by Lacey Silks
“Why downstairs?”
“Because when you were Harry in Vegas, I saw the man who’s sitting in front of me right now. Honest, handsome, exciting; you were everything, but I chose to ignore it in Vegas. I had to get this job done no matter what. When I found out who you were and what you’d done, I guess I was mad.”
“You didn’t know. And is that an apology?”
I shook my head. “I should have known. And yes, it’s an apology. I’ve been so lost in New York; this job meant everything to me. Your father gave me work that could pay for my expenses here.”
“For what it’s worth, I’m sorry you lost your job. But why stay here? It’s not exactly a cheap city to live in.”
Could I tell him that this rich city was the last place Mateo would expect me to live in? If Rick had told him anything about me before his death, he would have described me as a timid country girl. Manhattan was the best hideaway in the world.
“You’re not from New York, then?” he asked when I didn’t answer.
“Far from it. It’s a long story. I’m not sure I’m ready to tell you about that part of my life. It took a long time for me to....” No, I couldn’t say it. I couldn’t tell him about Blake and the baby. I still hurt too much. I lost them both at the same time, and as badly as I wanted to forget about the day they died, I knew I could never. And I didn’t want to. But most of all, I wasn’t ready for anyone outside of my family to know about that dreadful day.
“My father’s dead,” I said.
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. It’s a good thing. He was a cruel man.”
“My father’s cruel too, but I don’t wish him dead.” He cocked his head to the side. “There must be more to this story.” Cash smoothed the loose strand of hair behind my ear before tracing his fingers over my cheek. “Tell me, Sky. You can trust me.”
Could I? My instinct told me that I could. But what if he used it against me? Cash had told me his story and I guessed he gave a part of himself away in doing that—he trusted me.
“There is more,” I said. “John was cruel on the good days and a devil on the worse ones. Actually, I’m pretty sure he was the devil. He told me that my mother died at birth when she didn’t, so I grew up as an orphan who happened to be raised by an evil man for a few years. She thought I died at birth, and he of course fixed the whole thing. So our entire lives we lived within a couple of miles of each other and never knew the truth. I mourned her and she mourned me.”
“That’s insane.”
I could feel Cash tense underneath me, and I had just begun.
“He kidnapped my half-sister and half-brother when they were young as revenge for my mother choosing someone else to be with. So while she escaped from John and married the love of her life, whom she still lives with, he haunted her for over two decades, trying to hurt anyone and everyone in her life. He held on to this sick vendetta and never let go. I remembered letting my siblings out of a deep hole he hid them in, in the woods—when he kidnapped them. Thank God he never found out about it, otherwise I wouldn’t be sitting here today. And even back then, I had no clue we were related. Years later, he almost killed my new family and burned down their house. Plus, he was into human trafficking in Mexico. My brother, Eric, ended up killing him in self-defense.”
I hadn’t confided in anyone since I came to New York. No one but my family knew about my past. Yet telling Cash some off this lifted a lot of stress I’d been carrying with me.
“Wow. How did you come out of this?”
“I’m not sure I have. Plus, there’s much more to this story.”
“Tell me, please.” He took the sponge I’d set to the side and began gently scrubbing my shoulder.
“Maybe another time?”
“Okay, why aren’t you with your family now?” He poured warm water over my back.
“We’re going to turn into old prunes if we sit here any longer.” I grasped his length between us and stroked him. It seemed like he was hard the entire time we’d been sitting in the tub.
“Nice way of changing the subject.”
“Is it working?” I asked.
“I think so.” Cash reached to the side, put away the sponge, and magically produced a condom from a basket filled with soaps and shampoos. Or maybe they just supplied everything in fancy bathrooms like these. He rolled it on himself and lifted my body, centering me over him. I slid down, taking him to my full depth, wrapping my arms around him, bringing my head to the side of his neck. With my chest squished against his, I rolled my hips, kissing his jaw, skimming my lips over his jugular, feeling his pulse speed under my mouth before gently biting his shoulder. All the while he held me with his full hands at my back, moving to my set rhythm. The water swooshed from one end of the tub to the other, spilling over the sides with each roll.
“Let’s not talk about our fathers now, please?” I whispered into his ear.
“Anything you ask, I will do. I promise,” Cash replied.
And of course I believed him.
After an unbelievable hour or two in the bath, and after Cash had ensured he washed every part of my body, I drew the belt of a fluffy robe around me and finally had the time to take in the entire suite.
“Holy shit, how big is this place?”
“Four and a half thousand square feet.”
“Why does one person need so much space?”
“Our family owns this suite. There are so many events and conferences, oftentimes we all stay here. It’s like a home away from home. We can go take a dip in the pool tomorrow morning.”
I didn’t know much about hotel prices or house prices in New York, but this place must have cost way more than a fortune.
“Ahm, I can’t swim.”
“Seriously?”
“Yes, seriously. I just never had time to learn how to. Is your family joining us tonight by any chance?”
“No.” He laughed. “I hung a sock on the handle.”
“You did what?”
“I’m kidding, Sky. But don’t worry; we won’t be interrupted until at least tomorrow afternoon.”
