by Laura Morgan
“Wow,” she mumbled, her body still reeling from her multiple orgasms, and he laughed, sliding off her and then pulling Cassie close.
“Yeah, I know.”
***
The pair had barely recovered from their intense role-play when a quiet yet urgent knock at the door made them jump. Leo pulled the covers up around Cassie and climbed out of bed, grabbing his shorts as he went. He strode over to the door, pulling it open impatiently. Tina stood on the other side, clearly worried, but it seemed she didn’t have any choice other than to disturb her boss.
“What is it?” Leo barked.
“It’s Victor. He’s here,” Tina replied. “He’s at the gate right now, asking to be let in. What do you want me to do?” she asked, her face pale. Leo’s body tensed up immediately, going from an impatient pose to one of clear foreboding.
“Tell the guards to let him in. I’ll head down to meet him at the front door,” Leo replied, running through the options in his head. This was very unusual. They had left things on good terms the day before, Victor and his brother having been satisfied with their new deal, and even if it were otherwise, you did not simply turn up unannounced.
“Let Victor in. Mr. Solomon will meet him at the house,” Tina said into her cell before sliding it into her pocket.
“You stay here with Cassie. Keep her safe, use the panic room if you need to, and watch us over the cameras,” Leo told her, looking back at his wide-eyed lover.
“Leo, what’s he doing here?” Cassie asked. She looked as though she was trying her best to stay relaxed, but she was clearly terrified.
“I’m not sure, but I intend to find out. Stay here with Tina. I mean it, Cassie. This is not a joke, it’s an order,” Leo replied, stepping back into the bedroom with Tina in tow while he slipped on some pants and a shirt. Cassie wrapped the sheet around her still naked body and stood on her tiptoes, laying a soft kiss on his lips.
“I’ll do as you ask, Leo. I’ll always do as you say when it comes to this stuff. I promise I’ll stay here,” she replied, and he nodded. Leo was glad she was not trying to be stubborn or petulant about the issue. This really was a meeting he did not want her present for.
He gave Tina a look full of dominance and silent command, and she nodded up at him timidly. He was tasking her with keeping Cassie out of sight from Victor, but also to try and get her out of the house without the Mexican drug-lord knowing she’d even been there. Tina would do her job, as always, and Leo was glad to have her.
Leo pulled one of the laptops out from his dresser and typed in his personal login. He accessed the house’s cameras and pulled up the live feed from downstairs. Tina sat at the desk with the laptop while Cassie quickly dressed behind her. After giving Leo a quick kiss, she stood to watch the screen over Tina’s shoulder. The two women barely knew each other, but they had a common interest, Leo, and right now he knew they were both desperate to see whether he was going to be okay.
“The inside cameras record sound, but not the outdoor ones. You’ll be able to watch us the entire time,” he told Cassie, and after a couple of clicks, the screen was filled with the image of the front steps.
Leo left without a word, heading downstairs to greet his impromptu guest, but not before taking a lingering look at his lover as he went.
***
By the time the black sports car pulled up and Victor Sanchez stepped out, Leo was waiting patiently with a coffee in one hand, trying to seem casual. Victor removed his sunglasses and peered up at his host with an interrogative stare. He wasn’t as tall or muscular as his colleague, but Victor was a fearless, highly trained gangster and assassin, who was clever and incredibly intuitive. Leo hadn’t underestimated Victor once in the years they’d been associates, and he certainly wasn’t about to start now.
“Leonardo,” Victor said, smiling broadly at him. His Spanish accent accentuated every syllable of his long name, and Leo hated the way he rolled the r.
“Victor, to what do I owe the pleasure?” He reached out a hand to him, and the Mexican shook it with a strong grip. This was a good sign as far as Leo was concerned, and he quickly ushered his visitor inside.
