Rake: Wolfes of Manhattan Four

by HELEN HARDT

  I smiled—that devilish grin that no lady could resist. “Oh, we will. But I find anticipation makes it even better.” I signaled the barkeep. “Another for the lady.”

  The still-blushing bartender slid another dirty martini in front of Nieves. She daintily took a sip.

  “How did Leta know that Rock had left Montana?” I asked.

  Nieves kicked off one of her stilettos and slid her bare foot underneath my pants, rubbing her toes against my ankle. “I don’t know.”

  Oddly, I wasn’t getting turned on. I still enjoyed a woman who was a challenge, and Nieves Romero clearly didn’t fall into that category. Partially my fault. I’d gotten her drunk. Alcohol, the great social lubricant. Not that Nieves needed any lubricant. Of any kind.

  But Nieves hadn’t been a challenge back in Manhattan either, and I’d been sloppy seconds after she couldn’t seduce Rock away from Lacey.

  That night, I hadn’t cared. I’d been horny, and she’d been available.

  Tonight, though? She wasn’t appealing to me.

  Damn Rock and his ill-timed phone call. If I hadn’t answered, I’d be doing the horizontal tango with Ms. Romero right now.

  Instead, I’d gotten her too drunk too quickly, and now she wasn’t going to be any good to me.

  “Nieves,” I said.

  “What?” Then she burst into giggles. “You have four eyes.”

  Her remark puzzled me. I wasn’t wearing my glasses.

  Her next gesture removed any puzzlement. She poked at my forehead. “One, two, three, four.” Then she blinked incessantly for a few seconds and then widened her eyes. “Nope. Still four.”

  Was she too drunk now to give me any helpful information?

  What a lightweight. Four drinks? Really?

  Except she probably weighed half of what I did.

  I signaled the barkeep again, rising to speak to him privately. “How much booze did you put in her drinks?”

  “They were doubles,” he said.

  “Doubles? Are you freaking kidding me?”

  “That’s what she ordered when she got here.”

  Shit. He was right. Nieves had arrived at the bar before I did, and she’d ordered my first scotch.

  Nieves had drunk the equivalent of eight drinks while I was fake drinking my second. Four drinks would have put her right where I wanted her.

  Eight? She was a hair away from passing out.

  I returned to my stool and sat down.

  “I don’t feel so good, Rock,” Nieves said.

  “Reid,” I said, taking a good look at her. “You look a little green.”

  She laughed hysterically. “I think I’m going to puke on you later!”

  Great. Just great. I threw some bills on the wooden bar. “That’s your tip. Put the drinks on my tab. Reid Wolfe.”

  The bartender’s eyebrows flew up. “Reid Wolfe? Who owns this place?”

  “That’s the one.” Then I lifted Nieves off her stool, carried her out of the bar toward the elevators.

  She closed her eyes and let out a soft snore.

  So much for my quick fuck.

  I’d never taken an incapacitated woman to bed, and I wasn’t going to start now. Still, she’d said she was staying with me. Did she have a room somewhere? A small purse dangled from her wrist. Once I got her to my suite, I’d take a look through it for a hotel key.

  The elevator dinged and the double doors parted.

  And there stood my brother Roy with his new wife, Charlie.

  Fuck it all.

  7

  Zee

  My eyes darted open.

  Where was I?

  Right. My hotel in Queens.

  Except…

  My bed was a full-sized, and this bed…

  This bed was narrow. Like a cot. The mattress was thin, and—

  I jerked upward.

  Darkness surrounded me. There was a window in my room. Where was it? It must still be nighttime.

  I waited for my eyes to adjust.

  And my whole body turned prickly.

  This wasn’t my room.

  And then the hammering in my head began.

  Or became more pronounced, because it had been there since I woke up.

  A nauseating headache. Was this what a migraine felt like? I’d never had one. But this pounding was on both sides of my head, not just one. In fact, it was all over my head, behind my eyes, on the crown, at the back of my neck.

  A jackhammer.

