by Ashley Hall
The redhead walked by me again, and I curled my lip at her. She paled and walked away as fast as her hooker high heels allowed her.
It took me a moment to realize I was looking around and seeking out the uncomfortable, curvy brunette now that I wasn’t distracted. Boris had moved on, and the woman was talking to the bartender, talking longer than was necessary for a drink order. She still seemed nervous and uptight—her posture rigid, her purse tight to her body, arms close and tight to her chest as if she were trying to hide.
Vulnerable. That wasn’t something I often saw. I surrounded myself with strength. My men were strong. Even the women we associated with had some power to them, whether it was actual skill or money or some other intangible.
She was a rose among thorns, and she really had no business being here. Maybe Sam, the bartender, would send her packing. Doubtful. He was one of the softest men here, although his accuracy with a simple handgun was impressive.
Honestly, I was a little surprised that Dave, tonight’s bouncer, allowed the brunette entry, although we never did turn down customers unless they belonged to a rival, and none of my rivals were stupid enough to step foot in here. Not that I had many rivals, and none were noteworthy after Vanya Golovkin.
My shock rose when Sam pointed at me. He knew better than to point me out to strangers. I had made it quite clear the moment I stepped into my bar tonight that I didn’t want to be bothered. I had too much to think about, too many mental demons to extinguish, and the bottom of a bottle of whiskey seemed the best way to go about just that. And for him to send a woman who should be at her home in bed and far away from here, well…that just struck me as off. What did she want with me?
The curvy brunette turned away from the bar. The moment we made eye contact, my cock grew instantly hard. Who was this woman, and why was she looking for me?
I leaned back, amused, and waited for her to approach.
Chapter Five
Rachel
What was I doing here? A dark bar, not seedy, more upscale than the bars I normally frequented, but it felt a little…edgy. Dangerous. Just walking inside gave me a thrill.
Yeah, sure, I gave Denise grief over Alec, but the truth of the matter was that she wasn’t the only one with a weakness for bad boys, and it sure looked like every guy here was a bad boy.
Oh God, had it been fun talking to Denise earlier.
“Hey…I need some info from you,” I had said.
“Sure. Whatever you need. Unless it’s a listening ear,” she’d joked.
“What are you talking about?”
“You. Earlier. When I told you about Alec and you hadn’t been really paying attention and then voiced your thoughts out loud? Ring a bell?”
I had winced. No way would she stay mad at me long for not paying attention to her and being a little less than sympathetic about the whole Alec-dumping-her thing, but I kind of hoped she would’ve accepted my apology already. “I already told you I’m sorry for that! And I really am. I’m sorry.”
“I know. And you’re right. He wasn’t the one for me. It was fun while it lasted, but it’s over now. Time to move on and take another stab at Mr. Right. And besides, you really do have so much on your plate that I shouldn’t be asking anything of you. You need to focus on yourself.”
“You mean my mom.”
“Yes, your mom, but yourself too, girl. You need to take care of yourself too. Don’t worry. I won’t let you forget that. Anyhow, what do you need? Some info, huh? What about?”
“About Alec’s boss, Ivan,” I’d blurted before I could lose my nerve.
“What? Why?” She had gasped. “Don’t tell me you’re actually considering…no way, Rachel!”
“I just want to find out a few more details, that’s all,” I’d said defensively. “It’s not a big deal.”
Except she and I both knew it was.
“Rachel…” She had grown quiet. For Denise to grow quiet was saying something.
A sinking feeling had come over me. I didn’t like her tone of voice. We hadn’t hung out quite so much as we normally did while she dated Alec, so I had no idea what to expect from the boss of a guy I hadn’t liked right from the get go. Alec had thrown his weight around. He was hot, and he knew it, and he expected women to fall all over for him. Honestly, I didn’t think he liked me much either. Denise and I still talked on the phone, but actually going out together just hadn’t happened. With Alec being out of the picture and with me being out of a job, we might have more than enough time together to make up for it.
I had to break the silence, so I’d said, “I just want to know how much.”
Translation? I was desperate for money. Maybe even desperate enough to give birth to the baby of a man who might be a mobster, maybe even a mob boss.
“I wish I had money myself to help you.” Denise had blown out a breath that had made me cringe. What if she wouldn’t tell me about Ivan? Without his last name, I didn’t know if I would be able to find out the info myself. It wasn’t like I could type Ivan looking for heir into Google.
But after another long moment of since, she finally told me the address of the bar I had now just entered.
The name of the bar hadn’t rung any bells, so I had done a little digging online about it. The bar was on the edge of town. So far, so good. At least it wasn’t super far away. But then I quickly learned it was known for its fights and its drug trade. You would never know from looking at the outside of the building or even the inside. The fights and drug trade and all that crap must happen on a different level, unless they cleaned everything up right away. I couldn’t see anything that looked out of place.
