by Nicole Fox
“Fan-cy,” I said.
Russell started the car with another click of the fob.
“Honestly, you’re right—I’m not really much for conspicuous consumption. But you can’t exactly roll up to one of these parties in a beat-up pickup truck.”
“I suppose you’ve got a point there,” I said as I ran my hands over the smooth, cool leather of the seats.
Russell gunned the engine and pulled out of his spot. I wasn’t a car girl, but even I could sense that there was a lot of power in this car of his.
“First time in a car like this?” Russell asked as he pulled the car onto one of the main boulevards.
“No,” I said, thinking back to the cars that Logan had rented every now and then. “Just not in them very often.”
“I suppose I don’t really know that much about you, now that I think about it,” said Russell.
“Not really much to say,” I responded.
Russell flashed me that sexy little smile of his.
“I doubt that—unless you’d spent your entire life in that car of yours. Even then, that’d actually be pretty interesting.”
I supposed that it was only fair that I tell Russell a little about myself. But how to summarize everything without getting into the gory details of my life since my relationship with Logan? Spending the entire drive into the city recounting in careful detail the ins and outs of the abusive relationship with my ex didn’t seem like the most relaxing way to spend the drive. Not to mention the fact that I barely knew Russell. He seemed like the trustworthy type, but you never knew. Especially with criminals.
“I … um, was in a serious relationship for a few years,” I said, my eyes looking out the window at the passing buildings. “It was kind of on the rocks for a while, and I had to end it.”
“Hmm,” said Russell, his tone serious.
I realized that as coy as I was being about details, it didn’t take a genius to put two-and-two together. I mean, in a relationship one minute, living in a car the next—there weren’t many reasons why a woman would flee like that so suddenly.
“No family?” he asked, appearing to get all the information that I was gliding over.
“No,” I said. “Only child, and my parents died when I was in college. It’s just me.”
“Sorry to hear that,” said Russell, his tone a little softer than usual.
“It’s okay,” I said. “Just an opportunity to learn to rely on myself.”
“I have to ask, though,” he said. “What kind of long-term plan did you have in that car? Where do you think you’d have ended up if Cory and I ’hadn’t come barreling into your life like that?”
“Um, to be honest, I really have no idea. I was just kind of winging it out there.”
“Hmm,” said Russell once again. “You seem like a nice girl; I bet you could’ve found a pack of wolves to take you in.”
He flashed me another one of his killer smiles.
“Oh yeah,” I said, returning the smile. “All of those wolf packs roaming up and down Long Island.”
A dry chuckle escaped his mouth.
“Touché,” he said. “In this city, all of the wild animals have moved right there.”
He pointed to the towers of Manhattan rising in the distance, their forms silver and proud in the morning sun, the sky a clear blue behind them.
“I suppose I’ll be finding out about all that soon enough,” I said.
“That you will,” said Russell. “But just stick with me; you’ll be fine. Believe it or not, knowing how to treat women is important even to criminal kingpins.”
“Ha. I’ll believe that when I see it.”
“I’m serious,” he said. “The guys you’re going meet, they’re the types who in another life would’ve made killer businessmen if they’d chosen more ‘traditional’ lines of work.”
“Instead, they’re just killers,” I said.
Russell raised his eyebrows and cocked his head to the side, conceding the point.
“True, though most of these guys leave the dirty business to people lower on the totem pole than them.”
I felt a shudder run across my body. Russell did make me feel safe, but that didn’t change the fact that I was going to be getting involved with some extremely dangerous men.
“But anyway, lots of sophisticated, international men. Interesting guys to talk to, if you can forget about the blood on their hands.”
“And you don’t have any?” I asked.
“I never said that,” Russell was quick to retort. “But the kind of blood you get pooling around your feet in the process of building empires like these guys run … let’s just say there are wars being fought that people like you would never know about.”
I wanted to change the subject, and I could see that Russell sensed this.
“Sorry about my shithead brother last night,” he said.
“Don’t worry about it,” I replied. “I just can’t get over how … different he is than you.”
Russell let out another dry laugh.
“I’ve been hearing that since I was about five,” he said. “Cory’s always been getting into shit; just part of his nature, I suppose.”
“Just seems like he’s got a different, um, business style.”
“That’s one way to put it,” said Russell. “But he’s still family. I know that if I ever cut him loose he’d be in jail or worse within a week. I try to keep him from getting too out of hand, but his fucking drug problem … I don’t know what I’m gonna do about that.”
“And his girl-groping problem,” I added.
I watched as Russell’s jaw worked; seemed to me like he wasn’t happy in the slightest about what Cory had pulled last night.
