Page 2 of Fall
No matter how much I believed she was a traitor, I wanted more. Over time, I mended her wounds and granted her permission to meet the man hidden beneath an iron chest plate of suspicion. It wasn’t easy to let go of my haunting demons, but she offered me something more valuable than currency, status and power—beija flor made me feel alive.
Over time, I tentatively stepped closer to her light and honored her with credence. And like any courageous woman forced into captivity, she snipped the fragile seam that bonded us.
She betrayed me.
My pretty little hummingbird proved herself to be a treacherous snake.
Then, I did what I had to do…
.
1
FIVE YEARS AGO
“What’s going on, Maria?”
I left her in my bed this morning and left for the city, expecting her to show herself out. She normally leaves after I’ve untied her wrists and offered her a cup of coffee. Instead, I walked into a candlelit séance. She’s either attempting to raise the dead or coax my dick to life. With those long bare legs and flirty lashes, it won’t take much persuading.
A while back, my sister Gabriela and I moved out of the slums and into a modest property. It’s nothing fancy. Better than a hillside box with a door. Drawing attention to my growing bank balance with a sudden switch from poverty to wealth would attract unwanted attention. It needs to be gradual. Planned. Believable. It’ll do for now. We’ll hide out in the suburbs until I’m ready.
With a couple of lit candles and a haze of weird smelling incense, our home resembles a funeral parlor.
Before I left the house this morning, I locked my laptop in a cabinet out of habit. With crime at an all-time high, it would be a disaster if my work fell into the wrong hands. I’m the finance guy for mediocre drug lords. The little guys trying to make it big. Their trade networks are my insurance policy. They trust me with their dirty cash and identity, and I trust them not to reveal their source––me.
Maria gives me a doe-eyed bat of her lashes and pouts her stained lips. I sling my jacket on the couch and take in her bold pink shirt dress cinched at the waist with a thin belt.
“Dante.” She sparks up the lighter and holds the flame to another wick. “I was thinking about you all day.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“And what were you thinking?”
The lighter clatters to the table. Her fingertips tease the curve of her breasts. A naughty purr rolls in the back of her throat. “I want you.”
Buttons pop open, and bare flesh greets me with luscious brown nipples. I slide my hand to the bulge growling in my pants. “Is this what you’re after?”
Her eyes widen and a dirty, flirty tongue glides over her lips. The swift nod gives my pulse permission to thrum. A filthy fuck is the remedy to my overworked mind and the perfect distraction before I start on my next project and get lost in the work for hours. The new client list has tripled, making the potential for cash exponential.
I’ve hit the big time.
“What do you want to do with it?” I grit out, switching my thoughts from currency to a basic carnal need.
Maria sinks to her knees and crawls over the cold tiles. Those peachy round buttocks of hers sways, mesh panties ride her golden ass and cocoa colored waves swing loosely with the catlike slink. I squeeze my dick harder, going from exhausted to pumped.
Resting on her shins, she gazes up. Obedient. Ready to take orders. Ringed fingers dally at my belt buckle in a game of tease. It’s when I catch her direct gaze that I notice amber eyes. We’ve been at this for weeks, and I’ve only just now pinpointed those wide copper pennies.
“I hung around so I could see you again.” She tugs at my zipper. “We have fun together, don’t we?”
“Stop talking and wrap those lips around my dick.”
Her eyes flash. “I really like you, Dante.”
The fiery blood surging through my arteries meets a skiff of frost. “Sure. You like my dick.”
In a blur, she stands and a swarthy flesh collides with my chest. “I like you… a lot,” she whispers her secret with a hope for acceptance. “I didn’t plan this.” A ring of amber circles wide pupils. “Be honest. Do you feel anything for me?”
