Page 44 of Bound to Him

“Now, we can toast!”

“What are we toasting to?” I held my glass up.

“To brothers-in-law, beautiful brides, and beneficial marriages! May we both find sexual devils in the Romano girls!”

It was incredibly difficult for me to act this one out, but I managed to laugh loudly and clink my glass against his with enthusiasm. “Hear, hear!”

“Okay, now,” Christian turned his body toward me, and his men turned back to their conversation, “I feel you are a trustworthy man. I’ve heard a lot from Enzo about your family and the influence you have over the whole city.” I nodded carefully, and he lifted his hands. “Don’t worry! I didn’t call you here to ask for favors! Not yet anyway, huh?” He nudged me again; I fake laughed again. “But I felt, since our families will be related through the Romanos, that maybe we must get to know one another. So, that is why you are here.”

“I see, Christian…” I rubbed my chin. “And since you already know so much about me, why don’t you tell me a bit about yourself and your family?”

“Of course, of course.” He put his palm against his chest. “I am a Colombian cartel leader.”

Wow, just like that. Clearly, since he knew I was a mafia man, he felt it safe to admit to leading a Colombian cartel.

“Really?” I smiled, as if impressed. “What’s business like over there?”

“Oh, it’s good, very good. As it always has been! Drugs are always in demand, you see.”

“Yes… I’ve heard.”

“Truth be told, I want to expand down here, I’ve also heard things.” He touched his ear. “I hear there is a gap in sales, right here in the middle of the city.”

“Oh?” I knew exactly what he was talking about—the fact that we don’t condone drug distribution on our territory.

“I know you know what I’m talking about, Huxley, and I’m very interested in taking this idea further with you.”

“What idea is that?”

“We’ll get to the details later, yeah? Just know that there are opportunities to be seized here, between us. A lot of money to be made.”

I began to wonder about this man. Before tonight, I knew he was a cartel man, I knew he was doing some kind of business with Enzo, though I didn’t care what. Now that I knew he had his eye on our territory, things started to become a little more suspicious.

“I have no doubt about that, Christian. I’m actually surprised you haven’t contacted Don Antonio directly.”

He shrugged exaggeratedly. “Eh, like I said. You and I will be brothers soon. I felt we must get to know each other first.”

I smiled widely, feeling the excitement of a job to be done, a scandal to uncover. He had no idea that I could see right through him, he didn’t even know I’d been fucking his fiancé. There was a lot more for me to discover here, I could feel it, and Christian was giving me the grand tour himself.

“Well then, let’s drink and get closer, brother!” I said enthusiastically.

He cheered, lifting his glass to mine again. The next few hours were a mirage of shots, cigars, girls, and booze. We didn’t talk business, we talked about the city, the parties, the best strip clubs to go to, and the best food in the city. We covered our family histories—I found out that he had a whole family back in Colombia, as in, children from a deceased wife and children from a concubine.

Jesus—did Olivia know she was marrying into a fucking harem? Did Enzo know? I’d bet he did, the idiotic weazer.

Christian was properly drunk, slurring, and giving away facts he probably should have filtered before they escaped his mouth. He had girls from the front of the club brought over to us and gave them anything they wanted, which happened to be cranberry vodkas and little white lines. At Boulevard XXX, I didn’t allow underage drinking at all. Us Italians have some family standards that it seemed others didn’t have. When it came to health and safety, we looked out for our own. If I knew the girls’ parents, you could bet they’d be getting a call to fetch their fucking child from my office.

It was the same with sex. I only ever fucked legally and with girls who showed me some interest first. This fuckface, Christian, clearly enjoyed life on the other side of that line. His eyes never left the girls' bodies as they danced around our table and soon fell onto our laps. I held onto the brunette as she swayed on my lap. She was fucking gone—drunk, high—the works.

I made an excuse to get them away from this fucking predator. “Come, girls, I need some fresh air. Christian, you don’t mind?”

“No!” He looked happy that I was apparently indulging. “Please! Have fun, my friend!”

I supported both girls and walked over to the bouncer at the entrance rope on the street. He looked at them and raised his eyebrows.

“You have a cab service?” I asked, and he nodded, turned, and whistled. A man on the corner of the street nodded in return and soon a cab pulled up to the curb. After making sure the driver had the girls’ details, I walked back in, buttoning my jacket, and pulling in a deep breath. This was more of a job than I’d fucking thought; I felt almost entirely undercover while using my own goddamn name.

“Oh no, Huxley! Where did they go?”

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