Page 5 of The Enforcer

I pressed one hand against his chest, a knot forming in my stomach. I tasted a hint of something sweet mixed with bourbon or scotch. The combination was irresistible. He swept his tongue inside, his actions becoming rougher with every passing second. With my muscles tingling, my breathing labored, stars were floating in front of my eyes.

He had a way about him that was suave yet easy, the man comfortable in his own skin.

When he pulled away, he kept his lips a few centimeters away from mine. His chest was rising and falling, and he issued a slight growl. “Ángelós mou.”

I eased my head further away, looking at him intently.

“I called you my angel and you are. If I dared have a single taste of you, I know it would never be enough. Have a lovely rest of your evening, Valencia. You only deserve the best.”

As he backed away, he rubbed his thick thumb across his lips, gathering the remnants of my lipstick. When he pressed it between his lips, I struggled to breathe.

The men following him both gave me hard stares before following behind him, their long strides taking them to the exit quickly.

What the hell had just happened?

I pressed my fingers against my mouth as I walked into the bar. A slight fog remained around my head, crystalline shimmers dancing in front of my eyes. I finally jolted myself out of the haze, noticing my two friends were sitting at a table close to the entrance. Both women had their mouths open and their eyes wide.

As I slipped into the third seat, I immediately reached for the margarita.

“What was that?” Cora breathed.

“The correct question iswhowas that?” Emily managed, taking a gulp of her drink as soon as she did.

I glanced out the massive window peering out at the street, able to see the Greek god as one of the two guards opened the rear door of a huge, dark SUV.

“That is the hottest man I’d ever seen.” Emily whistled as she sat back in her chair. “Do you know him?”

“I have no clue who he is,” I muttered, sighing as the SUV pulled away from the curb. But I knew one thing. I should never have allowed him to kiss me.

There was something terribly unnerving as well as exciting about the fleeting moment in time. Why did I have the feeling our paths would cross again?

CHAPTER 3

Christos

“You’re certain the pig is here?” I asked Elias, who was sitting beside me in the back of the SUV. I’d remained seething since the useless meeting, learning everything I could about both Jeff and Kenneth. While there were aspects of morality issues I could use for blackmail, I would refrain from stooping to a lower level until I’d exhausted more traditional methods. However, from what I’d learned, it would seem corruption was prevalent within the political arena.

“He’s here,” my soldier insisted. “The guy stopped by to have a drink after work.”

“Who told you?”

“A guy I’ve known for years.”

I chuckled. My top soldier had lived a colorful life, including being raised right in this very city. “I guess Jeff insists on his employees working long hours.” Stern and Partners Land Development had a solid reputation throughout New York.They acted as brokers or as a general contractor depending on the situation. Given up to this point our empire was spread between Greece and outlying countries, we needed their heavy involvement in keeping the project on track.

I certainly had no intention of relocating to New York even for the short term. No matter if the flavor of women was a welcome change. My thoughts momentarily drifted to the woman I’d run into two nights before. The taste of her had been incredible.

I’d only resisted having a drink with the precious angel because our time spent would have led to additional intimacy between the sheets. Sadly, I couldn’t afford any complications.

Jeff had been smart enough to take me up on my demand for another meeting. While he’d assured me Kenneth and the man’s thugs hadn’t been told the location or time, we’d left what I’d believed to be an unsuccessful meeting to find a wall of men from the Laborers’ Union attempting to intimidate us. It had stripped away every ounce of patience from my system and I’d wanted to drive bullets into their brains.

Fortunately, it took more than inked brawn and stupidity to force me into something I’d likely regret. However, Jeff had set a trap and for that, he would pay the consequences. I’d already contacted my older brother, Dimitrios, the man considered the Godfather of the Night in Athens with the news the deal was likely dead.

He didn’t take my proclamation with as much grace as usual. We’d been through something similar while attempting to establish our nightclubs in both Paris and Milan. Fortunately, common sense had prevailed.

That and the brutality we’d used including promising a war if necessary.

Somehow, this slight felt different. There’d been some planning involved, although I wouldn’t put it past Kenneth and his thugs to threaten Jeff. If Jeff would have confided in me, this wouldn’t need to happen. Unfortunately for him, our reputation in the United States was crucial. We didn’t need other crime syndicates to determine we were fresh meat, weak enough to attack.

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