Doing a quick sweep with his trained stare, Leo saw Victor’s trusty knife was in his belt, as always. He seemed otherwise unarmed, and Leo was glad. He had not wanted to seem intimidated by Victor’s sudden appearance, so had not grabbed a weapon en route to the door, but knew that in doing so he was vulnerable to a potential attack.
“I know we only said our goodbyes yesterday, but I needed to have a break from my brother. I was hoping you might entertain me for a couple of days?” Victor invited himself into Leo’s life, and presumably his home, without any embarrassment at being so forward.
“You’re welcome here any time, old friend. Please, come and have breakfast with me. You can tell me all about it.” Leo led the way to the dining room where a table had been laid with fruit, cereals, coffee, and tea. Victor helped himself to a mug of coffee, grabbing a slice of melon along with it.
“Always so healthy. I guess it shows with your physique, but I have never been able to resist the carbs and the chocolates,” Victor told him, his smile still present, and Leo eyed him cautiously. He maintained his pleasant expression, but kept a close eye on his guest.
Victor winced as he sat down at the table, and caught Leo watching him. “Luis and I had a disagreement after you left yesterday. We had a tussle. He shot me, and I stabbed him. Just a graze, nothing to worry about. Brothers, sometimes we need to have a fight to offload, but we’ll be back to normal again by the time I go home.” He shrugged nonchalantly, as though it meant nothing, but Leo knew full well the Sanchez brothers never fought, unless it was over something extremely important.
“I’m sure you will. I will admit, I don’t have any brothers or sisters, so have never had to endure sibling rivalry. I’m sure you had your reasons. Nothing to do with my visit, I trust?” Leo replied, joining him at the table.
“Well, actually, it was. He still thinks you should have accepted his offer to begin trading girls alongside our other operation. His nose was, how do you say? Out of joint, because of your refusal. He’s not sure if he wants to continue doing business with you after all.” Victor’s expression turned serious. Leo knew Luis called the shots, and Victor always followed his command. He was part of the Sanchez cartel by both blood and service, but rarely made decisions without his brother’s authorization.
Luis was five years older than Victor. From what Leo had heard, he’d let him be a part of his drug-running crew when he was a teen, and their organization had grown incredibly since then. Victor had trained to become both a businessman and a cold-hearted killer, his place as Luis’s second in command was his by right.
Leo chose his words very carefully, eager to get straight to the point, but not wanting to offend his associate.
“I see. So my compelling arguments that the States does not have the same market for human trafficking that Mexico enjoys, or the penchant for the younger girls, went completely amiss? Did I not give him reason enough to let it go?” Leo sipped on his coffee and forced himself to remain calm. He knew Victor had the upper hand, and wondered if he’d been sent here to terminate their business dealings in the only way these hardened gangsters finished anything, a hit.
Victor took a bunch of grapes from the bowl between them, popping one into his mouth, while Leo grabbed the jug and topped up his coffee.
“I was convinced by your strong opinion, but my brother, on the other hand, not so much. I put my foot down, and eventually we came to a compromise. I told him I would come here and see for myself the women you prefer to the pussy we had on offer back home. I knew they must be of high caliber for you to resist the companionship of our girls. I wanted to give you the opportunity to settle the issue, once and for all.” Victor took a long sip of his strong drink while eyeing his host with a fierce expression.
Leo knew he would have to appease Victor on the subject at last, or risk another in
cident. He began planning the ways he might do so while they ate their breakfast and chatted with a strange air of forced relaxation.
There was one thing he had to do first, though. Leo needed to get Cassie out of his house safely. He would then set about showing Victor the time of his life with the best hookers New York had to offer. Leo also knew he would have to partake of their company to show Victor he’d not meant any offense by not taking any of his girls to bed with him in Mexico. He mentally kicked himself for not considering how his actions may result in their suspicions, but it was too late to worry about that now. Just like many times before, Leo would do whatever it took to come out on top. It wasn’t in his nature to accept anything less.
