- "Alcohol, alcohol and alcohol," Joseph said, without preamble.Ethan rolled his eyes at his friend, who looked more like an alcoholic in withdrawal than a lawyer. Blair, in turn, smiled. She looked at Ethan, still with that smile on her lips, and let her companion know that she found Joseph funny.- "I'm fine, thanks," Blair told the blonde.- "Some juice to mix with the alcohol that this reckless person ordered," Ethan said, making Joseph smile.When the blonde walked away, Joseph gave Blair a not-so-subtle look. The truth was, he was assessing the redhead, analyzing every single one of her attributes. And how she had them. It didn't take Carter long to realize that this was the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on.- "I don't think I've had the pleasure of introducing myself. I'm Joseph Carter," he extended his hand to the redhead.- "I'm Blair Collins," she accepted the outstretched hand.Blair wasn't expecting it, but Carter held her hand for a few seconds longer. He wa
The man's eyes were cold, showing no emotion. He didn't want to have to worry about Joseph's reckless behavior, but he had to. Blair's eyes, on the other hand, spoke volumes about her anger. She couldn't believe that Ethan was trying to mold her into being like the women he dated.- "Do you want to share me?" she asked, directly.- "No"- "Do you want to see me with another man?"- "Fuck no." Ethan frowned.- "Would it be enough if just someone else could touch me?" the redhead insisted, tempted to make Ethan as uncomfortable as she was.- "Angel, stop. No, I don't want this shit with you."Banks was being more honest than he thought possible. With Blair, he could say categorically that there would be no divisions. She was too exclusive to be touched by other fingers. The way she behaved should not be a delight to another man, not in this life.- "Really? Because it seemed like you wanted to. What are we doing here, anyway?" the woman raised an eyebrow, with evident mockery and irony.
- "Someone's love life needs to work." Drake winked.Blair pulled her hair up into a high bun. Her friend was still watching her closely. The truth was that Drake was afraid of being happy in a relationship and making things worse for Blair. Because years ago, he had seen his friend spiral into depression, and he was afraid that something similar would happen again.- "I have a serious matter, babe. First of all, you received two packages. One is worrying, the other is actually funny," he said, changing the subject.- "Worrying?" a small crease formed on the woman's forehead as she asked.- "Yes. You received another bouquet of flowers, the same flowers. I asked the delivery man to return them. We don't need this shit."- "Did you have a card?"- "Yes. He said disjointed things. It was a request for you to be careful about the preferences of the people around you."Blair began to think about the possibilities surrounding the message. The preferences of the people around her. That very
- "You didn't answer my calls, I missed you"- "I'm counting," Banks said, tapping his index finger against the watch on his wrist.Joseph laughed, pleased with his unique ability to irritate Banks. At least he was sure he wouldn’t lose his head, or his job. Ethan’s cell phone began vibrating on the table before Carter could make another joke, and he answered it before he could even look at the caller ID.- "Banks," the man's tone was serious, filled with barely contained irritation. He would not have the patience to deal with trivial matters if that were the case.- "Hi... hi, Ethan" and then that voice rang out and resounded.That voice; the velvety voice that made the man imagine an entire scenario. He felt the bad mood leave his body effortlessly. She was able to make everything seem good, even his jokester friend. The sound of the woman's voice was soothing, so much so that the man could swear he felt her presence.- "Hello, Angel"- "Are you busy?"- "No. Is there a problem?" Et
- "An angry man is always a problem," Ethan commented, almost as a threat. Something both men in the car understood were threats.- "Not a corpse"- "Rivera is dead, but the watch is still missing," Banks muttered, and then looked back out the window. By now, not even the absence of his tie could keep him from feeling suffocated.- "You don't seem to be worried," Volkov pondered.- "The house will not fall, Volkov. It will collapse. And I am prepared for that."In fact, Ethan was not afraid of the consequences that awaited him. He knew that his secrets had too high a price, and that they would be paid at some point. You could say that Ethan Banks was eagerly awaiting the day when he would be free of the weight on his shoulders; the guilt he carried.- "I think you gave the watch to Rivera, and then set him up to escape. I think you protected him and his daughter all this time," Volkov guessed, but he could just as easily have been asserting.- "Why would I do that?"- "To ensure he co
The streets of Las Vegas were more beautiful than any other day. Sin City was lit up, although many things were kept in the shadows. The redhead looked out the window, glad that Ethan was by her side.He had looked for her, he had searched for her, he had spent time figuring out where she was. And from the way he looked at Drake and Daliah, it was clear he knew who she would be with.The only thing that could distract Blair was Ethan's hand on her leg, where the fabric of her dress ended. She looked up at him, and found his blue gaze fixed on her. That look said more than words could ever say.The truth was that, after the conversation with Volkov, Ethan couldn't breathe without first knowing where Blair was, who she was with. He was relieved to know that the redhead was at the movies, accompanied by a couple of friends. However, the man still decided that he wanted to see her.Ethan’s tourmaline eyes were like her religion, and the symmetry of his face was her faith. That gaze seemed
- "Please?"Ethan didn't have a second to think, because Blair hugged him. That act was enough to shatter the man into a million pieces. Her delicate arms wrapped around his shoulders, and he felt closer to her than he had ever been before. Ethan didn't understand the erratic beating of his heart, but he knew in that moment that something had changed.The intention was just to take Blair to his apartment so he wouldn't look like a jerk. However, after that hug and begging words, he didn't give himself any other option.- "Fuck yeah"When the elevator reached the thirtieth floor, they stepped out. Those few seconds were empty, as if something was missing. They had spent hours feeling the warmth, the closeness, and the intimacy. Being in that hallway, walking toward the apartment door, without physical contact, was undesirable.Blair opened the unlocked door to her apartment and made room for Ethan to come in. He had been there before, but he hadn't been officially invited.The redhead
- "What happened?" she asked.- "I want to ask you a question," Ethan replied.He felt uncomfortable that Blair could pick up on his mood swings. The man was usually so expressive with her that she didn't realize when he wasn't in his natural state of indifference.- "Okay"- "Who is Davis?"Blair didn't need to think about the question at hand. It was simple. David was her first boyfriend, but he was also her first friend. For many years, he was her only friend. She regretted dating David, because she didn't want to hurt him when she ran away.- "My first boyfriend" she answered sincerely.- "Your first guy?" was the first question he could formulate.Ethan wasn't backward enough to feel jealous, at least that's what he thought. He didn't consider himself a man capable of feeling afraid of losing someone. That's because he'd never had anyone important enough to do so. However, at that moment, by the way his heart was heavy, Banks understood that that answer would bother him.- "Yes,"