Negotiation: A Mafia Romance Read online

  She opened her purse and let out another groan of what sounded like exasperation. “Dammit, I left my phone in the hotel room. This ridiculous little purse wasn’t big enough to hold my money and my passport, along with lipstick and a phone, but Britney had her phone, so it seemed fine to leave mine behind. Knowing those vindictive little cunts, they’ll have destroyed all my stuff before I can ever get it back.”

  He let out a surprised laugh at her use of the cunt word, not having expected such a sweet-faced young girl to know the word, or at least use it in any context, let alone referring to her so-called friends. It was obvious they weren’t really her friends though, and from what he had observed during the few minutes he’d spent with the unpleasant blonde trio, the word fit them aptly. “Come on, Grace. Let’s get out of here, and you can use the phone in my car.”

  She gave him a strange look. “You don’t have a cell phone?”

  He made a production of patting his pockets. “It was either bring that or my lipstick, so of course I had to bring the lipstick.” He grinned at her.

  She rolled her eyes, though there was still a hint of uncertainty in her gaze despite her small laugh. “I’m sure there’s a payphone or something around here. Maybe.” She looked uncertain.

  He shrugged, as though he wasn’t invested in her decision. “Probably so, but I imagine you’ll need change for it. Do you have change?”

  At that moment, a hulking behemoth approached them. With coppery brown skin, dark black hair, and a mustache that would have made Yosemite Sam swoon with envy, he was an intimidating sight. He crossed his arms over his chest and glared down at Grace, sparing only a small glance for Larenz. “You need to settle your bar tab. Your friends tore out of here, and someone’s going to pay.”

  She gasped softly, but nodded. “How much?”

  Larenz saw her shoulders slump when the large man gave her the bill, and he wondered if all of her friends drank like fishes, or if they had been unexpectedly generous and bought a round for the house. They must have all been drinking top-shelf liquor to have accumulated so many charges in this dump.

  The chivalrous thing to do would have been to step in and offer to settle the debt, but he held back. He needed Grace vulnerable and open to help in other ways, and allowing her to deplete her cash to cover her friends’ bar bill was a step in the right direction. He squashed down a hint of guilt as he watched impassively while she opened her purse and sorted out the money, paying in US dollars.

  The big man took the money and counted it, though he had just seen her count it as well. And then he scowled at her. “What, no tip?”

  He barely held in a chuckle as she gritted her teeth and peeled off another ten-dollar bill from her rapidly dwindling roll of money, handing it over with a small glare to the large man. The bouncer tucked it into his pocket along with the other money, looking satisfied as he made his way to the bar.

  She was clearly feeling defeated, so he seized the moment to put his hand on her arm and lead her through the crowd, until they had exited the club. He breathed in a lungful of fresh air, noticing she did the same before she sank to the curb, looking glum. Now was the time to offer to help.

  First, he held out a handkerchief, which was a holdover from years of his father’s instruction to always have one on hand in case a lady needed to dry her tears. Over the years, he’d used it far more times to wipe blood off of his knuckles, but he couldn’t deny it was a handy item to keep with him. This one was fresh and new, without a blood spot in sight.

  She took it from him with a small smile, though it wobbled around the edges. He expected her to burst into tears, but after a moment, her expression cleared. “If you don’t mind, I think I will take you up on that ride. I don’t really have money for a taxi now, and the bus system, if they have one, would probably be incomprehensible to me. I don’t read or speak Spanish, and I can barely understand the bus schedules back home, which are in English.”

  He nodded. “Of course. Where may I take you?”

  She bit her lip as she opened her purse again, clearly counting the money she had left. She looked up at him. “Do you know if there’s a hostel or something in the neighborhood? I need to find somewhere to stay tonight, because I doubt my father can get me home before tomorrow.”

  “I know a place you can stay for free.”

  She looked interested, but wary. “Really?”

  He nodded. “You can stay with me.”

  She was already shaking her head no. “Thank you for the offer, but I couldn’t possibly impose.”

  He bent down and grabbed her arm gently, forcing her to get to her feet. “You’re not imposing. I have a suite at the Regal Cordova, and there’s a free bedroom that no one’s using. You’re welcome to it tonight.”

  She bit her lip, clearly torn between common sense, which would urge any young woman to regard such an offer skeptically, and desperation, obviously feeling backed into a corner. She shook her head again. “Really, I can’t. It’s very sweet of you to offer, but…”

  He gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile, doing his best to hide any predatory edge. “But you don’t know if I’m a mad rapist or something equally awful? Okay. I understand your hesitation, but I can’t leave you like this. My sister’s only a couple of years older than you, and the idea of her being in such a spot gives me chills.” That much was true. The idea of someone targeting Sophia for the purposes he had in mind for Grace did make his blood run cold. A new spark of guilt tried to flare to life, but he smothered it before it could. It was for Sophia, and all the other people in his life that he cared about, including himself, that he was doing this. “If you want, I can let you call her and verify for yourself that I’m telling you the truth.”

  She eyed him doubtfully. “Why would your sister make you look bad? She’s going to tell me what you want her to tell me.”