  Pounding so quickly I couldn’t get a grasp on the speed. Like a hummingbird’s heartbeat, only loud and obnoxious and pulsating through my body, landing in my gut.

  Crap.

  Literally.

  I had to go to the bathroom. I stood. The bathroom was…

  I stumbled, trying to orient myself. The bathroom was to the right.

  Except all I saw to the right was a wall. This room was small.

  Really small.

  Where was the door?

  I walked the small room blindly, feeling at the walls to support myself. I could pass out at any moment. My stomach was gurgling, my head hammering.

  My heart stampeding.

  Finally, something hit me in the belly.

  “Ouch!” I reached down and touched my bare skin.

  Then my fright increased a hundredfold.

  I was naked.

  I’d gone to bed in a T-shirt and panties. Hadn’t I? My mind was so muddled I didn’t trust my thoughts.

  My hand brushed against the object that had hit my belly.

  A door knob!

  I twisted at it frantically, to no avail.

  I’d found the door, but I couldn’t open it. I fumbled along the doorjamb for a deadbolt or something to unlock.

  Nothing.

  I was locked in.

  Locked in a strange room.

  Naked and ill and my head throbbing in time with my heart.

  I slid down, scratching my unclothed back on the wall.

  I sat on the floor, shivering.

  Naked, afraid, and shivering.

  “If you don’t want him,” Mo said, handing me a glass of wine, “mind if I take a stab?”

  I didn’t want the wine. Two flutes of champagne was enough for one evening. Plus, it was my night off, and I really just wanted to go to bed. But Mo was in one of her chatty moods, and we did have the place to ourselves since our other two roomies were out.

  I took the goblet from her. “Help yourself.”

  “Can you arrange an introduction?”

  “I just met him.”

  Then her eyes went wide. “Oh. My. God.”

  “What?”

  “He’s Reid Wolfe!”

  “Well…yeah. I believe he introduced himself to you.”

  “Reid Wolfe the billionaire!”

  “Oh. Yeah.”

  “Oh. Yeah.” She mocked me. “Seriously? That’s what you have to say? Spill it, girl. How the hell did you end up getting Reid Wolfe to bring you home tonight?”

  Long story. One I didn’t want to rehash now. So I said simply, “Right place at the right time, I guess.”

  “What place would that be?” she demanded. “Because I plan to be there tomorrow.”

  “I was over at the Wolfe Premiere.”

  “What for? You hate gambling.”

  “I had a…spa appointment.” A little white lie never hurt anyone.

  “Whoa. Expensive stuff when you can hit Massage Avenue for fifty bucks.”

  “I won a gift certificate in a contest.” Yeah, the white lies kept coming.

  “Oh, that makes more sense. How was it?”

  “Good. But no better than Massage Avenue. Definitely not worth the extra expense.”

  “Really? I’ve heard their relaxation room is phenomenal. Aromatherapy, hydrotherapy, the works.”

  Like I’d know. “Yeah, but not worth the extra, at least not on our income.”

  She nodded, finally. Good. I wanted to get off this subject. I hated lying, but I couldn�
��t tell Mo why I was really at the Wolfe. No one knew my story here in Las Vegas. No one but the Wolfes.

  I took a sip of wine and then feigned a yawn. “I’m exhausted. Think I’ll hit the sack.”

  She giggled. “Nice try. Drink your wine, and tell me how I can get a stab at Reid Wolfe.”

  “I hardly know the man.”

  “Didn’t look that way to me. He carried you in here.”

  “Because the heel on my shoe broke.”

  “And that means you can’t walk, of course.”

  “Well, my ankle’s slightly sore.”

  “I’ve seen you do a show with an ankle twice the size of what you’ve got now.” Mo shook her head. “Not buying.”

  I sighed. “Fine. He’s taking me to dinner tomorrow night after the late show. Why don’t you come along?”

  “Dinner? Damn, you’re lucky.”

  “I’m trying to help you get lucky.”

  “Three’s a crowd, Zee.”

  “It’s not a date. I just met the guy.”

