by J. L. Drake
My shoulders slouched, and I sighed. “I’d love one.”
He rapped his knuckles on the counter, and the bartender magically appeared in front of us. “Marc, I’d like a Maker’s Mark on the rocks, and lady would like…?” He directed the full force of his attention to me, looking at me questioningly.
“The same,” I said weakly.
His eyebrows lifted. “A whiskey drinker, huh?”
“No.” I exhaled shakily. “But I could use something to take the edge off.”
He cocked one eyebrow. “Bad day?”
“More like a bad year.”
“Do you want to talk about it?” He bent to the side and said something to the man sitting next to me, who immediately vacated his seat.
“No.” I laughed. “And you don’t need to pretend you want to hear my sob story either.”
The bartender placed two lowball glasses on the bar top filled with a golden-tan liquid. I tossed back half of it in one giant gulp. Fire spread through my stomach, and the hair on my arms stood on end.
“Come on. I’m a good listener,” the man prodded. He swirled the brown liquid in his glass, revealing two tiny red buttons on the cuff of his white dress shirt.
“Are you serious?” I said, studying the sharp, yet appealing, angles of his face and the strong column of this throat. His dark hair nearly brushed the collar of his shirt. I folded my arms across my waist, battling the urge to reach out and touch it. This was not good. I couldn’t remember the last time a guy affected me like this. Despite all his practiced charm, Kevin never caused my heart to riot in my chest.
“Absolutely. That’s what strangers are for.” He slid his forearm along the counter and pitched his torso closer to mine, ignoring his drink.
Ignoring the bodies brushing against us.
Ignoring strobe lights flashing on the dance floor.
Ignoring everything aside from me.
Unwanted desire hummed through me so powerfully—I couldn’t take my eyes off him. I was intensely aware of every pesky inch separating us.
“Fine.” Crinkling my nose, I tossed back the rest of my whiskey and puckered my lips. “I’ll give you the quick version. I caught my fiancé cheating on me one month before our wedding. I broke off our engagement.”
“Ahh,” he said, his grin widening. “This calls for a celebration.” He raised his hand, summoning the bartender again. The soft weave of his dark suit brushed against my arm, and a shiver darted down my spine. “A refill for…?”
“Evangeline.”
He edged closer to me. “Another drink for Evangeline,” he said to the bartender, without breaking eye contact with me.
Electricity zipped through my nerve endings, and my stomach fluttered with anticipation. I blinked, unable to comprehend how such an insignificant touch could do so many crazy things to me. “And you are?” I asked, mentally cursing the throaty sound of my voice.
“Gian.” He lifted his glass. “To a fresh start, new friends, and new adventures.”
I clinked my glass against his and took a sip, mindful of the fact that I had an interview in an hour or so.
“You’re rather innocent looking. You don’t come to places like this often, do you?”
Nervous laughter bubbled from my lips. “Just because I don’t like clubs doesn’t mean I’m innocent.”
The corners of his lips twitched. “Then why are you here?”
I raised and then dropped one shoulder lazily, the whiskey warming me from the inside out. “Like I said earlier, I’m meeting someone here.” I brought the glass to my lips again.
“Is that your way of telling me you’re not leaving here with me tonight?”
“Um…” I choked mid-swallow.
I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, training my gaze anywhere other than on him, and that’s when I spotted Kevin. He pushed Ana’s white-blonde hair away from her face, leaned in, and kissed her. My stomach plummeted to the floor, and my vision blurred at the edges. While I didn’t want him back, I couldn’t pretend seeing them together didn’t hurt. He had texted and called me every day this week trying to get back together. What a piece of shit.
“Hey, look at me,” Gian coaxed, his warm breath tickling my ear.
Hostility and remorse clogged my throat, nearly suffocating me. I couldn’t believe I pushed my career to the back burner while I wasted a year of my life on him. Kevin caught me staring, and he flashed me a condescending smirk. I wanted to throw my drink at his head. Rather than cause a scene, I swirled around, facing my back to Kevin and Ana, and mentally kicked him in the balls.