Still, I kept my purse tight to me, feeling uncomfortable and out of sorts. I had worn my sexiest dress, had worn it to hopefully impress Ivan, and from the looks I was getting from various guys on the floor, either I had nailed it, or else they recognized me as fresh meat and thought I would be easy pickings. And while I might be tempted to accept the offer of a drink from a guy with an easy smile, I turned him down. I needed to keep my wits about me. It wouldn’t do to be slurring when I met Ivan.
Was he in the bar right now? What did he look like? According to Denise, he was hot, so I found myself looking around, scoping out the hot guys, and then I shook my head. This was terrible. I should leave, or else, if I was going to stay, I should just ask someone where Ivan was. The bartender. He would know.
I took a deep breath and started toward the bar when a tall guy stepped into my path. He leaned down close and before I could react, he whispered loudly in my ear, “Hiya. Did you remember to tip the bouncer?”
I blinked and stepped back. “No…”
The guy shook his head and leaned toward me again. “Don’t worry. I can handle it for you.”
I frowned. “Just what needs handling?” I asked, crossing my arms and keeping my purse close.
He laughed and pulled back, looking down at me. “I think I like you.” He gave me a once-over and slowly grinned.
“I think I’ll pass.” I wasn’t here to be picked up by a guy.
His smile widened, and he laughed some more. “Now I know I like you. Tell Sam over there that I’ll buy your first round. Maybe your second too.”
And he sauntered on away. After a few steps, he glanced behind at me, and I glanced away.
Okay. Hopefully that wasn’t Ivan. He had been built like a bull, and it would’ve been nice to feel those arms around me, but…I didn’t know. The whole idea of this was insane.
The guy was watching me still, I realized when I causally glanced around the bar. He definitely seemed to be keeping an eye on things everywhere in the bar, not just me, which made me wonder if he was Ivan after all. I didn’t think so, but then again, I had no idea who Ivan was, or what he looked like.
And that terrified me. I was hoping some mysterious hot, rich guy could solve my money problems by giving him a baby. How had my life ended up like this?
It didn’t matter how, only that it had, and I c
ouldn’t help wondering if all of this was fate. What were the chances that some hot, rich guy had a job that might be the answer to all of my money woes?
Of course that job entailed a hell of a lot.
Well, I could find Ivan, talk to the guy. If he seemed like a creep—if he gave off that same bad vibe that Alec did—I could just walk away. Being here didn’t mean I absolutely had to go through with this. I still had a say in whether or not I actually accepted the position. Like I told Denise, I just wanted to get a few more details clarified. Like how much money.
I sincerely doubted that this Ivan guy would lowball me. If he wanted to hire someone to have an heir, he must be desperate, almost as desperate as me.
But if he was desperate to have a kid, wasn’t that a red flag in and of itself?
Ugh. At this rate, I was going to talk myself out of it without even meeting the guy!
Remembering that this wasn’t a promise to do anything, I forced myself to the bar and worked up the nerve to talk to the bartender.
Sam was wiping down a counter after filling a few orders, two he hadn’t even been told what to get the customers. Must be regulars. Then the bartender turned to me. “What can I get ya?” He glanced over my shoulder.
I turned to follow his gaze. He was looking at tall guy who was still staring at me.
“Did Boris offer you a drink?” he asked.
“Yeah.” I shook my head. “But I’m not taking him up on it.”
Sam laughed. He had a little bit of a belly, and his laugh was jolly. Even though he didn’t look at all like the guy in red, he still reminded me of Santa. “Good for you. What can I do you for?” he asked.
I swallowed hard. Don’t be a coward. I took a deep breath and blurted out, “I’m looking for Ivan.”
“Ivan?” His eyebrows shot up. “You want the boss guy? What for?” he demanded.
Boss guy. I knew Ivan had been Alec’s boss, but I thought that meant at his job. Yeah, there had been a few signs that pointed toward Alec being in the mob, but I hadn’t dug that deep into it because Denise had threatened our friendship if I said one more bad thing about him. If Alex really had been in the mob, and Ivan was his boss…had boss meant mob boss?
Oh God, what the hell was I getting myself into?
Denise had never mentioned Ivan’s last name, so I hadn’t been able to do any research on the guy. I should just get the hell out of here. I should’ve asked her for his last name. Should’ve asked her for more details. I just assumed she would’ve told me if she knew more. And maybe, deep down, I did wonder about Ivan and had been afraid of what I would find out. The allure of money and dollar signs were making me willing to take a potentially large risk. If it was just me, I wouldn’t do this. Not at all. But Mom needed me, and so I was here.
For now. I could still walk away. I hadn’t signed anything yet, hadn’t agreed to anything yet.
But I kinda felt that just being here meant that I was already ensnared in this mess.
