by Karin Tabke
As they entered the restaurant Sophia asked for a private table toward the back. She was surprised to see so many diners at such an early hour.
Once they were seated with menus, Sophia cocked her head to the side, reached out and touched her fingertips to Mateo’s hand on the table and said, “I’m probably going to regret admitting this, but, as crazy as it sounds, I have feelings for you.”
His brows shot up. Sophia nodded.
“See? Shocking.” Then she rushed on to explain before he could say something negative and derail her. “I know, go figure. I mean, I guess they’re feelings because since I met you at the club I haven’t stopped thinking about you, and . . . the thought of you using me to get to my father doesn’t piss me off like it initially did, though the thought hurts me.” She laughed nervously when his eyes narrowed. Had she hit him with a little too much truth? “You’re a bossy, rude, socially inappropriate stranger who killed my fiancé, stood up to the most powerful man in North America, then demanded my hand from said man, killed my cousin when I was threatened, then took my virginity in front of my family. You have done more in less than a week for me than any person has done my entire lifetime.”
His full lips twisted into a mischievous smile that was making her all melted butter inside. “But most of all, Mateo”—she lowered her voice, afraid the next words would scare him away—“you make me feel cherished, as if I really mean something to you.”
His fingers curled around hers. “You mean something to me. I want to protect you and I can’t keep my hands off you.”
Waves of warmth spread through her.
“Hi, Señorita Dumas, can I start you and your friend off with a drink?” Lily, their server, asked, breaking the spell.
Sophia smiled at the owner’s niece. “I, ah, yes—” She looked at Mateo, who looked up at Lily.
“How about two ice-cold Tsingtaos,” he said and looked at Sophia. “Will that work?”
“Yes,” she said, smiling; some decisions she didn’t mind being made for her.
As Lily headed off to get their drinks, Sophia looked back at Mateo, who calmly stared at her, that twitch of his lips barely perceptible. “What?”
“I can’t figure you out.”
“I’m pretty simple, really.”
“No, you’re not. You’re a knockout but play it down.” He grinned and trailed his fingertips across her knuckles, eliciting an instant response from her nipples. They tightened and she found herself crossing her legs. “You’re inexperienced in love and lovemaking but you’re a tiger in bed.” He raised her hand to his lips. “You want freedom but if given the choice, you’d stay here with the people you know and love to protect them.”
He turned over her hand and pressed his lips to her palm. “You want to love and be loved, but you don’t trust anyone enough to let them in.”
Her body trembled. What he didn’t say was that she wanted to love and be loved by him. The realization was sobering in its ridiculousness. He was an experienced man of the world. She was a simple girl with simple wants. There was nothing extraordinary about her except the man she called Father. Alexander Dumas was a titan among titans. She had always lived in his larger-than-life shadow. No one paid attention to her. It was always the beautiful Fatima, so much like her dynamic father, that men were drawn to. So it was hard to believe that a man like Mateo Juarez wanted a quiet, plain girl like herself.
“I’m not used to the attention of men.” Her eyes rose to his and she was glad to find him intently gazing at her. “Especially hot men.” His grin widened and he bit the fleshy part of her hand, sending hot shards of desire shooting through her.
“You underestimate your own hotness, angel, and exaggerate mine.”
Once again, Lily interrupted their intimate moment as she set their beers on the table. Then she said, “Uncle says, ‘Give Miss Sophia her favorite appetizers with her beer!’ So here you go.”
Another server arrived with a tray full of yummy pot stickers, shrimp toast and spring rolls.
Smiling, Sophia said, “Thank your uncle for me, Lily.”
The girl smiled and nodded. “You ready to order now?”
“How about you bring out all of Miss Sophia’s favorite dishes?” Mateo said.
Lily grinned and tapped Mateo on the shoulder with her order pad. “You a very smart man,” she said, then gave Sophia a wink and checked on her other tables.
