Page 20 of Forbidden Obsession

Iimmediately regretted following him. Burlesque Boulevard was crowded with women in scanty, suggestive clothing; on the sidewalk, in the street, on balconies, whistling and catcalling.

That, however, wasn’t what freaked me out. The men scattered around, slavered over the women at every turn. It was like they were in a candy shop wanting to taste-test everything in sight.

I sighed.

There was no sign of Dominic; I shouldn’t have been surprised. My car moved five miles per hour as I maneuvered through the crowd, trying not to run anyone over.

Curious eyes turned my way, and a group of men strolled in front of my fender, causing me to press the brakes.

They stared at me, and I stared back.

“You might be in the wrong part of town, honey,” a lady from my left shouted. I glanced at her, then back at the boys, and blew my horn.

Another mistake.

The sound only brought more attention my way, and soon, my Infiniti was surrounded.

There was not much that scared me—except thunderstorms and phone calls in the middle of the night. But I could admit that a bit of fear crept into my soul when my view was blocked entirely.

I was unsure how to react. Should I call the police, call somebody, anybody? Should I scream at them, blow the horn again?

While I went through possible options and scenarios, my door was yanked open.

“Hey, what the hell!” I grabbed the handle and yanked it back. But it was forced open. I tried hitting the gas pedal but was dragged from the seat. Simultaneously, I wished a few things—that I’d worn my seat belt, minded my business, and locked my car doors. But it was too late for that now.

“Get off me! Are you crazy? What the hell!”

I pushed and shouted and slapped one guy while another gripped my arm and yanked me from him. My car revved when I noticed someone else was behind the wheel. The crowd moved for them, and they took off, stealing it right before my eyes. I shoved and pushed as I was pulled and groped.

“Heeeeelp!” I fought with all my might. “Heeeeeelp!”

“Come on, leave her alone,” shouted that same woman who’d told me I was in the wrong part of town.

They ignored her. I pushed one away as another grabbed me. Every time I fought one, grips came from others.

Boos chorused from the women as they showed their disagreement with what was happening to me. Still, I couldn’t help but notice they were left untouched. Neither did they move to help me get away.

Seconds felt like minutes when suddenly I was released.

I whipped around, quickly becoming dizzy when I saw one of the guys who’d gripped me go flying over the boulevard. Where he had stood, another guy was on the ground howling in pain while others backed away in a rush.

I blinked, sucked in a breath, steadied myself, and yelped when another hand touched my back. Twirling on my heels, my eyes met Dominic’s dark, heavy-lidded gaze.

“Oh my God!”

I threw myself around his muscular frame, trembling as I gripped him like my life depended on it.

He hesitated initially, but then his arms embraced me, scooping me up, allowing me to lock my body around his.

We were moving then. I didn’t know where we were going, but I didn’t care. I was safe. For the time I was in his arms, I was safe. My racing heart leveled out, along with the dizziness that once took hold of me. It was then that I noticed four men following us. They didn’t look like the johns—more like security dressed in black. A closer look and they were obviously Italian, silent, and moving in sync.

I gripped Dominic tighter. He was the only one I trusted.

His footsteps paused.

“Apri quella dannata porta,” he said. I recognized the language as Italian, and the dark timbre of his voice caused heat to spill down my skin. It was the first time I’d heard Dominic speak the language, and I watched the men rush to open the door in front of us.

I glanced at them again, curious as to who they were. We moved inside a building, and a sweet and spicy incense hit my nose. Pool tables were stationed around, and smoke from cigars filtered through the air. Men were drinking, a few women were scattered about, and an atmosphere of calmness was carried through the space.

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