by Tess Summers
“Lunch is ready, everyone.”
Madison stood and reached for Jacob’s hand. “Come on, Jacob. You can sit by me.”
“Let’s wait for Taren,” he said gently as he held his other hand out toward her.
With a smile, Taren took his hand, and the three headed back downstairs with Edward and Bella following behind.
She heard Edward say to Bella, “John might have been replaced. I think your daughter has a crush on Jacob.”
Watching the handsome man as he engaged in a spirited conversation about unicorns with the toddler, Taren thought, Who could blame her? She was crushing on him pretty hard at the moment, too.
They were escorted into an elaborate dining room with chandeliers and the longest table she’d ever seen. It was made of dark wood and had ornate legs with claw feet every sixth seat. She performed a quick count and determined it was designed to hold seventy-four people; thirty-six on each side, plus one at each end. Right now, it was set for seven, plus a high chair, on the end of the room where they first came through the door, and she wondered who else would be joining them.
Her question was answered when Dante walked in with a man with jet black hair, blue eyes, and cheekbones that rivaled Jacob’s.
Wow. She looked at the people around the table being directed to their seat assignments by the precocious three-year-old. It was like Taren was having lunch at a model convention. She was definitely out of her league.
Jake squeezed her fingers and gave her a quick wink before releasing her hand to pull out her chair for her, and she felt a big smile spread across her face, unable to stop it. She loved how important he made her feel.
“No, Papa,” the little girl suddenly yelled. “Uncle Jacob is sitting there!”
“Uncle Jacob?” Edward, who really was her uncle, said with one eyebrow raised, clearly offended at having to share the title.
“Hey, don’t look at me,” Jacob said, still standing.
“Uncle Jacob is going to sit there,” Dante corrected her, pointing to the chair across from Bella and to his immediate right from the head of the table. The high chair was situated on the corner to his left, between Madison’s parents.
“No!” she wailed, throwing her sippy cup to the ground.
“Madison Belle Guzman,” Dante said with authority, lowering his voice rather than raising it. It was evident he meant business, even to Taren.
Apparently the little girl realized it, too, because she quickly ceased her temper tantrum and looked down as if ashamed.
Dante quietly reached over and caressed his daughter’s downy hair in approval.
“Esto es mejor mijita princesa,” he murmured.
That’s better, my little princess.
Taren’s Spanish wasn’t that great, but she understood that. She wasn’t sure who Dante Guzman was, but there was no doubt the man wielded power. Everyone in the room seemed to recognize it, even his daughter—who appeared to have him wrapped around her little finger.
“John, how have you been?” Jacob asked the gorgeous dark haired man who was seated next to Bella.
“Uncle John!” Madison’s small voice rang out, seeming to just realize the other man was there, even though she’d just directed him where to sit two minutes ago.
While the other man talked with Jacob and acknowledged the toddler, Taren leaned to her side and quietly teased Edward, “How come it doesn’t bother you when she calls him uncle?”
He replied with a smirk. “He’s her godfather. He outranks me.”
“Ahhh.” She smiled and sat up straight.
She felt Jacob’s hand on her knee, and he softly squeezed it when she brought her hand on top of his.
Reagan appeared with a chubby, bald baby who seemed content to sit on her mother’s lap while her father beamed at his progeny from across the table.
Two older Mexican women in grey uniforms pushed a cart through the door and began to serve lunch. It smelled amazing as the plate was set in front of her. Taren observed everyone murmuring their thanks and addressing the women by name. But it wasn’t until Dante boomed, “Rosa, Maria, as usual, you’ve outdone yourselves. Gracias,” did the women smile like they were appreciated.
They then fussed over Madison, making sure she was going to eat the gourmet toddler lunch they’d prepared for her.
“Es muy rico,” Bella assured them in Spanish, while Dante prompted, “Tell Abuela Maria and Abuela Rosa thank you.”
“Gracias abuelas!” The little girl parroted her father.
“I love how bilingual she is,” Taren said quietly to Jacob.
“Our kids are going to be that way, too” he promised with another squeeze to her knee before removing his hand to eat lunch.
As she listened to the banter among the group, she couldn’t help but think how ordinary it all seemed. Ordinary except for the maids serving them at a table so long, she’d only seen something like it in the movies, and them being at an estate with armed guards at the gates and along the perimeter.
Maybe that’s what she was having a hard time reconciling—the people she was having lunch with seemed like people she’d meet every day, yet the circumstances didn’t match. Would Madison even understand someday when she was older that most people didn’t live in mansions, with cooks and maids? That it was unusual to have a driver take her everywhere or have armed guards at her home?
Is that how Taren’s life was going to be from now on? Would she try to normalize the abnormal for their children?
A sense of panic rose up through her, and Jake’s arm came around her shoulders as he whispered in her ear, “I feel your wheels turning, Tink. Time to apply the brakes, baby.”
Taren looked up at him helplessly, and he hugged her shoulder in return.
“It’s going to be okay. I promise. Just breathe.”
She nodded and took a deep breath, feeling the warmth of his arm touching her shoulders. It was funny, but with his assurances—both with his words and his body, she did feel better. How was it possible that he had such an effect on her?