Mateo poured their beers into the chilled glasses and handed her one. He raised it and caught her gaze. “Here’s to you, kid.”
Sophia smiled and drank to that.
She looked at Mateo with new eyes. She felt her walls coming down. It was an indescribable feeling to know that she actually had someone she could unload on with no fear that any of it would get back to her father, especially when it was about her father!
“So tell me,” he said, picking up a pot sticker. “Something else about you.” He bit into it and nodded as he chewed. “Good. Really good.”
Well, since he was asking. “I’m furious that my father bugged my room and had cameras!” How dare he?
Nodding, Mateo finished off the pot sticker. “I hear you. Pissed me off too. And while I understand his reasons, I don’t agree with his methods.”
Sophia shook her head, her lip curled in contempt. She was so sick of him interfering in every aspect of her life. What had happened to him? “As a little girl, I remember a man who smiled and who laughed. But he changed after my mother left. He could barely look at me.”
“Understandably he was upset the woman he loved deserted him. Did he search for her?”
“From what I remember, he did. But he sent me away to Europe to school. I didn’t come home until I was seventeen.”
“Was it bad?” He picked up another pot sticker and held it out for her to take a bite. When she did, he ate the other half, then picked up a spring roll, dipped it into the sauce and did the same thing.
She chewed slowly, savoring the goodness of it. It was better tonight than ever. Or was it just because the hottest guy on the planet was hand-feeding her?
“Was school abroad bad?”
“It was lonely. Father wouldn’t allow Nati, my maid, to accompany me. I couldn’t stand being away from my family.”
“Hey, chica,” a male voice called across the room. “Don’t run away. We don’t bite.” Sophia turned around to see three men in business suits at a table across the dining room harassing Lily. They had pulled off their ties, were sweating profusely and they were drunk off their asses.
She wrinkled her nose and said to Mateo, “Is that odor coming from them? They smell gross, like sweat and chemicals.”
His eyes narrowed and he nodded. “I’ve been watching them. They were fine when we came in, but one of them, the guy in the blue suit, broke out a vial and passed it around.”
“Mexicali has the highest cost of living in Mexico. More disposable income per capita than in most modern cities. And where there is money there will be drugs.”
Mateo munched thoughtfully on a piece of shrimp toast then took a swig of his beer. “The cartels must have deep roots here.”
“Indeed they do, and they spend a lot of money keeping new muscle from coming in. They might be drug traffickers and gangsters but they’re smart enough to keep their violence out of this city. I know that Mayor Paul looks the other way, but that’s only because they keep their violence off Mexicali streets.”
“Have you heard of a new drug on the streets called O?”
Sophia shook her head. “No, is it bad?”
“It’s very bad.”
Mateo had eaten most of the appetizers by the time they were served their scrumptious main courses. Poached lobster, Peking duck, honey prawns, spicy beef and crispy lemon chicken. Suddenly she was famished. She dug in but watched Mateo watch the table of raucous men.
�
�The old man just reassigned Lily to the front dining room.”
“Good, no reason to court trouble.”
“Are you aware of the increase in sexual assault crimes in the city?” Mateo asked.
“I had heard something but Father said it was just rumors.”
“More beer!” the men loudly demanded. “And bring us some a that sweet Chinese pussy.”
Sophia gasped, and very quickly the dining room thinned. Mateo stood up and tossed his napkin on the table and strode over to the men. Sophia sat quietly but rigid as a pipe, knowing he could take care of himself and dreading what she knew was going to happen.
Without ceremony, Mateo grabbed the end of the tablecloth, wrapped it around their beer and food and yanked it off the table, then tossed it onto the empty tabletop next to them. “Your dinner’s over, boys. Time to go.”
“Fuck off, asshole,” the loudest of the three said.
Mateo grabbed him by the back of his shirt and tossed him halfway across the dining room. The guy face-planted into the carpet, landing with a dull thud. Mateo glared at the remaining two, who looked like they wanted to fight but were thinking better of it. “Which one of you is next?”
