Page 33 of Filthy Desire

“No. Sell it to me. Now.”

“I’ve built up a good model, but I need a new venture to bring me to the next level. I’m great at reading people. I’m a quick learner.”

“That sounds like you need me more than I need you. And I don’t work that way. I’m not a fucking mentor. Try again.”

For the first time since meeting Gio, Kara began to sweat. What if she couldn’t pull this off? Maybe she was overshooting? A quick moment of panic flashed through her. Then she remembered how far she’d come. There was no going back.

“My vice and yours mesh perfectly. Why not offer both services to exclusive clientele? Private parties that only the top one percent are invited to.”

“Better, but I’m still not convinced.”

“I’ll give you access to my entire client roster.”

There was a pause on the other end of the line.

“Chances are, there’s a lot of overlap with my casinos. Next.”

“Sex is more popular than gambling Gio, and you know it. I have over five hundred contacts. Including international players that I send my girls out to. Not just the big apple. Don’t you want to expand your empire beyond New York and New Jersey?”

Another pause.

“Dinner, La Fiora, Saturday at seven,” Gio replied.

“Saturday? What about Natalia?”

“I’ll see her at nine,” he chuckled and hung up.

Bastard.

Her stomach flipped over again when she thought about him and Natalia.

Whatever. Why should she care who he fucked? As long as Kara was making headway with her plan, nothing else mattered.

Gio

Gio stared at the picture of Natalia. She was stunning, with golden blonde hair and pale blue eyes. Model perfect.

He could have cared less. His dick barely twitched.

It’ll be different when you see her in person.

He’d better fucking hope so.

Despite the warnings in his brain, he’d agreed to listen to Kara’s proposal. Was he playing with fire by even contemplating going into business with her? She was distracting enough but now that he’d fucked her, it was all he could think about. He’d already jerked off on her dress again – three times – and finally, reluctantly, threw the tattered mess away.

Now he’d have to make do with fucking his fist in the shower.

Instead of ruminating about his desire for the red-haired gypsy, he read through her proposal. It was an interesting idea, but there were a lot of people who wanted to work with him. He preferred to work alone. Or rather, have people work for him, not necessarily with him. An employee he could manage, but a partner in his casino? That meant compromise and equal say in big decisions. And he wasn’t sure he was capable of any of that. He was the one who called the shots and his decision was final. There was no back and forth.

There was only his way.

Still, he’d entertain her meeting because, well, he found Kara entertaining. But it would take a fuckton more convincing for him to trust in someone else. He didn’t give that trust lightly. And he wasn’t sure he could trust Kara. She was just as cunning as he was with that smirk of hers, like the Mona Lisa with her secrets.

Kara met his fire and didn’t back down. She had backbone and grit. He admired that. And she owned who she was. There was no shame in her business or her body. And on top of that, her raw sexuality drew him in like a goddamn moth to her red-hot flame.

For the first time in his life, Gio was painfully aware that he’d finally met his match.

Poor choice of words… not his match.

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