  He laughed, amused and surprised by her spunk. “No, not Sophia. She’s too stubborn and convinced of her own rightness to ever be a parrot for my words.”

  She shook her head. “I’m sure it won’t be necessary to call your sister for references. If you’re certain I won’t be in your way, I would appreciate the room just for tonight.”

  He inclined his head. “I’m certain, and thank you.”

  She frowned at him. “Why are you thanking me? Shouldn’t that be the other way around?”

  He shrugged. “Perhaps, but this way I don’t have to worry about the young American girl I ran across in the Mexican Riviera, wondering if she made it home safely or fell into dangerous hands.”

  Her gaze softened, and it was all too easy. He could already see he was going to have very little trouble reeling her in. He should have been disgusted by her weakness, but instead, a surge of relief swept through him to realize she would fall in line with his plans easily enough, and she would soon be his.

  ***

  Grace woke in the most comfortable bed in which she had ever slept, stretching and yawning, though she was well-rested. After the evening’s events, she’d expected to toss and turn half the night as she had lain in the strange hotel room, aware there was a man she barely knew on the opposite side of the wall, torn between the fear of what Dad would say when she called and all the possibilities that had crowded into her mind.

  She didn’t know Larenz, and he could do anything to her. No one would even know she was missing for a few days yet, because her parents believed she was going home with Chrissy for spring break, not realizing that Chrissy had been going to the Mexican Riviera rather than her home in Miami. She had omitted that detail. By the time her father sorted out the whole mess, which she didn’t doubt he would be able to, considering his resources and sheer determination, she would be long gone if this man had nefarious plans for her.

  On the other hand, it seemed unlikely he would have brought her back to this luxurious suite and settled her into a room of her own while making no demands of her if he was anything but a good Samaritan. He had suggested she wait until t
his morning to call her father, since he would probably be more receptive to helping her and less likely to yell if he wasn’t awakened from a sound sleep. At the time, his words had made sense. It had all made sense, and she had fallen asleep with surprising ease.

  Now, she marveled at her own naïveté, wondering how she had so easily given up on common sense and surrendered to instinct instead. Instinct had guided her to trust Larenz, but after years of admonishments and warnings from her father about the evil intent of most men, she was marveling at her own stupidity this morning.

  There was a knock at her door, followed by a hesitation before it opened. She was wearing only her underpants, and she quickly pulled the bedding tightly around her. She expected to see Larenz, so it was a surprise when a maid came in instead, wheeling a cart of food. No, perhaps she was a room service attendant rather than a maid. She wore a black and white uniform with her name tag, identifying her as Elena, and she quickly set up the breakfast on the tray she placed across Lilly’s lap. When she stood back, the Latina woman nodded her head. “Will there be anything else, Miss?”

  Feeling slightly bewildered at the turn of events, she shook her head and dismissed the maid. It was only as the other woman had closed the door behind her that she realized she hadn’t tipped. She hoped Larenz had taken care of that, because the woman was clearly good at her job.

  The heavenly smell of food reached her nostrils, urging her to dig in to the chorizo and onion omelet topped with Cotija cheese and accompanied by a side of pineapple and mangoes. It was delicious; far better than the food offered at the hotel where she had stayed with her sorority sisters and their boyfriends.

  She was just finishing her meal when there was another knock at the door, and she took a sip of orange juice before calling, “Come in.” As the door opened, she checked to make sure the sheet was still tucked tightly under her armpits and covered all visible spots of flesh from mid-chest down. She was unsurprised to see Larenz this time. “Thank you for breakfast.”

  He shrugged his shoulders. “Of course.”

  “It’s going to be a little while before I can repay you for the room and breakfast, but —”

  He held up a hand. “Actually, you can pay me back right now.”

  Her lips tightened, and she looked briefly downward at her lack of clothing before meeting his gaze again. She wondered if hers revealed the sense of betrayal rushing through her, which was a ridiculous reaction. He’d never made any promises of helping her out of the goodness of his heart, so she shouldn’t be surprised if he wanted some kind of tangible compensation for giving her a bed to sleep in and food to fill her stomach. “What do you want?”

  He flashed her a smile, and it didn’t seem overly perverted or lewd. “I wouldn’t mind some company. I’d originally planned to come on this trip with a friend of mine, but Claudia and I had a falling out shortly before departure. I came anyway, but it’s lonely being on vacation on your own. If you want, you’re welcome to stay here, since I’m booked to the end of the week, and then you can fly home as planned. Your father would never need to know about the little scrape you got into last night, and you can still enjoy your vacation.”

  It was a tempting offer, but she was having difficulty believing he’d made it simply because he wanted the pleasure of her company. “And what else do you want from me?”

  He looked puzzled. “I’m not sure what you mean. If you’re implying that I’m asking for something besides companionship, then the answer is no.”

  She flushed and dropped her gaze from his, immediately feeling embarrassed by her assumptions. Of course he didn’t want or expect anything from her. He was built along the lines of the marble statues of the gods and men of Greece she had seen while touring Europe last summer with her mom—though she doubted he suffered from the same lack of endowment that most of the sculptors had bestowed upon their artwork.