They quickly stood, moved to their buddy, who was trying to get his bearings, grabbed him under the armpits and dragged him from the restaurant.
Mr. Chow nodded, wringing his hands. “Sank you. Sank you.” He nodded to Mateo again, grabbed the tablecloth and said to the remaining diners, “Dinner on Mr. Chow tonight.”
Mateo sat back down without a sweat. He caught Sophia’s amused smile.
“What?”
“Do you always just walk in and take over?”
He popped a juicy piece of lobster into his mouth and grinned as he chewed. “Always.” He leaned toward her and dragged a piece of the succulent meat along her lower lip. “Especially when I want something.”
Unable to resist the lobster and the man offering it, she sucked it into her mouth, and slowly chewed the perfectly cooked meat. It was her favorite dish here. “And do you want me?”
He leaned in and whispered, “In the worst way.” He slowly licked the corner of her mouth and smiled when she gasped. “You had some cream there.”
Sophia moved back into her seat. She didn’t want to be intrigued by him. But she was. Nor did she want to believe that he wanted her for herself and not because she was a Dumas. Because if he had truly come for her, how could she resist?
“I have an apartment nearby,” she whispered.
He smiled slowly. “I’d love to see it.”
“I didn’t mean for that, I meant for—” Just what did she mean? “I don’t know why I told you that. No one knows about it but me.”
His eyes became serious. “Why do you have it?”
“A place to escape to.”
“And you’re not questioned?”
“It’s in my friend Arabella’s name. I used to go to it more often. I use my Bible study class as an excuse.”
“We can justify anything if we tell ourselves long enough that it’s for the right reason.” A shadow fell across his face when he spoke the words.
“What are you trying to justify, Mateo? Why are you really here?”
“I told you—”
“You told me what you want me to believe. It must be damned important considering you were willing to have your right hand cut off and you were forced to marry me.”
“I wasn’t forced.”
“Yes, you were. You’re not a relationship kind of guy.” She picked up his hand and sucked in his index finger. He hissed in a breath. She nipped the tip, and damned if he didn’t flinch.
He slowly pulled his finger from her lips.
“You want something, Mateo Juarez, and when I find out what it is, be forewarned, I might have to kill you.”
chapter fourteen
As they finished their meal, Mr. Chow came by and apologized for the men’s rude behavior. “You can’t control assholes,” Mateo said, handing a wad of pesos to him. “Give the extra to Lily.”
“I sent her home. But I make sure she get it when she come back.”
Mateo turned to Sophia and extended his hand. “Let’s go, wife. I need to work off this dinner.”
Sophia smirked and swatted his hand away. “Have a nice jog.”
Mateo’s eyes gleamed with a mischievous glint. “Not quite what I had in mind.”
She stood and walked past him and said over her shoulder, “It’s exactly what I had in mind.”
The night was balmy, the air heavy with sounds, scents and energy. Mexicali was waking up for the evening’s festivities. Mateo took her hand, sliding his fingers between hers, then tucked it in the crook of his arm. When she looked up at him she caught her breath. His eyes were deep amber, the desire in them aflame. Her body reacted as it always did to his. She lit up.
“My apartment is just a few blocks away if we take the sidewalk, but half the distance if we go through the alley on the other side of the fountain.”
Mateo nodded and guided her across the square and past the fountain. As they approached the alley, the hair on Sophia’s neck spiked. She looked up at Mateo and knew by the hard set to his jaw, he heard it too. “It’s Lily,” Sophia whispered as she started to run toward the girl’s desperate cries.
The alley was dim and dank. But there was light enough to see by, and the sight that awaited them made the food in Sophia’s stomach churn. Lily was naked, on her knees and bleeding. Two attackers circled like rabid dogs waiting for their turn as the third one stood before Lily forcing himself on her.
