Bow Down(142)

“No,” I lied. “I’m pretty busy.”

“I’m sure you are. But I want to see you again.”

“Is that a good idea?”

“No, but I like bad ideas.”

I bit my lip, staring at the ground. This was exactly the sort of thing Dasha wouldn’t want me to do. I definitely shouldn’t be going out with a mafia man.

“Okay,” I said.

“Good. Tonight?”

“Fine. I can do tonight.”

“I’ll text you the details.”

“Wait. What are you going to do with me?”

He laughed softly. “You’ll see.”

And then he hung up the phone.

I let out a breath and realized my whole body was tense.

I slipped my phone back into my pocket and knew I was making a mistake. I should definitely stay far, far away from this Rafa guy, especially considering the way he made me feel.

Pure, instant attraction. Maybe it was lust; I couldn’t be sure. Maybe there was something else there, too.

But I definitely wanted him, against my better judgment.

Still, I needed to be careful. Even though he seemed like he was only interested in the same thing I was, I still didn’t know him. He was probably mafia, but maybe he was just connected to them somehow. I had no real clue either way.

I could pretend like I was using him for this story, but that was stupid. I wasn’t really capable of that. Going to that bar with the intention of overhearing things and chatting up a guy had been total insanity, and I was thankful Rafa had snapped me out of it.

But now I was afraid of what else he was going to do.

I took a deep breath and hurried back home. My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I knew it was Rafa telling me exactly what he wanted from me tonight.

I felt a thrill as I took my phone out of my pocket and read the message.





4





Rafa





I stood outside the building, leaning up against the wall.

This might not have been my best idea ever, but I couldn’t help myself, apparently. I didn’t know this girl, and she could have been a fucking spy or some shit like that, but that wasn’t stopping me. I’d been dealing with enough shit lately, and for once I wanted a little fucking distraction.

And Jessica was the perfect distraction. I’d been thinking about her ever since the moment I walked away from her, and now I was finally going to pick up where I had reluctantly left off.

Nothing was stopping this tonight short of a fucking emergency.

After about ten minutes, a cab pulled up at the curb. She climbed out and I felt my pulse spike in my veins, and that distinct and familiar feeling came rushing back.

She smiled at me, a little unsure. “Where are we?” she asked.

I couldn’t help but laugh. She was wearing shorts that made her ass look fantastic and a shirt that didn’t leave much to the imagination. It screamed sex to me, but it was nice enough that she didn’t feel too dirty, I was willing to bet.

“Never heard of The Bar?”

“That’s what I’m asking. Which bar?”

I laughed again, grinning hugely. We were standing in a mostly empty neighborhood outside a windowless white building with absolutely zero markers on it.

“It’s called ‘The Bar.’ That’s the name.”

She groaned. “That’s awful.”

“Maybe, but you’ll like it.”

“It looks like a prison.”

I walked over to the door and knocked. A second later, a slide flicked across and a man’s eyes looked out at me.

“Fidelio,” I said to him.

The slide shut with a bang.

Jessica sidled up next to me. “This is seriously like a movie.”

“That’s the idea.”

The door slowly swung open. Music flooded out into the street. I stepped inside and she followed me slowly.

The Bar was a new concept place, but I happened to know a guy. We moved into the darkened room and everything was polished wood. It was strangely modern, as if someone had decided to build an updated British pub or something like that. The place was crowded, despite the outside of the building and the relatively remote location. Everyone was young and cool, or older and filthy rich.

I was right in the middle, where I fucking liked to be. Rich but not a fucking millionaire, young but not a douchebag hipster. Jessica fit right in.

“Right this way,” a man said to us as we passed into the main room. We followed him, and he sat us at a little table in the corner of the place.

“How did you even know about this?” she asked.

“It’s pretty popular right now,” I said. “Plus, I’m in the restaurant business.”

She smiled slightly. A waiter came up and I ordered a whisky. She asked for a white wine.

When he was gone, I leaned toward her. “Are you glad you came?”