  “You just met Reid Wolfe, and now you’ve got a date with him. Damn.” She took a big drink of her wine. “You have all the luck!”

  All the luck.

  Did Mo have any idea how ridiculous her words sounded to me?

  All the luck.

  I’d been hunted. Then I spent the next several years on drugs, trying to deal with what had happened to me. Finally, I got off the drugs and found the strength to confront Derek Wolfe about what he’d done. That led to the settlement. He paid me off, and I let him.

  Then I came to Las Vegas and changed my name. I wasn’t qualified to do anything, so I put those years of dancing classes to good use. Turned out I fit the bill for a showgirl. I was tall, well-built, and strong. The head pieces we wore often weighed twenty pounds or more. The modeling classes helped as well. My posture was outstanding. After two months, I got a job in a revue.

  I supposed I was lucky in that respect. I found work. I’d used most of my settlement money then to finance my move to a new city. In retrospect, I should have demanded more. I had a ton of debt from rehab, and a big chunk of that settlement went to pay it off.

  And lucky…

  In one big respect I was lucky.

  Lucky to be alive.

  Those other girls…

  They weren’t so lucky. I never saw any of them again.

  “Earth to Zee.” Mo waved her hands in front of my face.

  “Yeah, what?”

  “You went catatonic there for a minute. You okay?”

  “Yeah, just thinking. You’re right, Mo. I am lucky, in some ways.”

  “Try all ways, girl. You’ve got a face and body to die for, and you’re dating a Wolfe.”

  “I’m not dating a Wolfe. And not in all ways.”

  She scoffed. “I suppose no one is lucky in all ways.”

  “True story,” I agreed. If she only knew.

  “So…about dinner tomorrow. You sure I won’t be a third wheel?”

  “Absolutely not. I want you to come.”

  No truer words. Reid Wolfe scared me senseless.

  I was scared of what he wanted from me.

  And even more scared that I kind of wanted it as well.

  8

  Reid

  Charlie’s eyes went wide. Roy’s didn’t.

  My brother knew me pretty well.

  “Who’s the lucky lady?” he asked.

  “The lady’s passed out,” I retorted. “I’m taking her to bed.”

  “Clearly.” My brother smirked.

  I let out a huff. Did my brother seriously think I’d take an unconscious woman to bed? What the fuck?

  “Isn’t this supposed to be your wedding night?” I asked.

  “It is. We’re sharing a late dinner at Massey’s, and then—”

  “Please,” I said, “spare me the details.” Especially since, at this point, I clearly wasn’t getting any tonight.

  “Looks like you’ll be busy as well.” Roy nodded to Nieves.

  “This is Nieves Romero, Roy. She passed out in the bar, and I’m taking her to bed. Not my bed. Is that really what you think of me?”

  “Of course not,” Charlie said.

  “You are the Wolfe of Manhattan.” This from Roy.

  “I can be the Wolfe of Manhattan without preying on the defenseless. Damn.” I walked into the still-open elevator.

  “Hey, bro, I didn’t mean—”

  “Yeah, you did,” I said as the elevator doors closed, erasing Roy and Charlie from my view. No, I didn’t actually believe my brother thought so little of me. I was just pissed at this situation.

  I arrived at my suite and laid Nieves on the bed in the second bedroom. Thank goodness Jarrod or Charlie or whoever had made these reservations had booked us all in two bedroom suites. I did not want to sleep on a couch tonight.

  First things first. I removed the wristlet bag hanging from Nieves’s hand and unzipped it. A credit card, a couple bucks, and her ID. No hotel room key. All right. No problem. I reassessed my decision to let her sleep in my extra bedroom, made a quick call to the front desk, and booked her a room. Then I carried her to it, met a concierge there, and put her to bed.

  Nicely done, I said to myself. This way she’d wake up somewhere other than my suite. As much as I’d enjoy a good fuck, I wanted to deprive myself for now.

  So I’d be hungrier for Zee tomorrow night.

  I needed to be in full Wolfe mode to get her into my bed, and I planned to do it.