Mateo lunged at the rapists, kicking the one standing in front of Lily in the solar plexus, and as he came down kicking the one lunging for her under the chin. Sophia roundhouse-kicked the third one away from her and grabbed Lily, protectively wrapping her arms around her.
Never had she been so consumed with outrage. Securing Lily in the corner, rage fueled, she turned and karate-chopped the guy she had kicked out of the way in the face as he came back for Lily.
He screamed, not in pain, but surprise, and when it registered that his buddies were keeping Mateo busy, his swollen lips twisted into a sinister smile. “I’m game for chick on chick.”
Sophia grimaced as she boldly strode into his space, grabbed his rock-hard dick and twisted it. When he double over, she kneed him in the face and shoved him back into the wall again. “When I’m done with you, you won’t be able to piss.”
Lily screamed, pulling Sophia’s attention off the prick she was working on. Mateo stood between Lily and her rapists.
The guy behind Sophia kicked her in the back of the knees, sending her to the ground. Mateo roared furiously. She watched in fascinated horror as he grabbed the two guys and slammed their heads together with a sickening cracking sound, then watched them fall like rag dolls to the ground. As he leapt past her and smashed his fist into the one going for Lily, the other two amazingly began to get up again.
“They’re hyped up on something, Sophia,” Mateo warned. “Get out of here.”
No way was she leaving.
They went at Mateo again, their drug-infused brains realizing that if they wanted the girl they would have to go through him. He slammed one then the other in the face with his fist.
Sophia was thrown to the ground by one of them and the crazed man pounced on her, tearing at her shirt and skirt. She cursed herself for not paying close enough attention, and fought him off, but his drug-induced strength was overwhelming. He grabbed her long hair and yanked so hard she was sure she was bald. Then he clamped his hand around her throat as he shoved his knee between her legs and forced them apart.
“Mateo,” she hoarsely called, as the hand tightened around her neck, cutting off her air supply. She kicked and twisted, trying to gouge his eyes out with her fingers, but he was too strong. “I—can’t.” Th
e last thing she heard was Lily’s screams and Mateo’s rough curses.
• • •
Strong arms embraced her. “Sophia, it’s over. Relax, baby, it’s over.” His soothing tone and assuring words calmed her.
When her vision and wherewithal returned, the first thing she saw were the broken, bloody bodies of the three attackers. Beyond them in the corner lay Lily, curled in a fetal position, her small body wracked with sobs.
“Oh, Lily,” she crooned, moving out of Mateo’s arms. She approached slowly. “Lily, it’s Sophia Dumas. You don’t have to be afraid anymore, the bad men are dead.” She squatted down beside the small, naked body and fought back tears. Blood smeared the cuts and bruises all over her body. She was just a teenager. And no longer innocent. Gently she touched her shoulder. Lily screamed, grabbing Sophia’s hand.
“I just want to go home,” the girl sobbed.
“You need to go to the hospital, sweetie.”
“No!” she cried, turning her stricken eyes up to Sophia. “Please. My family cannot find out about this, it would kill my uncle and my mother.”
Sophia looked up to Mateo, then to the dead men littering the ground, then back to Mateo. “We can go to the clinic in Terra Oro.” She smoothed Lily’s hair from her face. “You’re coming home with me.” As she said the words, Mateo reached into his backpack and pulled out a long-sleeved T-shirt and handed it to Sophia.
“Let’s get her dressed.” Once Lily was dressed, Sophia helped her stand.
Mateo gathered up her shredded clothing, shoes and purse. He dug through the pockets of the man he had seen pass the vial and found it with a few pills left. He held it up to Sophia. “I’ll bet you this is what caused all of this.” He found another vial in the pocket of one of the other men.
“Lily,” Mateo softly said, “I promise I won’t hurt you. Do you believe that?”
Without looking up at him, she nodded.
“Then let me carry you to our car.”
She whimpered but nodded. As if she were as light as a feather, Mateo gently scooped her into his arms and said, “Let’s go.”
“What about them?” Sophia asked, looking at the dead rapists.