I clear my throat, slowly bringing my gaze to his muscular form. “Yes.”
“That makes two of us.” He carries two mugs toward my seated position and sets them both down on matching coasters. “This is made from our very own coffee beans. They’re grown on a plantation further west. It’s my favorite.”
Content they’re neatly presented, he moves around the island, collects a few items, and returns. Tomás methodically sets a bowl before me and aligns a bronze spoon next to it. He’s gone from potential punisher to conscientious host in the flap of a butterfly’s wings. I like this domesticated side to his otherwise entitled persona.
Before sitting, he carries over a pouch of milk, one-handedly tips a flurry of sugar-coated flakes into the waiting bowl, and pours in a dash of milk.
“Enjoy.” He taps the envelope. “Go on, read it.”
Tomás prowls around the edge of the island, takes a stool and sits across from me, watching me with a thoughtful look. A breathtaking pause of suspense for my decision of his terms.
This could be the moment when I lay down my own rules and offer some sort of bargaining into the mix. Except under his avid assessment, I have nothing coherent to say and that angers me to the point of detonation. The king has the upper hand and I’m merely a pawn in his fucked up game.
“I’ll review it when I’m ready.” I glance over at him with a saccharin sweet smile. “I’m hungry and you did tell me to eat, didn’t you?”
Tomás reaches for his coffee and takes a sip. “You’re only delaying the inevitable.”
I raise the spoon to my lips and slowly open my mouth. Milky drips plop in an irregular tempo in the hush. My belly rumbles in preparation for nourishment.
He carefully positions his mug back in its rightful place on a coaster, leans back, and folds his arms with slow control. “Go on then, let me watch that dick hungry mouth of yours work.”
Bastard.
My skin blazes from my toes to my throat. “Can I please eat alone?” I say through gritted teeth.
“Nope.” He shakes his head, making his diamond studs sparkle. “You’ll have some time to yourself this morning while I’m out. After that, I intend to make good use of our time together.” The left side of his mouth curls ever so slightly. “Verygood use... of you.” He repeats.
“Maybe I like being alone.”
“Maybe we both do.”
I drop the spoon into the bowl and snatch the envelope. “Fine. I’ll read it.”
Unfolding the thick paper, I scan the handwritten terms neatly set out in black ink.
14
CARINA
My heartbeat thunders in the silence as I read.
Terms of arrangement,
Never speak of the Souza Cartel to anyone or pay the price of disloyalty with your life.
Obey me without question.
Pledge your allegiance to me, unfaltering with every breath you take.
Employment will commence on the date our agreement is discussed and will terminate ninety-six hours thereafter. The sum of one million US dollars will be paid in cash for each day of service.
-T.S
The temperature rises and prickles careen over my scalp. I look up from the falsely oversimplified arrangement to find his unnerving, expressionless face. “There’s nothing in here about afterward.”
He shrugs and takes a sip of black coffee. “You’ll leave and keep that fuckable mouth of yours shut.”
Although utterly crude, his comment skewers my Achilles heel—the inner narrative of my tragic past. He thinks the suffering that almost killed me is appealing. I practically recoil at the pitiful emotions barreling through the soul of a young woman aching for this man's attention.