  That errant thought made her blush even more fiercely. With his neatly trimmed beard and mustache and dark hair, coupled with his compelling eyes, he would clearly have no trouble attracting female attention. He wouldn’t have to pressure a stranger he’d just met into exchanging sex for room and board. “Of course not,” she said stiffly. “Thank you for the offer, but I need some time to think about it.”

  He looked surprised by that, but he didn’t argue. “Of course. I’m planning to do some sightseeing in a bit, so if you’d like to join me, I’ll be waiting in the sitting room for a little while. Please let me know whatever decision you reach.” His words were clipped and a little stiff, suggesting she might have offended him, or even hurt his feelings.

  That sent a pang of anxiety through her, and she had to resist the urge to apologize. She was too flustered to do so at the moment and have it come out coherently. She was still smarting from her assumption that he had wicked things in mind for her, and she was dismayed to discover that she was actually hurt and offended herself that he didn’t want her to trade her body for staying in the hotel room for the rest of the week. What was wrong with her? She should be relieved that he wasn’t a creepy old man rather than be offended by him not desiring her.

  She still had to decide if she was going to accept his hospitality. It was beyond the bounds of manners to really entertain the idea, but she was feeling quite possibly cowardly enough to take him up on his offer and hide in the hotel suite for the rest of the week rather than face her father and admit what she had done. It wasn’t that she was afraid of him.

  Grace didn’t want to disappoint him. Her father had a very clearly defined role for her, and any time she exceeded the boundaries of it, the hurt and disappointment that filled his eyes was always worse than any amount of shouting or yelling could have been. She would rather that he physically discipline her than give her that look, and she couldn’t imagine that would ever change, no matter how old she got. Here she was almost twenty-two and still worried about her father’s reaction to her life choices.

  Even knowing how ridiculous it was, she was still eager to avoid disappointing him. That was why she had bothered with the subterfuge of staying with Chrissy over the week, while not enlightening him that it would be only one night in Miami before they headed to Mexico. This stranger, who had come to her rescue, was offering to extend her rescue through the rest of the week, and he didn’t seem to want anything from her besides some companionship.

  It was difficult to believe such an attractive and wealthy man could be lonely, but perhaps he really was. She was lonely too, never quite fitting in with her peers, and always maintaining the role of Daddy’s perfect daughter at home, which often left her on the fringe of her siblings’ exploits as well. What could it hurt to spend a little time with a stranger when he had kind eyes and had been nothing but thoughtful?

  Her mind made up, Grace got out of bed and tugged on Chrissy’s dress she had borrowed before they’d left the other hotel room last night. It was too tight and too short, which was funny, considering Chrissy was at least six inches taller and probably thirty pounds heavier than her. She’d never seen the dress on Chrissy, but it must be positively indecent when the other woman wore it if it fit her like this.

  She couldn’t imagine traipsing around sightseeing in the thing, so she’d have to spring for a few pieces of clothing, since she was certain hers would be destroyed or long gone by now. There was no point in going back to the hotel for any of her things. She knew exactly how vindictive Chrissy, Britney, and Tiffany could be, having seen them in action over the last few months she had lived in the sorority house and had been part of the group, albeit on the fringes, just like every other facet of her life.

  She dismissed the morose thoughts as she mentally calculated the amount left on her credit card, discounting the small pile of cash remaining in the impractical wallet, since it would provide little in the way of anything, let alone buying a few days’ worth of clothes.

  When she emerged from the room he had loaned her a few minutes later, she found Larenz standing with his back to her lo
oking out at the ocean. The suite offered a fantastic view of the coastline, with one wall made up entirely of glass. The sun backlit him, emphasizing his form through the khaki shorts and light button-down shirt he wore.

  The sunlight brought out deep-gold highlights in his dark hair, and as he turned to face her, she grasped why she had been so upset when she’d realized he didn’t want her body. It was because she wanted his. She had wanted him to propose an indecent arrangement, and not because she would have rejected it with righteous indignation. She had a feeling if he had offered her a spot in his suite for the rest of the week, contingent on sharing his bed, she would have jumped at the opportunity. That didn’t speak well of her or her upbringing, since she knew both her folks would be shocked by such thinking, but she couldn’t deny the epiphany once it came to her.

  She cleared her throat, hoping he didn’t detect the blush in her cheeks. “If you’re sure you don’t mind, I will take you up on your offer.”

  He gave her an easy grin, though it didn’t reveal much about his true reaction to her acquiescence. “I’m pleased to hear that. I hope you don’t mind, but I took the liberty of having some of the shops send up clothing for you. Whether or not you stayed, I knew you’d need some pieces to get through.” He waved to the couch.

  She turned toward it, expecting to see a couple of boxes or bags, since he had said a few pieces. Instead, it was heaped with purchases, and she eyed them in shock. “How long do you think I’m staying?”

  He laughed, sounding delighted. “You don’t have to keep them all, Grace. I’m not sure what your tastes are, and though I think I’m pretty sure about your size, I could be wrong—especially on intimate wear. I had to guess on your band and cup size.” As he spoke, his gaze moved briefly to the overflow of cleavage from the black dress, before darting away quickly.