Page 5 of Torched

I volley a look between the new investment opportunities Jeremy got from the accountant and the beauty sitting lonely at the bar. My shoulders lift with a cocky grin in answer, spreading my arm over the back of the corner booth. Those papers will still be there in the morning, but I’m pretty sure the girl at the bar will be out of my sight if I don’t make my move.

“Right.” Jeremy shakes his head with a smirk, reading my mood, then finishes his drink in one go. “We’ll finish this tomorrow. Don’t forget you have a call with Franklin Wolfe in the morning.”

“Will Kane be there?” Jeremy slides out of the booth to get on his feet, then gathers the paperwork in front of him.

“To discuss the legitimate side of the business?” He shoots me a flat look.

“Right, stupid question.” There is a lot my bad boy brother is good at. Walking on the right side of the law isn’t one of them, though. He gladly leaves these things to me, even though he sees the value of investing to make our dirty money clean as a whistle. He just can’t be bothered to get involved with it. Not when living up to his reputation and fucking whores is higher on the list. He’ll want to be part of it when we visit with all four of the Wolfe brothers for a night of poker and drinks to discuss the side of our business that isn’t allowed in broad daylight. But when it comes to laundering our money with actual ventures and start-ups, he’ll have fallen asleep before you can finish your sentence. I keep telling him to grow up and find himself a nice girl to spend more than one night with. He replied by throwing a knife at my head. In his defense, he’s pretty accurate with those things, but it still pissed me off.

“Good luck.” Jeremy tilts his head to the woman of my interest as he offers me his hand, and I rise to take it before I throw my jacket back on and drop a few bills on the table.

“Thanks, I’ll probably need it.” She radiates a natural level of defiance that makes her even more tempting to pursue. The best things in life will make you work harder. Especially black-haired beauties who nurse a glass of expensive whiskey while sitting lonely at the bar.

Their loneliness might be inviting, but it’s also a clear warning no bullshit will be tolerated. No, this is the kind of woman that refuses to waste her time with any low-life knucklehead trying to hit on her. You need to show her you’re worth it from the first second she lays her eyes on you, and I intend to do just that.

“Pretty sure you will.” Jeremy lets his gaze linger on her for a few heartbeats. “She looks like a lot of work.”

“Good thing I’m not afraid to get my hands dirty.”

“I’m certain that’s not what they mean when people say that.”

“Have a good night, Jer.” I slap his back, sending him on his way, and he takes off with a snicker, the folder of papers tucked below his black denim jacket.

My feet take confident strides until I’m close enough to smell her heavy perfume, a potent mix of something vanilla and rosy that’s instantly embedded in my brain. The scent reminds me of a field of flowers at my grandmother’s house where we used to play as kids. All I need is a fresh breeze flying through my dark blonde hair, and she could make me feel right at home.

“You look like you’re looking for trouble.” Without asking, I take the empty seat beside her, lifting my hand to grab the attention of the bartender, and make my order before I twist my neck, finding her dark eyes looking up at me. The fatigue is overshadowed by the expression of curiosity she's sporting. Her hair is voluminous, looking soft and shiny while framing her oval face. Her cheekbones are sharp, but softened by the plump skin on her cheeks, her entire appearance making me wonder where her roots lay.

“What makes you say that?” Her Hispanic accent widens my eyes in surprise. She speaks softly, her tone smooth, but there is a directness that screamswoman in controllike I predicted, and it turns me on, solidified by the shiver that rolls through me.

“A gorgeous woman like you, all alone in a bar, dressed like that?” I glance down to where her silky legs appear from under her burgundy skirt. Up close, I notice they are slightly tanned, making me believe she’s from somewhere in South America, if I’d have to go by that and the way her words roll from her tongue. “You’re either trying to drink away a heartbreak, or you’re looking for trouble.”

Her interest piques, as she turns her knees to face me, brushing them softly against my hips.

“Dressed like what? Exactly?”

Smiling, I lift my glass to my face, holding it mid-air as I avert my gaze. My dick already noticed the deep cleavage of her black silk blouse, showing the swells of her breasts that begged to be touched, but I’m a gentleman. A criminal one, but a gentleman, nonetheless.

“Like you’re ready to conquer the world,” I tell her, taking a sip of my drink.

“Maybe I am.”

“What?”

“Looking for trouble.” Her attention swings back to her glass, swirling the leftover ice cubes around the liquor with ating.

“Or maybe you’re thinking of a way to conquer the world.”

“Or maybe I just had a rough day.”

“Wanna tell me about it?”

Her dark gaze finds mine again, her brows a little furrowed, as if she’s trying to find my angle. She takes her glass from the bar, keeping her eyes staring at me from the top of the rim as she pours the entire thing down in four gulps.

“Only if you buy me another drink.” Delicately, she puts the glass back on the bar, a smug smile on her red lips. They are plump, shiny from lipstick, and I’d really like to know what she tastes like. If the vanilla isn’t just something I imagine, but something I can let coat my tongue as it dances around hers in soft and sensual strokes.

Fuck, Liam. Settle down.

“Straight to the point. I like that.” I finish the contents of my glass in one go, then order another round. “I’m Liam.”

---