He looked at her and smiled, then resumed eating his lunch, but kept his arm around the back of her chair.
****
Jacob
After lunch, Edward suggested his wife and Taren take the children to the nursery before the others arrived. Jacob realized the former agent was concerned about his wife and child as much as he was about Taren, and he appreciated that. Bella disappeared with them, effectively answering his unspoken question about whether she’d be in attendance at the meeting.
Jacob hadn’t done a lot of work with the cartel, but he’d done enough to know the drill.
Today’s players were from other syndicates who had ties to the Guzman family and were being affected by the Columbians, as well as Dante’s uncle, Ramon—the head of the family. There were going to be some heavy hitters in the room, all vying to be the top dog. The machismo was going to be flowing steadily this afternoon; Jacob would show them all respect and sit back, answering their questions, but only offering advice when asked. He didn’t need to swing his dick around to know he was really the one running this whole thing. They all knew it, too.
Ramon was the first to arrive and remarked to Jacob when he walked through the door of Dante’s office, “I see you brought a friend to Ensenada.”
Jacob knew some of Dante’s men were on Ramon’s payroll, and Ramon liked to think he still had his finger on the pulse of Ensenada, even though he was living large in San Diego, so Jacob wasn’t surprised with Ramon’s comment—even though that was clearly the patrón’s intent.
Casually picking up his glass of Scotch from the side table next to where he was seated in a burgundy leather wingback chair, Jacob took a drink before replying, “Surely you understand having needs that only a woman can fulfill, Ramon?” The mercenary raised his eyebrow. “Or is there another reason you’re still single?”
Jacob knew questioning the man’s sexuality would get his hackles up, and hopefully, take the focus o
ff Taren.
“Ask the women still recovering in my bed from last night,” Ramon spat back, causing Jacob to chuckle to himself. Sometimes people were just too easy to predict.
Miguel Hernandez, the self-proclaimed, El Rey—the king—arrived next, followed closely behind by the other invited men. John quietly slipped in from a side door and sat down next to Jacob, while Edward stood in the back of the room. Bella’s presence was missed, but her absence was probably for the best. A woman at this meeting would have stood out and there would have been unwanted questions. She was trying to fly as far under the radar as possible—hiding in plain sight from both the CIA and the cartel, since she’d killed the previous Guzman patrón, El Jefe Enrique Guzman, when she was still an agency operative. She seemed content with consulting behind the scenes and raising her daughter these days.
Dante’s deep voice boomed out, getting everyone’s attention, and discussion about the next steps started.
“And what if they don’t agree to this truce?” El Rey asked.
“They will,” Jacob replied confidently.
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because their operation has been crippled. The CIA has picked up their investigation of the human trafficking again after the women the Columbians were holding captive to sell were brought to the US and testified.”
“So why did they start this damn war to begin with?” Ramon snarled.
Jacob shrugged. “Pride. Self-preservation. To discourage it from happening again. They needed to show they wouldn’t take such a thing without retaliating.”
“You did this to all of us, Dante,” Francisco Gomez snapped, which was a mistake, because Ramon took the reprimand of his nephew personally, and the pissing contest began.
John seemed as content as Jacob to sit back and watch the scene unfold, while Edward slipped out the door before the focus turned to him—since he was really the one who got everyone into this mess.
Dante, for his part, never threw Edward under the bus, instead citing his reason for being in Columbia as exploring expansion opportunities when he got tangled up in a CIA operation. He reported he had thought the Columbians double-crossed him.
All of it was a lie, of course. Dante had flown his wife down on his private jet so she could assist in the rescue of Edward’s brother, Marcus with the help of Edward and some CIA agents from Marcus’ team. All in order to get her sister back, who Edward had kidnapped as ‘incentive’ for Bella to help him. They probably would have gotten away unknown had Edward not been shot and rushed to the hospital. Jacob had paid a handsome amount—in US dollars—for ‘no questions asked’, and that allowed Edward surgery and treatment enough to stabilize him so they could get him the hell out of the country—on Dante’s private jet. It had taken some time, but according to Jacob’s sources, the Columbians eventually traced Edward leaving the hospital and getting on Dante’s jet to the events that took place. And the retaliation against the Sinaloa cartel began.
“Gentlemen, can we get back to the task at hand?” Jacob asked loudly, trying to rein in the chaos that had ensued in Dante’s study.
“So when is this meeting with the intermediary taking place?” Miguel asked after the noise had died down.
“It’s set for the day after tomorrow in Miami.”
“I want you there,” Ramon declared, directing his attention to Jacob.
He shook his head. “I’m afraid I’m not available.”
“Become available. Whatever it costs, I don’t care. We want you there representing us.”
“It’s not about the money.”
“What’s the problem then?”
When Jacob refused to elaborate, a look of recognition flashed in Ramon’s eyes and a small smile formed on the man’s lips.
Goddammit. Taren just became leverage—exactly what he’d been wanting to avoid.