“I’m sorry. I need to get out of here,” I rasped, iciness seeping through my veins.
With the pad of his thumb and forefinger, he angled my head toward him. “What’s wrong?”
I opened my mouth, fully intending to lie, only it didn’t happen that way. “My ex is here.”
“Where?” he asked softly without releasing his hold on my chin.
“Behind us. Two tables to the right.”
He dropped his hand and quickly glanced to the side. “The man sitting across from the blonde-haired woman wearing the red dress?” he asked, flashing me a heart-warming smile that was a little bit playful and a whole lot wicked.
I nodded, smoothing my hands over the folds of my short A-line skirt that suddenly seemed hopelessly frumpy in comparison to Ana’s flamboyant red dress with symmetrical waist cutouts.
“That’s good,” he murmured. He clamped his hands around my hips and scooted me closer to him. So close, I saw every inky spike of his eyelashes. He smelled of soap and a faint hint of spicy aftershave, and my eyes fluttered in response.
“Why’s that?”
“Because he’s watching us right now.”
Alarm shot down my spine. “Are you serious?” When I twisted to catch a glimpse of Kevin, Gian’s hand framed one side of my face, forcing all of my attention on him.
His thumb brushed over my bottom lip, and the air buzzed with tension. “Shh,” he whispered, bringing his lips within striking distance of mine. Butterflies exploded inside of my stomach. I begged my body to move away. It wouldn’t listen.
I sucked in a breath. “What are you doing?”
“This,” he answered, feathering his perfect lips across mine. “And this.” He tugged me flush against him. “Put your arms around me, and give your ex a good show,” he uttered against my lips.
I hesitated for a fraction of a second, then a rush of memories flooded my brain.
All the nights I had waited for Kevin and eaten dinner by myself.
How I put my life on hold to build a future with him.
The sounds echoing through his art studio when I caught him fucking Ana.
The countless times I suspected Kevin of cheating and I looked the other way.
I couldn’t help wanting to hurt Kevin and show him I wasn’t some pathetic clinger without options. I curled my fingers around Gian’s neck and pulled him closer to me. His hand slid up my thigh, not far from the hem of my skirt.
“Is this good?” I whispered. His golden eyes held me hostage, and my pulse skyrocketed.
“Close.” His lips crashed against mine. They were smooth and firm, and he tasted like whiskey—sweet with a hint of caramel and vanilla. I opened my mouth and let him inside. His tongue stroked mine, deep and unrelenting, devouring me until sparks of desire fired in me. Within seconds, I didn’t care why he was kissing me. I wanted to wrap myself around him and lick every inch of his olive skin. My hand slid down to his chest and snuck between the buttons of his starched white shirt. My fingers toyed with the contours of his chest.
A moan rumbled from his mouth, and just like that, I was insanely turned on. Warm goose bumps showered my arms, and I buried one of my hands in his raven hair. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been so needy for a man. I clung to this stranger like I needed him more than my next breath. Maybe I did. Maybe he’d help me forget. Maybe he was the key to starting over.
&n
bsp; He leaned back, severing contact, his lips swollen and his pupils dilated. “Not here.”
“What?” I said, breathlessly unable to think clearly.
“Let’s go somewhere more private. Follow me.”
He threaded his fingers through mine, guiding us through the crowds of people. When we reached the rear of the bar, he pushed a door open marked No Admittance and led me down a darkened hallway. My heels clacked against the concrete floors, and my heart thrashed against my ribcage.
At the end of the hall, there were three doors. The one directly in front of us was closed. The one on the right had a lit exit sign above it, and the one on the left was open. He pulled me into the room with the open door and closed and locked it behind us.
“What is this place? Are we going to get in trouble?”
“No.” He backed me into the wall, fusing our bodies together again. “Nobody will bother us.” He swept my hair over my shoulder and buried his lips in the crook of my neck, tasting, biting, and sucking. God, he smelled good. Too bad I couldn’t relax. My muscles tensed, and my stomach knotted. What the hell was I doing? I didn’t know this guy. Carmela could be looking for me.