***
Up in the bedroom, the two women watched Leo and Victor’s conversation with silent stares and open mouths. Cassie had heard the comment Victor made about Leo not having taken any girls to bed with him while he was visiting. The realization made her heart pound in her chest. He hadn’t done it, even though she’d given him the go-ahead. Despite the tense situation playing out downstairs, she had to smile.
Victor seemed just as powerful and intimidating as Leo, but she knew the real man now, and had seen the softer side to him, so was no longer scared to be alone with him. Victor, on the other hand, was someone she knew she would not like to be around if she could help it. He seemed cold from the inside out, more than just another hardened criminal.
“What do we do now? If he’s staying with Leo, how can I hide up here?” Cassie whispered. She was being quiet, despite knowing they wouldn’t be able to hear her.
“I don’t know. For now we’ll have to stay here until he tells me what to do. I’ve met Victor many times, and I doubt he’d try anything. You’re a little bit old for his taste, if you know what I mean.” Tina raised one eyebrow, and Cassie knew exactly what she meant.
“Yuck. So, he’s trying to get Leo into trafficking girls? As in, young girls?” Cassie’s interest was piqued, but she didn’t really want to know the sordid details.
“Leo’s always been in the business of women, Cassie. He owns Cyrene’s, as well as many other lucrative call-girl agencies over here. He also has numerous nightclubs and a porn business. Did you think all of his money was in drugs? It’s none of your business anyway. Don’t forget you’re supposed to leave his work out of your dynamic as a couple. I thought that was the deal.” Tina snapped, letting Cassie know she was well aware of their agreement.
Although it angered her, Cassie let it go. She was shocked to hear the truth about which pies Leo had his fingers in, but then again she knew it shouldn’t surprise her how easily available he had wanted his women. Owning them must’ve surely been cheaper than paying handfuls of hookers every week, if the stories about Leo had been true, of course.
Cassie shrugged and stepped back from the laptop, climbing onto the bed and lying back on the pillows in a huff. She took a deep breath and enjoyed having Leo’s smell envelop her again. Tina left her to it, watching the screen and observing in silence.
Chapter 19
“So, explain to me just how an American hooker in her twenties can rival my teenage girls and their tight pussies?” Victor asked as he accepted a thick, Columbian cigar from his host, and Leo lit it for him while smirking.
“Because my girls don’t get into the business until they are older in the first place. By the time your girls are twenty-five they’ve had anywhere from fifty men, if they’re lucky, to five hundred. They’re used up. Their bodies are a mess, and their heads even worse, my friend. Surely you agree?” Leo spoke so coldly of the girls he knew were often forced into a life of prostitution after being beaten and raped by their pimps.
“Perhaps. Go on.” Victor took a long drag on his cigar and rolled the smoke around his lips. He seemed to enjoy the flavor of the hand-rolled tobacco, and took another drag while he waited for Leo to respond.
“Luis wanted me to take those girls and sell them here? They’re nothing but trash, and my clientele wouldn’t go for it. There are some who like them young, but the Manhattan socialites definitely prefer class, beauty, sexual prowess, and a hot body. Only the locally sourced or stringently interviewed girls can provide those things. You’ve seen for yourself how different it is here. Forgive me if I’m wrong, but that’s why you agree with me, Victor.” Leo’s business-head was back on, and his argument clear.
“It is true. Luis never leaves the complex unless absolutely necessary. He has no idea of the real world outside of Mexico, or the economics behind the deals I make for us. I will give him a couple of days to calm down, and I will return home to inform him again that you are not our man, as far as girls are concerned.” Victor leaned across the table, his arm outstretched. Leo shook his hand, glad to have reached an accord.
“Wonderful. I’ll tell you what,” Leo said, leaning closer with a cunning smile. “Why don’t I get some of my best girls over here, and you can see for yourself just what I have to offer?”
“Now, that really would sweeten the deal,” Victor replied, his eyes bright at the promise of trying out some of the girls. Leo grabbed his cell phone and dialed Tina. She answered immediately, her voice was low, which was good. He didn’t want her side of the conversation being overheard by Victor, just in case.