“Are you planning for me to stay here that long?”
“Not planning, hoping. Come with me. You must be starving after all the exercise.”
Just the reminder of what we’d done rekindled a spark in my belly. I hoped the sweet ache in all my muscles would last for a while. Since I wasn’t sure whether I’d see Cash after tonight, I wanted to cherish this night for as long as I could.
Cash took my hand and led me through hallways upon hallways. This place was like a maze. We passed the circular foyer again and ended up in a dining room. The table was set with late-night snacks, and I hoped Cash had a huge stomach because there was no way I could fit a tenth of what was prepared.
“When did you do this?”
“I called room service before we took the bath.”
“I must say, Cash. You’re beginning to impress me more each minute. But I don’t need all this. It’s too much.”
“I wasn’t sure what you’d like. Eat what you can. Gather your strength for the rest of the night, and I’ll have the leftovers taken to the homeless center.”
I sat down on one of the chairs at the twelve foot table and picked up some fruit. “What time is it anyway?”
“Just after one in the morning.”
I looked out the window. Seeing Central Park at night and its many lit paths was mesmerizing. I could never stare long enough from places like these. My little apartment Emma found for me not a few blocks from here, although expensive, had a view of another window a foot away. I never opened that window. What was the point? Fortunately, I lived in a corner apartment with another view—not as breathtaking as this, but it was enough.
Cash sat across the table, just watching me eat. I wasn’t too hungry, but the way the fruit broke apart in my mouth made me wonder whether it was all just picked this morning.
“So, I guess I’ll be doing the walk of shame in the mo
rning,” I said.
“Are you ashamed?”
“No, but you know what I mean. When you wear the same dress from the night before and leave a man’s hotel room... well, it’s easy to put two and two together. And you ruined my panties.”
“They were so worth ruining.”
I chuckled at his coy smile.
“And there will be no such walks after a night with me, Sky.” He reached for his phone and texted someone before saying, “I want to see you again.”
Wow, where did that come from? Elated, everything inside me was jumping up and down, but I wasn’t too sure that I wanted to be involved. One night with a man like Cash should have been enough. What I’d had tonight should have lasted me for a long time. But the greedy me, the one who wanted to feel his body close to mine twenty-four-seven, disagreed.
“I don’t know, Cash. It sounds like both our lives are so complicated. I’m not sure that’s the best idea. Besides, I’m now unemployed, and I’m not sure what I’m going to do. I need to find a job. Apartments in this city don’t come cheap.”
I wanted to tell him that I’d be hiding away in a dungeon while I figured out how to stay hidden from Mateo, but that would lead him to question me, and I wasn’t ready to open up those wounds to someone else just yet.
“Why don’t you move further away?” From the look in his eyes, I knew he was testing me. I knew that he was searching for more answers about my lifestyle. It was the second time he’d asked me the question tonight.
“I can’t. The big city is the only place for me.”
“Well, then a lady with your skills should find a job very quickly.”
“Right, because my résumé of undercover illegal work will shine. I don’t even know how to look for a job. Your father only offered me one because he ran into me working as a waitress at a restaurant. And I got that position through someone I know too, who fortunately didn’t require references. When you come from a small town, without more than a high school education, your options are limited.”
“Then let me make you an offer before the competition sweeps you from under my nose,” he said.
I lowered my hand to the plate and stopped chewing on the cantaloupe. “Okay, you have my attention.” I pulled my knees up to the chair.
“It would be one job only, Sky, but its income that would probably last you a while. I feel bad that I’m the reason you won’t get paid—even if it’s from my father.” He paused. I waited with patience as Cash collected his thoughts. “I told you I’ve been successful in taking down Father’s illegal businesses. I’ve been crossing off his dealings one by one, and I’m very close to restoring the family’s name to what it once was, before he got himself into gambling. He only has one more venture that I’ve had a difficult time penetrating. And since you do undercover so well, and seem to have a talent for doing things unnoticed, I’d love to hire your services to help me. You switched those champagne glasses on a waiter’s tray like a pro,” he laughed. “The operation is simple but it’s a huge money turner. Fraudulent credit cards, stolen identities, and sale of personal information. My father has a lot of connections. He’s selling the information to a man in Texas who’s paying the biggest money I’ve yet seen. Your job would be to pose as a buyer in order to do a switcherroo of the man’s phone. And you wouldn’t be on your own. I’d be right at your side the entire time pretending to be your husband. Please let me make this up to you, Sky.”
“Hmm, a happily married couple? Sounds easy enough. And why do we need new identities?”
“The great thing about this man is that he doesn’t ask too many questions but takes a big fee in exchange. We don’t have to explain ourselves. The undercover part would be easy, but getting more information about his operation would be the hard part. One of us would need to distract him while the other one would swap his phone for an identical one we’d have ready, and pass the real one to the extraction team. It would only take five minutes. We’d only need to ensure that he doesn’t use his phone while in our company.”
“Why not just hire someone else?” I asked.