“Like I said, he’s my brother, but if he pulls any shit like that again …”
A silence filled the air as he drifted off. No more needed to be said.
Soon, we arrived on Fifth Avenue. The streets were bustling with pedestrians, the city as alive as it always was.
“Here’s the deal,” said Russell, pulling along the curb. “I’m going to be meeting with some clients that are gonna be at the party tonight, so I’m giving you free rein for the shopping.”
Free rein? I thought to myself.
This was a strange little situation that I found myself in, all told, but I couldn’t help but allow a little smile to form on my face.
Russell reached into his pocket and pulled out a beautiful brown leather wallet. Opening it up, he slipped out a black credit card.
“Here,” he said, handing me the card. “No fifteen-thousand-dollar princess gowns, but otherwise don’t worry about the price.”
The card was one of those limit-free cards made out of heavy metal. It was cool and smooth in my hands.
“Wow,” I said, placing the card in my pocket. “Um, thanks.”
“Don’t worry about,” he said. “You can thank me by looking good for tonight.”
“I think I can manage that,” I said.
Next, he popped open the glove compartment. Inside was an iPhone, which appeared to be the latest model.
“I’m not big on fancy cell phones, but these society types are constantly on the lookout for status symbols. If I’m going to have to play the game, then so are you.”
I took the phone and turned it on. The brilliant display glowed to life.
“My number’s in there; shoot me a text when you’re all done. Party’s at eight, so make sure to not lose track of time.”
“Thanks again,” I said.
He waved his hand through the air dismissively.
“Don’t worry about it; and you don’t need to thank me for every little thing I do—this is all about what I need to get the job done. Now, go do your thing.”
He opened the passenger-side door and I stepped out, fighting the instinct to thank him again. Once I was on the sidewalk, the door shut behind me and Russell drove off.
Needless to say, I was ready to get started.
Chap
ter Ten
Alyssa
I scanned Fifth Avenue, trying to decide on just where to start. Glancing down at my very plain clothes, I figured that basics would be as good a place to begin as any. Deciding on one of the local boutiques that I’d always wanted to check out, I started off down the wide sidewalk, the throngs of pedestrians spreading out around me like water around a stone in the middle of a running river.
It sounds strange to say, but at that moment I felt … free. This was silly, of course—I was essentially Russell’s property at this point, but walking down Fifth Avenue, a day of shopping ahead of me, well, it made me feel a little more normal. Logan allowed me to head out for shopping trips every now and then, but he hated the idea of me spending his “goddamn hard-earned money,” his words, on something he believed to be totally frivolous. This didn’t stop him from buying expensive, tailored suits whenever the mood struck him, of course. And when I’d come home with my bags, he’d always shove his hand towards me for the receipt, which he’d go over in agonizing detail, scoffing and sighing as he totaled up what I’d bought.
So to have the opportunity to buy what I wanted was a nice little change from that, despite it being in the context of being Russell’s “indentured servant.” But I supposed I’d have to make the best of a bad situation as well as I could.
A small smile crossed my face as I walked down Fifth Avenue. The sun was out, the air was mild, and the din of the city felt strangely inviting. Men in suits walked purposefully alongside young girls out on shopping trips, who themselves wove around tourists in tacky clothes who gawked up at the gleaming towers that reached up into the azure sky above. It was, in many ways, a perfect New York day.
I reached the boutique and stepped inside, feeling insecure right away as my eyes moved from one hip, stylish shop girl to another. They took one look at my clothes and dismissed me right out of hand, probably figuring that I was some tasteless Midwestern tourist here to window shop and waste as much of their time as I could get away with. I wasn’t going to let that deter me—I had a job to do, after all.
I flitted from rack to rack, grabbing handfuls of day-to-day basics. Once I’d scooped up enough to cover my needs, I approached one of the shop girls.
“Hey,” I said, my voice soft and quiet.
The girl, slim and gorgeous in her stylish clothes, her hair a deep blonde and her green eyes outlined with wingtip makeup, looked at me just as dismissively as I was expecting.
“Yes?” she said, hardly able to hide her disdain as she flipped through the rack in front of her.
“I’ve got some stuff I want to try on.”
“You sure do,” she said, taking a quick glance at my clothes.
“Um, also, I wanted to know if you took this card.”
With my free hand, I pulled the top of the black card out of my jeans pocket. The shop girl glanced down at it and did a double-take the likes of which I’d never seen.
“Um,” she said straightening her posture and now giving me her full attention, “we sure do. Right this way, miss.”
That’s right, I thought, a victorious little smile forming on my face as she led me to the dressing room.