  Oh, I’d stay loyal to Riley. I wouldn’t push. No. I’d seduce Zee slowly. In fact, I’d wait. It didn’t have to happen tomorrow. It could happen the next day. The hungrier I got, the better I’d seduce her.

  I’d make her want me.

  When she wanted me, she’d want to please me.

  And I’d convince her that the way to please me would be to tell her story.

  Simple enough.

  Back in my suite, I stripped off my clothes and went to bed in my boxer briefs. To my surprise, I fell asleep to visions of a black-haired beauty with immensely sad light-blue eyes.

  I jerked upward in bed.

  Someone was pounding on my door. My phone lay on the nightstand, flashing the time. Six a.m.

  Certainly not Rock. He wasn’t an early riser. Riley and Matt were still on their wedding night. Ditto Roy and Charlie.

  Had I ordered breakfast? Yeah, I had, but room service wouldn’t be pounding. I grabbed a robe from the bathroom, headed to the door, and looked through the peephole.

  “Nieves,” I said under my breath.

  Against my better judgment, I opened the door.

  She blew past me and into my suite. “Nice try.”

  “You were passed out,” I said.

  “I could’ve slept it off here, and we’d be fucking right about now.”

  Oddly, her words had no effect on me. She was hot, no doubt, but my dreams had been filled with another woman.

  A woman I planned to seduce, but who I didn’t realize I actually wanted…until now.

  Yeah, I’d have seduced her anyway, but now, I actually craved her.

  “I’m afraid our ship has sailed, Nieves.”

  “Has it?” she said. “Because I might be willing to part with some interesting information. For the right price.”

  “If the right price is a romp in my bed, I’m afraid I’ll have to pass.”

  She smiled. “You do drive a hard bargain, but I’m willing to settle for cash.”

  Cash I had, and plenty of it. “What do you know?”

  “Uh-uh. I need to see the cash first.”

  “Nieves, you know cash isn’t an issue for me. Give me what you’ve got, and I’ll decide if it’s worth anything.”

  Nieves did have information. Somehow, she’d known about my father’s death before it actually happened, according to her sister and to forensics on the scene.

  She’d also known before Rock had.

  None of us were exactly sure how she and Let
a were involved, but I had a suspicion it had to do with money.

  Not so much a suspicion. More like I knew damned well it had to do with money. I just didn’t know how.

  “This isn’t how it words, Reid,” she said. “I’m not a fool.”

  “No, just a mercenary. I can respect that.” No lie there. Money was money.

  She looked great, especially for someone who was most likely twelve shades of hungover. Which meant either she had a great hangover remedy or she just looked that good all the time.

  Probably the latter. The Romero sisters were hotness personified. I’d been into it last night. What was wrong with me this morning?

  “Then we understand each other,” she said.

  “Do we? Because if you think I’m handing you any money before you tell me anything, you can think again.”

  “Fine.” She smiled seductively. “I’ll give you a hint.”

  “I’m listening.”

  “When Rock and I dated, I came across something at his place. Something I never told him about.”

  “And…?”

  “That’s it. You want to know the rest? You pay.”

  “For all I know you could have found a dead mouse and disposed of it without telling him. That would fit your current narrative.”

  “You really think I’d fuck with you like that?”

  “Already I know you weren’t above keeping something from my brother. So yeah, I think you’d fuck with anyone for a buck.”

  She let out a short laugh. “You’re the one who called me mercenary.”

  “I did, and obviously I’ll stand by it. Thing is, though, my brother didn’t have any money when you were with him. But you knew who he was, didn’t you?”

  She twisted a strand of her long dark hair. “Maybe I did. Maybe I didn’t.”

  “Cut the crap, sweetheart, and don’t insult my intelligence. You knew damned well whose son he was.”

  She raised her eyebrows. “It’s not like he changed his name or anything.”

  “He didn’t, but the Wolfes are hardly a household name in a small Montana town.”

  “That’s true.”

  “So how did you find out who he was?”

  “I do my research.”

  “On small-town bikers?”

  “On everyone, Reid. Everyone.” She met my gaze, her eyes serious.