Chapter One

GYPSY'S POV

FIVE YEARS LATER

I walk out of my real-job boss's office with a big grin on my face. Apparently, ever since I started working here three months ago, the customers and the sales have picked up considerably.

Well good. I use a combination of effectiveness and lots of flirting. But I always make sure all the guys I flirt with are aware I'm only messing and don't mean anything when I flirt.

That's why I don't tolerate wandering hands.

I do the last cleanup and open up the bar. I put on some soft music, moving my body to the tune as I wipe glass mouths. People start to troop in gradually until the place is full.

As usual, I serve and flirt and wheedle people to buy more. It's like all the guys are trying their best to catch my attention. I've made them aware I'm unavailable so I guess this is like a competition for them.

But this is not the only job I do. During the day, I'm a house help for an old woman who's too stingy to give me anything substantial, the reason I decided to take this job at the bar too.

It keeps me away from my son, but at least now I'm able to buy him some toys and get him some good food to eat.

I sigh.

Close to the end of the night when people are gradually leaving, my bladder is just about ready to burst. I tell, Alex, the other bartender to take over and make my way to the ladies washroom.

Opening the door, I step into the room and come right to a halt.

A man is fucking a woman against the wall, taking her from behind. They're both clothed, but the woman's skirt has ridden up to her waist while the man has pulled his trousers to the middle of his thighs, exposing his asscheeks.

His thrusts are deep, and she's screaming like he's tearing her into halves.

“You've gotta be kidding me.” I burst out more intensely than I'd intended.

Movements halts and voices stop. The man pulls out of the woman, causing her to whimper as he turns to face me. My breath comes right to a hitch.

Oh my God. I've never seen him around here but God he's beautiful. No gorgeous.

Tanned skin that highlights sharp patrician features. Unruly hair gave him that rugged caveman look. Eyes the greenest I've ever seen. And his lips, so damn kissable.

Okay, that shouldn't be my first reaction. What the fuck? I should be disgusted.

“Wanna join?” The man asks harshly, a slight Italian accent tinging the impatient words, snapping me out of my crazy thoughts.

Because that's what they are. Crazy.

He's not even trying to hide his monster dick from my view. If I say monster, I really do mean monster. How the hell is this chick even able to take all that inside her?

“Why the fuck would I want to join?” I shoot back.

“Well, then have the decency to at least get the hell out of here.” He grits out.

“At least have the decency to realize that this is a public restroom. The 'ladies' room at that.”

With that parting shot, I get the hell out of the bathroom. My heart is beating so furiously and I don't even know why, and my cheeks are flaming hot. Fuck, he had a sexy....

Shut up, Gypsy! What you saw was disgusting.

*****

“I'll be on my way now, Alex," I announce to Alex as I grab my purse.

Damn, I'm so freaking exhausted.

“Are you sure you don't want me to take you to my house to give you that tour we've been discussing?" Alex calls out.

I pause and twist my lips as if contemplating. “Fine. In your dreams.”

He chuckles as I walk off. He says that to me every night and frankly, it's becoming too old. I entertain him because I don't want him to feel snubbed.

He makes it look like he's only messing with me but I know that given the opportunity, he wouldn't think for more than five seconds to take me to his bed.

I step outside the bar. It's getting close to midnight now. I let out a sigh.

What am I doing to Zeke? With my two jobs, I only get to prepare him for school, then pick him up after I'm done at that stingy old lady's house.

After making sure he's eaten his dinner, I head right down here to the bar. It's been going on for two months now.

I know he has Zainab, one of Falcon's other slaves who agreed to take of him for me whenever I'm unavailable, but that's not enough.

All I want is to make Zeke's life better. To be able to buy him toys and bicycles like the parents of his classmates do for their children. To be able to provide him with good food instead of the frugal junk we're so used to.

But at what cost?

I'm so absorbed in my thoughts that I don't see the wall in front of me and crash right into it.

Ouch.

But wait! Walls don't wear Nike, do they? I let my eyes travel up. Neither do they wear denim jeans. Very strangely familiar denim jeans. I shoot my head up immediately.

Familiar green eyes stare right back at me. I mean not so familiar but I've never seen eyes like those so I can recognize them anywhere. Right now, they're so intense that for a minute I think I'm arrested in the dense green forest.

Up close, he's even more gorgeous. He has a dark sprinkling of hair on his chin. And his lips. God, those lips.

“You do have a problem with your eyesight, don't you, ragazza?”

I blink. It takes me some seconds to realize that that gruff voice came from him. I quickly step back from him. Did he just...

I glare at him. “Look here, Mr. Forestry. First of all, do not call me a girl. I'm a woman. And no, my eyes are very good, thank you very much."

“Oh, then that means you do it intentionally.” He smirks.

“Excuse me?"

“You walked into the restroom and saw me fucking that woman and you still stared like you weren't even seeing anything. Then you bump into me in a lane large enough to accommodate ten people. Nice coincidence, huh?"

Okay, what the hell is he trying to insinuate now?

“Look here, Mr. Forestry...”

”Stop calling me that!”

“Lorenzo, I think you're taking this too far. People are beginning to stare” Another voice says.

For the first time, I realize that he was walking with another guy. the Same tanned skinned with equally patrician features and just as gorgeous.

And yeah, we have caught the attention of a few passersby.

“Oh please, Dante.” Mr. Forestry glares at his friend before looking back at me. “She should just tell me if she wants a taste of what I gave that chick and I'd graciously fulfill that request. She's probably one of those bitches who would do anything for a few dollars.”

Wham!

I don't even know when my hand moves. I just know that I've slammed it hard against his cheek. He's stiff for too damn long, and when he finally and very slowly looks at me, the rage in his causes a shiver to steal through me.

But I don't let him sense the fear. Instead. I glare into his eyes.

“You've got your head shoved so far up your ass that you think you're it, huh? That every woman will fall at your feet with just one look at you.” I lean back, giving him a bored look. “Dude, don't be a dick. You already have one between your legs. Even though it's as small as my pinky finger.”

God knows it's huge but I don't need to feed his ego.

“You are also supposed to have eyes and could've stepped aside when you saw me coming. I'm sorry for bumping into you and I'm sorry if someone has you all fucked up to make you such a jerk. Or maybe this is just you. No impurities attached. Nice to meet you not.”

By the time I'm done, his looked has darkened even further, if that's even possible. He looks like he could pounce. But I'm not going to wait to see whether he'll actually do that.

“You'll regret ever messing with me you bitch!”

That's the last thing I hear as I storm off.