“I need some of our best girls at the mansion as soon as possible. I want the sweetest and youngest talent we’ve got, plus a bit of variety. You know what Mr. Sanchez prefers,” he said, winking at his associate.
“Yes, Mr. Solomon, I’ll get right on it. Should I take the other work away with me?” She was clearly wondering if she should try to get Cassie out of the house now.
“Yes, you do that, and give me progress reports,” Leo retorted, hanging up and grinning to Victor. “Let me take you for a tour.” He stood and led him out toward the pool for a lap of the gardens. He was intent on taking him as far away from the house as possible for a few minutes so the girls could escape unseen.
***
“We need to go,” Tina said, grabbing Cassie’s hand and pulling her down the hallway toward her room. Inside she handed her a pantsuit and blouse. This outfit would cover Cassie from her chin to her ankles very formally, but Cassie guessed the reasoning behind it.
“I bet you look very different out of your work clothes, don’t you?” she asked, sliding into the clothes.
“You probably wouldn’t recognize me.” She grinned. “One of the ways I manage to stay in my line of work is by never being seen as one of Leo’s girls for his men to prey on. I keep my body covered, my hair and makeup plain, and none of them even give me a second glance. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had a few close calls, but Leo has always saved me from ending up in the wrong place at the wrong time. I trust his judgment. I always have, and you should do the same. He’s asked me to get you out of here, and this is the best cover in case we bump into Victor on our way.” Tina twisted Cassie’s hair into a plain bun and then added some thickly rimmed glasses. She took a look in the mirror, and Tina was right. She looked like a librarian, and was sure no one would look twice at her right now.
Within minutes the two women walked down the stairwell that led to the kitchen and out into the hall. They rounded the doorway and stepped out into the bright sunshine, and a voice boomed from over Tina’s shoulder.
“Señorita Tina. So wonderful to see you again,” Victor called. His tour of the gardens hadn’t lasted long enough.
“Señor Sanchez.” She stepped away from Cassie, leaving her at the step, and shook his hand. “The pleasure’s all mine. Mr. Solomon, I have your order ready, and it should be with you in less than an hour. Let me just finish up here, and I’ll be right with you,” she replied. Cassie could tell they were talking in code. She wondered if perhaps it was Tina’s attempt to make Victor believe she was an outsider, and he grinned. He looked over at Cassie with intrigue.
“And what have we got here?” he asked, looking her up and down before his eyes settled on her breasts, then lips. He steppe
d around Tina to get closer so he could greet her personally, reaching out his hand, and Cassie shook it. She smiled politely and relied on her experience from her escorting days to help her nerves stay calm under this scary man’s gaze. The sunshine was hot on her back, and she could feel herself sweating in the suit jacket. It was uncomfortable, and although she wanted to remove it, she didn’t dare show more. Cassie was careful not to look at Leo. She could see his face over Victor’s shoulder, his contorted features far from the face he had watched her with just a couple of hours before, and even he scared her.
“Sandi Smith, pleased to make your acquaintance.” Cassie spoke eloquently and pronounced her words carefully to give a posh air to her British accent. She also used a different variation of her first name with Jonah’s surname to avoid giving Victor anything real about herself.
“Well, well, well. Your accent is divine, my dear. And may I ask how it is that you come to be at Mr. Solomon’s fine home this morning?” Victor asked. She got the impression he was hoping she might be one of his prostitutes, so Cassie wracked her brains trying to think of something she could tell him to dissipate his interest in her.
“I’m organizing a party for Mr. Solomon in a few months’ time. Tina was kind enough to let me see the house so I have a clear idea of his requirements before putting together the plans.” She was doing her best to look business-like and intellectual in the hope of deflecting his intrigue.
“What party? I don’t remember receiving an invitation,” Victor said, still staring at Cassie, but it was Leo who spoke.