“Relax, Evangeline.” His hands slipped beneath the hem of my cropped top, watching me with his eyebrows raised expectantly. “You can stop this whenever you want. We’re just having a little fun, and I’d prefer it happened without an audience. Wouldn’t you?”
The idea of hooking up with a stranger in the back room of a bar scared me—though not enough to convince me to stop—and he was right. I wanted to have a little fun. I wanted to feel the excitement of touching and kissing someone new. I wanted to do something different. Be someone different.
Nodding, the air whooshed out of my lungs. “Okay.”
CHAPTER FOUR
Gian
The second she conceded, I snagged her clutch purse out of her hand and tossed it on the sofa to the right of us. If she were smart, she wouldn’t believe a word out of my mouth, and she’d stay far away from me. Unfortunately for her, I was too much of a bastard to send her away. One taste wasn’t close to enough.
With her pale, flawless skin and lithe dancer’s body, she wasn’t the type of woman who normally drew my attention. But marone, when she leaned over the bar to order a drink and her skirt lifted, flashing the sinful curves of the backs of her thighs, I had to talk to her. I’d never felt an affinity for a woman’s legs in my life. I was more of a breast man, but one look at her legs, and I became a convert.
Conflicted vibes radiated off her, and part of me knew I should leave her alone, especially after the story of her ex-fiancé. I didn’t want anything to do with a woman still pining after another guy, not even for one night. That changed the instant her ex looked at her like he owned her. I took what I wanted, what she needed, and I had every intention of taking this as far as she’d let me tonight.
I twisted my fingers in her strawberry blonde hair, angling her head so I could see her entire face. Her wide brown eyes peeked at me from beneath her lashes, her gaze roving all over me, my skin blazing with heat. She swallowed back her uncertainty, her long, elegant throat flexing. A smattering of freckles dusted the bridge of her nose like stardust. I’d give my left arm to make her smile.
“Fuck, you’re beautiful,” I growled against her lips. A moan tumbled from her mouth. It had to be one of the sexiest sounds I’d ever heard. My tongue slipped between her lips, and within seconds, the kiss spiraled into something primal and untamed. Her teeth grazed my lower lip, and my hands were everywhere and nowhere all at once.
I slipped my fingers under the hem of her skirt, and her skin was every bit as soft as I had imagined. She intoxicated me with her smell—jasmine mixed with soap. Her hands skated down my chest, and she palmed the front of my pants. Sparks ignited under my skin, and I wanted to throw her down on the floor, sofa, anywhere. I needed my pants down and her clothes gone.
A sharp thud echoed against the wood door. “Go away. I’m busy,” I barked, slipping my hand inside her damp panties. I wanted to fuck her so hard she’d forget her pansy-ass ex and any other guy who came before me.
Something slammed against the door. “Open the door, Gian. You’re supposed to interview Evie tonight.”
Evangeline’s muscles tensed under my fingertips, and I groaned. “Sorry,” I whispered next to her ear. “It’s my sister. Give me five minutes to get rid of her.”
She dug her fingers into my biceps, and her face drained of color. “Oh crap. You’re Carmela’s brother.”
I raised my eyebrows. “You know my sister?”
“Gianluca, open this door right now!” my sister yelled. Evangeline shoved me away from her, and I stumbled back a few steps, reeling from the revelation that she knew Carmela.
“I’m Evie,” she hissed. “The person you’re supposed to interview right now.”
I raked my hands through my hair. “Oh fuck.”
“My thoughts exactly.” She smoothed the front of her skirt and tucked her hair behind her ears. “Carmela, it’s Evie. We’re nearly done.” She sat down on the sofa and crossed her long legs then snapped her fingers. “Stop ogling me and open the door.”
I buttoned my suit jacket and rubbed the back of my neck in frustrated resignation. After a deep breath, I opened the door. “Hey, sis.”
“What’s going on?” Carmela asked. Her gaze ping-ponged between Evangeline and me.
I shrugged. “Nothing. I ran into your friend at the bar, and we decided to start without you.”
