“I will take good care of you, Peaches. Now come. I have a car waiting.”
He takes me by the wrist, and I realize I’m so deeply under his spell that I almost go with him. But just as I’m about to get to my feet, I come to my senses.
“No!” I blurt out, collapsing back down into the booth and scurrying away from him. “I’m not going anywhere with you!”
Right. This is the right decision. But not to Anton, who glares at me with eyes of ice.
“Women do not deny me,” he says slowly.
“Well, my mom always calls me a girl,” I reply. “So just think of me as a crazy little girl, and your record remains untarnished.”
“Your mother,” he muses, leaning down over me. “And where is she?”
“In Mexico,” I reply indignantly. “So if you?
??re going to try and threaten her or something—”
“I understand now.” Finally, Anton smiles, which causes a chill to grip my chest. “You work here to send money to your family, yes?”
I try my best to keep a straight face, but the son of a bitch sees right through me, and his smile grows.
“You want to bring her here. Perhaps more of them. A father. A brother maybe…” Anton stands and adjusts his watch, thick and obviously expensive. “Peaches, do not make an enemy out of me. You accept my offer and be my wife and I will help you bring your family to America. If not, I will make sure you never see them again.”
Like a dose of pure liquid nitrogen injected straight into my chest, my body goes cold. I stare into the monster’s eyes for what seems like an eternity. It’s like staring straight into a black hole.
The arousal I was feeling before now feels like pure betrayal from my body. How could I have been so stupid? The kingpin has backed me into a corner without even having to lift a finger or raise a gun.
And there’s nothing I can do.
I believe every word he’s just said.
But I’m not going to let him see the pure fear in my eyes. This man wins every day. But he’s not going to win with me.
“You know what, baby?” I smile, rising to my feet like an obedient woman. “There’s nothing I’d love more in the world than to be your wife. What do you say we head to Vegas right now?”
3
Anton
I’ve never had a woman in my private plane before. Well, that’s not entirely true.
The others have seen plenty of good times over the years, but until now, this one was for strictly business.
But having Mia here with me now, on our way to Las Vegas to get married, has me feeling alive in a way I can’t remember feeling in a long time. There’s no real reason to go to Vegas, of course. I could just go get a marriage certificate and be done with it, but she wants to go, so I’m taking her.
And that makes me want to get my head checked.
I’m already doing things for her.
That can’t continue. I’ll do this one thing for her and this one thing only. The possibility of her working her way into my life…well, that just can’t happen.
A woman is a weakness, and a weakness can be exploited. The Todorovs are at the top now, but those at the top have the farthest to fall.
But I just can’t stop thinking about my hands on her…
Those hips, ready to pump out my child after I pump my load in her.
Those breasts…