear with swift efficiency. "You look beautiful. Don't worry that the bitch squad'll think anything's wrong. They don't have time for anything but their own selfish selves anyway."

Casey laughed shakily. "Thanks, Elvira."

"Come on. Let's go get a drink in the lobby bar," she murmured huskily, linking arms with Casey and pulling her toward the front of the restaurant.

Casey glanced back toward the Tuesday table. "Won't they miss us?"

"Who the fuck cares," Elvira said. "I'm more interested in hearing what kind of wild animal attacked you in the washroom and where I find can one of those."

Casey laughed, beginning to feel some of her tension ease and allowed the older woman to pull her toward the bar.