Page 28 of Her Fearless Ronin

“What are we doing now?”

“Now? I’m waiting for Oda to get here, and I am getting a meeting with Valdez.”

“Weare. You said you’ll do it with me.”

“No,Iam. And I said that as long as it was safe. Valdezis notsafe.”

“I want to come.”

“You won’t. End of discussion.” I shook my head as irritation grew at the stubborn woman by my side. I needed to get her home now. I looked at the taxi station. “Come on, let me take you home.”

She looked down at her dress and shook her head. “No, I’ll take a taxi. I’m not dressed for getting on your bike.”

I would have loved to disagree, and I probably would have if there were less baggage between us. I definitely would have liked her spread on my bike. I would have loved to get a peek at the type of underwear she’d worn under this sexy outfit.

“We’re not taking my bike. We’ll grab a taxi,” I said,raising my arm to call one.

“What about your bike?”

“I’ll come pick it up later.”

The taxi stopped in front of us, and I opened the door before extending my hand to help her in.

She ignored my hand and climbed in, flashing me with the red lace of her underwear, temporarily freezing my brain.

She grabbed the handle once she sat. “I’ll go home by myself. I don’t need a keeper, Jiro Saito. I needed an ally, and it’s clearly not what you are.” She pulled the door closed, and I watched it drive off, my cock in a semi with only the piece of red lace in my mind.

Fuck my life.

Chapter 9

Hope

Icouldn’t even say I was angry at Jiro, not really. No, I was disappointed and hurt at his rejection.

He had no idea how difficult it had been for me at the club to be up front the way I’d been. Sex was… a sensitive subject for me, to say the least, and the way Ioffered myself to him and how he almost recoiled.

You’re nothing more than a cold, frigid bitch. Jared’s voice rang in my ear, and I twisted uncomfortably in my seat, feeling the pain and discomfort that all physical intimacy with him had caused.

“More coffee?”

“What?” I blinked, turning toward the tired-looking waitress holding a glass coffeepot in her hand.

“Your cup has been empty for a while.” She nodded toward the white cup in front of me. “Do you want more coffee?”

“Yes, thank you.” I honestly didn’t know why I said that—I didn’t even like black coffee, but it was the cheapest thing on the menu, and after my night shift at the emporium, I needed caffeine while I waited, staring at the seedy bar across the street until Pedro appeared.

Jiro cut me out of the investigation without consideration, and I decided to ignore him, too. Would he approve of what I was doing? Probably not. Did I care? Infuriatingly so. But would I do it anyway? You bet I would!

I was going to see Pedro and ask him to take me to Valdez. Let’s see how Jiro would like it if I bested him.

It was stupid to think that he would see me as his equal or that he would even get past who I was or what I represented, and this was why I could not really be mad at him. I was the reminder of what he considered his biggest sin. How could he ever see past that?

Pedro finally arrived at the bar. I grabbed my bag, put ten dollars on the table, and began to slide out of the booth.

The last thing I expected was a young Asian manapproaching and suddenly sliding into the seat across from me. Startled, I looked up, my eyes narrowing at his audacity.

“Um, excuse me?” I stammered, my irritation palpable.

---