Most of the clothes were just what I was looking for, and after I tried them on, the shop girl—who was now chatting with me like an old girlfriend and commenting on the great taste I was demonstrating with what I’d picked out—brought me to the register.
“Can I wear some of these out?” I asked.
“Why yes, you can,” the shop girl said.
My eyes went wide when the total came up, and I tried to remember what Russell had said about not worrying about the cost. The shop girl swiped the card and I was good to go. Minutes later, I was dressed in some of my new clothes—a dark pair of slim jeans that made my ass look great, and a simple, white blouse—and ready to move on to the next store.
The bags of clothes that I purchased were already weighing heavy on my arms, and I made a mental note not to get too carried away, otherwise I’d need a wheelbarrow to cart my things down Fifth Avenue. As I walked, a lingerie store caught my eye and a naughty smile appeared on my lips. I’d always felt that sexy underwear was a totally unnecessary indulgence, especially since during the last year with Logan my desire to go out of my way to be an enticing partner had dwindled by the day. But looking good for Russell was now, evidently, part of my job. Not to mention that I wouldn’t exactly feel my sexiest for these little parties if I was wearing cheap Hanes undies under my dresses.
I stepped in and went from rack to rack, just as before. Anything that was lacy or silky, I grabbed, and now that I was dressed a little more nicely, the shop girls were more than willing to help me find what I needed. I grabbed some thongs, some boy shorts, and all manner of bras. I felt so silly for feeling this way, but in the back of my mind hung the idea of what would appeal the most to Russell. I should’ve been putting up more resistance or something, but if I was being honest with myself, the sex last night was probably the best I’d had in years.
Underwear—check, I thought to myself as I walked out with my new bags in hand.
Next was the actual formalwear.
I made my way to the fancier stores in the area, letting my eyes linger on the gorgeous gowns and dresses that hung on the pearl-white, faceless mannequins in the windows. Once ready, I flitted from store to store, scooping up dress after dress, trying on whatever struck my fancy. Striking that balance between “classy” and “easy” was going to be tricky, but I did my best. Eventually, I settled on a skintight black cocktail dress and a pair of high-heeled shoes. The dress was tight enough to show off my body, but not short or low-cut enough to make it look like I was desperate for attention. I bought the dress and was on my way out when I realized that I’d almost forgotten about shoes.
An hour or so later, a bag full of a few pairs of shoes now weighing down my arms with the rest of the clothes, I felt my phone buzz in my pocket. I did a little juggling of the bags and eventually got my hand free to pull out the phone.
It was a text from Russell.
Hey. Two-hour warning. If you haven’t done hair and makeup, then do it now.
I checked the time, my eyes going wide when I realized how the afternoon had gotten away from me. After making a quick stop for a bite to eat, I headed into one of the nearby salons. I wasn’t sure if they’d have time to squeeze me in, but once they saw my black card, they were more than happy to accommodate.
I went with a nice up-do and some tasteful makeup. I figured that if I was going to be wearing something skintight then having blood-red lips and popping eyes might send the message home a little too explicitly. Sexy, not easy, I reminded myself.
Before too long, I was good to go. My hair and makeup were done, and all I needed to do was let Russell know I was ready to head back. I fired him a text and he got back to me within seconds.
Be there in ten. Same spot I dropped you.
I made my way back to where he’d dropped me off, and right on time, his sleek black Mercedes pulled up to me. I knew it was silly to think so, but I felt like a celebrity or something. Russell stepped out of the car, and I saw that he was wearing a sharp, perfectly tailored gray suit with a crisp white dress shirt with a couple of top buttons undone, giving me a little glimpse of that amazing chest of his. His shoes were a sleek, shiny pair of black double-monks. He peered over a pair of Wayfarers at my outfit.
“You did good,” he said. “As long as what you’ve got in the bag is as primo as what you’ve done so far, I think we’ll be set for tonight.”
“Why, thank you,” I said.
I felt my face go flush as Russell opened the passenger side door to let me in. Soon, he was back at the wheel, the engine roaring to life.
“Um, thanks again,” I said.
“What’d I tell you about thank yous?” he said, his eyes on the road.
“I know, I know,” I said. “I’m just not used to this kind of treatment.”
“If it makes you feel
any better, you’re still basically my property.”
He had me there.
“Still,” I said. “A shopping spree’s a shopping spree.”
A little smirk formed on his lips.
“How about this,” he said. “You can give me one last, big, extravagant thank you, and that’ll cover you for everything. Go.”
“Wow, now I’m on the spot,” I said with a smile.
“Big thank you,” he said. “Make it count; it’s the last one you’re gonna say.”
I took a deep breath, rocked my head back and forth, and stretched out my limbs. I wanted to give the best damn thank you I could.
