6

I feel a little sobered and pipe down, reminded that yes, he is still the same man who stood in the shadows of that room that night and made me almost shit myself. Handsome and fuckable doesn’t erase cold-hearted killer with no soul. I need to remember the reputation that precedes this man—he didn’t get it from being a pussycat.

Wake up Camilla! This isn’t some toy you can manipulate for shits and giggles; this is someone who could fuck up your entire life.

This is a whole new level of male and behind the charm and seemingly calm demeanour is the man who earned a name for being a complete psychopath among his peers. ‘’While we wait on him building up some courage to come back and face me, how about we talk about our little arrangement?’’ Alexi drops all the papers with a look of disinterest, so they scatter on the walnut desk and sits down in an almost unusually casual way. Propping his feet on arseholes desk and landing his very expensive Italian shoes on top of all the clutter. He unbuttons his jacket and smooths down his tie before coming to settle on my face.

Some men really cannot pull off a suit but this one does it with so much ease I cannot imagine him wearing anything else. It’s weirdly James Bond, only much sexier.

‘’About time.’’ I smile sassily, impulsively confident, even if my nerves are rattled and throw my leg over the other one, shifting them over to catch his eye in a very precise and sexy way. I catch the little flicker of grey watch my long, shapely legs get comfortable in their new pose, slight and subtle, but he checked them out, and I add it to my little list that he is also a leg man.

He’s interested for sure, but he likes to chase, not be chased. I guess all the hours I work out, wax, and self-tan, are worthwhile when faced with an Adonis.

 ‘‘Well … as I told you, I brought you here for a specific purpose in this place, but my priorities took me away from really setting you any sort of task. Luciano has issues with sharing authority, and I can see he has hindered you instead of following my orders.’’ He looks way too calm for a guy who's telling me one of his minions disobeyed him. I figured someone like him would not tolerate such disrespectful behaviour and will probably hack his skull off with a blunt object before hanging it in his gallery of decapitated heads.

Too many gangster movies Camilla! Get serious.

 ‘’Let’s just say he obviously missed the memo on rolling out the welcome mats for my arrival at Club Carrero.’’ I raise a haughty eyebrow and this time I do get a smirk, an amused subtle smile at my pet name for his venue. The current name on the door is Bravos’ Bar and I guess it came with the sale.

I hope to God he intends a change in the near future.

Alexi just regards me coolly from his casual pose.

‘’Lucie is family ... unfortunately, by marriage not by blood, and that means I give him some allowances that maybe I shouldn’t. He was a temporary fix in a new purchase and now he’s sort of part of the furniture.’’

He shifts to cross his ankles and slides down in his seat a little more, looking more impressive as muscle bulges a little prominently and I have a hard time keeping my own eyes from scanning him. He could be a poster child for a good gym membership and a personal trainer. He certainly works me into restless impulsive urges to start working out … on him.

‘‘Meaning I am stuck with him.’’ I sigh heavily and bring my brain back to the present, dragging my eyes off that very flat and probably rock-solid abdomen. I wonder what he bench presses and get a visual of him pressing on me.

Phew! I maybe need to start fanning myself as heat creeps up from my breasts.

‘‘Maybe you should have used some of those feminine wiles on him in my absence, who knows, might have worked to put a smile on his face.’’ That eyebrow lift and hint of sarcasm make me grit my teeth. Icing my heating libido, a little.

So now he’s mocking me?

 ‘’Think I’ll pass. Lucie doesn’t invoke any passion in me. I would rather fuck a corpse.’’ I rebuff cattily with an equally raised brow. Annoyed that he just implied I should have made life easier by blowing his fat tubby little reject. Talk about insulting me.

He looks at me silently for what feels like a long excruciating moment before tapping his thumb on the desk in a really distracting manner. I can’t tell if he’s taking me seriously or just bored with the topic.

Bored with me; another strike to my pride.

‘‘You’ve been here two months learning the ropes in how to run a bar nonetheless, now what I want is input on what you would do to this place to turn a profit.’’ 

