Page 19 of The Lieutenant

“Interesting,” he said, his voice more reserved than before.

“Do we have a deal?” I had a feeling by the look on his face he believed this deal would benefit him just as much as it would me. If he thought I’d spend the night with him, he was dead wrong. Even doing what I loved wouldn’t force me to sell my body under any circumstances. He might not have scruples, but I certainly did.

“I have no problem with allowing you to remain by my side, Kara. I will allow you full access to our businesses in my presence. However, I will say this.Próseche ti zitás.”

“You don’t plan on keeping me in the dark. Do you?”

He was smiling way too provocatively. “I said be careful what you ask for.”

“Why is that?”

“Because with you by my side, I might find it difficult to let you go.”

CHAPTER 6

Kara

I had to be completely out of my mind.

Maybe I craved danger after being immersed in the violent world of organized crime for almost eighteen months.

Or I was attracted enough to the man that the darkness he’d spotted inside of me was clawing at the surface.

What I knew for certain was that I needed to remain very cautious and conscientious around him. He was a venomous snake and I’d managed to attract his attention.

“Shit. Shit. Shit.” I tossed the third dress on the bed, hating every one I’d purchased while asking myself why I’d gone shopping in the first place.

Because you own dowdy, conservative clothes.

Just like he’d figured out.

The dress I’d worn the night before was the only one I’d brought with me. It had been on a whim. I had shorts and tee shirts, pantsuits and blouses. Nothing exciting.

Except the very lingerie he’d flattered himself with in determining my likes. I stood gawking in the mirror, staring at my crimson demi-bra and thong. If I’d been smart, I would have picked up some granny panties and a huge, clunky bra. Only he would never be allowed to see anything I considered intimate.

Not even my pinky toes.

To hell with him.

I snagged the last dress I’d purchased, hating the fact that after all the admonishment I’d tossed around in my brain, I still wanted to rock his world with my appearance. If only I could look at it as I was holding the fishing rod and lure, ready to reel him in. Unfortunately, that was only partially true.

“Why are you grousing?” the male voice asked.

Shit. I’d forgotten my agent had called just to check that I’d made the meeting. The phone was on the bathroom counter, the open line easily capturing all the curse words. “Isn’t it close to midnight there, Jacob?”

He laughed and I rolled my eyes. The man was like a vampire, working all hours of the night. “Not that late. Is Havros Nomikos as powerful as his brother?”

“Oh, I don’t have any doubt.” I struggled putting on the dress, doing my best not to rip the seams. As soon as I pulled it down, I was pleasantly surprised. The frock was form fitting, more so than anything I’d worn in years, but it was flattering to myhourglass figure. Plus, it was a very vivid royal purple in color, which brought out the color of my eyes. “He’s a lieutenant.”

“Yes, I found him. He’s considered as ruthless as they come. Be careful around this guy. From what I’ve read, he’s charming.”

“Yeah, like a viper. Don’t worry. I can handle him. What about the nondisclosure he left with me?” It wasn’t untypical to be handed a legal document requiring that certain aspects of the business world I was writing about not be entered into the article. However, the one prepared by the family attorney had been extensive. Enough so I’d had the hotel scan it so I could send it to Jacob.

“Nothing unusual or alarming, although thorough enough I do wonder what they have to hide.”

“I was thinking the same thing. Did you see the part about requiring his full approval of the article prior to release and any deviation would result in a lawsuit?”

“It’s likely they’ve been burned before. Nothing to worry about unless the man gives you a load of crap. If he does, we’ll need to file a suit of our own.”

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