“Oh, I’ll have an entire security team with us. I just thought since you need a job and you’re so good at blending in, why not? And I’ve seen your handiwork, Sky. While you were watching me in Vegas, I’ve been watching you. You’re perfect for the job. I’m sure the vendor will agree to a meeting in the Bahamas within a month at the most. And I want to personally take him down. The information on that phone is crucial. I need to make sure that Father is done once and for all. And my to do list with this last operation, will finally be crossed off.”
“The Bahamas?”
“Yes, so we can kill two birds with one stone. Have a little getaway together, get to know each other better, and pull off the last sting I need to tidy up Father’s businesses.”
Something in Cash’s voice told me that he was more excited about the prospect of potentially going away with me than cleaning up the businesses. Maybe a trip out of the country could be good for me too. After all, it’d take me further away from Mateo. But that was possibly another month from now.
“When will you know for sure?” I asked.
“I should have the trip details within a week.”
“It doesn’t sound as dangerous as I thought.”
“Believe me, it could be. Anytime you deal with crooks who do illegal business, well, let’s just say there’s always a gun nearby if something goes wrong. But I will not take a chance of putting you in harm’s way, Sky. I promise.”
“Well, it’s not like I have much to do. There’s only one problem.”
“What is it?”
“I will need some new clothes for the Bahamas. I’ve never been down south.”
“Then it’s a good thing I have.” He stood up and moved away from the table. His robe was tenting out as he slowly walked around, taking calculated steps toward me. He spun my chair to face him, opened my robe, and spread my knees apart. He pulled his finger over my wet slit. “But I haven’t been down south here.”
When he closed his mouth over me, I could no longer question him. The pull of his tongue over my flesh had me undone in what seemed like seconds, reducing my entire being into nothingness. And I couldn’t even believe that this orgasm was better than the last.
CHAPTER 7
It’d been three days since the gala and my smile had been permanently glued to my face. For the first time in a long time, I noticed how beautiful this city was. Just after the sun rose, I braved going for a jog in Central Park, stopping to sit on a bench and watch the sun move across the sky. Morning fog hovered above the ground, slowly drifting upward. The smell of moisture with a hint of crumpled grass lingered in the air, and I regretted losing almost two years in the city and not doing this more often.
Cash had made a completely different impression on me this weekend than I expected. We had much more in common than I thought, and in different ways, everything we’d ever done was to have that family we both longed for. It appeared that he was close to reaching his goal, and I was secretly cheering him on. I, on the other hand, would need to do something about Mateo to finally live and breathe like this each day. Perhaps it was time to talk to Emma to take things a step further. Maybe I could put my past behind me as well and make sure that my half-brother was out of the picture for good.
Cash seemed to surprise me more with every hour. When I finally woke up at the hotel on Sunday morning, I found a set of clothes my size. He ordered them so that I didn’t have to do the walk of shame I dreaded. It was a simple pair of jeans, sneakers, and a T-shirt. And we had to wait for another set of undergarments to arrive because as soon as I put on the black panties and bra he requested, the panties were torn off me before I had a chance to say anything. If there was one thing that I definitely enjoyed, it was Cash wanting me every minute of every hour. I hadn’t felt this connected to a man in a long time, and knowing I’d be with the same one a few hours later gave me a sense of peace I’d denied myself
for almost two years. This wasn’t part of a job. For the first time since I’d moved here, I opened up to the possibility of maybe seeing someone more seriously. My heart beat harder each time I thought about Cash, and I longed for the moment I could see him again.
Still, I refused to give him my home address. I was not willing to give up my sanctuary to anyone—not yet, at least. Sonia and Emma were the only two who knew where I lived, and they were both sworn to secrecy.
Now, I sat at Caesar’s, the restaurant Emma, my sister-in-law, insisted I dined at regularly. She said the security here was tight. Olivier, the owner, was a family friend, and since it was only a block away from my apartment, the restaurant was a perfect choice. Most importantly, this place held the kind of security only Cross Enterprises, the security and private investigations company Emma’s family owned, could provide. It was why Emma got me a job as a waitress here when I first arrived in New York. It was also where I first ran into Mr. Wagner. Given this place was top of the line, Mateo might as well have been walking around in circles on a wild goose chase if he ever wanted to find me here.
At first, watching the countless celebrities come to Caesar’s felt daunting, but it didn’t take long for me to blend into these fancy surroundings. And at least when Emma was in town, she could fill me in on how my family was doing back in Ogden. My brother kept asking about finally transferring my share of the family’s wealth from the crude oil they’d been withdrawing for months. Each time, of course, I refused. Fearing it would be easily traced and Mateo would find me—and worse, link me to my family, whom he could hurt—I didn’t want anything that could connect them to my name. That’s why I didn’t own a credit card and didn’t have a bank account. Any money I made from Mr. Wagner was in cash, and anything I spent was in cash as well. I could only hope that Rick, Mateo’s twin brother whom I’d killed, hadn’t told him before he died about the new family I found. The only reason he knew I killed his brother was because of a clerical error in the files. I wasn’t supposed to be named at all but was grateful that only my name was listed. So if Mateo was looking for me, which he’d made clear he was in the letter he sent me at the general store where I used to work, there was no way he would ever find anything on Missy Thrope being related to the Waters family.