So, instead of continuing to annoy me, we’re onto business and his expression is back to blank. I guess topic changes are his forte when he is bored with a subject and a female.

I clearly lack what he is interested in, and it vexes me. I hesitate for a moment wondering how much he wants from me and if this is a test to see how brass my balls are. I’m stuck with him until I pay off my debt, and the only way I can get over that little hurdle of obedience is to make him money fast and thick. Sooner I am out from under that arrangement of servitude the better. Then he will consider me an asset and not a possession and may be more inclined to renegotiating the physical aspect.

‘’Close its doors for a start to cut its current clientele loose ... redecorate. Inject some cash into the current, tired design and rename it. Work out the clientele you want to cater for, and what perks you want to offer to members. I’m guessing you mean girls, kinks, product, and parties?’’ I go for bold and verbalise what has been brewing in my brain the last few weeks as I worked downstairs.

He looks impressed, relaxing a little as he squares off his shoulders and slides his tie off easily and smoothly; throwing it on the desk and starts sliding his jacket off too. It’s completely distracting in a very temperature raising way—the man has a body that would put a gladiator to shame, and now he is taking off the formal aspects of his attire I am feeling decidedly warm over here and squirming in my chair once again. Lack of hormonal control is very unnerving and new to me.

‘’My clients want a place to let loose, talk business while being in an environment that caters to their tastes. Women are a must, men too … if they have tailoring to specific fetishes then even better. I have enough product to disable an army, and I intend to put enough security in here to be effective should things get rowdy. I’m talking high profile men with a lot to lose should the goings on in here be leaked in any way. I want professional hookers of both sexes, willing to do anything for the right sum of money and to keep their mouths shut. They won’t be expected to do anything against their will.’’ Straight to the point and those eyes coming to land on my face as he talks in the most mesmerising way. His accent is just the icing on top of the very gorgeous cake.

‘’You think I have the contacts to source you high- class hookers who operate in kink? I ran rich girls looking to feed a habit, not a brothel. I have no experience in what you require of me.’’ I blurt out, suddenly feeling a little in over my head with what he thinks I can do for him. Disappointed in myself for assuming I had this in the bag.

‘’You ran sex for cash … effectively, with no comeback for your rich clients. You pushed Tyler’s product in interesting ways, earned yourself more than the average street pusher in half the time, and that’s what I paid for. You come with style and reputation and one look at you walking down my hall told me I made the right choice. I can summarise the usefulness of people, Miss Walters, and given enough reign I think you have exactly what I need.’’ His confidence in me is a little alarming to say the least. I never felt worthy of any sort of compliment like this and now I am not sure I have what it takes for what he is proposing.

 ‘’You want my skills, my class and my reputation to provide sex and hospitality in your gentleman’s club,’’ I repeat just to clarify and try to get my head around this. Heart hammering and palms getting sweaty.

 ‘‘Yes.’’ He doesn’t move from his still position and just gives an answer and a hint of a smile.

‘‘But you don’t want to fuck me?’’ I try for a cheeky smile, a last-ditch attempt at forward, and trying to lose my growing anxiety. Maybe he just needs softening up… or hardening up, both of which I am pretty sure I can do.

Either way, I throw it in there with a smile.

‘’No.’’ He just raises a brow at me with a severe look, telling me to drop it and I shrug it off. Not about to give up but knowing when to bide my time and work a little harder in a subtler way. He clearly doesn’t like pushy women when it comes to sex—he wants to be in control and be the pursuer … guess I will have to bring out the demure act and entice him in other ways.

Carrero you are frustrating as hell.

‘’Had to be crystal clear on the perks of my arrangement.’’ I wink naughtily in a bid to smooth over that prickly demeanour and get nothing in return. He completely blanks it.

I guess I will be working on my merits alone and not on my back. Urghh!

‘’You’ll be paid well, more if you make more… still have use of the apartment upstairs, although I will be staying occasionally in the next few weeks while in the city. The more you bring in the faster you pay off your debt with me. When it’s paid off, we will talk again about your time with me here in this club and a new deal that may benefit us both, providing you work well and impress me.’’