“What for?” the bartender reiterated. He was staring at me intently, his open face suddenly unreadable.
“Ah…” I swallowed hard again and ended up coughing. Man, this was so embarrassing and awkward. “I…I heard about…he needs…”
Sam laughed again. “Gotcha, little lady. He’s right over there, actually.” He pointed to the right.
I looked directly at a seated man wearing a fine suit. There was no way Sam was pointing to anyone else but him.
The man’s gaze met mine, and I almost dropped onto the bar stool behind me. I might not know his last name, but I did recognize his face.
And mob boss was right.
God, had I been naïve to think he might have been some kind of regular boss!
I really should just walk right back out of this bar. I should bail. Cut my losses. I shouldn’t be here. I was wasting time that could be used finding a real job. I couldn’t do this. It’s way too crazy a scheme.
But the thought of Mom, so weak and growing even weaker every day, made me square my shoulders. There wasn’t anything I wouldn’t do for her. For so long, she had taken care of me by herself. I hadn’t wanted for anything. She’d done without. No way was I unwilling to do whatever it took to repay her, to make sure she could concentrate on fighting for her life instead of fretting over bills. Which meant that I had to at least talk to the guy. What harm could come from a single conversation?
Thankfully, Ivan was sitting at his table alone, but by the time I walked around tables and through the crowd, two men had sat with him. They were talking and laughing, but Ivan was staring at me, and I shivered. The burning look in his eyes made me squirm inwardly. God, he was intense!
At least I didn’t get that “danger” impression from Ivan like I did immediately with Alec. Although that might have to do with appearances. Alec had that scar that Denise had found dark and sexy. Other than the scar, Alec had been hot. But Ivan had no scars. He was strikingly good looking, his features sharp, angular, as if chiseled from stone. He looked like a Russian god, powerful, handsome. He even looked rich.
I cleared my throat as I stopped at the table. The two men were also staring at me, and I felt so self-conscious. My dress had ridden up on my thighs on the walk over here, and I wanted to pull it down. Or to pull it up. Had to get Ivan to want me. Well, want to hire me. The way the two guys were leering at my chest had me thinking they were going to start drooling.
Ivan blinked at me but said nothing. God, this was awkward.
I forced myself to talk first. “Hi. I…can we talk alone?” I blurted. I just couldn’t bring up what I came here to talk to him about with others present. As it was, I could hardly get a word out. Maybe I couldn’t even handle talking to him. This was all a mistake.
Ivan laughed, the sound surprisingly deep and maybe a little warm too. Not at all what I expected. “You can say whatever you need to say in front of my men.” He spread out his hands toward them in a carefree but controlled manner. I found myself staring at his long fingers, at his perfect hands. What would it be like to be with him? What kind of an arrangement were we talking? Since he was a mob boss, he would have money. Maybe he wanted to go the whole artificial insemination route. Maybe we wouldn’t actually sleep together. Maybe I was worried about more than I should be.
But what would it feel like to have those hands run all over my body? To pull my hair, to spank me? It was obvious he was used to being in control, just like it was obvious that he was used to getting things his way. He wanted an heir. He would get an heir.
The only question was whether or not that heir would come from me.
Another awkward silence had passed, and I cleared my throat and swallowed hard. My face was burning, but I didn’t have a choice. I screwed up my courage and stared down at him. A few deep breaths didn’t help to calm me any. Before I could lose my nerve, I blurted out, “I heard you’re in need of a mother for your child, and I’m…I’m offering myself up for the job.”
Chapter Six
Ivan
The silence that descended after the curvy brunette announced her offer stretched for several minutes. Her words slowly sank in, and I couldn’t help but be impressed despite myself. I never would have pegged such an innocent thing like this girl as someone out for cash. I was curious as to how she had found out—this girl who I didn’t know. Someone must have defied me and told her or someone else about my need. I’d find the culprit and deal with him later.
But something she said struck me. In need of a mother for your child. Time to push her, to see if she actually knew and realized and understood what exactly this deal would entail—if I picked her.
“Do you understand what you’re asking for?” I asked, watching her carefully.
She nodded. Her gaze briefly flickered to my associates, and although I had half a mind to send them away myself, I enjoyed watching her squirm. It made her dress ride up even more on her thighs, and it brought more attention to her large chest. And besides, when someone was nervous, th
ey tended to be careless and made mistakes. I wanted her to be uncomfortable because I wanted to see what she was all about. I wanted any mistakes or any reason not to hire her to come out now, not after the ink dried on the contract.
“Do you really?” I asked, steepling my fingers as I leaned back. Normally I stared people down, but I was sitting, and she was standing, so she was staring down at me. It was cute in a way. She was definitely younger than me. I was thirty-two, and if I had to guess, she was maybe twenty-five.
