Chico waited impatiently for his police contact to meet him in this dark, cold alley. He was angry as hell. He’d been hiding from the cops for days now and he felt trapped. All his boys were in jail and he was determined to find that stupid bitch who ratted on them. Because of her, he was losing business and money and his picture was all over the city and the news, so now he couldn’t even stay in his own town. He had to get out of Detroit before he ended up in jail. That was one place he never wanted to go to, but before he disappeared for good he needed to get this girl. Nobody ratted on him and lived.
“Chico?”
“Over here,” he said in a low voice, hiding behind a dumpster with a gun in his hand. He trusted no one.
The young officer looked scared and nervous. “Here is everything I could find on the informant.” He held out a computer printout, his hands shaking from fear.
Chico took the paper and read it. Lacy Martinez—age 25, staying in Appledale, Missouri. “Where the hel
l is Appledale?”
The officer shrugged, not really caring where it was. He wanted to get out of this dark alley before someone discovered them and he lost his job or, worse, Chico killed him. “I kept my end of the bargain, so will you leave my sister alone now?”
Chico nodded. “Get out of here. Your sister is safe from me. I’ve got bigger fish to fry right now.” He started making plans with an evil grin. Revenge was sweet.
Chapter Seven
“We’ve been together for a week now and he comes over every evening. He kisses me good-night but that’s all. What if he’s just not that into me? Don’t all guys want sex?” Lacy told Stella, feeling very insecure about the way things were going between her and Ryan. Not that she minded his kisses. They were hot! Maybe she just needed to be more patient. Ryan was very considerate and she did like that about him. He was probably taking things slow with her but she was ready for the next step and she didn’t know how to tell him without sounding promiscuous.
The diner was closed, but Lacy and Stella had stayed behind to decorate the restaurant for Ally’s big Halloween party, and Lacy wanted advice from Stella. Liz had told her to just be bold and seduce him when she had asked Liz for advice, but she wanted Stella’s input now. Stella was such a romantic person, surely she had ideas.
She loved spending time with Ryan. He came over after his shift every evening and he was such a gentleman. They talked about everything and nothing. She cooked dinner for him and he teased her that his favorite dishes were the hot, spicy Mexican dishes because they reminded him of her and she’d laugh, loving his sense of humor.
Last night he had been helping her cook although he admitted he’d never done more than make a sandwich before. He stood at the counter grating cheese for the enchiladas she was making. “That oil sounds hot, darlin’,” he commented as he watched her fry up the corn tortillas at the stove. He came up behind her and softly kissed her neck, sending shivers up her spine. “Let me do that part.”
“Worried I will burn your dinner?” she teased, smiling at him.
“I don’t want you to hurt yourself,” he answered seriously, taking over and moving her away to grate the cheese. She watched him, loving how sweet and caring he was toward her. No other past boyfriends had ever treated her with such thoughtfulness and she reveled in it. She couldn’t help but laugh when he cursed under his breath every time hot oil splattered on his skin.
Ryan turned to look at her with a smile, loving to hear her joyful laugh. “Something funny, ma’am?”
“Yes. You. I can do that, Ryan,” she assured him, laughing when he dropped the spoon and cursed because he had to get a clean one out of the drawer. “Your mom is so wonderful in the kitchen that I can’t believe she didn’t teach you.”
“Oh, she tried but she said I was hopeless. Now quit distracting me with your chatter, woman. This is hard work,” he teased. Lacy finished grating the cheese quickly and watched Ryan moving around at the stove still muttering under his breath. She could see dinners would never be boring with him around. It brought a warm feeling to her heart.
Sometimes they’d snuggle on the couch and watch TV and say nothing at all but she still enjoyed those times, too. He gave her hot, scorching kisses that burned inside of her before he went home, but he never took it any further or seemed tempted to. Maybe that was why she was feeling apprehensive. She was blown away by his kisses, but he’d just smile as if unaffected and say good-bye.
Stella laughed while standing on a ladder and hanging a cardboard jack-o-lantern from the ceiling. “Honey, can’t you see that guy has it bad for you? He comes in here every day for lunch and watches you with such a possessive look when you’re moving around the diner. He’s making sure no one else makes a move on you. I bet he doesn’t even notice what he eats. I gotta tell you, I never saw him look at Emma that way, not once.”
“Really?” That sounds promising, Lacy thought. She hated the thought of him being in love with someone else. She felt very possessive and jealous about him already. She set a tiny jack-o-lantern down in the middle of the table she was decorating.
“Uh-huh,” Stella continued. “And the looks he gives you are not the ‘I wanna be friends’ look but the ‘I want you naked’ look. And I saw that hot kiss he gave you before he left earlier. Trust me, honey, he was letting all the males know you are his now. Didn’t he take you dancing at Thorn’s the other night because he didn’t want Logan teaching you how to line dance anymore?”
Lacy blushed, but that made her feel more confident. Luckily she had let Liz talk her into buying a sexy, lacy, hot-pink bra and matching thong. It was coming out of the closet tonight. “So you think I should seduce him like Liz said? But what if he rejects me?”
Stella gave her an “are you crazy” look and went back to hanging up the decorations, shaking her head and laughing. “Go get your man, girl, and stop overthinking it.”
* * * *
That night Lacy and Ryan were sitting on the couch. Ryan was looking at the TV. He is such a sexy man, she thought to herself. She could already feel moistness gathering between her thighs. She had been aroused all afternoon thinking of Ryan. This was exciting, her first seduction. She had had two lovers in the past, but both relationships had fizzled out quickly, leaving her hurt and disappointed. What she didn’t have in experience she could make up for in imagination. She read plenty of romance books.
She leaned over and inhaled his wonderful scent that she loved. It reminded her of the smell of pine and fresh air. She bit his earlobe playfully and felt him shiver. That gave her the confidence to kiss the corner of his mouth, licking his lips softly. She kissed his cheek and neck and put her hands under his shirt, sliding them up to his chest, playing with his nipples, pinching them lightly. His breathing was getting heavier. “You’re playing with fire, darlin’.”
She sat up and took her T-shirt off, so that she was clad only in her new hot-pink lacy bra, her large breasts barely contained in it. “Are you on fire now or do you need more?”
He was staring at her breasts with so much lust. She took that as a good sign and reached back and bravely unclipped her bra. She’d never been this bold before, but the advice she had gotten from Stella and Liz gave her the confidence she needed. She was already so turned on she was surprised she wasn’t on fire.
Ryan thought her breasts were large but firm. Her nipples were hard and pink and so tempting.