Page 13 of Catch Me If You Can (The Mancini Way)

“Well, you still haven’t answered my question Cierra, what’s it going to be?”

“Is this how you usually pick up women, what if I’m not interested?”

“Are you?” I watched her squirm in her seat as she kept eye contact; the longer this went on the less guilt I felt for treating her this way. It didn’t enter my mind that I was being just a tad bit irrational, after all she didn’t know me outside of what she’d read in some files and even then what she knows is half-truths; but somehow it irritated the fuck out of me that she was here for this purpose; that she was making me fall for her when to her I was just a job. Of course she didn’t know that I knew who she was; that led me to ponder how different things might’ve been if we’d met under less deceitful circumstances; Just a man and a beautiful woman.

“Why don’t we just play it by ear Mr. Mancini?”

“Hank, I’d like you to call me Hank.”

“Fine, Hank why don’t we take it slow? I’m not interested in rushing into anything and anyway a man like you should be more careful about picking up strange women.”

“A man like me?”

“You know, wealthy, single, you are single aren’t you?”

“I wouldn’t be propositioning you if I weren’t.”

“I’ll take your word for it, so what do you say we take things at my pace?”

I watched her pretty much the way I imagined a predator watches the prey that he’s trapped; we were playing two separate games here or at least I was. One was to best the secret agent at every turn, and the other was to lure the woman into my bed. I’ve never been one for easy task.

“That’s not gonna work; I’ll agree to taking things a little slow for now but it’ll be at our pace that’s only fair after all it involves both of us.”

“Yes but you’re the one who wants something from me.”

“And if you didn’t want something from me you’d be long gone.” Touch that Ms. Stone.

“Though I find you rather brash I must admit to being slightly intrigued so I guess I’ll keep you company a little while longer.”

I bet that took a lot for you to admit.

Chapter 9

Cierra

He didn’t seem too surprised by my answer. Cocky bastard! He just smiled at me and took another sip of his drink. I snagged another olive from the platter more for something to do with my hands than anything else while he watched me over the lip of his snifter. No wonder he had such a reputation with women if he treated them all to his brand of potency. Even knowing what I knew of him or what was suspected in any case, I still find myself inexplicably drawn to his magnetism. He was without a doubt the most gorgeous human being I’d ever met and there was no doubt that had I been that girl in another time I might have indulged my stupid girl heart but there was no way. I had a job to do and if I did it well the man sitting across from me will be sitting in a jail cell for a long long time.

“That’s big of you Cierra, so tell me something nonthreatening about yourself since my questions seem to bother you so much.”

“There’s not much to tell. I’m new here from a small town in Georgia.”

“Where in Georgia?”

“Why? I’m sure you’ve never heard of it.” And for a man of your resources I’m sure it wouldn’t take you long to unravel the truth if you went looking.

“You’d be surprised at what I know, try me.”

Shit, we’d come up with a fictitious place of course but somehow I didn’t trust this, somehow I just knew he’d go looking.

“It’s a little place called Blythe.”

“You’re right, never heard of it.”

We talked for the next few hours about inconsequential things and I began to relax a little. Once he stopped with the panty dropping innuendos, Hank Mancini was a very intelligent and quite enigmatic man; a very dangerous combination given the circumstances.

Mancini

We ended the night with the understanding that we’d take the time to get to know each other and see if there was anything there to explore. It was a bone for her no doubt, I’m sure she was thinking she’d survived her first face-to-face with the monster and though she hadn’t learned anything incriminating she’d found an in; one I’d given her because obviously I’d lost my fucking mind. Sniffing around a damn federal agent. Way to go Mancini she’ll probably end up fucking you in more ways than one.

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