She rocked back on her heels and pinned her friend with her stare. “Are you already done?”
“Actually,” Evangeline said, coming to her feet, “we decided it wasn’t a good fit for either of us.”
“What?” Carmela yelled, her eyes shooting daggers at me. “Did you do something to her?”
I held up my hands. “What the hell, Carmela?”
My sister aimed her finger at me. “You said you’d help.”
“It’s fine, Carmela. He said he’d make some calls for other jobs.” A wobbly smile pulled at the corners her mouth. “I’m going to take off. I’ve had a headache all day.”
Carmela squeezed her friend’s hand. “What happened?”
Evangeline rolled her eyes. “I ran into Kevin, and I think he’s still here, which means I want to be anywhere other than here.”
“Okay. I’ll see you at home in an hour.”
“Nice meeting you, Evie,” I said as she stepped into the hall.
She glanced over her shoulder. “Likewise.”
“I’ll be in touch to finish our…conversation.” My gaze dropped to the back of her long, toned legs. I had no intention of letting her walk out of my life like the last twenty minutes hadn’t happened. In fact, I wouldn’t be satisfied until I had her naked beneath me more than once.
She paused, and her back stiffened. “Yeah, let Carmela know if you hear of another job.”
After she left, her scent lingered in the air of my office. Fortunately, my sister didn’t say anything until the hall door slammed. It gave me some time to clear her from my thoughts.
“So what really happened?” she asked, her hands on her hips.
“Nothing. We had a drink. We talked. You knocked on the door.” I crossed the room and sat down behind my desk. “I think she changed her mind about working here when she saw her ex.”
“Yeah, that makes sense. Do you think you can help her find something else?”
“I’ll make some calls tomorrow,” I said, scrolling through my missed texts. Dominick prohibited us from using cell phones for business unless we used coded text messages.
“That doesn’t sound promising.”
I read the message from Tony Red one more time. Tony Red had been nicknamed for his penchant for fast red cars and violence. Once, he drove a pickaxe through a man’s stomach with so much force, he ripped up the floorboard when he pulled it out.
Tony Red: Meet you at the bar in thirty minutes. Have a Tom Collins
ready for me.
To most people, it sounded like he needed a drink. I knew better. Tony Red and I had created our own language when I started working with my dad five years ago. The text referenced one of my soldiers, Tommy Calvo. Everyone knew he had a drug problem. To date, Dominick hadn’t done anything about it. That was about to change. I received a tip that he’d been skimming money from deadbeats when we sent him to collect. He’d gone missing seven days ago. Apparently, Tony Red had found him, and they were headed here.
“Sorry, Carmela, I can’t talk now.”
She pursed her lips. “What’s going on?”
“Something came up,” I answered without looking at her.
“That sounds like code for get the hell out of here.”
I chuckled. “It’s nothing major, just a little meeting. I’ll call you later.”
She hesitated near the open door for a second and then she glanced over her shoulder. “Thanks for meeting with Evie. It’s been hard watching her ex be such an ass to her over the last year. She deserves better. She’s a sweet person.”
My gut twisted. She’d kill me if she knew what actually happened with Evie. “Yeah, sure. I’ll make sure she lands on her feet,” I said, squeezing her shoulders.
She pecked me on the cheek. “Good, because I owe her. She stuck by me when Rocco died, and I want to return the favor now.”
CHAPTER FIVE
Evangeline
“Oh shit. Oh shit,” I repeatedly mumbled as I half-ran, half-walked through the bar. I didn’t think my luck could get any worse.
My ankle.
My disaster engagement.
Running into Kevin tonight.
Throwing myself at Carmela’s brother.
Now, I was back to square one because there was no way I’d work for Gian after hooking up with him. I couldn’t believe I didn’t recognize his name. Granted, Carmela always called him Gianluca and he introduced himself Gian, which sounded a lot like John. Once I saw them side by side, I couldn’t believe I missed the similarities between the two of them. They had identical light brown eyes and the same glossy, dark hair.