“I’m sure you could change the location from Miami to wherever your port of call on Thursday is. It’d only be a minor disruption to your honeymoon. Surely your wife will understand,” the patrón said smugly as he sought for confirmation to his fishing expedition based on Jacob’s reaction.
Fucking assholes. Jacob schooled his features to hide how pissed he was. This is going to cost the cartel.
“I can be in Miami on Thursday on your behalf, but my fee is one million dollars—upfront. For the meeting alone. Any follow-up is extra.”
Ramon didn’t bat an eye. “Done. Let’s talk about what we expect with this truce…”
He should have asked for more money.
Chapter Twenty
Jacob
“Then I’m getting off the ship, too,” Taren declared when he told her he was only boarding to get some of his things.
“No, Tink. I’ll meet up with you in Acapulco on Friday,” Jacob assured her.
Her pout said it all.
He pinched the bridge of his nose; the Guzmans were going to be pissed, but she trumped everyone. Picking up his secure phone and stepping onto the balcony, he called Scotty, his pilot, first. He’d planned on driving to San Diego and flying commercial out of San Diego International on Wednesday night, but, glancing at Taren through the glass door, he decided that idea wasn’t going to work.
“I need you to arrive in Puerto Vallarta Wednesday night for an early departure on Thursday morning then returning to Acapulco later that day.”
At least this way he’d only be away from her for one day and one night.
After confirming with Scotty, he called Edward to let him know not to expect his return to the estate.
“Dante isn’t going to like this,” the younger man warned.
“Tell him not to worry about it. I’ll be in Miami in time for the meeting. He can email me any concerns he has.”
Jacob disconnected the call and shut his phone off. He needed some Tinkerbell time. He’d been staring at her all day and unable to put his hands on her properly, like he’d wanted.
“I’m set to leave out of Puerto Vallarta Thursday morning,” he told her when he walked back inside and sat down next to her on the couch, where she’d curled up with her Kindle.
She looked at him with a wide smile, set the reading device down, and scurried to sit up on her knees.
“You mean you’re staying on board?” she said with wide eyes and an excited smile.
He leaned toward her; feeling like a wolf ready to pounce on its prey. She was so damn adorable, and he was wrapped around her finger—which made him want to fuck her even more. Not because he resented it; on the contrary, because he relished it.
“I’m staying on board until Thursday, but getting off first thing. I’ll meet you in in Acapulco when the ship arrives on Friday morning.”
“Can I go with you?”
“No.”
He didn’t offer an explanation where he was going or why; she was a smart girl though. He knew she’d figure out it was the result of today’s meeting, and hopefully not ask anything further.
“No?” She began to caress his cock over his slacks. “Please?”
Her tactic wasn’t going to work, but he appreciated the effort.
Jacob grabbed her wrists, brought her hands to her sides, and reiterated, “No,” then tugged the top of her sundress below her tits and began to fondle her round globes over the material of her bra, dipping his thumbs under the fabric and grazing her nipples as he watched her face.
“I was really proud of you today,” he said, his voice husky with need. “You were charming without offering too many details. Yet, they all felt like they got to know you by the time we left, and they loved you.”
He pulled her bra down so her boobs were bared to him; her nipples stiff and ready to be sucked.
“Not as much as I love you, though,” Jacob murmured as he dipped his mouth to a rosy peak, swirling his tongue around the pebbled flesh before sucking it between his teeth. Her body began to wobble and her hands came around the back of his head, as if to steady herself.
“Oh, god, Jake. T
hat feels so good,” she moaned as she widened her knees in invitation.
Jacob couldn’t help but smile around her nipple. He loved how responsive she was to his touch.
He switched tits, suckling her right while pinching and squeezing her left; pushing her onto her back on the couch in the process. He reached under her skirt and slid her panties to the side, plunging a finger into her wet cunt as he continued devouring her boobs with his mouth.
Her gasps spurred him on, and he spread her juices to her clit, circling it with his thumb while he moved his ring finger in and out of her. She began to move in rhythm against his hand and he slipped a second finger inside her, causing her to inhale sharply, then let out a long moan.
“Oh, yessss,” she hissed, tilting her hips forward.
“You like that, baby?” he growled with his teeth around her nipple.
“Mmm hmm,” she whimpered in a high pitch.
“Are you going to come for me?”
“Ohhhhh,” was her long response as she dropped her legs farther open and cupped her tit to push it back in his mouth, holding a fistful of his hair in her other hand when she did.
His cock was leaking. Her wantonness was so damn sexy.
Jacob began fingering her faster, increasing the pressure and tempo on her clit with his thumb while he voraciously sucked her tits. Jacob could feel her pussy getting wetter as her body began to clench, and he knew she was right on the edge of orgasm.
He bit down on her nipple, harder than he had earlier when he teased her boobs, and just as he did, she began to thrash and buck under him, chanting, “Oh, god,” like she was praying.
Making her come brought him immense satisfaction; a small part of him had the urge to beat his chest like a caveman, but an even bigger part wanted his cock inside her—now.
While she lie on the couch, trembling in her post orgasmic state, he toed off his shoes and socks, and dropped his slacks and underwear to the floor then pulled hers off too, before pushing his cock inside her without a word.